Reading Themes and Goals for 2024.

My primary reading goal for 2024 is to read 100 books. But I have a lot of ideas about what kinds of books I want to read. Here are most of the themes, authors, and topics on which I want to focus.

• Journals and Diaries.
• Books on Journaling.
• Poets' Memoirs and Biographies.
• Books on Reading/Books/Bookselling.
• Books on French Lifestyles/Travels to France.
• Books on Food, Especially Poetry.
• Books on Writing Poetry.
• Books by Helen Oyeyemi.
• Books in Seasonal Genres (Winter: Children's Literature; Spring: Young Adult Literature; Summer: Short Story Collections; Fall: Nonfiction).
• 30 Books of Poetry in April,
• 31 Books of Poetry in October.
• Books by Alexandra Stoddard.
• Books by Jill Bialosky.
• Books by Joseph Bathanti.
• Books by Kay Redfield Jamison.
• Memoirs and Essays on Motherhood. 

October Poetry Month: Week Five.

Day 1: Today, I read two books by poets I know: Alan Michael Parker's The Age of Discovery and Joseph Bathanti's Concertina. Both were quite good. I've more or less giving up on writing poems for the month, but I did end up with eighteen new poems, which is pretty impressive. I'm hoping that more will rise as I write down quotations from the poems I've read. I have several composition books full of randomly-arranged quotations from books I've read. It's my way of saving the best bits. 

Day 2: Today, I read two more books of poems: Paper House by my friend and former classmate Jessie Carty and What Is This Thing Called Love by Kim Addonizio. The latter reminded me a little of Love and F*ck Poems but better. I've really gotten through a lot of poetry books I've been meaning to read for a long time!

Day 3: I finally read Amy Gerstler's Index of Women! She is probably my favorite poet. I got bogged down in the first poem a couple of years ago and set the book aside. But I came back to it today and liked it very much! 5 stars. So, now, I have read thirty-one books of poetry in a month! Even with health problems that sometimes kept me from reading at all, I did it! And I think that as I write down quotations, more poems will arise. I want to keep reading poetry often. I think it makes me a better poet, a better writer, and a more complete person. I'm looking forward to April Poetry Month!

October Poetry Month: Week 4

Day 1: I've finally gotten back to the poetry work! Today's book was White Pine by Mary Oliver. I love the quiet meditation of her poems, and as I said a couple of weeks ago, hers is the only nature poetry I tend to like. I've now read nine of her poetry collecitons, and I have more to read. I wrote a poem for her called "The Owl Queen."

Day 2: Today, I read two poetry books: Green by Melissa Fite Johnson and A Plumber's Guide to Light by Jesse Bertron, a chapbook. I wrote a poem called "No One Ever," responding to a poem in Green. I don't know if I can respond to A Plumber's, but it was good, worth reading again. I'm still not feeling well, but I managed a good three hours of reading in the evening. I'm now a little more caught up. I've now read eighteen books of poetry this month, so I'm still about five books behind--gracious.  I've written only sixteen poems, so I'm behind by seven. Strep really laid me out last week. This challenge may have to spill into November, but I'll get it done. The good news is that I'm currently nine books ahead (90 books) on my annual reading goal! I only have 10 books to go, so I hope to surpass my goal by a good bit. Several weeks are left! I continue to read two or more poems from Fairy Poems, the Everyman's Library Pocket Poet book Josh gave me. I hope to finish it before or soon after the end of the month. I'm almost halfway through. So, 

Day 3: I read Anson County: Poems by Bathanti today. I decided not to spread poets out; I have another by Bathanti and two more by AMP. I'll try to read them all before the end of the month. I wrote an as-yet-untitled poem after Bathanti. I'll let it sit tonight and try to untangle it and name it in the morning. At the moment, I'm four poetry books behind and six poems behind. I found a few more chapbooks, which will help me catch up. I have one week left. 

Day 4: Today, I read two books. Triumph of Achilles is Louise Gluck's fourth book of poetry. I thought Id read a ton of her books, but I have so many more to read! I hadn't realized she won the NOBEL PRIZE. I guess even her tenure as US Poet Laureate and her Pulitzer Prize pale compared to that! I definitely need to read the rest of her books.  The second book was Spinning the Vast Fantastic, a chapbook by Britton Shurley. That one got three stars. I didn't write a poem today...I may not reach the poetry-writing goal this month. Vertigo kept me down a bit today. I don't know what's causing it.

Day 5: I read two more books of poetry today: Those Days When Love Doesn't Work by Nancy Tripp King (I had to add it to StoryGraph) and AMP's Days Like Prose. I thought I'd read so much more of AMP's poetry, but I'm catching up now. Both books got four stars. I'm amazed I accomplished that much because my vertigo was severe, especially in the morning.

Day 6: I spent this morning in the hospital with extreme vertigo, so I did not read or write any poems. I have eight books left to read and only four days to do it!

Day 7: Vertigo was bad again this morning, the worst it's been. Dang. So reading was difficult at best. I went on Libby and searched "Poetry audio." I borrowed Feel Your Way Through, a book of poetry by Kelsea Ballerini. I've never listened to her music. I wouldn't call the book literary poetry, but the rhythm and rhymes were soothing. I bought another audio book for under $3: Be With, poems by Forrest Gander. It's a Pulitzer-Prize winner! So that helps me with my 40 before 40 goal to read ten Pulitzers during this decade of my life. And finally, as my vertigo stayed away in the evening, I visually read Louise Gluck's Meadowlands. I'm now at 98 total books for the year, 16 books ahead on my goal! If I can finish my poetry month reading goal, I'll get there! Since I've been so sick, I may be listening to a lot of poetry over the next few days. Only five books to go! I also wrote a new poem called "Watching True Crime Shows in the ER."

Daily, Weekly, Monthly, and Annual Ideals.

I took my list from my last blog about the kind of person I want to be and arranged that into daily, weekly, monthly, and annual goal lists. I made charts for these, and I'm using a pink glitter highlighter to mark what I accomplish. A full spot means I've done it, and a dot means I've worked on it (such as working on grading but not fully catching up).  

Ideally, every day, I will

1. Finish a book

2. Read poems

3. Read a story

4. Do yoga

5. Shower before noon

6. Catch up dishes

7. Catch up laundry

8. Pick up the house

9. Take a shower before noon

10. Eat breakfast

11. Eat lunch

12. Eat dinner

13. Drink 3 or fewer sodas from home

14. Brush twice

15. Floss once

16. Get an hour of touch

17. Stare/zone out for <30 minutes

18. Read visually

19. Listen to an audio book

20. Stay caught up on reading goal

21. Have no overdue library books

22. Do something sexy

23. Finish a writing product or work on a book

24. Journal 5+ pages

25. Do morning pages

26. Read to the boys

27. Update my marriage diary

28. Study something

29. Send a submission

30. Make Oliver’s lunch/prepare drinks

31. Blog

32. Listen to an audio book

33. Plan for 20 minutes

34. Take a.m., p.m., and night meds

35. Stay sober

36. Talk to a friend

37. Catch up on notetaking

38. Catch up on quotations

39. Update financial app

40. Play or do art

41. Daydream

42. Catch up grading

43. Catch up E-mail

44. Catch up training

45. Get a massage or take a bath

46. Clean and wear nightguard

47. Delete/file 50 personal E-mails

48. Talk with Josh

49. Read a magazine article in the morning

50. Update duotrope

51. Meet step goal

52. Meet stair goal

53. Keep up with library app

54. Keep up with Libby

55. Read art 

 

Ideally, every week, I will

1. Read a blog

2. Finish a magazine

3. Hang out with Bruce

4. Plan submissions

5. Cook for Josh twice

6. Go on a Saturday walk

7. Go on a second walk

8. Go on an artist’s date

9. Watch a movie or two episodes

10. Talk to Mom

11. Inventory

12. Have sex 3 times

13. Write a poem

14. Write a short story

15. Complete a chapter with Josh (reading, notes, writing, discussing)

16. Visit the library

17. Finish two books 

Ideally, every month, I will

1. Stay within my spending budget ($140 + planned expenses)

2. Finish a journal

3. Keep a positive bank balance

Ideally, every year, I will 

1. Read 31 poetry books in April

2. Read 31 poetry books in October

3. Read 10 children’s books in winter

4. Read 10 YA books in spring

5. Read 10 short story collections in summer

6. Read 10 nonfiction books in fall

7. Read 100 books

8. Read 5 award winning books

9. Read Best American Poetry

10. Read Best American Short Stories

11. Read Best American Essays

12. Read Best American Food Writing

13. Read Best American Travel Writing

14. Read Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy

Specific Goal for 2023: Read 25 art/fashion/design books

Specific Goal for 2024: Read 20 published diaries/books on journaling

2020: A Well-Read Year.

Last year, I had a few months with almost no reading at all. The lack of reading made me sicker, and rebuilding the practice was slow and difficult. I need help staying on track. Not reading means repressing and hurting a large part of myself. Largely because of that, and despite my hard work at the end, I didn't reach my 2019 reading goal. I'm bummed about that.

So this year will be different. Last year, my Reading Challenge on GoodReads was 50 books, which I still think is reasonable for me. I finished 44 books. So I'm taking those six unread books and adding them to this year's goal: 56 in total.

Remember, I want to read a total of 1,000 books before I turn 40. That won't be easy, but I still think I can do it. I certainly have great books to choose from.

Bruce and I have started reading I Can Taste the Blood (not as gruesome as it sounds I think), which is a collection of novellas based on those words, which one author noticed on a public bathroom wall. Inspiration is everywhere!

Every day counts. And I'm starting in on my winter focus, children's lit.

Nourish/Challenge: Week 24.

Summer arrived.

I only read 3 or 4 YA novels in the spring. Now, I'm turning my attention to the classic short story focus. I always have fun with that, and I have several books waiting.

I need to work hard because I'm 7 books behind on my GoodReads annual reading goal. But I can overcome that. I hope short fiction will speed me up. A challenge!

We went to Charlotte. Mom and Shane had agreed to keep Oliver for two nights. Leaving him was a challenge, but the trip was nourishing for Josh and me and for our marriage. I'll tell me in another post.

I'll also post about my birthday eventually. I had a little string of lovely days. I try to hold onto all the sweet bits. That's what it's all about for me, really: sowing and reaping joy.

A Bold Reader: Week 40.

One of my 40 before 40 goals is to bring my lifetime reading to 1,000 books. I'm at 639 right now. I have a long way to go. Maybe my goal next year can be 60 books, or maybe I'll make the goal 50 again and just surpass it.

This has not been a great week for accomplishments. My to-do wish list shows that. I hardly wrote at all this last week. But I have read a little poetry, and Bruce and I finished The Boy on the Bridge! The book was great, and I'm excited to read The Girl with All the Gifts, which is set in the same world. I've now read 51 books this year! I wonder how far I'll get.

At my brother's recommendation, Bruce and I began reading Annihilation, which is part of the basis for the movie of the same name and the first book of the Southern Reach trilogy. I hope we will want to read the whole series. This will be book #16 of our tiny book club. I've enjoy the boost and the bond.

So many books are appealing to me right now. I have to create or seize more reading time.

Restoration: Week 39.

This past week, I reached my goal of reading 50 books this year. I'm so excited! And now, I have another 2+ months to read with less structure or with a new structure I'll create. I can read more challenging works because I'm not in a rush.

Josh and I went to the gym together for the first time in a long time. I stayed on the treadmill for an hour. I hated it, but I read some on my phone. I'm sure it was good for me.

I've been sleeping more. During the day, I'm often exhausted for no good reason. I try to listen to my body, but with sleep, I don't know if it's a necessity or a self-indulgence. Of course, nothing's wrong with a some of the latter. But I've written very little this week, partly because I'm asleep. I need to restore my scribbles next week.

My son turned 7. This is amazing to me. He's enjoying school and therapy, and he's talking and playing more. We met Dad and Michelle and Mom and Shane in Spencer and rode with Thomas! The train's facial expressions were impressive and not at all creepy. We had a great time. It was nice to have the patchwork family together.

A Bold Reader: Week 39.

This past week, I reached my annual reading goal. 50 books! With 3 months to spare! I plan to keep up with my seasonal focus (memoirs and diaries for fall!) and get back to reading the Bible. I finished Descent and Wedding in Hell. I've read all of Kay's collections now. I still miss her.

The year is 3/4 finished. I feel that I've been a bold reader. I've stuffed myself with poetry, some accessible and some challenging. 23 books of poetry! I've enjoyed short stories, especially flash fiction. I hope to write some of my onw before the year ends. I reading Native Guard by Natasha Tretheway and House of Light by Mary Oliver. I intend to read a lot of Mary Oliver.

I can identify well with the title Reader now. After reading so much less (about half) last year, I feel victorious.

I've been working on sustained reading. I often get distracted while I'm reading, sometimes just by my thoughts. But I've started to reexperience reading in a flow state. It's one of the best feelings I know.

A Bold Reader: Week 38.

This past week, I finished Best Small Fictions 2015. Now, I only have BSF16. I hope '18 comes soon. I love flash fiction more and more.

This summer, I read 104 short (and short-short) stories. I feel I honored my short story summer focus.

Fall began: the focus is diaries and memoirs, which I may open up to creative non-fiction. I began reading Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham. I binge watched her series, Girls, which is inappropriate for all audiences. This is going to be quite a read!

I've continued reading Boy on the Bridge with Bruce.

I got to 48 books for the year last week. What will I read in the remaining months? Anything! Maybe fairy tales. Maybe more about ancient Egypt. Maybe horror.Maybe Brontes and Austen. Maybe books that have long been on my guilt list.

In any case, I will keep reading. Who knows how far I'll go?

A Bold Reader: Week 14.

I finished Thrall, poems by Natasha Tretheway, this past week. I didn't expect to like it much, but I definitely want to read more of her work. She served as U.S. Poet Laureate and won a Pulitzer.

I've also been reading Kelle Groom's Five Kingdoms. It's the second book of hers that I've picked up. And I'm reading Rita Dove's Selected Poems and Ordinary Day, a chapbook by Xue Di. I'm getting better at reading aloud.

I've read a couple of George Saunders's stories, but I've mainly focused on the young adult fantasy novel Stealing Snow. I'll finish it this week.

I've set other books aside, and I'm somewhat behind on the Bible. I'll work on all that this coming week. 

I've had the thought of setting and reaching one major literary goal each year. This year, it's reading the whole Bible. Next year's may be joining National Novel Writing Month in November. Other annual goals could be to read all the works of a writer...C. S. Lewis maybe. Or Alice Munro. Something bold.