2026 Goals

01 Jan 2026 Leave a comment

by Amy in Rambles Tags: , , , , ,

I am undertaking a small but big endeavour this year and while I am older and wiser in terms of time and commitment, I am also coming into this year with oh so many years of blogging behind me that I am not ignoring the lessons of the past. I have dug, sculpted, and set fire to my little corner of the internet and I am content where I have ended up. Because of that, I am going to keep as much harmony as I can in what I plan to do.

Therefore, this year my goals are relatively simple: I am going to read and I am going to review. Just how I am going to do that is going to be thrown into the washing machine.

It’s a huge year in terms of books because Jasper Fforde is finally releasing Dark Reading Matter, the final book in the Thursday Next series. I did a reread last year to refresh my memory and I have been incredibly patient (kinda) over the last thirteen years while he published five other books in the meantime. I reviewed this series my first year of blogging. Reading The Eyre Affair was one of the books that prompted me to start this blog. So to be finally able to close the series and still be here to review it is pretty awesome. It was announced in February last year the expected publication date was September 2025 but due to “quality control issues” it’s now 2026. At this stage June. Either way that’s more information than we’ve had the previous twelve years.

In terms of regular goings on, I have my usual posts coming up: Book Bingo, Top Five of 2025, my blogiversary giveaway, as well as another year of my #AussieYAChallenge. I can’t believe this is the third year of my challenge. I was terrified of launching it in 2024 now here I am realising the world didn’t end and I’m loving it.

My reread series of this year is the Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger. I adore this series, absolutely adore it and to return to these characters (and maybe finish a half done review for their books) would be divine. I am quite excited to start all the way from the beginning and maybe even venture into the extra series Carriger has which have been on my to read pile for just as long.

The big news is I am going to be opening my review requests again. Granted only briefly, but I have missed being asked to read some amazing books, to have authors trust me with their work and to be able to share some fantastic stories with you all. Details will be coming in their own post so keep an eye on that. If it’s going to be like it was before it’s going to be tough, but again, the book world has changed dramatically since I was last offering this so who knows, I might open the doors to an empty field of nothing and nobody. But I can’t wait to find out.

The other challenge of my year is I am pushing myself to read paperbacks again. The books I want to read are near impossible to find as audio, especially Aussie YA, but even good fiction books I come across at work or are recommended to me I can only get a physical copy. This says a lot about the availability of audiobooks, but personally I need to get back into the habit too and I am hoping this is the year to do better. I have been slowly getting there, but I need to make a conscious effort. It’s hard because audio lets me get through a book faster and more conveniently. Clearly what I need is to have the time to stop and sit and be content with only reading, not reading while also doing x, y, and z.

So I’m still reading, still reviewing. I am throwing in some challenges for myself out there while being manageable and keeping the fun of blogging alive. Aside from that I am heading into this year with a hope to discover some amazing books, share some amazing reviews, and have fun on this wild ride.

2025 Goals

02 Jan 2025 6 Comments

by Amy in Rambles Tags: ,

January always bring a rush of things to do. Suddenly everything is happening and it’s a mixture of wrapping up the previous year and setting the wheels in motion for the one that’s just begun.

I have all the usual posts planned for January but I am starting off with my goals this time. I like to set my goals, not for any real reason, but I like to have some kind of plan for the year, even if it doesn’t quite come to fruition. Which is why the past few years with all the *gestures at everything* I have made them simpler targets, but also little things to make me feel like I’ve achieved some things and improved my reading, or even my blogging, in some way.

 

Bump up my #AussieYAChallenge involvement

First things first, I am still so proud of myself for starting the Aussie YA Challenge, but as creator I didn’t give the attention it deserved. I planted it, attended it for a while, then promptly neglected it. Unintentionally of course. This is why so many of my gardening ventures failed, I forget to keep watering the plants, even though I kept thinking about them or seeing them in the garden.

To rectify this, I am implementing the approach I had when the AWW was up and running. I made draft posts and scheduled them into when I wanted my check in points to be so I had them ready as a reminder, I wasn’t at the whim of memory and time to make something.

In the same vein I am going to try and be more prompt with my reviews on what I do read. Promoting the challenge is one thing, but having little updates and reminders as I post the reviews for what I’ve read will help too.

I am also going to make more deliberate and active choices to pick up physical books as the year goes on because honestly 95% of Aussie YA are physical/ebooks only so it’s going to have to happen. I have to stop myself being distracted by shiny audiobooks from overseas just because it’s easier. I need to read these books I have longed to read for ages, even if it’s hard. The want is there and I have to make myself read them if I ever want to catch up on the amazing books we have coming out of this country.

 

Read physical books/from my own shelf

It’s not only for Aussie YA I need to read physical books, any physical books would be great. I want to read at least 12 physical books this year, I will force this habit to return because I can’t rely on audio forever. I have three bookcases with books I need to read at home so in addition to physical books I am also going to try and read more from my own shelves too because to be honest that’s where a lot of those 95% Aussie YA books are as well.

 

Reading Challenges

I have three reading challenges to complete this year. My own #AussieYAChallenge, my Book Bingo, and the Read 25 YA books in 2025 over on StoryGraph. A lot of these should overlap so it shouldn’t be too overwhelming. While I was investigating challenges though I also found an ongoing #LoveOzYA Queer Reads Challenge which I might dip my toe into as well and find some of our great diverse reads.

 

Share Reviews more

Comparatively to earlier years, I have been a lot better and consistent in posting reviews on my blog, and I have a schedule that works for me. But when I post here I am not as diligent as putting up a written review on StoryGraph as I used to be on Goodreads. I need to dedicate some time and upload all the reviews I’ve done since moving to StoryGraph and putting them up for people to read. I’ll sit down on afternoon, pop on a book to keep me company and spend a couple hours filling up those empty review spots. Another habit I need to get back into.

 

So that’s my plan. Looking back over this it doesn’t look as simple as I initially thought but I am happy. A little active reading won’t hurt and a chance to share the great things I’m reading can’t be a bad thing either. I am hoping a little patience with myself is going to help, and as with most things I think starting will be the hardest part. But I am also going to try and make myself be consistent. My tendency to lose momentum mid-year and never start again has a strong track record so we can only go in with faith and good intentions right?

2024 Goals

18 Jan 2024 Leave a comment

by Amy in Rambles Tags: , , ,

2024 is here and well underway by this point. No one is wishing Happy New Years anymore, February is practically here and then we’ll forget we even had a break to begin with. I didn’t plan for my first of the year to be so late but here we are. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season, got plenty of reading done, and have already added plenty of books to your TBR pile for 2024.

I have been looking at what I want my goals for this year to be and I am keeping it simple and relatively easy to strive for. I think my evergreen goal is trying to read a lot more Aussie YA. It was the first 2024 goal I made at the end of last year and already have failed because there are so many nice and shiny books from overseas. Of the eight books I have read so far this year, one is from the #LoveOzYA group, even the two I am half way through are both overseas stories. But I have plenty of time. The problem is I wish it was easier to search for them. The #LoveOzYA team fought hard to get the term recognised, I just need bookshops and libraries to have it as a category I can look up. There’s some great lists on Goodreads, I don’t think StoryGraph does lists the same way, if it does I’ve yet to discover it. Right now I am being guided by the #LoveOzYA website, their blog, lists and tags people put on social media, and looking up authors I already know that fit into that category. Of course I also need to read the back catalogue on my own shelves which is also part of my goal. So many potentially great Aussie YA books sitting unread on my shelf.

The problem is those overseas books are so tempting, so I am not making it a sole goal. But one I hope if I put some effort in to I shall achieve. The rise of audiobooks must be a help, but I fear it will be a wait before any back catalogues get converted. I’m doing it partly because I want to find more local authors, but I also need less USA high school books. Or at least if it’s going to be overseas YA it can’t be in a high school. Somehow the UK and Australians can make YA that isn’t set so heavily in the halls of a high school, I like those ones. But that is a me problem, I think I need a break from cheerleaders and football and not quite ready to jump further into the US fantasy quite yet. Years ago they had a great Book Bingo Challenge which I loved. I might make up my own one to aid me. What I need is a #LoveOzYA Challenge like the old Australian Women Writers where there’s goals to aim for. Oh, I may have given myself an idea of a challenge I definitely don’t have time to make but do kinda desperately want to make…I’ll keep you posted.

Away from that I have set my goal at 80 books again, hopefully we can be a bit less dramatic come December when I need to have finished. I am also creating my Book Bingo so that will go up soon as well. My plan was to less intense in January in terms of posting, but that has slackened further now it being the end of January and all with nothing posted yet, but I’ll get there. Keeping it fun and casual I tell myself. Fighting against my organisational instincts and keeping it casual like I promised myself last year.

Next week is my blogiversary, the one post I can’t skip. I have my Top Five up for grabs as well as a few other books I’ve loved. It’s times like this I wish I’d reviewed more because it’s hard to push books you love when there aren’t many reviews to read up on to tell you why I loved it. I will get the reviews up as soon as possible though because I need to tell you about these amazing books.

Other than that I am gearing up for a more relaxed year, reviews when I can, trying not to hold myself too accountable so I am not guilt ridden, but also balancing it so I don’t go full on neglect either.

Shouldn’t be too hard, right?

2021 Goals

11 Jan 2021 Leave a comment

by Amy in General Tags: ,

As I poke my toe tentatively into the new year I am reigning in any grand plans for my blog and aiming for something simple this year. I did think I was doing something simple last year, and while I met a couple of my goals in a roundabout, unplanned way, I am not going to put any pressure on myself. This blog is about sharing my love of books and reading and having a pressure to do it in a certain way is not something I want hanging over me right now. Instead, I am going to share my goals that I have some confidence I can achieve.

Get more AWW read

I have been doing the Australian Women Writers Challenge for a few years now and have seen my reading/reviewing numbers grow a lot. This year I aim to increase my numbers from last year and to match that with reviews since that was where I faltered last year. I will start with my initial goal but hopefully through the year I can bump that up and see where I end up come December.

Review more

This is a strange one given I tend to put up three reviews a week (when everything in my life goes to plan) but there were a few bumps last year and even when I was putting out consistent reviews I have a huge backlog from last year that I would love to get written up. 2020 was a huge year of reading for me and even if it means I am posting reviews months after when I read them I will be incredibly happy. For example I read all 30 Agatha Raisin books this past year and have Opinions about them which I would love to write about so hopefully they get up at some point this year, I also read some truly amazing books I need to shout from the rooftops about.

Read more YA

This was on the last year goals but I didn’t read as many as I liked, and it is an always goal because there’re so many out there I have yet to read and that have been on my TBR list for far too long. This is also including #LoveOzYa books, I’m looking at doing their bingo in October if they offer it up again to help me along, or I will redo a previous card in the meantime to help widen my reading.

These are super simple but I think it is a great way to keep doing what I love without becoming too chaotic and stressed with expectations and the inevitable let down come December when I realise I haven’t done anything from my bright eyed optimism in January. I know last year is not the year to hold as the standard or the norm but I have also been a tad notorious of being a bit neglectful in my goals so this might be my best chance at success. It’s also a chance to challenge myself and my reading in different ways. Fingers crossed anyway.

Do you have any reading goals for 2021? Are you doing any challenges to change up your reading or are you taking chances in different ways?

2020 Goals

01 Jan 2020 4 Comments

by Amy in Rambles Tags: , ,

2020 has arrived and so the start of a new year of blogging goals commences. I’ve already looked back at the poor attempt I made with last year’s goals and instead of learning from that I am going to be bolder and reach wider because I have learnt nothing.

Some of these goals are ones I have thought about through the year and am going to strive and make them part of my reading habits. They aren’t completely extravagant, but even a small achievement in these areas is a win because at least I’m doing something good for myself and for the reading community.

All of these are my attempt to read more widely, more diversely, to spread the love, discover new reads and read the books, genres, and authors I love. Because reading and blogging isn’t just about making goals it is about reading good books, these are just the tools I am using to find and experience these good books. As long as I give it my best these goals can’t really be failed (some can but that is a whole other thing). As I enter my seventh year of this blog (what even is happening about that!) I am growing and evolving once more like a little blogging Pokémon and that can only be a good thing.

Read More Young Adult

There always seems to be more and more published every week while I am still catching up on those published in 2015. I want to try and read more of the YA books I’ve heard so much about, seen on my shelves every day, and bought with speed to own upon release only to never read it.

Read More #LoveOzYA

Adjacent category of the above is to hone in on our Aussie YA corner. Not only am I super keen to see if the #LoveOzYA team release another bingo (hopefully not waiting until October to do so), but in the meantime I want to discover all the Aussie writers have to offer.

Finish series

I will admit, this is my evergreen goal, but imagining the satisfaction of finishing a series is something I need to dream about to achieve this goal.

Finish a whole Bingo Game

I have done it once, I failed last year but if I remind myself I have done it once, it will also make me read these genres and stories I don’t read often which is usually how a card gets unfinished. Hopefully mixing up my card this year and doing more challenges will help as well.

Be more active on other blogs to share the love.

Despite being online and not actually face to face I still get a lot of anxiety interacting with people online but sharing a love of books and reading should hopefully push me out of my silently stalking mode into commenting and sharing the love a bit more around the blogging community.

Read more off my own shelf

A small part of me actually thinks I’ll achieve this where I have failed every other year because I keep adding books to my shelves and seeing these titles I’ve also wanted to read for years. I only need to pick them up. Maybe if I start, it will be a habit I won’t easily break. That or guilt myself into keep going. The key is to connect the books on my shelves to those in challenges or other goals because if I only used my shelves I have no doubt I’d fill every box and every goal and every genre required.

Looking at the list I think that is a decent approach to this 2020 year. If I use these as guidelines to other things I will hopefully be able to achieve them in a small way. I am already looking forward to seeing how far I can go. Do you have any reading goals you want to achieve this year?

Previous Older Entries