I’m a book nerd.

There!  I said it!

As a book nerd, I enjoy the website – and app – Goodreads.  It allows me to create virtual bookshelves of all the books I’ve read, those I am currently reading, or those I want to read.  And I can create my own bookshelves to sort books into categories of my choosing.

In 2016, I found a reading challenge online that had a list of books to read that included things like a bestseller, a biography, a book and its prequel, a book that takes place on an island . . . the list even included a book with a blue cover!  All told there were about 42 “categories” on that list.  I came close but didn’t quite complete it.  In 2017, I simply set a number goal for myself on Goodreads (another feature I love – tracking how close I am to my goal!) and worked my way through books by favorite authors and only explored a few that were new to me.  But I did it – 50 books in a year!  And I really could have done much more reading in the summer.

It’s time to set my goal for next year but I wanted to do something a little different in 2018.  I’ve upped the total number of books – going for 60 this year – and I’ve decided to break those 60 into 12 genres/categories with a goal of reading five books in each group.  Took some doing to come up with 12 genres.  Mostly because I had to stretch beyond my normal reading choices.  But I did it!  The 12 groupings are:

• Mystery
• Fantasy
• Poetry
• Thriller
• Biography or Memoir
• Based on a Legend or Fairy Tale
• Historical
• Self Help/Spiritual Growth
• Science Fiction
• Classics
• Goal Setting/Work Focus related
• Political Intrigue

With the categories set, it was time to do some digging.  In the mystery and fantasy categories, there are some authors I already love so I can fill those up quite easily.  Science Fiction?  Political Intrigue?  There, I’m treading into unfamiliar territory.  And this technology-dependent age, I did what most of us would do – I did some searching on the internet! I spent a chunk of Christmas Eve compiling a “possible titles” list.  Yes, I’m planning well in advance, but I leave for a trip on the 28th and, if I want to start on January 1st, I will need to take a title or two with me on the trip.  You can see my list below.  And if you have any must-read titles you’d like to share, please leave them in the comments!