Book Goals 2019!

On By Jane @ Greenish BookshelfIn 2019, Newbery Challenge, Reading Goals, The Classics Club

Hi y’all! I’ve been thinking about my 2019 book goals for a few weeks now. When I described them to my husband last night, I called them “simple.” And then he laughed. Perhaps, “simple” is the wrong word to describe them. But either way, I am excited to dive into these goals in 2019!

12 Classics // I can’t believe my Classics Club deadline is now officially next year. It’s gone fast! I am just a little bit behind schedule to finish in time. So I want to focus here this year. One classic a month is definitely doable if I stay focused!

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck // This is my big classic for the year. If you recall, I have 5 larger novels on my Classics Club list so I’m reading them one a year (2016 – War and Peace, 2017 – Les Miserables, 2018 –  Little Dorrit). So this year is The Grapes of Wrath which intimidates me a bit. I have not read much Steinbeck (just Of Mice and Men) so I’m not entirely sure what to expect.

12 Newbery Medal Winners // I officially began my Newbery Challenge last year with great success. I love reading these award winners. They were some of my favorites last year and I’m excited to continue reading Newbery winners this year.

12 Works by C. S. Lewis // I’m most excited about this goal! Last year I read a few Lewis works (most notably Mere Christianity) and this year I am immersing myself in Lewis’ beautiful language, storytelling, and religiosity. I’ll start with The Chronicles of Narnia (super excited about this reread!) then pick 5 of his other works to finish out the year!

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5 New Reads from my shelves // I decided to pick which 5 books I want to read from my shelves before I start. With a specific goal, I think it’s more likely to happen. I have recently collected more books that I have already read. But there are still plenty on my shelves that I want to read. This is the perfect way to hopefully make that happen.

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52 Books Total // This year, I am slightly increasing my goal from last with 52 total books so about a book a week. There is a lot of potential change happening for us this year. So I didn’t want to be too ambitious on my total books read. Looking forward to the challenge! Also this next meme is so true for me. Ha!

What are your bookish goals this year?

32 thoughts on “Book Goals 2019!”

  1. Pingback: [Becoming Mrs. Lewis]: A Review – greenish bookshelf

  2. Jillian

    I’ve also been intimidated by The Grapes of Wrath. I started my copy a couple days ago, and read 14 pages and LOVED it. Then my mom asked if she could borrow my copy to read at her lunch break. She didn’t realize I was already reading it. She hardly ever asks for books, so I gave it to her. I’ll read it after her! But just to say: it’s very popular right now among my folks. And I think you may like it. 😉

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    1. Thank you so much for this, Jillian! That helps me feel more confident going into Grapes of Wrath. So far this month, I keep finding reasons to push it back. Haha! I’m thinking February may be a good time to start this one. I’m working on several books right now so I want to finish a few before I start that big one. Hope your mom enjoys it and you too!

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  3. Congrats on almost finishing the Classics Club – I’ve all but abandoned it within any specific time frame. I’ll read them on my own schedule haahaa. Also good luck with Steinbeck. I am not a fan – I trudged through it (it wasn’t that bad) but his writing style is not for me.

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  4. East of Eden by John Steinbeck is one of my all time favorite books! You should definitely give it a go when you can. The Grapes of Wrath is an amazing book, but be prepared that it is super slow moving… You really need to be in the mood for a slower paced & character driven novel.

    Are you reading the Chronicles of Narnia in publication order, or in order of the story? I personally am reading them in publication order because when asked, C.S. Lewis said this was how he intended them to be read.

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    1. I’m so pleased to hear you love Steinbeck’s work! Makes me feel a bit more confident reading more of his work. And thanks for the tip! I am giving myself all year so I will probably just read a little everyday. I made it through War and Peace which is very slow paced and character driven at times.

      I was going to do chronological but decided to try publication order this time. I’ve never read them in this order so I’m excited. 🙂

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    1. Thank you! And that’s awesome! We should check in on our progress of Grapes of Wrath. I’ve never read it before and I’m a bit intimidated. I think I will do another challenge. It’s been a fun way to keep reading classics–and there’s always more books to read, right? 🙂

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  8. mphtheatregirl

    Right now, in the middle of David Copperfield.

    Have seven other classics on my shelf, but don’t know the order I want to read them in.

    Have three musical-theatre related books on my shelf as well.

    Another bookish goal is to continue working on is my WIP- which still has no title

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      1. mphtheatregirl

        Right now, I do know I am seeing Miss Saigon on tour with mom and dad in one month.

        There are two other main shows I hope to catch this year- but don’t know if they will happen or not. Usually I see more than one musical- I want to see both Aladdin and Les Mis, which are both coming to Charlotte.

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