Bring on the 2015 Reading Goals!

There were a lot of things that didn't go my way in 2014, but the one bright spot was my reading life. I've been doing the Goodreads Reading Challenge since 2011, but 2014 was the first time I completed it. I aimed low with a goal of 25 books but I ended up reading 105 books. Huzzah! Since I am still working at the same stressful job, I expect that I will continue to turn to books as an escape. Therefore, I have set my goal for the 2015 challenge at 50 books. If I read at my 2014 speed, then I will probably hit that by June. I'm only taking two classes instead of four during the spring semester, so I may hit it even sooner.

Another thought I had about my reading life in 2015 is that there should be more diversity. For the past couple years, I've mainly read historical romances written by white female authors. Frankly, I haven't made much of an effort to read black authors because I don't want to read anything centered on race. That may sound bad considering I am a black woman, but there it is.  I read for escapism, so I want my books to be light and fun, or at the very least have a happy ending. Even when picking historical novels by white authors I avoid anything written in the Civil War era. However, after some reflection, I realize that I'm not being fair. Surely there are non-white authors that are writing books that don't center on race, and this year I intend to make more of an effort to find them.

In the name of diversity, I also want to expand to different genres this year. As I mentioned, I mainly read historical romances. To be more specific, I look for Christian romances set in the US prairie states in the late 1800s. How's that for a narrow focus? When I watch TV and movies, I am not so rigid. I watch mysteries, police procedurals, hospital dramas, sci-fi, and more. I'm not sure why I became so single-minded when it comes to selecting books. Perhaps it is the soothing nature of the Christian historical romances that appeals to me. Although I probably will continue to read many of those sorts of books, I will also challenge myself to read other books that may give me the same sense of calm in other genres.

I hope that all of you meet your reading goals in 2015!