My reading plans for 2008

Although I’ve been keeping track of what I read for several years, my comments about what I read have mostly been for myself. I want to actually write reviews of what I read, so going public gives me the impetus to do so.

My 2008 reading goals:

1. I don’t like giving myself a goal for number of books read, because it tempts me to read shorter books, but I aim to read an average of 100 pages a day, or 36,600 over the course of the year.

2. Less than half (41 out of 95) of the books I read in 2007 were books I already owned going into the year. I’d like to up that to 60% this year.

3. I’d like to read 25 books of nonfiction this year (up from 19 in 2007). I find myself enjoying nonfiction more and more as the years go by, but I still turn to fiction first when I’m picking out my next book. (This goal is going to make goal #1 harder, by the way, and I was tempted to lower my page-count goal, but heck–it’s not like the reading police will come and get me if I don’t make all my goals!)

4. Most of my “global” reading is from English-speaking countries. I’d like to get more global in 2008, and read more in translation.

5. To write reviews of the books I read. And that’s where this blog comes in.

My reading year didn’t actually start until January 5, since I started Mansfield Park on December 31, and I count my reads as the date started rather than the date finished. I have actually written reviews of sorts for the three books I’ve read thus far, so I’ll post them now.