Hello!/2015 in Review/2016 Goals

Hello and welcome to MLV Reads, a special blog space where I, Michal Lynn (or MLV, as my boyfriend lovingly calls me), will discuss all things books. I’ll post reviews, lists, links to some of my favorite bookish stuff, and so much more!

The best way to start this blog?
Review my 2015 Reading Year and my goals for 2016!
Let’s do this.

Goal #1

2015 – Goodreads Challenge accomplished…and then some!

Last year, I set a numerical goal on to read 35 books. It was my third year participating in this challenge and I aimed kind of low. The reason? In 2013, I wanted to read 52 books and only read 37. In 2014, I pledged 40 and completed that…on New Year’s Eve. So I decided to do 35. A little less than 40 to make room for slumps, large books, and life. I did not expect to finish my challenge in July. And I certainly didn’t expect to double that goal or finish the year with 100 books read!

2016 – Read 50 Books

Despite the fact that I read more than 50 books last year, I never want to set a high bar that will ultimately set me up for failure. I have no idea where 2016 will take me, but I still want to see if I can keep up a good reading life and 50 seems like a great number to do so. If I feel like I’m going above and beyond sooner, I might up the number if that’s possible.

Goal #2

2015 – It’s Okay to Say No

In 2014, I spent a month trying to read a book I really didn’t enjoy. It held me back from reading other books because I was so determined to finish it and, in the end, I didn’t even feel like it was worth it. I’ve had to embrace the possibility of DNFing (DNF being short for Did Not Finish) and allow myself to put books down. I did this a few times throughout the year, and I was better for it. If something bores me or upsets me, I don’t need to read it and I can always pick it up another time if I want to.

2016 – Don’t Say No to Everything

I realized something I’m not proud of last year: I’d pick up a book that appeared interesting but, halfway through the description, I’d say no. The reasons varied but I’m not particularly proud of those reasons. I don’t think you have to read every genre to love reading. I don’t think you have to be willing to read the classics to be taken seriously. That being said, saying no all the time (and especially for really silly reasons ex. the location the book takes place in) keeps you in a little box and you might be missing out on some awesome, enlightening stuff by turning away from something different. To help with this issue, I’ve decided to do the 2016 Book Riot Read Harder Challenge, a list of 26 prompts to help read diversely and differently. Some of the prompts are easy-peasy, but others make me nervous and I’m cool with that. The best part is that the challenge makes up a little more than half of the number of books I want to read anyway, so I’m not restricted and I have plenty of room to grow.

Goal #3

2015 – Embrace New Ways to Read
I have a Kindle, so eBooks were a format I had fully embraced. I’m absolutely okay with owning a physical library and an eLibrary. In fact, I can credit my Kindle (and, especially, the Kindle app for iPhone) for allowing me to get more reading done no matter where I am or what I’m doing. In 2015, I also checked out a few audiobooks, which are great for long trips (my sister lives in VA, so this is perfect when I visit her) or when you’re doing errands around the house. My boyfriend and I listened to The Martian by Andy Weir and it was FANTASTIC! Another format? Graphic novels. I’m not saying I never considered my Scott Pilgrim novels as books, but I realized that there is so much more out there and that it is is an amazing way to tell a story. It’s not all superheroes and sci-fi. I read some great graphic memoirs last year, too!

2016 – More Audiobooks?

Okay, so I’m just gonna keep doing what I did in 2015, but now I make it a point to continue this. There are several graphic novels and comic book anthologies on my radar and I have an Audible account. While going graphic is pretty easy for me, the audiobook format is something I still have a hard time with. Narration can make or break a book (and I’ve found it so easy to break), so I’ve stuck with a lot of non-fiction or short stories. I’m hoping to break out of that shell and embrace fiction audio a bit more.

Goal #4

2015 – Building the Library

So, I bought a lot of books last year. I was excited to fill my brand new bookshelf with books I’ve read AND books I want to read. Book buying is a great pleasure of mine.

2016 – Read the Books

I own a lot of books, both physically and on my kindle. I did some math and spent quite a bit of money last year on quite a bit of books. Awesome. Buttttttt, I bought a lot of books that I still haven’t read AND I already owned a bunch of books that I hadn’t read yet either. So, this year is more about reading what I already own. I don’t want to stop buying books, but I’ve set a budget and I’m going to try and make a dent on my massive TBR (To Be Read).

Goal #5

2015 – Read What You Want

I've never been ashamed of my love of YA novels, even at age 28. That’s something I don’t plan on stopping any time soon. I also totally love hype, so I’m not above reading popular books as soon as possible, even if I have no idea what they are about or if they are any good. I also found a new favorite author, Colleen Hoover, and embraced the romance/erotica genre. It was something I felt ashamed of at first, but I enjoy these books, well-written or not (if it’s CoHo, it’s well-written!). I now own these types of books with pride.

2016 – Read What You Want…STILL!

As mentioned above, I embraced a genre that often gets a lot of crap. Romance and Erotica are the types of books that feminists should loathe. And yet, I don’t care. They, for me, are pleasurable escapes. They don’t set the bar for my romantic life. I cringe when things get really annoying (Please stop using the word “baby”). But it’s okay to read this stuff. It’s FUN. It’s light. It’s cheesy. It’s like watching Lifetime movies. And sometimes there are some really great gems in these types of books. But I don’t feel like defending those anymore. Read what you want and you will love reading.

So those are my goals for 2016!
Do you have any reading goals or resolutions this year?