Tag: Reading Goals

#ReadGhanaian🇬🇭, Book chat, Goodreads Reading Challenge (2019)

2019 READING INTENTIONS

by Darkowaa15 Comments on 2019 READING INTENTIONS

New year, new set of reading intentions!

Instead of using the word ‘goals’, I’ll use the word ‘intentions’. Goals are focused on a specific achievement, while intentions are lived on a daily basis – which is how I intend my reading experience to be every year. My past reading intentions have been tough to adhere to, so this year I hope to set some reasonable ones.

I’ll continue to read what my mood calls for. I don’t have a set number of African, Caribbean or African-American books to read nor do I have a specific number of books written by women or men I’d like to read either. I like to track books read each year via Goodreads, so entering the Goodreads Reading Challenge helps me do that. Every year I like to declare a goal of at least 18 books as a set point, just to help me gauge my reading experience for the year. I’ll probably read a fewer number of books this year as DENTAL SCHOOL life is very real at the moment. I’ll just be going with the flow – no need to make reading stressful. Reading isn’t a race or competition – at least not for me.

Below are some intentions I’ll be considering during the year:

[Some books I plan to (re)read during the first quarter of the year]

 

  • To READ MORE GHANAIAN LITERATURE. 2 years ago during Ghana’s 60th Independence Anniversary, I showcased over 75 Ghanaian writers and their books. It was a daunting, yet fulfilling mini project that I’m very proud of! As I was researching the writers and books for the project, I realized I had read just a handful of the books highlighted.

As a Ghanaian, its important for me to read and celebrate the work of writers from my homeland. I recently decided (on Twitter) to start the #ReadGhanaian Book Challenge. Ever since I announced the book challenge with the guidelines (below), many other readers seem to be participating as well! I hope to read at least 5 books by Ghanaian writers this year. Please join me in this challenge, if you can! Ghanaian literature is so underrated.

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  • To RE-READ BOOKS I LOVED IN THE PAST. Some readers don’t believe in re-reading books. We live in an age where the hype of new releases makes us forget the phenomenal books of earlier years. I personally don’t think books are meant to be read and forgotten. Books should be read, meditated on and read AGAIN whenever the need arises. So this year, I want to try and re-read at least 3 books I loved in the past (that haven’t been reviewed on this platform). I’m currently re-reading Americanah. The first time I read Adichie’s masterpiece was back in 2013, in October – a whole year before the concept of African Book Addict! was even conceived. So far, this re-read is triggering, but still a glorious experience!

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  • To CATCH UP ON MY BOOK REVIEWS. I’ve incorporated interesting book chats and discussions onto this platform. I plan on continuing the book chats, but I must stay true to the essence of this book blog – which was initially (and still is) a book reviewing / book recommendations space. I have a growing backlog of book reviews from previous years that I plan on posting throughout this year.

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I think Bookstagram has been quite distracting for me. While I’ll always value excellent (book) blogs over Bookstagram (this is just my preference – don’t come for me!), it’s a bit easier interacting with other readers and posts on that platform especially since it’s photo-based with less text. Regardless, community is very important to me and I’d like to get back to interacting with other bloggers and writers on their various blogs/websites. I miss the camaraderie and recommendations (of books, TV shows, movies, podcasts) I used to receive from these interactions.

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  • To LISTEN TO AT LEAST 3 AUDIOBOOKS. Back in August, I reviewed 4 excellent audiobooks. As an avid consumer of numerous podcasts, audiobooks – especially essay collections and non-fiction (read by the author), act as extended podcast episodes for me. I’d love to indulge in Michelle Obama’s memoir via audiobook this year, as well as two other gems. I’m open to any great recommendations!

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  • To continue to READ FOR AT LEAST 40 MINUTES A DAY. I’m a 5th year dental student (I’m in a 6-year program) so my nose always has to be in a textbook, in group-study discussions or in the lab/clinic completing requirements and attending to patients. But if I’m able to continue to dedicate 40 minutes a day to just reading leisurely, I think that would keep me sane.

 

I have other intentions – like, collaborating with other creatives, donating to more literary causes, planning events etc. But these intentions are a bit more personal and will be shared if/when the time is right!

 

Here’s to a successful year of reading (with few reading slumps), for all of us!

It’s almost the end of the 1st month of 2019, have you figured out your reading intentions/goals yet? Please do share some!

Book chat, Goodreads Reading Challenge (2018)

2018 READING INTENTIONS

by Darkowaa28 Comments on 2018 READING INTENTIONS

New year, new set of reading intentions!

Instead of using the word ‘goals’, I’ll use the word ‘intentions’. Goals are focused on a specific achievement, while intentions are lived on a daily basis – which is how I intend my reading experience to be this year. My 2017 reading intentions were tough to adhere to, so this year I hope to set some reasonable intentions. I discussed my struggles with my 2017 reading intentions in the 2017 RECAP post.

I’ll continue to read what my mood calls for. I don’t have a set number of African, Caribbean or African-American books to read nor do I have a specific number of books written by women or men I’d like to read either. I like to track books read each year via Goodreads, so entering the Goodreads Reading Challenge helps me do that. Every year I like to declare a goal of at least 18 books as a set point, just to help me gauge my reading experience for the year. I’ll probably read a fewer number of books this year  as (dental) SCHOOL life is very real at the moment. I’ll just be going with the flow – no need to make reading stressful. Reading isn’t a race or competition – at least not for me.

Below are some intentions I’ll be considering during the year:

[Some of the books I enjoyed LAST YEAR (2017)]

  • To READ FOR AT LEAST 40 MINUTES A DAY. Life is quite hectic at the moment. I’m a 4th year dental student and will be in 5th year soon (its a 6 year program) so my nose always has to be in a textbook, in group-study discussions or on the ward/in the clinic completing requirements and attending to patients. But if I’m able to dedicate 40 minutes a day to just reading leisurely, I think that would keep me sane.

••

  • To CATCH UP ON MY BOOK REVIEWS. I’ve incorporated interesting book chats and discussions onto this platform. I plan on continuing the book chats, but I must stay true to the essence of this book blog – which was initially (and still is) a book reviewing / book recommendations space. I have a growing backlog of book reviews from the previous years that I plan on posting throughout this year.

••

  • To READ MORE GHANAIAN LITERATURE. Last March, during Ghana’s 60th Independence Anniversary, I showcased 75 Ghanaian writers and their books. It was a daunting, yet fulfilling mini project that I’m very proud of! As I was researching the writers and books for the project, I realized I had read just a handful of the books highlighted. As a Ghanaian, its important for me to read and celebrate the works of writers from my homeland. I hope to read at least 5 books by Ghanaian writers this year. Please join me in this challenge, if you can! Ghanaian literature is so underrated.

••

  • To RE-READ BOOKS I LOVED IN THE PAST. Some readers don’t believe in re-reading books. We live in an age where the hype of new releases makes us forget the phenomenal books of earlier years. I personally don’t think books are meant to be read and forgotten. Books should be read, meditated on and read AGAIN whenever the need arises. So this year, I want to re-read at least 3 books I loved in the past (that haven’t been reviewed on this platform).

Here’s to a successful year of reading (with few reading slumps), for all of us!

It’s almost the end of the 1st month of 2018, have you figured out your reading intentions/goals yet? Please do share some!

Book chat, Goodreads Reading Challenge (2017)

2017 Reading Intentions

by Darkowaa49 Comments on 2017 Reading Intentions

New Year, new reading goals – right?

Instead of using the word ‘goals’, I’ll use the word ‘intentions’. Goals focus on the future, while intentions focus on the present; goals are focused on a specific achievement, while intentions are lived on a daily basis – which is how I intend my reading experience to be this year.

My reading intentions for 2017 won’t be as intricate as my 2016 reading goals. This year, I’ll be reading what my mood calls for. I don’t have a set number of African, Caribbean or African-American books to read nor do I have a specific number of books written by women or men I’d like to read either. I like to track books read each year via Goodreads, so entering the Goodreads Reading Challenge helps me do that. Every year I like to declare a goal of 20-25 books as a set point, just to help me gauge my reading experience for the year. Whether I exceed the 20-25 books goal or not, I’ll just be going with the flow – no need to make reading stressful. Reading isn’t a race or competition – at least not for me.

Below are some intentions I’ll be considering during the year:

  • To READ MY OWN DAMN BOOKS! On my bookshelves, I have about 55 books that haven’t been read. I’d like to get through a good chunk of those books by the end of the year.
  • To PURCHASE LESS books, especially during the first half of the year – so help me God. (So far I’ve only purchased one book, so I’m trying here!)
  • To buddy-read with other book lovers/ book bloggers. This should be exciting! Thus far, I’ve planned to read 1 book each, with 3 different book lovers/ book bloggers. Due to scheduling issues, I haven’t successfully buddy-read a book with anyone yet, so I’m really looking forward to this experience!

There are definitely other things I’d like to pursue throughout the year with respect to reading and this book blog, but these are the intentions I’ll share for now.

Here’s to a successful year of reading (with few reading slumps), for all of us!

It’s almost the end of the 1st month of 2017, have you figured out your reading intentions/goals yet? Please do share some!

Bookish Stuff, Goodreads Reading Challenge (2016)

Reading Goals for 2016

by Darkowaa42 Comments on Reading Goals for 2016

Happy New Year, everyone! We are in the year 2016 – how crazy is that? I’m grateful I made it to 2016 and I’m quite excited for the awesome year ahead!

I will be participating in the (2016) Goodreads Reading Challenge, as usual.

But this year, I don’t have a set goal of books to read. I’m just going to read what I can and see how far I go. As my second degree, I mentioned before that I’m currently in a 6 year dental medicine/surgeon program (class of 2020…sigh, I know!) in Accra, so I’m usually busy with school work. I tend to read the bulk of my books during the one month Christmas break and Summer break (which is about 2 months). Since I read sparingly during the school year, once Christmas or Summer break rolls along, I usually binge-read and sometimes knock out 3 books in a month, depending on my mood.

During the school year, when I have time I usually reach for the slim African Writers Series (AWS) books or short story collections. A story or two a day or just allocating 1 hour of my time to sit back and read is necessary, as I can’t be studying all the time haha. I plan on keeping this reading habit I’ve cultivated. But I do have some goals I’d like to achieve this year…

I have 4 reading goals for 2016:

  • To read a wider array of African novels. I tend to go for West African (Nigerian, Ghanaian), Kenyan and Zimbabwean fiction. I want to make a conscious effort to explore this year! More South African, Congolese, Botswana, Sierra Leonian, Namibian, Egyptian, Somalian, Mozambican fiction – anything that’s different from what I’m used to. Of course I’ll continue to read what I like, but a little more African novel diversity would be more inclusive and a fun learning experience!
  • To read more poetry. I’m not really a lover of poetry, but I’ve come across some engaging, fun and comprehendible poetry collections that I’d like to enjoy this year, for a change.
  • To read at least 1 African romance novel and/or 1 African thriller novel. When it comes to African romance fiction, I’m eyeing the chic lit/romance series from Ankara Press as well as novels by authors Nana Prah and Kiru Taye. I’m not very familiar with the thriller genre, but Liberian author Hawa Golakai’s thriller novel – The Lazarus Effect is one I’d love to read. Ghanaian author Boakyewaa Glover also has a thriller called The Justice that has been on my radar as well. We’ll see!
  • Last but not least, I’d love to give back. Instead of always talking about books, why not give some away and share? I’d like to do 2 or 3 giveaways this year – YES, I want to turn you all into African book addicts too. *Fingers crossed* 🙂

No pressure though! Reading is personal, for everyone. For me, reading is a hobby where I enjoy myself and learn new things in the process; it’s never been a competition on how many books to read – quality over quantity. I hope I can achieve these goals by the end of the year – I would be proud. With these goals set, I think I’ll be reading with a purpose this year!

Have you set any reading goals and habits for 2016? Does school, work or other life happenings affect your goals? Please do share!

Stay tuned for more reviews/book discussions and other bookish stuff throughout the year!