Yes, I achieved my Goodreads Reading Challenge for 2024. I’d aimed to read 120 books, which was down from previous years because I didn’t known how many I’d be able to read while also working full-time and publishing another book. I’ve read more than I thought I would because I’ve found reading relaxing at the end of a busy day at work, and have managed to read even when my brain has been too tired to write.
I actually increased my target from 120 to 150 books when I realised I’d already read more than 130 books by the first week of December.
This year, knowing I was working full-time and trying to publish a book, I went easy on myself and didn’t set any other targets.
In previous years, I have also set other goals, such as:
- Reading nonfiction books
- Reading books by BIPOC authors
- Reading books by debut or new-to-me authors.
I did track each of these categories on Goodreads, which tells me I’ve read:
- 9 books by BIPOC authors (possibly more, as it’s not always clear if an author identifies as BIPOC)
- 8 nonfiction books (with more I’ve started but haven’t finished)
- 49 books by new-to-me authors (more than I expected)
- 24 books by international authors (with “international” meaning not from the USA. I may have undercounted)
On the whole, I’m impressed that I’ve read more books and more widely than I thought I would, particularly considering I was also writing and editing my own book.
Goodreads also tells me:
- The shortest book I read was 49 pages: A Rebel’s Heart by Sara Blackard
- The longest book I read was 866 pages, which was a box set by Mallory Ford
- My average book length was a respectable 292 pages (which means I didn’t stuff my books read with novellas or picture books)
- My average rating was 4.3 stars
- The “most shelved” book I read was The Wish by Nicolas Sparks, which over 400,000 Goodreads users have also shelved
- The “least shelved” book I read was my own, which releases today
The “least shelved” book I read was my own second novel, Always In My Heart, which releases today! Click here to check it out on Amazon.
Or click here to mark it as To Read on Goodreads 😉
