I recently posted on my Instagram a photo of the books I’m excited to read this month. Since choosing a TBR in advance didn’t really work for me (and may have instigated my two month reading slump), I’m going back to a more relaxed method. Also, I’ve been getting discouraged lately about my perceived lack of reading progress this year. It’s been a slower year for me, so instead of looking just at numbers, I want to focus on more holistic reading goals. Plus, November is my favorite month, so I want to maximize my enjoyment of it as much as possible. 

November reading goals:

1. Finish the Mistborn trilogy. It’s so good, y’all. I also have ideas for a Mistborn inspired playlist, but I feel like I can’t really put it together until I know how the story ends. 

2. Read a new release. I don’t like feeling behind on what’s new and exciting in the world of books. I want to be part of the conversation while something is popular. It’s also not feasible for me to read every new book that I want to right away. Since I just bought Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo, this is probably going to be my new book for the month. 

4. Read at least one TBR from my shelves. This year, I’ve whittled my TBR pile down substantially, though it’s mostly been from weeding books I’m no longer interested in. I have the omnibus edition of the His Dark Materials series, and I would love to at least read The Golden Compass before I start watching the HBO adaptation (If I can make myself wait that long. It looks so good!)

3. Set aside more dedicated reading time – every day if possible. Right now, I do the majority of my reading right before bed. It’s not an issue except that I try to make up for all the reading I wanted to do earlier in the day, which means I end up staying awake later. So maybe my reading problem and my sleeping problem are interconnected.

Hopefully providing myself some flexibility will help me have a better reading month, even if I don’t finish as many books as I want to. I would love to hear from any readers who have struggled with reading slumps recently or who have trouble choosing monthly TBRs. 

Happy reading!