If I’ve scheduled this correctly (and I don’t always do a very good job of that sort of thing), it should be going live at noon on 1st July. In other words, halfway through the year 2021. As we’ve reached this point in the year, I figured it was good time to look back on my progress. Let’s have a quick look at some stats.

Books read: 50
Goodreads Target: 60
Books read at this point in 2020: 42


Most read author: Agatha Christie (8)
Favourite newly discovered author: Andrew Kaufman


Number of audiobooks: 17
Number of ebooks: 5


Favourite Fiction: All My Friends Are Superheroes by Andrew Kaufman
Favourite Non-Fiction: Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
Favourite Audiobook: Crooked House by Agatha Christie
Favourite Reread: The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

I set myself a few guidelines for my reading this year. Nothing that I was too concerned about sticking to but something that I hoped would drive my reading. It’s not something that I usual do so I wasn’t sure how well that I’d do. Let’s take a look at how it’s going.

Read at least 60 books

I’m well on my way with this one. I’ve officially only got 10 more to go and we’re only halfway through. If I can keep my momentum going, I should be on track to beat last years total of 93.

Read more books by BIPOC writers

I’ve definitely been more aware of the authors that I’ve been picking up this year. I’ve read more diverse books and have read with race in mind. Currently total stands at 10, which is a 5th of my total books so far. Is it great? No but I’m doing better.

Read more books by LGBTQ writers

Thanks to my previous month’s reading, I’ve been able to read more LGBTQ+ writers and works relating to LGBTQ+ issues. Pride month saw me indulge in all sorts of books that I’ve loved. I could still be doing more and I wouldn’t say that I’m paying too much attention to the writers in this sense.

Read more translated fiction

I think I’m doing okay at this one. In terms of numbers, I’m probably behind last year so far. However, unlike last year, it hasn’t all been Japanese fiction. I think that was my real aim with this one. To expand my field a little. With June’s Jokes For The Gunmen and The Employees, I branched out to Palestinian and Danish writers.

Read more genre fiction

I’m never very good at genre fiction. Although, if you count my Agatha Christie obsession, I have been reading a lot of crime fiction. I guess that I’ve read a bit of what you could call science-fiction but it’s not traditional sci-fi. Probably more literary fiction does sci-fi. I’ll have to focus on this for the rest of the year.

Read books from my shelves

I actually have managed to take quite a g few books off my shelves. Some books that have been there for years. It’s still not as much as I’d like but I have been stricter about which books I’m picking up. I think the Reading Challenge helps as it’s forcing me to see what I already have for each letter.

Buy fewer books

Let’s not even bother with this one…

Set aside more time to read

I have been doing this but not regularly enough. I’ve spent more of my weekends reading this year and have spent a few Sundays doing nothing but reading. It feels like there’s been less of a rush to finish for my reviews but I’ve still had a few near misses.

Pay more attention to what I’m reading

I’ve tried to do this but I think I still need to be in better headspace with certain books. To be honest, I think this one is pretty doomed just because I have a terrible memory. I can barley remember what I read last month let alone in January!

Keep a note of interesting quotes/themes/ideas

I’ve honestly tried to do this and using my Kindle has helped. I’m more likely to highlight quotes there. But I’m still not sure that I’m that kind of reader. It doesn’t feel natural to be analysing a fun read in that much detail. I’d rather engage fully with the story.

Keep a better record of my reading habits

I started off really well with this one and would update my spreadsheet after every new book. That lasted until February. Then I gave up. I’m still tracking my reads on Goodreads but I need to update my spreadsheet soon. It’s been really difficult gathering information for this post without it. So, god help me when I get to December.

Don’t rush to finish a book unnecessarily

Does this still happen occasionally? Yes. Does it happen less frequently? Yes. I think my main issue with rushing to finish a book for a review is that I don’t have any better ideas for posts. I need some new bookish things to rant about. It’s been a while since I vented on here.

How are you doing at the mid-way mark? Are you achieving all of your goals?