Managing Your 2016 Reading List By Emma Gasperak

​It’s no secret that bookworms have reading lists. We keep them in our phones, on our Goodreads accounts, on scraps of paper, on crumpled receipts, on old class notes we thought we’d thrown away; we keep them everywhere. It’s also no secret that despite our best efforts, we will never be able to read all of the books. If you’re anything like me, you’re probably still refusing to fully accept that. I always try to read too many books at once, and I usually can’t finish all of them before the library starts soliciting their return. What I want from my 2016 reading lists are boundaries and organization. If you’re on a similar quest to preserve your sanity, I hope the following tips are helpful.


Know Yourself
I read slowly, not because I’m incapable of reading quickly, but because I enjoy taking my time with a book. Consequently, I have to accept that my reading goals aren’t going to compare to those of people who read more quickly than I do. Remember that your reading lists and goals are just that: yours. Build them based on your interests and what works for your life. You don’t have to compete with anyone.


Set Limits
Starting books is easy. Finishing them is significantly harder if you’ve decided to read twelve at once. I know it’s tempting to jump into a shiny new book, but the books will still exist in a few weeks when you’ve finished the books you’re already reading. There’s nothing wrong with reading multiple books at a time, but try limiting yourself to three instead of twelve.


Create Variety
Make sure the books you’re reading fill different needs. If all three of the books you’re currently reading are young adult fantasy novels and you have a night where you want something different, you’re going to end up starting a fourth book.  


Be Flexible
Life gets busy and stressful, and you’re going to have weeks where all you want to do is binge watch The West Wing. That’s okay. Forgive yourself for neglecting your reading lists. Life is occasionally about more than books.