I recently learnt that a person reads about 2.000 books in a lifetime. My first initial thought was that’s not much. Than I thought I’d like to think I read more. I told my husband and he started immediately calculating. Well… you need to read 50 books for 40 years straight to manage 2.000 book. This might be tough. No, screw that it makes me anxious. Now I start second guessing if it’s really smart to pick up the cheesy romance and third class crime novels if I can only manage so many books in a lifetime.
To make the most of it here are my reading goals for 2020:
Catching up on classics and world literature
There are so many books that won prizes, from renowned authors everyone talks about, classics of world literature I never looked at. Time to cross a few more off of that list and see what it is all about.
- Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wild – this will be my first book of this author. ✔️ November 2020
- Uncle Toms Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe – time to close a gap in literary blindness. ✔️ March 2020
- Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann – I tried Mann many many years ago and always fell asleep after a couple pages. Last chance dear friend.
- Amerika by Franz Kafka – I guess it can not hurt to have read one Kafka.
- Deutschstunde by Siegfried Lenz – I’ve stumble across this one since I can read. Time to pick it up.
Tackling my physical TBR list
I currently own close to 50 unread books. I am sure I forgot to count a couple. Time to read a few of them in 2020.
- The Rabbi by Noah Gordon – I have read a few of his books and was never disappointed. So I look forward to this one. ✔️ April 2020
- Small Great Things by Jody Picoult – lets’s see what all the fuzz is about. The story does sound interesting too. ✔️ June 2020
- Parrotfish by Ellen Wittlinger – a book I received through a book swap and it seems a bit out of my usual reading genre but I feel like it’s time to read a story like that. ✔️ January 2020
- Wir sind eure Töchter nicht eure Ehre by Seraph Çilili – I have no idea how this book came to be on my shelf or if I actually already read it. However it sounds interesting so I want to know more. ✔️ March 2020
- In Zeiten des abnehmenden Lichts by Eugen Ruge – this was my book for Christmas and it’s won many book prizes. And it’s been hyped as the modern Buddenbrook so it would be good to read them both in one year. ✔️ September 2020
Pleasure reads, fantasy, favorites
- Smoke and Bone trilogy by Laini Taylor – After last years good experience with this author I really look forward to reading those books. ✔️ Book I, II & III – January 2020
- A Darker Shade of Magic Trilogy by V.E. Schwab – I’ve come across this trilogy quite a bit recently and I am rather curious to read it now.
- The Solitaire Mystery by Jostein Gardner – a re-read of one of my most favorite books by one of my favorite authors ever. Do you know it?
- A book by Madeline Miller – I hear great things and I would like to read either Circe or The Song of Achilles. ✔️ September 2020 (Circe)
- Die ferne Hoffnung by Ellin Carsta – I love a good historic novel and this one sounds like a good journey. ✔️ January 2020
- A Christmas Book – not sure which one, recommendations welcome ✔️ December 2020
Challenging books, non-fiction & guidance
Besides lovely stories, epic fantasy worlds and romance novels I like to keep my mind fresh by throwing in a few books that are a bit harder and challenging to read for me. Those usually take a lot of time, I can not read them in a short span of time and I often really have to work through them. Those books are also the ones I prefer to hold in my hand, to leave through, go back and maybe even scribble in the margin.
- The Creative Habit: Learn stand use it for Life, Twyla Tharp – I have not been able to finish as planned in 2019. I will tackle this longtime reading project in 2020.
- A Brief History of Time, Stephan Hawkins – I am interested in this topic but at the same time a bit scared it might be too intellectual for me. But I will only know if I read it. That is why it is on the reading list for the second year in the row. ✔️ November 2020
- Big Dreams, Daily Joy by Elise Blaha Cripe – I love her vibe and her everything so I bought the book just to support. I am curious how much I can still pick up after following for so long. ✔️ January 2020
- Quran – after reading the Bible in 2019 I move on and will be diving into Islam and it’s culture. ✔️ June 2020
- The Art of Happiness by The Dalai Lama – you can never not learn about happiness. ✔️ July 2020
Overall I am aiming to read 53 books throughout the year. This is my highest goal I’ve set yet. However I have read 62 in 2019 so I know it’s possible. This reading list only includes 25 books. That leaves room to wiggle and be spontaneous. However my plan is to read lots of books I already own and swap many of those I won’t want to read again.
If you also like to keep track of your reading and love a good recommendation come join me on Goodreads. But be warned as you might find more books than you will ever be able to look at in a lifetime.
Happy reading friends
