How to Make a Yearly Reading List (as a Grown Up)

image source

After I posted my 2017 reading list, I had a few questions on social media about how I come up with my yearly lists, why I make them, and how it works for me. I thought it might be helpful to walk you through it in case anyone is a bookish list-making mood!

Why Make a List?

I make a yearly list for a few reasons. While I’m not by nature a list maker, giving myself a little yearly “syllabus” for my continuing education is something that I find motivating. While I may have quit grad school to focus on my family, I firmly believe that whether we’re in academia or not we can nurture the life of the mind.

My list is a reminder to me that reading is an important part of who I am and my personal development and that I will make it a priority in the new year.

My list also fulfills the practical need to have a new book ready as soon as I finish my current book so that I don’t binge-watch Netflix in the lag time when I’m hunting for a new book. (Because I have been known to do some epic binge-watching.) And my list helps stretch me. I try to include books that aren’t page-turners but are rich and worth reading.

If I don’t make a list, I’m tempted to grab the most exciting and easiest read on the shelf (I’m a homeschooling mum–rich in love but poor in hours of sleep each night and brain cells). My list helps me prioritize some more intense theological texts and classics that I might otherwise put off forever.

But what if something at the used book store catches your eye? Or you hear of a book you’re dying to read? Go for it! The list is to help you make reading a central part of your year and stay motivated. It’s not a prison to keep you from reading whatever strikes your fancy.

You can always add to or alter your list. We’re grown ups! We can read what we want!

How to Create Your Reading List

First consider how many books you’re likely to read in one year. If you fly through dozens of books a year, try 50 or more! If you read a moderate amount, try two per month. If you’re out of practice, try just one per month (you can always add more if you want to!)

Then consider how you want to organize your list. Instead of one massive list of titles, I break my list up month by month. Then I have smaller milestones to check off along the way. But some folks like to just have them all together. It’s up to you!

Now, what to choose! The best thing you can do for your list for the new year is to keep a running log of books you want to read. Maybe a friend recommended something that piqued your interested or a film adaption of something is coming out and you want to read the book before you see it. I keep my list in my planner and that’s the foundation of my list for each year.

If you haven’t kept a running list over the past year but want to make a reading list for this year, here’s a couple of things you might do:

• Check your shelves for books that you’ve been meaning to read but haven’t yet. I’m always amazed at how many books are in the house that I haven’t gotten around to reading! And it’s 100% free to read books you already own.

• Ask friends for recommendations. My best reads of each year are often books I’ve never heard of that were suggested by friends! Opening up a thread on social media asking what your friend’s favorite recent reads are often turns up some great recommendations.

• Look up some booklists that fit your interests.

Things to Consider

Maybe you mostly read for entertainment and just want a list to keep track of your reading plans. That’s fine! But maybe you really want to expand your mind this year and read some things that will challenge you and exercise your brain. Here’s some categories you might want to include in your list:

• Classic novels. I am a huge fan of classic literature. They’re classics for a reason. Just because you’re not in any literature classes anymore doesn’t mean you can’t keep reading difficult, but worthwhile texts. Maybe you love British lit and want to add more British novelists. Maybe you finally want to tackle the Russian greats. Sprinkle some classics in there.

• Non-fiction. Novels are my books of choice so sometimes it’s hard for me to branch out into non-fiction, but really good non-fiction books or essays can round out a reading list beautifully.

• Spiritual writings. I think it’s important to have a spiritual text on hand throughout the year. While I often escape to light reading, I can forget that the spiritual writings I read each year are often the most transformative.

When organizing your list make sure to sprinkle some lighter books into the months when you’re reading a denser or longer text. That way if you feel like picking up a book but you haven’t slept through the night in years and your brain feels like mush (AKA parenting) you have a second option and can keep up your reading momentum even when you’re not up for a rigorous brain exercise.

Get Some Accountability

If you feel really overwhelmed about a certain book, find a reading buddy to read it with you. But don’t choose me because it took me a year longer to finish The Brothers Karamazov than my reading buddy. (Sorry, Kaitlin!)

Share your list with a friends or on a blog or social media. Keep up with your reading goals by sharing and encouraging friends with theirs!

I’ve also put together a Catholic reading challenge #cathLIT2019 to give us all some accountability for reading 19 Catholic titles in 2019! You can see all the categories with book suggestions here.

And if you’re more in the mood for some comfort reads this year, don’t forget about The Literary Medicine Cabinet!