I have set my Goodreads goal to read 60 books this year. Last year I read 57 books or should say, consumed. I include audiobooks that I listen to while driving. I will not get into a debate concerning whether an audiobook should or should not be included on a “Read” list. The point is, I am consuming an authors’ work, losing myself into the world their minds created.

The sad thing about my goal set at 60 is that I still have 7 books that I started reading in 2021 that I am trying to finish. I had been out of work for 3 months and I just knew I was going to be able to finish all these books, but the holidays hit, and I didn’t have time to finish them. I have 7 books at varying stages of completion and they will be included in my books read in 2022. I’m not going to lie; it bothers me a bit. When I realized how many books I had started and not finished I might have been a little disappointed in myself and whispered under my breath “You are crazy” because who reads that many books at once?

I have a kindle with kindle unlimited and there are just so many books I want to read! I also subscribe to a reading app called Scribd. Of course, there are also the physical books that I collect and horde like a dragon on top of his pile of gold. I have four bookshelves with a little bit of space free only because I culled out the books I knew I was never going to read. Don’t worry though, I have a long list of books I want to buy.

On to the good part, what I am reading now.  Everything is a fun read, but I do have a few books sitting to the side to read for research purposes.

The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air#1) By Holly Black – I have only read maybe 2 chapters in this book. I love Holly Black and this book has been staring at me from my bookshelf for so long. I got the rest of the series at a secondhand bookstore and decided it was time to finally start reading it. I think it has a bit of a slow start, but I am hopeful. Her book The Darkest Part of the Forest had a slow start.  I absolutely loved that book.

Cowardly as a Lion (Heirs of Oz #3) by Kendra Moreno – Listen…I have loved every book in this series and the two series before this one. They all run together. Kendra Moreno has taken some childhood favorites and twisted them, added a little spice, and given me stories I didn’t know that I needed in my life. If you love a retelling check out her series starting with Sons of Wonderland. But only if you like spicy books as well. It doesn’t take over the story and there is still a wonderful story being told.

Locked up Liars (Saint View Prison #1) by Elle Thorpe – I watch a lot of TikTok videos and BookTok has been obsessed with the spicy books this year. This one came across my FYP one day and I thought it sounded interesting. The main character, Mae, brings home a boy, Heath, that happens to be her sister’s ex. The next morning, she wakes up to her sister dead and Heath standing over the dead body, but Mae isn’t convinced he is the one that did it.

It sounds so good, and I couldn’t say no to reading it. I have no self-control!

Unravel Me (Shatter Me #2) by Tahereh Mafi – I am a little late at jumping on this bandwagon. I didn’t want to read the series when it first came out because of all the hype around it. It kept coming across as recommended when I would sign into Scribd so I broke down and read the first book in one day. I couldn’t put it down. I messed myself up because I was so curious that I went and read the descriptions for every book after. As I started reading the second book Cowardly as a Lion came out and this book sat on the back burner for a second.

Zodiac Academy: Cursed Fates (Supernatural Beasts and Bullies #5) by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti – This is another TikTok recommended series that I quickly became obsessed with. I have a love/hate relationship with this series. I love it because I obviously can not stop reading the series. I hate it because I have never been one for the bully romances. I struggle with one character who doesn’t seem to have any character development through most of the books until this one. Now I can’t stop because I am rooting for her to stop being so “Oh woe is me” and realizing her own power. It’s a toxic relationship I have with this whole series.

Crush (Crave #2) by Tracy Wolff – Again…TikTok’s fault. I think I need to stop getting on that app so much…seriously. In my defense, I am listening to the audiobook of this series, even though I have bought the whole series in physical books because I love it so much so far. I have been out of work and not driving for 3 months so I have not been listening to it. When I was doing something at home I would listen to music because I can’t focus on writing while listening to a book. It just doesn’t work for me. With me going back to work this week I am hoping to continue and finish this book soon.

To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo – I have been reading this book for a minute. I started reading it and then started reading the Shatter Me series, which took all my reading time for a little bit. I forgot that I was reading this book, but it is on my “Reading” list on Goodreads and I hate taking things off that list without finishing them. It’s a great story and I am interested in it. I really want to finish it, but between Zodiac Academy and Shatter Meand Heirs of Oz, this poor book became one of the forgotten. I shall return to it and finish it.

That’s it, but more than enough. I am ridiculous I know. My goal for this week is to finish these books and get started on new ones. I have a few in mind that I can not wait to get my hands on. I hope to not have such a massive “Currently Reading” list open again this year. If I do, I hope it’s not all books I am reading for the fun of it. I hope to be including some helpful books that will help me write better or learn other things I am interested in.

How many books do you read at once? What books are you looking forward to getting your hands on? Do you have a reading goal set for this year?