Happy Monday, book friends! Since I don’t have a bookmail post for today, I’m droping a midyear check-in instead! Somehow, some way, we’re already halfway through 2022, which means it’s a good time to look back on the reading goals I set way back in January and see how we’re doing!
I started the year trying to use Storygraph so I’d have fun charts and graphs, but alas, I fell off with tracking my books there because it felt like too much while still also using Goodreads. On the plus side, my reading spreadsheet does have some charts and graphs on offer that we can review.
Charts or no, let’s take a look at my reading year (so far) and how it shapes up compared with my original goals.
(Full disclosure: This posts uses Bookshop.org affiliate links).
Goodreads Goal: 100 Books
Where I’m At: 39 Books Completed (6 Books Behind Schedule)
According to Goodreads, I’m six books behind schedule here, which is no surprise since the summer downshift I usually experience at work has yet to arrive. 100 was an ambitious goal, and I won’t be surprised if I don’t meet it, but it’ll be fun to see how close I can get!
Read Harder Challenge
Where I’m At: 4 of 24 Tasks Completed
Tasks completed: Book set in a bookstore, book by a POC that’s about joy and not trauma, romance where the protagonist is over 40, read a horror novel by a POC (this one was 100% an accident as I don’t read horror but did not realise Earthlings was horror until it was already happening).
As I mentioned in my goals post, I never actually complete this challenge because there are always a few prompts I’m just not interested in pursuing. I like to check this list as a guideline to push my reading boundaries, and I forget about it for stretches of time. There are a few tasks I still have my eye on for this year, so I’m hoping to tick off a few more boxes, at least.
Read 5 Self-Care/Spiritual Books
Where I’m At: 5/5 Books Completed
Did I read the books I outlined in my self-guided curriculum? Nope. Did I read five self-care/spiritual books this year? Yes!
I think I will continue reading this genre in the mornings as part of my daily routine, so I expect to finish out the year with far more than five under my belt!
Start a Little Free Library
Where I’m At: She LIVES!
The Your Book Friend Little Free Library is up and running! I’ve still got a lot to learn about being a good steward, I’m sure, but it’s there and there are books, so mission accomplished. I’ve also been popping little free tarot readings in there sporadically, which has been a lot of fun!
Make a Dent in the Book of the Month Stack of Shame
Where I’m At: Um…
I started the year with good intentions here, but have not done a good job of contuining through my backlog. I did admit to one or two books I’m never going to read and popped them in the LFL, but otherwise, there’s an entire shelf on my TBR cart dedicated to the ghosts of Books of the Month past.
Keep Up Your Book Friend
Where I’m At: Well, I’m here, aren’t I?
I think we can consider this one a success so far! I’ve had a lot of fun coming up with new posts to do for the blog and Bookstagram pages and don’t see myself slowing down any time soon (save the usual August in Higher Ed situation, of course).
Other Stats & Notes
My reading spreadsheet (courtesy of Book Riot) tracks a few statistics about my reading habits, which I always like to check in on a few times a year.
In terms of POC vs. white authors, I’m trending a bit behind where I was last year, with 18.4% POC authors. This is an area I hope to improve through the next half of the year.
Similarly, my queer and disability rep reading isn’t quite where I’d like it to be for a good diverse reading year, with 10.5% and 7.9% respectively. If you have recs in these areas, let me have them!
In terms of author gender, I’m at 94.6% female-identifying authors, which is not a surprise to anyone. The 5.4% of male-identifying authors may actually be a slightly larger chunk of the pie than last year, even. Here, I’d like to ensure I’m reading beyond the binary and pick up a few books by non-binary folks before the year is out.
Finally, genre! This is the one that gets the pie chart because it’s the most interesting:
While Romance still has the biggest chunk of the pie, I’m excited by the sheer variety of other genres represented here! You can even tell I set a goal to read more self-help from the 12.8% of the pie that genre has claimed.
Final Thoughts
In all, it’s been a great reading year so far! I have some goals completed and others to step it up on, but the important thing is, reading should be a source of fun and personal development. These things, I’ve definitely got on lock for 2022 so far!
How has your year in reading been so far, book friends?
See how things shape up for the second half of the year by following here, on Medium where this post was originally published, Instagram, and/or Twitter. You can also support us by joining Medium using this referral link or buying me a coffee.
Your Book Friend 
Well done on your goals! I don’t think I’ll make my Goodreads goal either.