Manzi Karana

I made a really simple goal.

Read a book a month, 12 books a year.

And by writing down each book I read, I was able to see how easy it was to reach that goal.

I increase that goal a little bit every year to make it so that it's something that I'm working towards.

For example, if you're a big fan of long war and peace type classics, it might be more interesting for you to read only three books a year and actually just count the number of pages you're reading.

Or if you're someone who wants to read more science fiction, maybe you notice you gravitate more towards nonfiction and you really want to change that.

You can make a goal to read two new books from two new science fiction writers.

It feels really good to be able to see exactly how many books you've read.

Oh, this is the one that I really liked this year.

This is the one that I gave five stars to.

This is the one that I rated the highest.

It is a way for you to...

to sort of reflect later.

It is not meant to be something where you are competing with others or you are trying to prove something to other people.

Think of it more as a reflection, not necessarily a competition.

I love going to authors' talks at local libraries.

There's also a huge trend of quiet reading nights at certain places where you can just go sit and read and you don't even have to interact with anyone.