reading for pleasure - Lynette M. Burrows

Crazy Fun Reading Goals for 2022

Yes, being stuck in a pandemic for two years sucks. During the pandemic and other personal life stressful events, my reading has ground to a halt. Reading goals? Seriously, I’d like to get through one book in less than six months. Some of you may have read more (a lot more) than usual. Some of you may be like me. Stuck. So I hoped that culling some of the crazy fun reading goals across the Net would lift me (us) out of the swamp of no reading.

Photograph of a girl outside holding a book as if to read but a blindfold covers her eyes. She may need some crazy fun reading goals

Read Only Prize-Winning Fiction

How many major literary awards are there? Let’s see. There’s the Nobel Prize for Literature, the Pulitzer Prize, the Booker Prize, the John Newberry Medal, the Edgar Awards, the Nebula Award… and I’ve barely touched the list of major awards.

While I’m certain every prize-winning book is worthy of its prize, I’m not certain they would all help us regain our pleasure in reading. Some (many?) might help us sleep better, so there’s that.

Read the Dictionary

Photograph of a young girl lying on a sofa, reading the dictionary. Would this be a crazy fun reading goal for you?

I know there are people who say they have read the dictionary cover-to-cover. How do you think they did it? Did they read it straight through A to Z or did they read a page a day or read an entry or two a day?

Do you think you could read the dictionary in a year’s time?

Read in a Different Location Every Day

If you have enough money and leisure time, this could be fun for city dwellers. If you’re a rural dweller, I suppose you might need a picnic basket and blanket and perhaps alternate methods of transportation. But it’s doable.

You can also take this one up a notch. Make the challenge to read in a different city every day. For some, that would be a drive down the coast or certain highways. For others, it might involve a lot of travel. Are you up for it?

Read Every L. Ron Hubbard book

Mr. Hubbard holds the Guinness World record of most published works. He has a whopping 1,084 published works.

Apologies to any Hubbard fans out there, but even on my best reading day I haven’t been able to get through a single one of his books.

Read a Book From Every Country

Photograph of a woman in a hijab and a man in a cap and middle-eastern style clothes, reading with three girls in hijab in a desert setting.

This would be fun and enlightening, I think. I wonder how many countries’ books are in the average metropolitan library? There are tiny countries from which it might be difficult to buy any books. There are other countries that may not have the translation you need. Not to mention that shipping and other charges might get expensive.

But it would be fun to try, wouldn’t it?

Read Every Book on Your TBR List

I don’t know about you, but this would be a LOT of books for me. One day I will do this. Really. How about you?

Read 5 Books from Each Major Genre

To simply figure out what the major genres are will take some time. A quick Google search came up with different sites claiming there are from five to eighteen different major genres.

This might not be so crazy. Even if we decide that there are 18 different genres, that would only be ninety books for the year. Though some genres may be harder to get through than others.

Read a Page a Day

This isn’t a goal for someone who wants to read a lot during the year. But it might be a goal for someone who’s having a hard time getting through any books. It might be a fantastic challenge for someone who reads fast. Reading a page a day may give you a better appreciation of the story.

Crazy Fun Reading Goals

Photograph of a young boy holding an open book on his lap, his head thrown back and mouth open in a big laugh. He's got a crazy fun reading goal

Reading goals are great. For some of us, during this pandemic, reading goals are undoable. I hope that this post has helped readers struck down by pandemic, or other, reading inhibitions. It has inspired me to re-read an old favorite at a minimum of a page-a-day. Perhaps that will re-energize my reading habits. If you need inspiration for what to read next, check out my First Line Friday posts.

Do you have reading goals? Do you reach them?

What is the craziest or the most fun reading goal you’ve ever had?

Image Credits

First Image by Angel Hernandez from Pixabay
Second Image by Наталия Когут from Pixabay
Third Image by Syauqi Fillah from Pixabay
Final Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

First Lines From Histories You Don’t Know

The first line of a story, we’re told, must hook the reader. Implied is that the reader will not buy the book if the first line isn’t great. These entries are from Amazon, my personal library, or other online booksellers. Are you hooked by these first lines from histories you don’t know? Do you want to read more of these alternate histories?

The cover of The Children's War shows a foggy passage way with a shadowy man in a trench coat and hat. It's an alternate history or a history you don't know.

“As the London Divisions of the glorious troops of the Fatherland march proudly past the gauleiter’s podium, they salute the Thousand Year Reich!” the announcer intoned pompously.
The Children’s War by J.N. Stroyar

August 2014
I am a good girl. It is my most defining feature. And that’s the truth.
The Big Lie by Julie Mayhew

The cover of Enemy Within shows the dome of the Capitol building in brown and gold tones with the title in red letters over the base of the dome.

The squalid little alley smelled of piss despite the February cold.
The Enemy Within by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

It started when David came in from the lawn absolutely furious.
Farthing: A Story of a World that Could Have Been (Small Change Book 1)
by Jo Walton

Prologue:
You already know the story of the American Revolution, and the birth of the American monarchy.
American Royals by Katharine McGee

“Get below decks!” Colm Bohannon shouted.
Angels & Patriots: Book One by Salina B Baker

Clarification

There are no affiliate links in this post. I don’t make a cent off of the books listed on this page. I usually pull these quotes at random. They are here for your enjoyment. And to entice you to buy more books.

If you enjoy these alternate histories, you might enjoy my series, The Fellowship Dystopia.

Do You Want to Read More?

Did you enjoy these first lines from histories you don’t know? Check out previous First Line Fridays. You’ll put another enormous smile on my face if you tell me in the comments below— Which ones spoke to you? Did you buy it?

From Vultures to Family It’s First Line Friday

The first line of a story, we’re told, must hook the reader. Implied is that the reader will not buy the book if the first line isn’t great. From Vultures to Family It’s First Line Friday. These entries are from Amazon, my personal library, or other online booksellers. Do these first lines hook you? Do you want to read more?

The black silhouette of a vulture circles overhead, its large dark shape contrasting with the bright afternoon sky.
The Outlands by Tyler Edwards

Prologue-About to Catch Fire
Phillip Chestnut didn’t understand why things had started to go sideways.
Effacement by Hieronymus Hawkes

So you’re the person responsible for the death of the number one,” the burly man in a security uniform tells me.
All the Whys of Delilah’s Demise by Neve Maslakovic

When we were new, Rosa and I were mid-store, on the magazines table side, and could see through more than half the window.
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

The swallows skipped like flat stones across the surface of the infinity pool, their wings spread, and a lone woman in a gauzy beach coverup—what she might have called a kaftan if that word didn’t sound so matronly—watched them.
The Red Lotus by Chris Bohjalian

“His entire family was killed in a terrorist attack in Al-Iskan-dariya ten years ago,” said the Chief of Staff to the Executive Director of the Alliance General Intelligence Directorate.
Weft by Simon Rutter

People often tell me their family is strange.
The Arrival by Jessie Massey

Clarification

There are no affiliate links in this post. I don’t make a cent off of the books listed on this page. These titles are here for your enjoyment. And to entice you to buy more books.

Do You Want to Read More?

Did you enjoy From Vultures to Family It’s First Line Friday? Check out previous First Line Fridays. You’ll put another enormous smile on my face if you tell me in the comments below— Which ones spoke to you? Did you buy it?

Dystopian SF First Lines

Today’s Dystopian SF First Lines post is part of my First Lines Friday series. The first line of a story, we’re told, must hook the reader. Implied is that the reader will not buy the book if the first line isn’t great. These entries are from Amazon, my personal library, or other online booksellers. Do these first lines hook you? Would you read more?

A twig snaps somewhere in the woods. I shoot up from my sleeping bag and reach out in the darkness.
The Burn Our Houses Down Trilogy by Kelsey D. Garmendia

Bursting open, the thin, wooden door slammed against the wall and cracked in half.
“Get down!” a man yelled.
Prep For Doom by E.R. Arroyo, Laura Albins, Amy Bartelloni, Brea Behn, and 16 others

Feet pounded across the young messenger ran as fast as his legs would take him.
Legacy of Light: The Series by by M. Lynn and Michelle Bryan

“What better way to destroy our enemies than to simply allow them to destroy themselves?”
The Good, the Dead, and the Lawless: The Undoing by Angelique Archer

Deep beneath the surface of the earth, two men stood of a dirt walkway.
Virulent: The Release The Virulent Chronicles Book 1 by Shelbi Wescott

This morning in Physics we learned how momentum often led to collisions.
Things That Should Stay Buried by Casey L. Bond

Sixteen year old Iris Lucinda Ankea collapsed to the ground in the middle of her l living room, a hand to her head.
Timekeeper Rising (The Timekeeper Duo Book 1) by Allyssa Painter

Maggie’s mouth was a barely discernible line as she let her eyes look up to the clear blue sky.
5 Years After by Richard Correll

“Are you sure?”
Atopia wasn’t only about perfecting synthetic reality.
The Atopia Chronicles by Matthew Mather

Please Note

There are no affiliate links in this post. I don’t make a cent off of the books listed on this page. These titles are here for your enjoyment. And to entice you to buy more books.

Now, if you buy one of my books… that will put a little money in my pocket. And a gigantic smile on my face. I love my readers.

Do You Want to Read More?

Did you enjoy these Dystopian SF First Lines? Check out previous First Line Friday posts. And you’ll put another enormous smile on my face if you tell me in the comments below— Which ones spoke to you? Did you buy it?

First Line Friday Full of SF and F Love Stories

February’s First Line Friday Full of SF and F Love Stories is part of a series of blog articles posted on the first Friday of every month. The first line of a story, we’re told, must hook the reader. Implied is that the reader will not buy the book if the first line isn’t great. These entries are from Amazon, my personal library, or other online booksellers. Do these first lines hook you? Do you want to read more?

Cover of Shades of Treason by Sandy Williams has a woman glaring at the camera and holding a futuristic weapon. The background shows a futuristic city. It's a story full of SF and F Love

When Commander Rhys “Rest in Peace” Rykus walked back into her life, Ash smiled because she knew it would piss him off.
Shades of Treason: An Anomaly Novel by Sandy Williams

“Lady Mother,” Adena whispered, lips barely moving. “I don’t think I can do this.”
Chosen by the Rakian Commander: Rakian Warrior Mates by Elin Wyn

Not long ago, the sweaty hand snaking up my skirt toward my ass would have turned to mummy dust on contact, but I restrained myself.
To Catch a Stolen Soul: A djinn haven story by R.L. Naquin

“Mom?” I pushed my headphones off my ears and looked at my bedroom door. I could have sworn I heard a scream.
Defy the Ravaged: Matron’s Watchmen Book 1 by E.M. Raegan

Last month, Cupid shot my size-six ass with an arrow and saddled me with the soul mate from hell.
Struck By Eros: Redeeming Cupid: Book 1 by Jenn Windrow

The ash gathered on an empty road road that ran through the desert. It fell with a muffling effect, like heavy, dense snowstorms.
To The North by Bruce W. Perry

Humanity was dying but it seemed like no one else could see it.
Leaving Earth: Leaving Earth Series by J. W. Scarpacci

Zayn worked the chains fastened around his wrists, feeling the weak spot he’d made over the past few weeks with a loose shard of steel.
Exposed: Tribute Brides of the Drexian Warriors Book 3 by Tana Stone

Please Note

There are no affiliate links in this post. I don’t make a cent off of the books listed on this page. These titles are here for your enjoyment. And to entice you to buy more books.

Of Course, if you buy one of my books… that will put a little money in my pocket. And a gigantic smile on my face. I love my readers.

Do You Want to Read More?

I hope you enjoyed this First Line Friday Full of SF&F Love Stories for February. First Line Friday is a series of blog articles posted on the first Friday of every month. In the comments, let me know which first lines appealed to you. Want more? Check out previous First Line Friday posts. And come back next month.