Let’s talk about reading goals! In the past I’ve focused mostly on reading a set number of books each year and while I’ll probably throw a number at Goodreads.com in a couple of weeks, I wanted to focus on something more specific this year: actually reading the books I’ve already bought. And it turns out I’m not alone. Apparently this is such a common problem that a massively popular reading challenge has been born of it – it’s called Beat the Backlist and it’s hosted annually by NovelKnight.

Want to Join the Fun?

All you need to do is make a tentative list (which you can edit later) of the books published in 2017 or earlier that you’d like to read next year. Then share that list with NovelKnight here and add your name to the ranks.

Once you sign up you get sorted into teams. Reading the books on your list earns you and your team points and each month one winner will be drawn from the team with the most points to get a book of their choice. Seriously. I’m on Team Dragon:

The Backlist Books I Plan to Read in 2018

My list is made up of books that I purchased for my Kindle over the past two years but haven’t read yet. Now this doesn’t include ALL the books I purchased in the last two years, just the twelve that look most interesting to me right now. I wanted to leave a little wiggle room for impulse new release reads and book club selections that won’t fit the challenge.

The books I chose were:

The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher

The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie

You Learn by Living by Eleanor Roosevelt

Still Life by Louise Penny (Inspector Gamache #1)

The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee

The Wonder by Emma Donoghue

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas (Throne of Glass #2)

The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr

Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery

The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris by Jenny Colgan

Hello Sunshine by Laura Dave

Level Up by Cathy Yardley (Fandom Hearts #1)

What are your reading goals for next year? Tell me about your plans in the comments section!