We all do it. We make a list of goals about this or that which we would like to complete in our brief few months of summer and then never really stick to them. Some of us have the excuse of work and vacations and time with family and friends to make us feel better about not sticking to our goals. Some of us simply don’t care. I get it.
In an effort to combat these shortfalls, I have compiled a list of 5 reading goals for this summer that I think we could actually stick to. (I would also like to make a point that you do not need to add all 5 of these to your list—you could just add one.) I follow each with the title I could potentially pick up to check off each goal to give you all some inspiration.
Goal 1: Finish/catch up in series you’ve already begun
For this goal, I hope to finish the Stalking Jack the Ripper series by Kerri Maniscalco by at last reading the rest of Capturing the Devil, the fourth and final book. I started this series back in 2020 and read the first 3 books in less than a year (with many other titles between). I was genuinely enjoying it, but it took me some time to get my hands on the last book, and when I did, I just wasn’t in the mood for it. I believe it is time for me to finally finish this series.
The Stalking Jack the Ripper series follows Audrey Rose Wadsworth, the daughter of a lord, as she breaks social norms by leading a secret life as the apprentice of her uncle, a forensic medical examiner and teacher. When murders begin to take place, Audrey Rose, with the help of another of her uncle’s pupils, often-exasperating Thomas Cresswell, sets off to solve the crimes. The series is full of twists and turns that keep the reader on their toes.
Goal 2: Read one book from a genre you don’t read often
My choice for this goal is My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh. This book is literary fiction, which is not a genre I tend to read often. I have wanted to read books from this genre for some time, but I admit that they have always intimidated me. I hope to change that by finally picking up a book from the genre that has intrigued me.
My Year of Rest and Relaxation is told from the perspective of a young woman with a hefty inheritance paying her way through what would seem from an outside pint of view to be a more than adequate life. She should be happy. But for some reason, she isn’t. So, with the help of her awful psychiatrist and the numerous medications she’s prescribed, the narrator decides to hide from the world in a yearlong hibernation.
Goal 3: Pick up a classic you’ve never read
There are a ton of different titles I could pick up for this goal, but the one I’ll likely go with is Persuasion by Jane Austen. Given that Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen’s most famous work, is my favorite classic (of the few I’ve read so far), I have been wanting to pick up more of her books. I have read Sense and Sensibility and Emma, and now I hope to pick up another.
The heroine of Persuasion, Anne Elliot, falls in love with Fredrick Wentworth, a naval officer. However, her family and the expectations of her society push her to break off the engagement. Now, eight years later, Wentworth returns from war, and the two may have a second chance. Austen’s last finished work is set apart from her previous works by the more biting language and resigned outlook of her heroine.
Goal 4: Read one nonfiction book
I have gained an appreciation for memoirs over the course of the last 6 months, so my most likely choice for this goal will be one of them. There are a couple from a class I had this semester that I plan to finish before the end of this year, but I have decided not to list any of those as my answer here. Instead, to hopefully motivate myself to pick it up, I am going to list On Writing by Stephen King. Believe it or not, I have not read any Stephen King novels, though I own a number, but I have heard good things about this book.
On Writing is part memoir, part masterclass by one of the bestselling authors of all time. King anchors his advice in his own vivid memories from his childhood and into his thriving career. He shows how writing helped him through recovery for his near-fatal accident in 1999 while giving a revealing and practical view of the writer’s craft.
Goal 5: Read a book you’ve been putting off
Lastly, a book I have been putting off reading for quite some time now is A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas. I read the first 3 books and the novella that comes between book 3 and 4 practically back-to-back over a month and a half, but I kept pushing off this one. The novella, while necessary to the setting up the next part of the story, was a bit bare compared to the rest of the books. On top of that, this book follows a new relationship and is supposed to have several more sex scenes than the previous novels, and while I don’t generally mind, I don’t like when it overpowers the rest of the story, which is a worry I have about this book.
In A Court of Silver Flames, Nesta Acheron, the prickly older sister of Feyre (the protagonist of the previous novels) must find ways to cope with all she has lost and the new life she is forced to face. Cassian, the battle-scarred warrior who holds rank in the Night Court, ignites Nesta’s temper and other feelings she’d rather not face. Both must face their inner demons while attempting to hold off enemies from beyond.
I have no idea if I will read all these books this summer, because I am a mood reader. I listed them only to give you all some inspiration for your own choices. I can guarantee that I will finish at least one, so that is my goal. Which one, I haven’t decided yet. It’s summer! Why stress?
Let me know which goals you plan to add to your list this summer and which books you’ll read to reach them over on Instagram (@susqulib)!
Enjoy your summer break! And to those, like me, who are graduating, good luck in all your future endeavors!
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