Happy 2019, y’all! As I do every year, I’m sharing some of my book goals and aspirations. I love doing this every year as it not only keeps me accountable but you fine people always recommend such AWESOME reads.

But before we get into what I hope to be dabbling into, let’s talk about how 2018 went in terms of reading.

For one thing…I met my GoodReads goal of 50 books read. I actually went over by 4! Color me surprised! I didn’t think I’d make the goal considering I did very little reading between Spring and Summer.

Last year’s focus was biographies. I wanted to consume as many as I could. I read 15. Of all of the books that I read, many wanted to know what my favorites were. That includes the following:

Becoming – Michelle Obama

The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers – Maxwell King

Allegedly – Tiffany D. Jackson

Anonymous Acts – Christina C. Jones

Heads of the Colored People – Nafissa Thompson-Spires

Educated – Tara Westover

B, what’s the key to getting through books quickly?

Sometimes when I tell people I’ve read over 50 books in a year, they step back in awe and question how I find the time. The thing is this – I make time. I limit my endless scrolling on social media and pick up a book. While I’m driving or cleaning, I’m listening to an audiobook. Before I get out of bed, I spend a good 10 minutes going through a book. So that I actually look forward to what I’m reading, I only read books that catch my interest quickly. If it doesn’t catch me in a few chapters, I pick something else. If it’s too slow, I move on. Datssit.

Books to read in 2019

Here’s my long list and I’ll be sure to update it throughout the year.

What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Blacker – Damon Young

The Wedding Date – Jasmine Gillory

How I Resist: Activism and Hope for the Next Generation – Maureen Johnson

If You See Me, Don’t Say Hi – Neel Patel

Black Listed – Jeffrey Boakye

Nine Perfect Strangers – Liane Moriarty

Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive – Stephanie Land

Sing, Unburied, Sing – Jesmyn Ward

How Long ‘Til Black Future Month – N.K. Jemisin

In The Country We Love: My Family Divided – Diane Guerrero

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness – Michelle Alexander

The Great Believers – Rebecca Makkai

Boy Erased: A Memoir of Identity, Faith and Family – Garrard Conley

Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World – and Why Things Are Better Than You Think – Hans Rosling

Florida – Lauren Groff

Between the World and Me – Ta-Nehisi Coates

Miles from Nowhere – Nami Mun

Zami: A New Spelling of My Name – Audre Lorde

7 Steps to Raising a Bilingual Child – Naomi Steiner

Well-Read Black Girl: Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves – Glory Edim

…I am constantly adding more to my GoodReads account if you’d like to follow me there. In the meantime, let me know what you’re reading and how you manage to find the time to get it in.