2024 Reading Ins/Outs Lists📚🎆

New Year, same annoying us!

Happy New Year, loyal WYMILC readers! The beauty of a new year is that we can harvest the motivation to completely change who we are. For us here at WYMILC, we have 2024 goals of becoming the true unbothered hot-girl-readers that we know we can be. Screen time? Don’t know her. Toting around a tattered paperback? Our norm. As we prepare for our inevitable success at completely changing who we are, please enjoy our thoughts around reading ins and outs for 2024, as well as some personal reading goals we each have.

“And it's not because I'm lonely, and it's not because it's New Year's Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.” - us to you ♥

2024 READING INS

ALEX INS: I think this year I’m looking for the books that really remind me why I love reading so much, instead of only going for the quick wins (sorry romantasy!).

1. Keeping my phone in a different room while reading. Or, just keeping it a different room most of the time. I will NOT go into 2024 being the adult-version of an iPad kid!

2. Throwing in some non-fiction. I am feeling slightly nostalgic for reading to learn (yes I was the person who got excited about new reading lists each semester for college courses). A few on my list are The Art Thief by Michael Finkel and The Heat Will Kill You First by Jeff Goodell.

3. Reading what’s on my shelf. I’ve got copies of Play it as it Lays by Joan Didion, Babel by R.F. Kuang, and One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez all staring at me on my bookshelf (and many others), and I just know I’m going to love them all. It’s time to grow up and read books I already own.

4. Reading books by/about smart women. Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion by Jia Tolentino. Susan Sontag: The Complete Rolling Stone Interview by Jonathan Cott. Women Who Run With the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés. Anything by Joan Didion. Let’s go girls!

5. Reading in the morning. I used to work out in the mornings before work. Now, I’m finding that I’m much happier if I drink coffee in bed and read before starting my day. The gainz will just have to wait until the afternoon.

HAILEY INS: This year’s ins is all about reducing consumerism and trying to fire a few more brain cells while reading than I did in 2023.

1. Reading what’s on my shelf. I have some absolute stunners on my bookshelf that I am excited to tackle this year, such as Pachinko, The Goldfinch, Babel (RIP to reading that this past fall), and Bel Canto.

2. Borrowing from the library. I have a library 3 blocks away from my house, and finally learned how to get rentals on the my Kindle. Time to put some books on hold and lean into delayed gratification!

3. Alternating genres. Reading romantasy has dropped my IQ even further, if that’s possible. Time to add in some variety (post TOG, of course).

4. Notes app lists of books monthly book reading plan. I love nothing more than a barely decipherable list of books I plan to read, in what order, in accordance of the season. More of this in 2024, and perhaps more following these lists too.

5. Unhinged reads. Think more Saltburn, less likeable main character. The vibe of the year is 2007 English summer grunge.

   

   Who else has Jacob Elordi reading Harry Potter on their 2024 vision board?

2024 READING OUTS

ALEX OUTS: Basically me self-parenting.

1. Trying to finish books I’m not vibing with. It’s not necessarily a DNF, it’s just a “see you later.” Sorry Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell!!! I’ll be back for you baby!

2. Having to keep up with BookTok. I know the third Crescent City book is coming out next month, and it’ll be all over Tik Tok, but I’m feeling meh about picking it up right now. Going to let the first round of Tik Tok content run without me.

3. Having to set the perfect vibe before reading. I don’t need to light a bunch of candles or clean my whole house before I fit in a few pages or a chapter or two. Embrace chaotic reading! Embrace reading instead of scrolling when I’ve got a free 25 minutes!

4. Falling asleep too early when reading. I’m a sucker for a good early bed time, but late night reading is such a vibe.

5. Avoiding big books because they’ll mess up my Goodreads goal. Look, I’m going back for Jonathan Strange. I also want to read The Count of Monte Cristo (which is really like 6 books put together) and one day I’d also like to tackle Anna Karenina. They’re going to set me behind my goal but who cares!!

HAILEY OUTS: Aka, learning to tell myself “no”.

1. Impulse buying books. I preordered Ruthless Vows, only to decide when it arrived on my Kindle that I did not want to read this book 🙂. Spoiler alert: I finished it and did not enjoy it!

2. Being overly influenced by BookTok. Again, read what’s on your fcking shelf, Hailey!

3. Judging others’ reading choices. I mean, I have The Winter King on my TBR, ffs.

4. Reading with my phone in the same room. I don’t think it counts as reading if I’m just holding a book while scrolling TikTok.

5. Reading series after series. Turns out my biggest book hangovers come when I finish a series, so in the spirit of preserving my mental health I need to space those bad boys out.

OVERALL 2024 READING GOAL

ALEX: I’m hoping to get back to a strong 50. I did 60 books two years ago, I can do it again. Unless I read The Count of Monte Cristo, then we’ll be dropping the goal.

HAILEY: I am aiming to hit 40 goals this year. I read 50 in 2023, but I don’t feel the need to try and exceed that. Plus, if you set your goal low, you can get the “congratulations!” notifications on Goodreads multiple times 😎.

MOST ANTICIPATED READ OF 2024:

ALEX: I’m really excited for Kristin Hannah’s newest book The Women coming out in February. I also want to read All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby next summer, which supposedly gives off True Detective Season 1 vibes.

HAILEY: I am very excited for The Atlas Complex by Olivie Blake. I also have Alex’s (ehem, our mom’s) copy of Masters of Death by Olivie Blake as well, and given that was a top read of Alex’s I know it’ll be for me *I know my sister like I know my own mind!*. And, it has to be said, I am READY to tackle the Throne of Glass series. By the time you read this I should have put a pretty dent into The Assassin’s Blade.

That’s all for us on 2024! What are you goals, literary or otherwise, for 2024? What read are you most looking forward to this year? Let us know below!