ellareads 2024 Reading Goals and Anticipated Releases!

Hello! Bonjour! Wherever you’re reading this from, you are now reading my very first published blog post on my website!!! This a super exciting moment for me, but before we jump into content here’s a sweet little introduction about myself and why I started this blog:

My name is Ella Layton (they/she) and I am a sophomore at Dickinson College. Being queer and an English major, naturally I love to read. Since my mother gave me access to YouTube, I’ve been watching BookTubers. That’s where my love for a book community really grew. I eventually migrated to Bookstagram, the BookTwitter, and now the infamous BookTok. I’d always wanted to contribute but was too afraid. At the beginning of 2024, I resolved to put my voice out there in this little corner of the internet to talk about a hobby I love most.

You can find more information about me under the ‘About’ section at the top of the page :)

Now for this year's reading goals!

I’ve never been too creative with these. I usually set an unrealistically high book goal for myself then lower it halfway through the year, but in 2024 I want to get more specific and imaginative with my reading goals to push me out of my comfort zone.

This year, I’ve set my annual book goal to 40. My page goal (second year doing this, courtesy of StoryGraph–make the switch from Goodreads today!) is 12,000.

Here’s a list of my more interesting goals that I really want to adhere to throughout the year:

DNF Books when I’m not feeling them

2024 is the year of letting go of things that do not serve you; this is definitely high on that list.

Read More (Queer!) Romance

Don’t get me wrong, I am a lover girl, but for a long time I thought the romance genre, especially contemporary romance, just wrote about straight couples, so I never further explored it. I enjoy some good flirting and banter in a book, but the romance I’ve read has usually been a sub-plot in fantasy, sci-fi, mystery etc. Time to venture into the land of love!

Feel free to NOT annotate

Whether digitally or physically, I love making silly little notes as I read. Although what I’ve noticed is that sometimes it interrupts and distracts from my reading.

Read From Non-Western Perspectives

Almost all the books I’ve read inside and outside of school have been set in the U.S. or the UK an/or originally written in English. Inspired by emmiereads’ around the world reading challenge, I want to read at least one piece of translated fiction each month.

No more super strict TBRs

This goal is a bit related to the first one in that I used to make monthly TBRs that I tried my best to stick to. Many times I wouldn’t complete them because I just wasn’t in the mood for those particular books. This year, we’re riding with just vibes because at the end of the day reading is something we’re meant to find pleasure and fulfillment.

Okay, now to my absolutely favorite part: new releases! I was not disappointed by the new releases of 2023 and neither am I for 2024. (Side Note: This list is not organized by my level of excitement but the expected date of publication.)

Vanessa Chan’s debut novel takes place in Malay (now recognized as Malaysia) during World War II. A mother, Cecily, is trying to reconcile her past as a spy with the current Japanese occupation and how it is negatively affecting her three children. This book sounds absolutely beautiful, and I think is a perfect follow up to an English class I took last spring called Literature of Migration and Displacement where we read If You Leave Me by Crystal Hana Kim. Nonlinear family saga spotlighting characters of color? Count me in!

I have yet to read a work by Gabriel García Márquez, but A Hundred Years of Solitude has been on my TBR forever! This book is about a woman, Ana Magdalena Bach, who goes on a bath of self-discovery outside of her roles as wife and mother across the Caribbean. Until August explores sexuality, freedom, and regret. I am sure I will be underlining frantically all the literary observations the Márquez has to share.

Having recently finished Chencia C. Higgins traditional publishing debut, D’Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding, she has instantly become one of my auto-buy authors. For so long, I claimed that romance books weren’t for me; unsurprisingly, I do enjoy them, just not the straight romances. D’Vaughn and Kris filled the gap The Ultimatum: Queer Love Season One left me, and so I’m excited to see Higgins’ execution of the friends to lovers trop in A Little Kissing Between Friends.

Pre-order any and all of these books at an independently owned bookstore that you love (in-person or online). Thank you for reading, and I hope your 2024 is filled with lots of five-star reads!

Blog Introduction, 2024 Reading Goals, and Anticipated Releases!