Having reading goals can be worthwhile, although it depends largely on the books that we have on our list. For some books, we can breeze through them in a matter of hours or days, while others can be a challenge to finish a chapter. In that case, it could take us weeks or even months just to finish that particular book.
Thus, whether or not we finish a book depends on a number of factors. Some factors include an author’s writing style, the coherency of the plot and writing, and if we’re even engaged in the story (if it’s a non-fiction book, we might ask ourselves: am I even interested in this topic?).
I used to make my reading list based on books that others recommended, but now, I’ve made it more about the books I’d like to read. As mentioned above, certain books are more difficult to make headway in, not because they’re long or complex, but because I don’t have an interest in them. And when I’m not interested a story, it’s like I’m only reading the words, but I’m not grasping what’s going on in the story. In other words, I’m not invested in the story, and if I can’t get invested in it, then I’d rather read something else.
So for me, I prefer to pick and choose which books I want to read, and make my goal about reaching a certain number (i.e. it can be one book a month, two, or three, etc.). That number can look different for all of us, since our schedules look different, and the speed at which we read will vary as well.
Fallton Havenstonne 