When browsing through the Daily Cheap Reads website Thursday morning, I noticed one of the posts talked about reading goals for the new year. One of my main goals is to just get motivated to read again. The administrators of the Daily Cheap Reads website found the following list from the Internet:

A book with more than 500 pages

A classic romance

A book that became a movie

A book published this year

A book with a number in the title

A book written by someone under 30

A book with nonhuman characters

A funny book

A book by a female author

A mystery or a thriller

A book with a one-word title

A book of short stories

A book set in a different country

A nonfiction book

A popular author’s first book

A book from an author you love that you have not read yet

A book a friend recommended

A Pulitzer Prize-winning book

A book based on a true story

A book at the bottom of your to-read list

A book your mom loves

A book that scares you

A book more than 100 years old

A book based entirely on its cover

A book you were supposed to read in school but didn’t

A memoir

A book you can finish in a day

A book with antonyms in the title

A book set somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit

A book that came out the year you were born

A book with bad reviews

A trilogy

A book from your childhood

A book with a love triangle

A book set in the future

A book set in high school

A book with a color in the title

A book that made you cry

A book with magic

A graphic novel

A book by an author you’ve never read before

A book you own but have never read

A book that takes place in your hometown

A book that was originally written in a different language

A book set during Christmas

A book written by an author with your same initials

A play

A banned book

A book based on or turned into a TV show

A book you started but never finished

To me, some of the things on the list aren’t too tough. In fact, I probably have most of these books on my bookshelves right now, well, with the exception of a book that takes place in the future. Admittedly, I’m not much into that kind of book. But I’m willing to give it a go. Same goes for a book with magic. I’m not keen on books that involve the supernatural. Weird, I know.

Some of these things on the list may be a bit challenging. For example, a book that takes place in your hometown. If that is my original hometown, Somerset, I don’t think there’s a book that takes place there. If I consider Marshall my hometown, well, that’s a little bit easier. One of John Sandford’s Virgil Flowers books mentions Marshall, and I think there’s a couple more books out there that involve Marshall in some way.

My mother isn’t much of a reader, but when she was, she liked LaVyrle Spencer. Well, Spencer is a Minnesota author, and I read romance novels, maybe I’ll give one a try? Spencer doesn’t write anymore; in fact, she stopped 20 years ago. Will I like her work? A challenge indeed.

A book with a color in the title… “Where the Red Fern Grows”? Reread “The Color Purple”? I’m sure there are many out there, I just have to find the one that captures my interest.

There are plenty of books I’ve started and never finished. One such book last year was “The Aviator’s Wife,” which is a fictionalized account of Anne Lindbergh’s life. There’s also a Meg Cabot sitting on my bedroom floor that I started, got to page 70-something, and abandoned. Of course since it’s been a long time since I’ve started some of these books I probably have to start over. Gah, another challenge.

A book that was originally in another language? Guess I can finally get around to “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.”

A book that scares me. Maybe it’s time to hit up Stephen King again. I used to read his stuff when I was in high school. He’s been somewhat prolific, and I’m sure there’s one of his current books that would freak me out.

A book with bad reviews. Those can be fun, or sad, to read. As for the book that is more than 100 years old, I’m not a big fan of books published “back in the day.” There was a time that I tried reading books that were classic or notable, and they didn’t really appeal. Maybe it’s time to give one another shot.

A trilogy? Perhaps it’s time I delve into the e-books of “The Hunger Games” I bought several years ago. A graphic novel? I have that covered as I’m currently reading a couple of manga series.

I think my biggest challenge is probably reading the number of books listed. There’s 50 on this particular list. So whatever your reading goal is, I hope you accomplish it.