Happy new year! Here's hoping for better times in 2022...

One thing we can be sure about in the coming twelve months is that there'll be many more great new books released for us to read!

Of course, 'so many books, so little time' is a common refrain. And how to choose what book to read next...

I've mentioned before that when I first started working, I found that I wasn't reading at all so set myself a challenge to finish a certain number of books a year. I think it must have been one a month to start with, but then it soon turned to one a week. And now I'm reading a few times that number - 126 in 2021.

I like to think I read fairly widely in research for my journalism, preparation for author visits, and for reviews and recommendations, as well as just plain interest and curiosity. It means, though, that these days I hardly ever read any literary classics or poetry.

In the blog compiled for Pan Macmillan, we are encouraged to set out our own reading challenge this year, trying books we might otherwise overlook. There are some interesting suggestions: travel the world; prize winners and losers; a poem a day/week/month; overcome prejudices and dip into an unfamiliar genre. 

Meanwhile the Agatha Christie website has its own challenge for 2022 with twelve prompts to pick up a different Christie novel each month. You can sign up for a postcard which will suggest, for example, that you start reading one of her books set in a hot climate, or one featuring train travel or a story she wrote while abroad.

And one blogger I discovered has set herself the task of reading as many books as she can this year, putting a pound in a jar for every title she completes. At the end of the year she will give the total to charity. 

Lots of ways we can shake up our habits, but however you make your selections, I hope you enjoy your reading in the coming year.