2022 Reading Goals + TBR // browsing my shelves w/ Willow (my dog)

Hello friends!!!
One of my favorite things about a new year is setting new reading goals and thinking about all the wonderful books I want to read!
I'm very excited about the goals I've set myself, and I'd love to hear what your reading goals are! Feel free to share your goals and TBR in the comments, so we can all inspire one another and provide some recommendations! :)
Sending you my very best wishes!
Carolyn (& Willow) Marie :)
My Goals:
- Read more broadly
- Try not to read too many classics back to back
- Read more contemporary fiction (in-between classics)
- Read the books that have been on my TBR for ages
- Go on special trips to the bookshop where I start/read my purchase the day I get it (prevent book buys from sitting on my shelves unread)
- Keep reading through the Penguin Little Black Classics
- Keep reading through the Beatrix Potter boxed set
- Pick a selection of major classic authors and read one book from them each (especially if I've never read from them before)
- Read major/longer Russian classics (less in book count but more in page count)
- Read more Shakespeare plays
- Get back into Poetry: continue with Walt Whitman and Mary Oliver especially
- Re-read Beartown and Us Against You in preparation for "The Winners" (the third book in the trilogy)
Videos mentioned:
- Ranking all the Russian classics I read in 2021 - • Ranking Every Russian ...
- Favorite books of 2021 - • Favorite Books Of 2021...
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Carolyn Castagna
P. O. Box 773
Greenlawn NY 11740
United States
**Please don't feel like you need to send me anything, but if you'd like to I would be honored!!!** :)
***About me -
I just graduated from college at the Fashion Institute of Technology with my Bachelors of Fine Arts in Illustration with a minor in English/Writing.
My greatest passion in life is combining my two loves, literature and art!
Happy Reading :)
#readinggoals #2022TBR #januaryTBR

[@averyforeman5208]

I forget that some people actually buy the gorgeous covers instead of just fantasizing about them. All beautiful books!!

[@maria83maria]

I'm so exited that you will read "Master and Margarita", is one of my all time favorit book!! Enjoy it!!

[@dailycarolina.]

What if your dog chooses your next book? You pick 5 books you want to read in a month, then Willow sniffs the one he/she likes the more and that's the one you're going to read first. Could we see that?

[@ariannahjustinenarmstrong9390]

The Blue Castle is my ultimate comfort read by Montgomery. I kid you not. For the last 45 years I have owned the physical copy more times than I can count, and every time I get a new device, ereader or computer, it's the first thing I download. Last time I read this sweet beautiful, and deep little story, was when I broke my arm and was waiting in the emergency room (about 3 years ago, before pandemic). You will NOT regret a second of it.

[@trishnickles2236]

Love Willow! She has a heart on her forehead, and is just beautiful. 💕 Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful reading adventures with us, it's a joy to see them and learn of new titles and recommendations. Be well. 🙏

[@MaryAmongStories]

ahh how fun, one of my little "goals" this year is to pick a few random books from the bookstore and read them immediately too 🥰 Middlemarch is amazing, I hope you love it 💗 ahh North and South and HEIDIIII 🥺🌸

[@michreviews1704]

Willow is the cutest omg how lucky we are she graced us with her presence

[@mrodriguez377]

As for Italian literature, I first read both Calvino and Ferrante this last year and just kept reading them because they’re incredible

[@JessiWuvsOwls]

this was such a comforting video, and i think you will absolutely love "the shadow of the wind"! it really touched me, as someone who loves and appreciates literature.

[@myrarucker7953]

Travels with Charlie!! John Steinbeck!! It’s his travels with his poodle across country!! Lovely. 🥰

[@helvedonnell5515]

Great list! Trying not to read as many classics as well... I recommend Raymond Carver's work - I read only his poems and stories which are incredible. Also, for Surrealist literature, you can read some of Leonora Carrington's work, she wrote short stories, novels and one children's book which she illustrated (one of her biggest influences was Beatrix Potter) and I think you will be interested in that as well.

[@francescaroel2533]

I was so excited when I saw your edition of Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita because it’s the same one I have and I absolutely loved it!!! It’s comedic, unexpected, intense and a hundred other things. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did

[@onlyireneadler]

Beckett's play is amazing!

[@casuallykat3188]

The House in the Cerulean Sea is so sweet and heartwarming and was one of my favorite reads of last year. I think technically it is classified as adult but many people say (and I agree) that it reads like a middle grade (though I am a middle grade fan so it was definitely not a problem for me). I would say a must read! ❤️

[@abbiemarsden9889]

It's a beautiful book

[@aliana151]

East of Eden is my favorite book of all time! If you do decide to pick it up this year, I really hope you love those characters and appreciate the story and writing as much as I do. I wish I could reread it for the first time because it was such a beautiful experience. You will laugh, cry and be enraged by one character who shall rename nameless.

[@theresia7734]

I read it for the first time this January and couldn't agree more, it's such a masterpiece 🙌🏻

[@mousquetaire86]

I like this quote from Northanger Abbey: "I cannot speak well enough to be unintelligible."

[@emilycurnow389]

Hamnet is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read

[@sb-fc6uj]

Me too, the master and margarita however is not, sorry. My ex-husband recommended it to me when i first met him, the book dragged and was so strange in places. It should have been a warning sign to me...😀

[@lizam8964]

Little fun fact: Walter Moers started out as a comic-strip artist and became really famous here in Germany for one of his cartoon characters that appeared in a popular kids show - basically every German 90s kid (including me) grew up with that one. I haven‘t read any of his novels myself, but I wish you all the fun in reading it!

[@MilenaReads]

Middlemarch is wonderful! It was one of my favourite books of 2021. I think you’ll love it 💕 And To the Lighthouse is amazing as well, another favourite!

[@willrich3908]

This year 2022 is the centenary of Ulysses by James Joyce - that's a rewarding read.

[@ShivangiBhasin]

Middlemarch is on my TBR for this year too! If anyone wants to buddy read it, count me in!

[@heather_vee_reads]

You and Emma inspired me to read Anna Karenina - I have 100 pages left and am absolutely loving it so THANK YOU 💗

[@rae_of_sunlight]

I'm trying to read more widely this year, too. I totally agree that switching between genres is really helpful for ensuring you love what you read. After reading classics I've started reading the odd 'palate cleanser,' just something light I don't have to think about much, and I think the contrast helps everything to shine out for what it is, without being too closely compared to the book I just read! LOVE your taste in books, and your bookshelves are absolute goals! I think you're going to have a wonderful reading year this year 💛

[@nancyabbott2660]

I’m an eclectic reader for the same reason. I always have 1 Classic going but I use a reading plan of about 30 pgs a day..then along w that I rotate about 3 other books at the same time . Currently I’m reading Jane Eyre, Outlander and 2 cozy mysteries. I enjoy reading this way. I have found reading plans for my chunker books and classics works best for me.

[@NjIceTea]

If you werent crazy about Crime and Punishment the first time, it could definitely be the translation you read. I am personally not a fan of Pevear and Volokhonsky whatsoever (I know a lot of people are), you will likely have a better experience with a different translation. I would recommend the Penguin McDuff or the Penguin Deluxe Oliver Ready!

[@19tzortz]

I came down to the comment section to recommend the exact same thing. I can highly recommend the Ready translation. I preferred it by far to the P&V translation.

[@minacarrabba]

I sooo agree! I own the P&V and started it back in September 2021, I found it very hard to get through, personally it felt very flat and it was hard to keep focused or to visualize the plot or the characters so I DNFed it but I want to either reread it or pick up a new translation.

[@garylevine5698]

Yea P&V is not very readable.Try Rosemary Edmonds or Briggs

[@ariannahjustinenarmstrong9390]

I was inspired to read Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy a few years ago and it took my breath away. I read Middlemarch about a dozen years ago with my husband, and we enjoyed it.

[@theodorapantelich2535]

You will LOVE The Master and Margarita!!! And you have the best edition out there, imo!

[@lakeshagadson357]

one of the books goals is choose a book that i like and read it and the other one is read a script to the class and have them print it out for the class.

[@dhariamg3336]

im such a fan of your vlogs and rlly love the calm vibes, feels like facetiming a friend

[@badrikokananadze7667]

I like classics too. ♥️❤️❤️

[@just_ella17]

My main goal is kind of like what you said about Russian lit. I want to read less books, but a similar number of pages. Especially last year I didn't really pick up long or really challenging reads and so that is something that I really want to focus on this year. My tbr includes: Master and margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov (already started it and really enjoying it) The book thief by Markus Zusak Mansfield park by Jane Austen (I would also like to reread some of her other work but Mansfield park is the only novel of hers I've never read)

[@patriciakedeni]

I think Willow is allergic to Philip Pullman. 😄 books around you and an adorable pup in your arms. Such bliss.

[@desiraeriddick3005]

I definitely prefer this style

[@chelleandpoppy6379]

I’m getting way too excited watching this video! I love John Green! Paper Towns is my favorite of his novels, but The Fault in Our Stars is great (and popular for good reason)! Northhanger Abbey is my favorite Austen after Emma! I really want to read The Mysteries of Udolpho and get more of a gothic background in general! Virginia Woolf is my favorite author of all time! Mrs. Dalloway is my all time favorite book, but To the Lighthouse is a great place to start as well! I haven’t read Orlando yet!

[@LaFou06]

Omg, The City of Dreaming Books is my favourite book of all time. You’ll love it.

[@Noa-cc9ur]

LOL you said you want to read more broadly but your list contains mostly classics. Good luck Carolyn, your TBR sounds awesome.

[@SyakiraAzam]

oH SISSSS, the crispiness of this video is *chef kiss*! So excited for you, Carolyn!

[@ephrussi9765]

You are adorable. And your love of all things books is infectious.

[@SelinaAllinson]

I have just discovered your channel and I'm loving it so much! You have inspired me to re read Anna Kernina. I will also read Eugene Onegin and Ethan Frome this year. I look forward to watching more of your videos and reading more of course! Middlemarch is probably my favourite book of all time. Shirley is also a treasure for sure. Thanks for your content it's lovely ❤️

[@elizabethgardner6832]

North and South would be good to read with Shirley since they are both about Mill owners. I started Villette and got about half way through. I'm meaning to finish it someday.

[@differentisbeautiful9415]

The house in the cerulean sea is an adult fantasy

[@joanaslittlelibrary9330]

Yess, I also want to read Northanger Abbey this year and I just bought the first book in the Witcher series!! 😍

[@doowopshopgal]

How wonderful your videos. I wrote down every genre that I have in my library and I include short stories short mysteries short fairytales poetry and such. And then I go down that list, look at my library and choose one of those genres and check it off, and once I have finished that book I will choose another genre and check it off. That way I get to read everything I have and not skip any genres. Good luck with your 2022 goals

[@abbiemarsden9889]

What a lovely video- so calming!

[@libertysuzanne9199]

i was very lucky to see sir ian mckellan in the cherry orchard last year and it was HEARTWRENCHING i cried. so much

[@josephcossey1811]

"Waiting For Godot" is the play in which nothing happens...twice!

[@usamarafieck1715]

I get willows all the time.

[@Osigot]

29:26 I don’t know what it will be like if you read the book after the series, but I started watching the series after the books and couldn’t finish the first episode - all the coolest things that were in this story were absent from the series (for example, a large-scale battle on the city market among the crowd turned into an awkward fight somewhere in an empty back street)

[@dianesellepedrosa1876]

Willow thinks you are talking to her🥰

[@verucasalt4535]

Yay! Very excited for this. Love our videos! I'm doing 3 reading challenges this year (3 books per month) & I just recommended "The Green Mile"by Stephen King to you. It's amazing. I started it last night & I'm already 65% though. I can't put it down! It had been on my to-read shelf for 2 or 3 years. Next I'm reading "The Woman They Could Not Silence" by Kate Moore and "Children of Time" by Adrian Tchaikovsky.

[@evethim5305]

Tender is the night oh my gosh so so beautiful! One of my favorite books! 🥰

[@ridhimareads]

You need to read Dead Souls and Madame Bovary!!! I read them both in my 19thc European Lit paper last sem along with Crime and Punishment and Balzac's Old Man Goriot and they were amazing.

[@Jana_yz]

You saying you want to buy and then read a book in the same day reminds me of how I did the same with Anna Karenina because I saw you falling in love with it😅 (Thanks by the way I really enjoyed the book)

[@crayonmythos]

I recommend reading F. Scott Fitzgerald's This Side of Paradise either before or after Tender is the Night. It was his first book and is really good. I will warn you though, it might bring up some tears towards the end due to it's similarity to the quietness of college campuses due to the pandemic. It almost made me cry.

[@garylevine5698]

Try "Shadow of the Wind"again.You won't regret it."The Decameron" is a good place to start for Italian Lit.Better than Dante

[@lovisasjosten6971]

As a Swedish person it was so fun hearing you talk about a swedish book, i did not know it was swedish haha…

[@brysonpenley7864]

I'm a big John Steinbeck fan! East of Eden is fantastic, but check out Cannery Row too! It's really lovely and short (and a little heartbreaking).

[@CarolynMarieReads]

Oh that’s great to hear! I’ll definitely look into Cannery Row! Thank you for the recommendation :)

[@dsalet1]

If you haven’t read it already, you’ll love “A Gentleman in Moscow.”

[@lasaves3207]

I saw a Sylvia Plath drawing on your website, will you be selling that one? I would buy one as soon as possible!!

[@psalm19creations]

I'm a new subscriber and only just saw this video. The Tempest and The Winter's Tale are two of my favorite Shakespeare plays. I read The Winter's Tale last year and was completely taken in by the ending. I also love Madam Bovary! I've come to realize that I really enjoy French classics in general. Right now I'm working on Lost Illusions by Balzac and I'm really enjoying it.

[@christinemartin8549]

I sent you the Marie Bashkirtseff book. I wasn't able to put a note with it, and wasn't sure if you got it. Then I just happened to spy it on your shelf!! I'm hoping to find volume two, but I believe these are out of print. Marie is such a character. As her journals begin she's a Russian teenager living in Southern France. She eventually becomes an artist. I immediately thought of Marie when I started watching your videos. Anyway, glad you got it.

[@tine272]

northanger abbey is soo good i hope you get to it soon! 😊💞

[@morine5236]

Fathers and Sons, Shadow of the Wind, Mary Oliver, Heidi, The Blue Castle, The Winter's Tale, The Professor, Those three hardbacks which look like fairy tales...OMGosh😍Stay Tuned!)

[@miki-log]

I LOVE On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous. It really is such beautiful writing, and my mom being from Vietnam, I believe depicts a very raw and real experience of the Vietnamese diaspora. Also, ASOUE is also my favorite children's series, that I still reread to this day! As for East of Eden, I love John Steinbeck and this is definitely his best work. I actually recommend reading another of his works (maybe Grapes of Wrath?) first, before going right into East of Eden, because I think it gives one an even greater appreciation for East of Eden, which imo is a masterpiece :)

[@thundreturtle]

Aside from being and interesting look into your TBR (all the interesting side-notes included, like the Pocket-Biran), I will mark your videos as the ones I can put in the background as you have a lovely speaking voice :D

[@CarolynMarieReads]

Aw thank you so much! I’m very happy to hear that! :)

[@maiko4130]

So happy to hear you like Hemingway! I feel like not enough booktubers talk about him. I read several of his books in transition when I was younger and I loved them, now my goal is to read them in English. His short stories unfortunately didn’t make any sense in translation, it’s probably because Japanese is so far away from English language 🥲. Japanese is so far away from any other languages 😅. I have been reading and rereading In Our Time, so can’t wait to hear you talk about it!

[@mitzireadsandwrites]

I think you'll really enjoy Northanger Abbey AND North and South- both are all-time favorites. I'm actually buddy reading The Blue Castle this month! Thanks for sharing and Willow is just precious. ❤

[@nikitadokukin1399]

Aside from the eloquent cat🙀, the best thing about The Master and Margarita is that Bulgakov does not conceal from readers the places where events occur. In Moscow, you can literally find the apartment appropriated for the needs of Woland and his servants, as well as other locations. If you ever find yourself in Moscow, be sure to have this book with you. You will have a lot of fun reading it after seeing these sights. I'm really looking forward to hearing your thoughts on it!

[@faa923]

George Eliot is amazing! I read The Mill on the Floss, which was my first book by her, and it was one of the best books I've read.

[@nikkivenable3700]

Most of those classics that you picked out are ones I haven't read so I"M PUMPED!!! I cannot wait to get your views on them. They are all sitting on my shelves staring at me...2022 is going to be a great year for this channel, I can already tell. I am also looking forward to a lot more Russian classics(they have my entire heart)

[@luhsea]

So fun seeing you get excited about different books, also I have just started crocheting so I enjoyed seeing your crochet project! I received a copy of Anna Karenina for Christmas so that is definitely on my TBR for 2022 and I also just bought a copy of The Idiot by Dostoevsky so am hoping to get to that too. I really like your idea of going to the bookstore and then starting to read the book you buy that same day - I think I need to implement that as I am always picking up books from the second-hand bookshop in my town and then letting them sit on my shelf for ages!

[@molly9310]

The Blue Castle is sublime! I think you'll love it!

[@jackiesliterarycorner]

I want to reread Crime and Punishment too, but first I want to read Anna Karenina, Brothers Karamazov, and Master & Margarita first. I need to continue working on my ability to get through 500+ pages within the year, as well as finishing some series. Like you, I want to add more variety in my reading.

[@EmmaSophieChannel]

This is so nice! I love videos like these :) My plan is to buy very few books and concentrate on reading more of the wonderful books on my shelves, and to read all 50 books in my Little Penguin Moderns box set that I got for Christmas (I'm well on my way already, I'm reading one per week)! And as I've mentioned in the last DvT live-show, my friend Rae and I are reading 5 Dostoyevsky books in the five act tragedy order as theorised by Konstantin Mochulsky: Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, Demons, The Adolescent, The Brothers Karamazov! Otherwise, I've been getting into children's classics more, many of them either from our shelves at home or as PDFs. You've convinced me!☺️❤️

[@martasgreatlibrary]

i wanna read the overstory too!!!!it sounds fantastic also norwegian wood is great!! hope you like it! this year i also want to read more books from many classic authors. I wanna get to Hardy, Trollope, George Eliot, Dostoeivsky, Cortazar, Zola, Mishima...

[@heatherdorsey4770]

Gasp! A year without reading Jane Austen!" It's like a day without water. 😉

[@negarnajafian9635]

Hi Carolyn i read east of eden last year and really loved it, please read the book first the details and every little thing that he describes and the way he describes it is just beautiful and different from the movie.

[@syl2169]

Hemingway short stories are sooo good, crisp and elegant, nothing redundant at all. Think you can maybe slowly work your way through them to keep the feeling fresh :)

[@josephcossey1811]

There's a wonderful 2014 movie version of "Madam Bovary" entitled "Gemma Bovery" which updates the story (more or less!) to the modern day and stars the luminous English actress Gemma Arterton in the title role. Read the book first then watch the film (then read the book again!)

[@mamaa9275]

i love your videos so much ! they bring me comfort and make me feel safe

[@tamaragrottker7677]

Oblomov was made into a movie during the 1980s. Brilliant film. You can compare book and movie. I have not read Oblomov however. Too many books, not enough time! I hate when I get tire and have to sleep instead of read.

[@stayclassy8479]

Master and Margarita is truly a masterpiece .You will enjoy every word of it. I had a pleasure reading it in Russian and Bulgakov is amazing. I am happy for you already :) enjoy!

[@algorithmimplementer415]

Awwww .. Carolyn, I love you. My new year resolution is to not buy a single book this year. I want to read the books I have on my bookshelf.

[@dori-anne8330]

The Master and Margarita !! It's unlike any other book, very unique. I highly recommend 🤩 I am willing to read the witcher serie as well, and more generally one of my goal is to read more fantasy. It's something I really liked when I was younger and then I just stopped but I don't even know why. I love fantastic world and magic, so I definitely wanna come back to it. One of my other goal is to read more plays. It's something I deeply enjoy, but didn't read for a long time. I've been willing to read Peer Gynt by Ibsen since I've seen it on stage few years ago and fell in love with this how rich, deep, monumental play.

[@Ninaofthe90s]

"I have such a crush on Geralt. I mean it's Henry Cavill - how can you not have a crush on him?". So true! That man is so beautiful, he makes my eyes hurt 😍

[@lewiskwok8100]

Willow has growth fast!!!

[@hollyludlow2460]

I received Heidi too and a little princess in puffin and bloom

[@Ali-vx4ox]

aww willow is too precious 💕 i’m excited for you to read to the lighthouse! it was one of my favorites of 2021. i also plan to read master and margarita this year! my tbr changes constantly depending on my mood but so far it includes one hundred years of solitude, lonely castle in the mirror, and emma!

[@josephcossey1811]

Once you have read "The Wind In The Willows" I can warmly recommend the unofficial 1993 sequel "The Willows In Winter" by William Horwood, an ideal cosy read for a midwinter evening!

[@krisireads]

You have to read the house in the cerulean sea!!! I finished it last week and it's such a heartwarming book! 💗

[@sarahsperusals]

just say the word and we’ll start northanger abbey!!!

[@CarolynMarieReads]

Amazing!! Will do 😄❤️

[@Zainzainzain56]

I love your reading goals for 2022! & I would love to see you do a reading vlog of wuthering height please

[@moonthe0ry]

Ahh! I was the one who gifted you The City of Dreaming Books!!! I’m so excited for you to read it 💖 I have all his Walter Moer’s English translated works and my goal is to read the rest of them this year and reread The City of Dreaming Books 💖

[@nancyabbott2660]

I loved The Book Thief.

[@ShivangiBhasin]

Uncanny! I’m currently in the middle of Hamnet, it truly is a gem, cannot recommend it enough

[@LaFou06]

I also have East of Eden on my shelf, unread, so let’s do it! Interesting about Backman. I only read A Man called Ove back when it came out and loved it, but I think because the titles and cover designs of the books following after seemed so similar, I automatically assumed that they weren’t as good and wouldn’t live up to the hype, if that makes sense. I’ll change that though!

[@Ninaofthe90s]

North and South is so wonderful...but I must say the BBC mini series is just as great, maybe even better! I'm not used to book adaptations surpassing the book. 😲😲

[@margueritemitchell1829]

Definitely not back to back... that's how I read Jane Austen!!! Omnibus edition from the library 🤣 BIG mistake. 'Blue Castle' 🏰 awesome. Remember 'Northanger Abbey' gothic satire.🤩❤️❤️❤️👋from 🇨🇦

[@taaptee]

really enjoyed all of this! good luck w everything 💛

[@lillieblack9702]

I was just watching Buffy and now this video, it's Willow Willow Willow and I love it!!!