The average American reads about 9 books a year. On the other hand, if you’re like star Amazon reviewer Harriet Klausner, you might read 50 books a week! For most of us somewhere in the middle – especially those of us who love to read.

In celebration of the New Year, we want to challenge our readers (and ourselves!) with some new reading goals for 2012. Here are five resolutions you might enjoy trying out this year!

1. Keep track of the books you read. Use a website like Goodreads to make the process more like a game and to get other friends involved! Plus, Goodreads will give you suggestions of what to read next.
2. Discuss what you’re reading. Join a book club to discuss what you’re reading! If that’s not an option, begin writing book reviews. Authors appreciate the feedback and it will give you the chance to voice your opinion. Plus, many publishing houses offer complimentary review copies if you have a blog and will cross-post your review on Amazon. (Learn about the River North/Moody Publishers review policy here!)
3. Expand your literary horizons. Try reading books from other genres. Find a genre you don’t normally like and browse reviews for one that might interest you.
4. Don’t just read books – digest them! Reading can be for gaining information, learning about new worlds, seeing from another person’s perspective, or just for fun. Help yourself get the most from books by taking time to process them rather than rushing through.
5. Get to know your favorite author. A lot can be said about exploring the entirety of an author’s work. Try to take some time this year to get to know an author well by reading as much of their writing as you can.

As we make our way through this year, we’ll post more fun reading ideas! How are you going to motivate yourself to read more in 2012?