Bout of Books 12... No Goal Linky?

Hello darling #boutofbooks-ers!

We're trying something different for this Bout of Books, so if you absolutely hate it, it may not stick around.

That said.

We, your estimable hosts, are pretty jazzed about this. "This" being Bout of Books 12 will not have a goals linky.

Why? That's a very good question, and I'm so glad you asked!

Every Bout of Books, we watch our readers become discouraged as they "fail" (because, as you know, we flail, not fail) goals they set for themselves. Because we man the @boutofbooks handle and spend more time than we care to track keeping an eye on the #boutofbooks hashtag, we're flooded with the negativity.

Removing the goal linky is our way of attempting to combat the negativity and "failing" updates. Bout of Books has always been about reading, meeting people, and having fun. As long as you achieve one of these, even if it's for a minute, we think you should consider your Bout of Books a success.

While we're not providing you a space to link your goals, we're not telling you to stop setting goals. We're also not telling you what goals to set. If you want to set goals, set them! You just can't link them here.

Additionally, questions regarding goals remain one of the top FAQ we have. By eliminating a goal linky, we're hoping to lessen the burden on us as hosts -- and get rid of the confusion between sign up and goals. There will only be the sign up. (And daily links, naturally.)

Because the truth is, we just want you to read. We don't care if you want to read 15 pages or 47 books. We don't care if you want to continue a book you started before the read-a-thon or if you can count audiobooks toward the read-a-thon. We don't care if you read from a read-a-thon book list you created or you go off your list.

We want you to read, in whatever format makes the most sense for you. We want you to read books you want to read. We want you to have fun and meet people and be happy that you get to be part of such an amazing community.

You don't need a goal linky for that, #boutofbooks-ers. You just need yourself and a love for reading.

ETA: No goal linky does not mean you can't set goals. If you'd like to set goals, do so, then share on Twitter using the hashtag #boutofbooks. Ask others to share their goals, too -- you might find you make stronger connections.