It’s a new year which, for me, means making a load of promises to myself that don’t necessarily happen. It’s good to have plans though, isn’t it? Below are my bookish resolutions for 2015!
I vow to:
I’ve set a Goodreads reading challenge to complete 45 books this year. Overly ambitious? Perhaps, but we all need ambitious goals sometimes. I’ll put it out there now: I failed miserably at my 2014 challenge and was consistently confronted with ‘you’re two books behind schedule!’ every time I logged into Goodreads which annoyed me no end, but it is a useful website to record what I’m reading and what I’d like to read. I think it’s good to set a reading challenge even if the chance of success is limited, because it gives me focus and something to aim for.
Reading actually takes dedication. No question. It’s a very conscious decision that a reader makes: I’m going to stop whatever I’m doing, sit down and immerse myself into the world of an author. There’s been too many occasions where my laziness or disorganization is the sole reason why I haven’t managed to read something. No matter what else I’ve got going on in my life, I need to set aside time specifically for books.
I think everybody has their bookish comfort zones, whether that’s a favourite author or a particular genre that they favour above all others. This year I want to broaden my horizons, try new things and become more of a well-rounded reader. After all, you never know what you might discover when you give something a chance.
Reading is fun and magical and captivating and uplifting and…(insert your own adjective here). However, there’s also lulls and periods where a reading mojo vanishes, never to be seen for weeks, months or even years. It’s can be an intense relationship with the written word. If I need to take a break, I will. I’ve learnt that it can’t be forced.
Here’s the facts: I don’t get rid of books. Ever. My house is rammed full of books of all different sizes, ages and genres. I have books that I’ve grown out of, books that I’ll never read again, textbooks from university that have barely seen the light of day, books that I didn’t like - it’s endless. However, I’ve got this weird quirk – I’m calling it a quirk to make myself feel better – where I just cannot bring myself to give books away/sell them, whatever. I’d feel horrendously guilty if I did, as if the books have feelings, or I have stupidly irrational thoughts such as: ‘I haven’t read this children’s book for 15 years but I MIGHT want to in the future’. It’s bullshit; I won’t.
So, 2015 is the year where I need to sort through everything, bite the bullet and get rid of literature that I no longer want. I need to make room for new books after all.
I’ve always struggled to decide what to read next. I suspect lots of people, me included, choose books based upon their mood and frame of mind. If I want something light and not too challenging, I'll go for chick-lit. If I'm feeling brave and vaguely intellectual, I might opt for a classic.
As I've said before, I’m attempting to read a wide array of genres and subject matters. Variety is the spice of life, as they say. However, when faced with so much bookish choice, it's practically impossible to select one. I can sit staring at book covers for ages, trying to see if something jumps out at me.
Last year I made a TBR jar which is full of scraps of paper adorned with the names of unread books that I own. It's a fancy "pulling names out of a hat," to aid in the random decision making process. This year I need to make use of the jar to ensure that a) I don’t go insane attempting to choose books and b) my reading journey is kept interesting and diverse.
I’m guilty of buying the majority of my books from Amazon, purely because of the ease and minimal amount of effort required by me. Despite this, you definitely can’t beat walking around a charity shop, rooting through jumbled piles of books and discovering little gems. I definitely need to make more effort to go on regular pilgrimages to these wonderful shops so that I can fill bag after bag with cheap books and leave with a smug look on my face.
Most importantly, I need to remember to HAVE FUN. Reading shouldn’t be a chore.
Has anybody else got bookish resolutions for 2015?