Tags
books, fiction, goodreads, list, lists, non-fiction, novelists, novels, reading, resolution, top ten, top ten tuesday
Top Ten Tuesday is a book meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.
1. To complete my Goodreads challenge of reading fifty books this year. So far I’ve got to a grand old total of two (one of which I’m not sure really counts as I began it last year) so I’ve got a lot more pages to be turning.
2. To read more non-fiction. Although I’ve always enjoyed learning new things I used to have a strange aversion to non-fiction. As a general rule I thought it was mostly written by stuffy old professors who spent their evenings giggling with glee at their superior intelligences. (I’d just like to note that I had absolutely no proof whatsoever for this misguided belief.) Thankfully I’ve come to my senses and can’t wait to start learning.
3. To read all the books I’ve bought over the years that I had the sincerest intentions of reading but still haven’t. When I look at my book shelf it frightens me at the amount of books I’ve amassed that I haven’t even opened. And the thing is that I want to read them. So I’ve made a deal with myself; for every new book I read I must read at least two that I own but haven’t yet begun.
4. To stop buying so many books and instead borrow them from the library. The sad fact is that I cannot afford to go on shopping sprees in which I buy six or seven books at a time any more (in fact I don’t think I’ve ever really been able to afford to do this). Although my local library doesn’t have the most varied of selections I’m going to make good use of the fact that as an alumni of the University of Hull I can still use its library for a fee.
5. To read books set in a variety of different cultures. Looking at my book shelf the other day I realised its books centre mostly around Britain and America and are pretty much written only by British and American authors. I really want to start reading books written by authors from a variety of different countries and books set in a variety of different cultures.
6. To read a good few Classic novels. I tend to steer clear away from Classic novels because I feel like I ‘should’ read them (which automatically puts me off) and sometimes they can feel outdated and can be frustrating to read. However, from a purely practical point of view it would be much easier to understand references to Classic books if I’ve actually them.
7. To re-read the seven Harry Potter novels (but this time in order).
8. To spend at least an hour a day dedicated solely to reading.
9. To read more detective fiction. I’ve read a few detective novels here and there but ever since writing an essay for university that included discussing the Golden Age of detective fiction I’ve been really interested in reading more.
10. To stop beginning a novel and deciding twenty pages in that I’d actually much rather read something else. This has happened to me quite a lot recently and I’m not sure if it’s because of the books I’m reading or something else. I just know I need to be more decisive.
What are your bookish resolutions for the year?
booksaremyfavouriteandbest said:
Your last goal made me laugh because one of my goals is to abandon books I’m not enjoying!
oddsandbookbobs said:
Ooh I definitely agree that if you’re not enjoying it it’s probably best to stop reading. π At the moment I seem to be too indecisive to find out if I’m enjoying a book before I stop reading it.
Thanks for commenting!
The Picture Book Review said:
These are some great goals! I love our library. I didn’t start really going until I had my child and once you see the price of picture books ($16.99 for 32 pages) it definitely becomes beneficial to check them out from the library and then buy the ones you really, really love. π
I hope your library treats you well!
oddsandbookbobs said:
Wow, that’s so expensive! I can definitely see why you’d rather take the books out of the library.
I’m definitely going to start doing this, it’ll make the books I do own more special too π
Thank you, I’m glad yours treats you so well! π
StetotheJ said:
Good resolutions, very diverse. That’s always a good thing. I would like to prod you towards a little philosophy, that always makes your book shelf look more intellectual. My favourite resolution is the variety of authors one, there is so many great authors, camus, Eco, Marquez, Calvino, you are in for a treat.
oddsandbookbobs said:
Thank you for your suggestions!
I definitely want to start reading more philosophy, I studied it at A-Level and really enjoyed it but I haven’t read much of it in a long while. I’ve got Sartre’s The Age of Reason somewhere and I’ve heard good things about Umberto Eco so I’ll get reading π
Thanks for your comment!
lena de almeida said:
Quite an ambitious resolution list you have here.
I’ve always read books from authors of different nationalities and find that an enjoyable way of learning a bit about other cultures.
oddsandbookbobs said:
That’s definitely what I’m hoping reading from authors of different nationalities will give me, I feel woefully ignorant on so many cultures.
Thanks for commenting! π