New Year’s Eve is a time for sparkling wine and indulgent eating. But come January 1, we all have the same thing on our mind: resolutions for the year to come. This is the year we’re going to exercise more, eat less and really start meditating. Or something along those lines… But, let’s be honest, we rarely keep them past January. So we’re sticking to the shelves and keeping our goals for 2021 literary. Here are our reading resolutions…
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Katie: My goal is to start reading historical fiction and nonfiction again this year. This last year I read the book The Worst Hard Time about the Great Depression, and found it so interesting. I was a history major in college and have always loved reading history books, but it had been a long time since I had read one. Honestly so many themes of the book still felt relevant to current times and it reminded me how much I enjoy reading historical books and learning about the past.
Jessie:
Duckie:
I went into this year with a goal: 40 books. It was around November that I realized I wasn’t going to hit it. I could have just stacked my plate with Agatha Christie mysteries and romance fluff and hit that goal. But overall, it wasn’t about the numbers. It was just a commitment to keep reading. So I did what everyone else in the world did this year; I pivoted. In 2019, I read 31 books (it was the first year I kept a full list). I happened to turn 31 that year. So my new goal for 2020 became 32 books. Now, my new resolution, in perpetuity, is to read as many books as years I’ve lived. I had no problem hitting it this year, and don’t expect to have any next year either. But I look forward to the many years ahead as my goal will get harder and harder with age. With age comes wisdom. And a lot more words to read.
Oh, I also want to read more nonfiction next year. It’s never been my genre. I read wine books, but that’s about it. I’d like to challenge myself by reading more history, political books and biographies next year. It might make 33 a little harder but it will be interesting!
Kellie:
This year I want to record the books that I read. I started this in July this year I recorded the books I read from July to December. Then I tried to remember the books I had read before July. I know I read more, but I could not remember them all. Ducks and Mom have kept a list for a while and when they are together they read them to each other and say what the other should read. It was so fun hearing their list this November. I had a pretty big list even starting in July. This was a big reading year for me (starting a book blog), but I can’t wait to have a full year list done.
I want to be less self conscious about the books I choose. Nobody is going to see my list unless I want them to. I want to be kind to myself and if I want to read a book I’m going to. Not caring if it is a popular book or something I will be able to read out in public. This year I’m not reading out anywhere due to COVID 19. So this is the year of reading anything I want to!
Kathy:
Oh! New Year’s resolutions…so easy to make, so hard to keep! I have loved writing down the titles I read this year, along with a few notes of who recommended it and if I didn’t like it, or I loved it. Funny, right? If I don’t like it, I remind myself, if I love it, I remind myself, but I don’t remark on anything in between. I’m the person who will re-read a book if I love it. Actually, until the other day, I thought all people were like that, but then, while talking to my friend, I realized that not all people are. She told me she has never re-read a book in her life. That was shocking to me!
But I digress…so, my literary resolutions…to write down ALL the books I read this year, not just the ones I think people will “respect.” What do I mean by this? My escape books are romances, all types of romance, not just bodice rippers, but usually considered fluff. The type of book nobody really wants to admit to reading because it’s not serious fiction! But isn’t it? I devoured the Bridgerton series by Julia Quinn this summer, but didn’t add a single one to my reading list. That’s more than eight books. When Jackie and I were reviewing our lists in November, I realized I was close to having read 50 books, so happened to mention that I had read them, just not written them down. Imagine my surprise when she told me that Shonda Rhimes was doing a series for Netflix based on those books!! Fluff…yes. Serious reading…no. But popular!! So why didn’t I deem them write downable??? Maybe we should write a blog post about that???
But again, I digress…yesterday I was reading my Omaha Public Library newsletter and they have a 2021 reading challenge. (I also noticed that they have had challenges in years past, but I had never noticed before, which is kinda sad.) So, I have decided to take up the challenge! They give you 12 different types of books to read. You can do it monthly, or at your own pace, and I haven’t decided about how I’ll do it yet, but my resolution is to do it. Let’s just hope I keep it…and that I’m not frantically trying to keep it in the last few weeks of 2021!!