I cannot think of a single time I’ve written out New Year’s resolutions. Maybe when we learned about them in elementary school and had to make some up for an assignment, but on my own? No, I don’t think so.
Part of the reason is that mentally New Year’s has never really registered for me until around March 1st. That feeling of a new start never really hit me, it was always just “the next day.” The other reason is I just never saw the point. I knew I’d never complete any of them so why bother setting any when I’ll only be disappointed later.
But things are different this year. I have no idea why but New Year’s actually felt like New Year’s! I feel confident about the year ahead and want to celebrate with some goals for myself.
1. Complete One Reading Challenge Fully
I love a good reading challenge! Themed ones tend to be my favorites and are perfect for when my mood reading leads me to read a lot of one genre. In the past, I’ve never been too bothered that I tend to not finish them, but completing one does sound really nice. I want that sense of accomplishment!
So this year I plan to finish one. Just one! Which challenge doesn’t matter, maybe the one I’ll complete hasn’t even been announced yet. We’ll see!
2. Keep Tracking
In 2020 I decided it would be fun to see what the next decade looked like – bookwise. I bought a little pocket notebook and started recording everything I read and reread, starting at 1 and now at 611. During 2022 I hit a bit of a block and stopped logging my books. Thank goodness I use Goodreads otherwise I would have been stuck! Now I’m all caught up again.
This next year I want to make sure I continue to keep track. It takes a lot of discipline to remember, but I love looking back on all the stories I’ve read.
3. Organize My Physical TBR
Everyone talks about their TBR like it’s organized (lie, all lies) but it does make me a little self-conscious. I realized that I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t even know what my TBR looks like anymore.
There’s no way I’d make it through everything this year, but I want a better sense of what I have. So in 2023 I want to try to catalog my TBR, maybe categorize it in a way that lets me find books easier. A TBR jar is probably in my future.
4. Clean Out My Shelves
Okay hold on, hear me out. I hate getting rid of books as much as the next book dragon, but I. Do. Not. Have. A. Lot. Of. Space.
I have two bookshelves in my house and eleven tubs of books in my garage, patiently waiting for the day I finally move into a bigger place. Not to mention that when I first started on bookstagram I got a little carried away…
Part of organizing my physical TBR is determining what actually belongs on my TBR. I want to be more intentional and use my limited space more wisely.
5. Read Alice Oseman’s Backlist
Now we have a goal that’s less cleaning house, and more actually reading!
I’ve been in love with Heartstopper since I discovered the comic in 2020. It’s not just the adorable first-love story between Nick and Charlie that I adore. It’s the relatability of it all. Reading about Charlie’s struggles with his physical and mental health, Nick’s struggles in loving someone who’s hurting. The characters breathe so much life into this story and I’ve been meaning to dive into the larger Oseman-verse for some time now. Turning it into a resolution just makes sense!
(I’ve also been dying to read my way through VE Schwab’s backlist but I’m kind of scared.)
6. Read more physical books
Around 2019 I started reading more ebooks. I found my old kindle and started checking out lots of books from the library’s ebook collection. When the libraries closed in 2020 I became a full-time ebook reader and my collection of physical books has fallen by the wayside.
This year I want to work towards reading more of the books on my physical shelf. I’m working towards a 2/5 physical to electronic split, which doesn’t seem like a lot until I tell you that out of the 110 books I read last year less than 10 were physical books. We’re going with reasonable goals!
7. Begin learning a language
This one is less book related, but it’s still about language so I think it counts!
I’m notoriously bad at languages, and it’s something I’ve always been self-conscious about. I have friends around the world and feel so guilty that they take the time to speak to me in my language but I can’t even understand the basics of theirs.
My library has an online program called Mango that acts a bit like Rosetta Stone. I want to try it and maybe another class to see if I can get past whatever block is keeping me from learning. I’m leaning towards ASL or German. ASL because I wonder if kinesthetic learning will help things stick, and German because I’ve recently reconnected with some family there and would like to communicate more easily.
Maybe you’re like me and don’t typically set resolutions or don’t know where to start. If that’s the case I hope my resolutions give you a couple of ideas! I’ve thought a lot about what kind of year I want this to be, and if anything I hope going forward with intention will help make this the best one I’ve had in a while.
Fictional Wanderings 