Happy New Year! Here's hoping 2021 is better in every way than 2020. I know we have some rough times ahead with Covid-19 surging and overwhelming hospitals but I have my fingers and toes crossed that the incoming administration will improve upon the current inoculation plan so that we can move toward herd immunity.
My 2021 reading and bookish goals:
1. A year-long book-buying ban. I have a couple of exceptions. One is books by friends, the other dirt cheap books. But, the latter usually come from library sales and our former library with the perpetual sale corner is currently on curbside checkouts only, no entering the building. So, it should be easy to avoid buying any cheap books for a while and, to be honest, I'm so excited about reading off my shelves that I don't have any interest at all in buying, right now (although I did do a little last-minute panic buying). There's one more possible exception to the no-buying goal and that has to do with a second goal . . .
2. Read books by Native American authors or about Native American history. I have plenty to start out with, so I won't need to buy any, right away, if at all. We shall see. There was a Native American reading challenge I wanted to join in on but if I saved the list of monthly reads, I sure can't find it. I was going to go ahead and pre-buy a few titles for that. If I ever come across the list and I've drained the titles I already have from my shelves, I might buy a couple. At the moment, I'm not interested in buying anything at all, though. I'm also not going to stress about quantity. I'd like to read one per month but I want this to be a relaxing reading year.
3. Read off my shelves. That means not only no buying but no checking out books from the library and only children's books for review if they're offered. 2020 was not a big year for ARCs and that's good. I've loved reading books in advance of publication and being a part of the publicity machine because I love helping authors get attention, but it's time for me to take a step back. Children's books are the exception because they're quicker to read and there is always, always a need for children's books at local schools, so it's easy to find new homes for them once I've finished.
4. Read some of those chunksters I've been afraid to read for fear that they'd set me behind on ARCs. If I don't have many ARCs to deal with, I can spend more time reading fat books. Along with this goal goes the idea of reading fewer books. I'm going to wind back my normal Goodreads goal, probably to 75 instead of 100 books, just so I have an obtainable goal that will be enjoyable but lacks the pressure of shooting for reading a larger number. This has worked well for me, in recent years.
5. Read a short story per day. I have a lot of anthologies and collections that have just been sitting around collecting dust and I so enjoyed the experience of reading a short story a day during Advent that I decided to continue reading short stories in the new year. If I don't succeed at reading one every day, again, not going to fret. But, I'm looking forward to it and have already picked out my first collection to dive into, by Isaac Asimov.
That's it! I will post my last reviews for 2020, next week, including a post about any books I neglected to review. I did not set aside my favorite books, this year, so I'm not sure if I'll get around to doing a favorites list but I'd like to. Again, we'll see. This blog is getting a little loose and fluffy around the edges, after 14 1/2 years. I keep thinking of Goldie Hawn's line in the movie Housesitter, "I change myself all the time!" I love that line. Change is good. I spend more time doing creative things like painting, now, and my life feels a little more balanced because of it.
Because it's Friday, here's Izzy Kitty looking crazy-eyed with a catnip Christmas gift:
Hope everyone had a nice, safe and happy transition into 2021! Happy reading!
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I haven't figured out the numbers yet, but I think the majority of the books I read this year were from my shelves. I plan to continue reading from those shelves in 2021, focusing on those that have been there the longest. I may wind up quitting on quite a few, since I'm not sure if what appealed to me twenty years ago will still be of interest at this point in my life, but it will be fun to "taste test" what I own. Happy reading, Nancy!
ReplyDeleteI read a lot more from my shelves in 2020 but I want to go further on that theme, this year. I have way too many books that I've been literally eyeing for years without picking them up because of ARCs that I felt obligated to read in a timely manner shoving my shelved reads aside. I still want to review children's books because I love them but the idea of not reviewing otherwise is exciting me so much I have to wonder why I didn't do it sooner. That's a good idea starting with the older books to help you sift through them. Happy reading to you, too, Les!
DeleteHappy New Year, Nancy! It sounds to me like you've planned a reasonable year of reading. If we don't enjoy it, what's the point? I hope the books you read this year are all wonderful.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year, Bonnie! Yes, exactly, every little pinch and nudge I make to my reading is usually made with that goal in mind -- keep the reading enjoyable and make it even moreso, when possible. Thanks! I hope you have a wonderful reading year, too!
DeleteYou have some great goals! I also plan to read more from my shelves which I actually have been doing more so since the pandemic started. Hope you have a great reading year. Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteYep, I've already been reading more from my shelves. That's partly because all the ARCs being offered were digital, for a while. I don't do e-book reviews, so I started reading more off the shelves. I like it; there's no pressure to read your own books by a specific date. Thanks! Happy Reading and Happy New Year, Iliana!
DeleteI give you a week before you buy a book. 😉 But good luck.
ReplyDeleteO ye of little faith. LOL I mean, I've already made it two whole days.
DeleteI hardly ever buy new books. I use Overdrive a lot. I have a really nice used book store that opened up by me and I use that a lot if I buy anything.
ReplyDeleteChunksters. I love them. I don't find that they affect my review reading at all. If they are well written I dive right in and out quickly. I love to be pulled along but a good while.
I started collecting books because our small-town library didn't have what I wanted to read and I found that it worked best to troll the library sale corner, where I was actually more likely to find the books I was looking for, buy from secondhand stores, etc., with very few purchases at full price (that was back when we were broke). In recent years, I started buying more on impulse so between collecting for years and recent buying, I have quite a nice home library and I need to use it. I don't like e-books but I downloaded a lot of free or inexpensive titles, early on (before I realized how much I dislike them), so I'm trying to read one per month to avoid feeling guilty about how many I own.
DeleteI'm a slow reader so chunksters really eat my reading time, although if I get sucked into them they can go more quickly than expected. I remember locking myself in the bedroom and telling Huz he was in charge of the kids while I finished Outlander (and that it took 7 hours). That was back in the 90s but I remember it well because it was so unusual.
Unfortunately, we don't have any secondhand bookstores near us, now. There were 2 when we moved into our new home, 8 years ago. Both are gone, now. I'm trying to just think of my house as the bookstore and go book-hunting at my own shelves. Loving it, already.