Okay so I’ve given my ‘New Year’s Resolutions’ a lot of thought. Every year before this one I would set a few completely unrealistic life goals that required me to change my entire lifestyle. As I’ve grown wiser (which just means knowing myself better), I know that doing a complete 180 on who I am, and the things I do…is just not feasible. One activity has remained constant in my life and that is: reading. However, the deeper I get into reading, the more I branch out for the purpose of reading contemporary things, keeping updated, and staying ‘relevant.’ See my rant below “End of the Year Wrap-Up | Reflection.” I think the best ways to make reading goals and resolutions this time is to figure out WHAT makes me happy in the first place; then just stay true to the list. It was such a revelation when I figured it out, but now it seems so obvious. So here are my reading goals in 2018, things that make me happy, and a few personal goals:
(Reading) things that make me genuinely happy
- Gothic themes and Gothic literature (all genres and formats)
- Victorian Literature and Russian Literature
- Sci-Fi and Fantasy
- Medieval Studies as topic (lifestyle and hagiographies)
- Everything around Shakespeare
- Nature books, nature memoirs, herbalism books
- Poetry of: Plath, Frost, Dickinson, and Rilke
- Children’s Classics (including fairy tale collections)
- Cozy Mysteries
- Nonfiction (usually about topics 1-9)
Reading Goals 2018
- Review only 1-2 ARCs per month and choose them carefully.
- Use the library more: both through audio-books (from Overdrive) and physical books
- Read Responsibly – by this I mean, ensure that the reading material I’ve chosen is not because of peer pressure, nor because I must ‘get through’ something, but because I genuinely enjoy it. I want my critique and analysis to reflect careful consideration. New rule: if I don’t like a book, I will not finish it.
- Participate in the SFF Babbles, Victober, and Nonfic November (makes me feel like I’m part of a community).
- Learn more about Sci-fi and Fantasy, and explore the genre of “Western.” I recently watched a few episodes of Godless, and realized that ‘the western’ had been such a huge influence before with its problematic themes and heists—I’d like to at least learn about it as a genre, and explore some of its main ‘classics’ I know nothing about it. Also learn more about “cyberpunk” and “steampunk.” Let’s say #5 is an exploratory “learn more about” kind of section into a genre that I have never been near.
- Read as many books as possible that fit into the list of “Things that make me genuinely happy” rather than things I think I should read because everyone else is reading it. I’ve wasted TOO MANY days that way this year.
- Read 1-3 books on skill building that are career-focused– which could also be library history, reference related, or librarianship (one every four months)
Personal Goals
- Move towards a zero-waste lifestyle (I know zero won’t be doable for me, but maybe 30%)
- Build a better wardrobe. Stay away from fast fashion, invest in good quality clothing that is professional and comfortable
- Try to watch classic Hollywood films and recommended good films from this movie list
- Live authentically – I know this is a vague statement, similar to the ‘read responsibly’ but I want to do things because they genuinely interest me, rather than being dragged into things because other people want me to do them
- Try to eat better—healthier—learn to cook a variety of things, take many walks, and try to move toward more physical movement in the way that’s not radical, excessive, or to which I would build-up a mental resistance
- Paint and draw more
- Take one trip somewhere meaningful (to me) — avoid hyper-touristic areas, a trip that speaks to me and doesn’t reflect Instagram accounts or what other friends have been doing.
These are my goals for the new year. They are guidelines with a lot of wiggle room, but having written out the things that make me happy before-hand is now just making me feel very excited about the reading I will complete in the year to come. I think that not naming book titles (concrete TBR), or country names to visit, or specific things that are 100% black or white will allow me to respect my mood changes throughout the year while still accomplishing my goals. I hope you have a wonderful holiday season, and that your reading goals will make you very excited about 2018 as well. Happy Reading!
Infinite Text 