2021 Reading Resolutions

Happy New Year! What kind of disasters does 2021 have in store for us, I wonder…

I’m kidding! But not really. My To-Be-Read List has grown to 450 plus books, and it may be time to consider another culling. Sounds like a disaster to me.

In the meantime, this year I am trying to adapt my goals to be more achievable. For example, I had originally thrown on a book written before 1800 despite the fact that I always procrastinate reading such a book until somebody pointed out that maybe I don’t want to read that in the first place.

Without further ado, here are some of my goals, some achievable and others less so.

 

Goal: 1 Book 700+ pages

Do I mean: Rhythm of War? Yes, yes I do. At 1,232 pages, this one certainly fits the bill, and I want to read the latest book in the Stormlight Archives! Maybe if I have time, I’ll squeeze in The Priory of the Orange Tree (848 pages).

 

On my To-Be-Read List:

·       Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson

·       The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

 

Goal: 2 Poetry Collections

Last year, I read a lot of novels in verse. This next year, I’d like to continue doing so, but I’d also like some more traditional poetry collections as well. And by “traditional,” I just mean a book with poems. I don’t really care about form when it comes to poetry. The more unusual, the better.

 

On my list:

·       Ballistics by Billy Collins

Goal: 3 Novels by Indie Authors I Haven’t Read

I might read more books by indie authors if I didn’t have the attention span of a goldfish when it comes to e-books. I have so many indie e-books because they’re simply easier to buy that way, but I just haven’t been able to read e-books lately.

          On my list:

·       Ahab by E.B. Dawson

·       The Electrical Menagerie by Mollie E. Reeder

·       Child of the Kaites by Beth Wangler

 

Goal: 3 Classics by Non-American Authors

It’s not much different from my goal of reading classics, if I’m honest. I don’t like American Literature except for Jack London, who’s works aren’t very literary. Sorry, not sorry. Give me world literature! And if anybody knows a good English translation of the legend of Mulan, I am accepting recommendations.

 

On my list:

·       Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

·       The Iliad by Homer

·       The Blue Castle by L. M. Montgomery

 

Goal: 5 Books from the Depths of my TBR

I still have some books on my list that I added back in 2012-2016. I know that’s not that long ago, but still. Do I ever plan on picking them up? When it comes to picking books from my list, I usually pick the recent additions. But every now and then, I’ll go back. Actually, doing this a couple of years ago is how I discovered Brandon Sanderson, who is now one of my favorite authors.

 

On my list:

·       The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

·       Dune by Frank Herbert

·       A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

·       Surprised by Joy by C. S. Lewis

·       The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson

 

Goal: 5 Award Winners

I’m not talking about the Goodreads Choice Awards. Seriously, I really don’t see a popularity contest as an actual award, though I have found some good books by perusing past winners. Instead, I’m referring to awards including but not limited to the Newbery Medal (given to an excellent middle grade novel), the Printz Award (given to a stellar YA novel), the Coretta Scott King Book Award (given to a book that represents African Americans), and the Pura Belpré Award (given to a book that represents Latinos).

 

On my list:

·       The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

·       New Kid by Jerry Craft

 

Goal: 1 Nonfiction Book about a Topic that Interests Me

I have many interests whether its astronomy, the history of space travel, SCUBA diving, hiking, unusual animals, you name it!

 

On my list:

·       A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson

·       We Seven: By the Astronauts Themselves by Scott Carpenter

·       Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly

 

Total books: 20

 

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Let’s chat! What kind of books are on your list this year? Are there any books I didn’t list that I should consider reading?

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