New Year’s is right around the corner—a time of reflection and planning for the future. Around this time, people begin brainstorming resolutions concerning health, finances, social circles… but resolutions are also pretty common with our hobbies! These resolutions tend to be lower stakes but can be so much more enjoyable. And it’s necessary to balance out the more strict resolutions with some fun ones.
At the beginning of the year, one of Pine Reads Review’s staff writers, Jenica, shared some reading resolutions you could try, so why not come full circle and end this year with some more resolutions? All the resolutions I’ve listed can be adapted however you wish, whether that be making them more challenging or tying in rewards.
Work Through Your TBR
We readers often have a massive TBR list—whether it’s a physical collection of books waiting to be read on our shelves, or a mental catalogue of books we’ve been dying to read but have put off. It can be irresistible sometimes to pick up new books to add to the TBR list, and it can also be daunting to tackle the pile of books once it grows too big. So for the new year, why not try working through some of the books you’ve been holding on to? Make a game out of it with a randomizer or a wheel, have friends or family pick a random book off your shelf for you to read, or pick whichever book just feels right at the moment. There’s no shame in ‘DNFing’ the book if you decide you’re not enjoying it; the real joy comes from giving it a chance. Maybe you already have your favorite read of the year just waiting on your shelf!
Branch Out—or Don’t!
Do you find yourself gravitating toward the same genre over and over again? I know I do—they’re comfort genres for a reason. But this year, why not try to branch out? Trying new things can be exciting, and there’s a gem in every genre. Strive to read outside of your usual genre, even if it’s not far outside of it. You can get a taste of a sister genre or dive headfirst into a genre so different you wouldn’t have ever considered reading a book from it before. A fan of Mary Downing Hahn’s paranormal stories? Give A Spell to Wake the Dead, a fantasy thriller, a read! If you typically stay in the realm of fantasy and want to explore nonfiction, you can always start with a memoir like Lullabies for the Insomniacs or Halfway There. Or, if you’ve spent this past year already doing that, return to your comfort genre. Discover what’s new or return to the classics after spending the past year away from it all.
Set Goals
Very vague, I know. But there are so many goals you can set for yourself, I wouldn’t want to offer just one. Two classic goals you can set are the number of books you’ll read throughout the year and how much time you spend reading. The former’s a common resolution: pick a number of books to read through the year, the month, or the week if you really want, and then have at it! Many people in the BookTok and other reading communities tend to take on this challenge, and even sites like Goodreads have a function where you can set a goal for how many books you plan on reading. The latter goal helps build a consistent habit of reading! Pick an amount of time to read throughout the week, however much you think is feasible for your schedule. It could be an hour, or five. You can then spread out the reading time throughout the week or do it all in one session. You could even set daily reading goals if that’s more your style; read for an hour one day and fifteen minutes the next. The bottom line is that having a quantified number to strive toward can be really motivating and also feel incredibly satisfying once you reach it!
Find Community
Finally, try to find some community this year. Reading can be enjoyable alone, certainly, but I’ve found there’s nothing quite like talking with other people about the books I’m reading or want to read. You can find communities online through social media—I already mentioned BookTok, but there’s other platforms like Instagram, YouTube, or Tumblr that have similar reading communities—or find some local book clubs through libraries or bookstores. You can talk about reading with friends or family and form your own little book clubs or simply talk about the different books you’re all reading. It makes reading a lot less lonely, and it also serves as a way to hype yourself and others up for all the books you’re going to take on next year. And who knows? Maybe someone will introduce you to your next favorite book.
At the end of the day, resolutions are ways for us to better ourselves—in whatever manner that means for each of us. Whether that means continuing what we know already works or changing some less-than-stellar habits picked up over the past year. Resolutions can be daunting, but reading is a hobby we should all get to enjoy; so make it your own. And hopefully, now you have some ideas for next year!
Grace McCool, Pine Reads Review Writer & Editor