Top Ten Bookish Goals for 2023
I haven't done a Top Ten for several years. And since I have already posted my reading goals, meaning what books I hope to read this coming year HERE, I am thinking more broadly for this list. Therefore, here are my "bookish" goals for 2023, God willing...
#10. Write more in my commonplace journal, collecting inspiring, purposeful ideas. When I am done, it will be a compilation of what I value and cherish most.
#9. Write more blog posts on all of the books I read, even of the ones less memorable and maybe the ones I bailed.
#8. Read all of the books from book club. Last year I had too many interruptions and I missed out on some good books and great discussions.
#7. READ, period! Force myself to read even when I don't feel like it because I am distracted by other matters. Instead of doing something mindless (you know that mindless, wasteful thing we do?)...JUST READ!
#6. Stop being intimidated by door-stoppers. Jump into those tomes! No excuses!! You must start somewhere and you know that reading a few pages or chapters a day eventually equals the end. And you'll be glad you did. (I'm talking to myself.)
#5. Look up words. I usually circle unfamiliar words while reading, but never return to look them up. That's silly. I learned not to pause to look up words while reading because it disturbs the natural flow, but I forgot the second part: to look up the word afterward, note it in the margin, and reread the passage for better understanding. Enough of that laziness this year.
#4. Keep to suggestions for book bailing (DNF). To repeat, if I am dragging myself through a book beyond a month or 100 pages and it still has not inspired me, it is time to cut ties. But most of all, before I get to that final decision to bail, I want to make sure that I have genuinely given the book a fair shake. I can't expect to leave the book on my nightstand with an intent to read it -- after having only read a few chapters or for a few days -- while actually avoiding it. I have to put in more effort and time to determine if it is truly over.
#3. Find something more creative to do with my book journal. I'm so boring and I keep doing the same thing.
#2. Spread more book love! (That is: suggest particular books to others instead of keeping great literature to myself.) Imagine if more people read and discussed books, especially the classics and biographies? If we want to change the world, we should start with ourselves; reading takes us outside of ourselves and makes us think deeper about human nature, problems, resolutions, perseverance, and inspiration. (Knowing Scripture helps, too.)
#1. Seriously stick to and meet all of my bookish goals. Then revisit this list next year and see how I did. But if life takes me off course, that's ok, too. It happens all the time.
I'm with you on the door-stoppers. I'm doing two big reads this year (Shahnameh & Jewish Annotated New Testament) and that's what keeps me pluggin' along.
ReplyDeleteHey Stephen! Hmmm, Jewish NT? Interesting.
DeleteRuth, those are wonderful and, I think, achievable goals!
ReplyDeleteI agree to all, but particularly no. 7 (that's the best, I'm often distracted by mindless things too).
No. 6 - I wonder what's the bulkiest one there in your photo, is it Middlemarch? Because I've been daunting by it :D
No. 4 - I've been forcing myself to this too. There're too many books I want to read out there, I don't have to feel guilty for not enjoying one book that everyone loves. I set myself 50 pages, if a book fail to impress me in 50 pages, I'd give it up. I even do a post for this purpose, called '1st Impression on...'
Well... good luck with your goals, Ruth!
Thank you, Fanda.
DeleteYes, #7 is awful. I try to think about how much more I could read if I could fix #7.
The big book in the image above is Anna Karenina, which is a reread and I LOOOOOOVE it; so it is not a problem. However, I have not touched Middlemarch and several other big reads bc of my intimidation. : (
I think I read your post on First Impressions. I have seen numerous bloggers who agree that 50 pages is a good stopping place if you aren't enjoying it. I think I know by 50 pages I'm wavering, but if I can make it to 100 and still nothing has changed, then it's over. LOL!
Good luck! I know what you mean about the door-stoppers.
ReplyDeleteThese are great goals! I'm intimidated by doorstoppers, too. And writing more is always a good goal. Good luck with these. And thanks for commenting on my blog earlier. :D
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lark. Those door-stoppers are intimidating bc we know they are a time commitment.
DeleteGood goals! Once I got used to DNFing, it's been really freeing. Especially when I let myself stop reading a book I expected to enjoy, but just am not... I remind myself that the book will still exist in the future if I decide I want to try it again.
ReplyDeleteSo true. And I agree. In the beginning it felt like a sin to quit a book. How ridiculous! You can always go back to it if your mood changes...and you can even pick up where you left off.
DeleteI don't really get intimidated by doorstoppers and I don't know why.
ReplyDeleteMy journal used to be just year/month book and author. This year I've started a creative journal with title page, reading stats, etc. It all started when I learned what washi tape was, lol! In any case, I hope it will be inspiring. I do like your "bookshelf" in yours. I did one like it but I didn't put a legend. Hmmm .....
You're lucky to be part of a book club. I'm still on my classics bent so I'm not flexible enough (yet) to be open to reading newer books and even though I'm near a big center, it's very hard to find people interested in classics. You'd have to go somewhere smaller for that.
In any case, enjoy your year, read lots and I hope you find many amazing books on your journey!
Do you think you'll ever share your book journal? Write a post about it w/ images? I am keeping an eye out for inspiration. I found a few creative ideas, but I'm not set on one, yet.
DeleteIt was hard for me to be part of the book club at first bc I was and sometimes still am apprehensive about going into other genre of books (like contemporary or modern or new fiction/nf - like you said); and for awhile they were focusing on books that one could read for free on Prime. But my personal goal is to make an attempt, and if I don't like it, it's not going to get read.
Thanks!!
What great goals. I love looking back over commonplace books, perhaps while soaking in a bubble bath. It can be hard to get motivated to blog about those less memorable books, but I agree, worthwhile. So true re: door-stoppers too. I do pause to look up words mid-story, or references to other things. Although I admit it does stop the flow, I find I learn a lot :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Paula. I love visiting my commonplace book, too. Definitely a relaxing activity to get lost in. :D
DeleteThoughtful post, Ruth. 1, 8 & 9 - Yes! I started using my phone to look up words. I couldn't find everything in my Oxford dictionary, which surprises me since most of the books I read are oldish.
ReplyDeleteI'm concentrating on 8 books at present and trying to finish them before I add anything else.
I was only thinking the other day how much I dislike using my phone to look up words, and I wish I had a current dictionary instead. (Mine is VERY old, from the 70s!!) But I didn't think that would be an issue in something current, or even the Oxford. Like you said, most of your books are older. So then in that case, that would be when I would have to go to my phone when I could not find it in the hard copy.
Delete