It's that time again when everyone takes a moment to contemplate the previous year and make plans for the new one. Here's my list of what I'd like to work on in 2017.
Read 120 books total. This one is pretty explanatory. I used to aim for 150, but I discovered that 120 is a good number for a "bad" reading year for me, and if I go over, great.
Read at least 60 inclusive titles. Previous to 2016, my ratio of white-cishet-able books by white-cishet-able authors to diverse books by diverse authors was not so great. By September, I made a goal to actively increase the amount of diverse titles I was reading, and I did okay. In 2017, I am going to aim for at least 1/2 of the books that I read to be inclusive in some way. Although I am open to books by marginalized authors that aren't necessarily own voices or books written by non-marginalized authors as long as they contain good, inclusive rep that has been vetted such as Becky Albertalli's The Upside of Unrequieted or I.W. Gregorio's None of the Above, I do want half of those (at least) to be #ownvoices titles.
When I wrote this goal, I was initially aiming for 40, but then I realized that was way too low a goal for overall inclusivity so I decided to increase it by double. I don't think I'm asking too much of myself for 1/2 of the books I read to feature positive diverse rep. And that's still leaving room for plenty of whiter than white bread books so.
Read 50 new audiobooks. I've really gotten into audio the past couple years. It helps to have a book playing while I work or do chores or whatever. This year I read over 74 audiobooks, some of them a few times. I'm aiming slightly less than that because I'm sure I'll be doing a few more audio rereads for certain series as they conclude (like I'll listen to Illuminae & Gemina before Illuminae 3 and ACOTAR & ACOMAF before ACOWAR, etc).
Finish at least 10 series. I am so bad about finishing series. I'm great at starting them, but HORRID at finishing them. I have a Goodreads shelf called Unfinished Series that has NINETY-SEVEN books from, I think, about FIFTY series that I've started but not finished. I am not a finisher, but I want to try in 2017.
Read at least 3 entire series start-to-finish (2 backlist). If you think it's embarrassing that I have over fifty unfinished series, you might actually die if you hear which series I've never read at all. I want to pick up a couple backlist series while I'm at it and give love to older books.
Themed bingo. There are so many fun themed bingo challenges, and I want to try one. Do you have any recommendations which one I should give a whirl?
Publish 52 posts. I'm always touchy about picking resolutions for my blog because while I enjoy blogging, I always want the freedom to be able to set it aside if I need to and come back when I want. But when I did the 2016 Statistics Survey, it made me sad that I'd only posted 44 times. I want to aim for 52 so that it's about once a week, but I don't want to hem myself in with that goal so I'll go with a weekly average.
Post more reviews. I don't have a specific goal in mind here, but I want to be better about posting here about the books I love. So often I gush on Twitter and Goodreads, but I don't always post here or cross-post on retail sites where my comments can actually help sales more directly.
Cross-post old reviews. I tried to do this back in November, but I definitely didn't finish. I want to go back and cross-post all my old stuff on Amazon and B&N for sure.
Update old posts. I've tweaked my formats a little and added purchasing links over the years. I want to go back and update links in my old posts so everything is more uniform and easy to read.
Work on in-post design. I want to be better about spicing up my posts with graphics and designs. I'm trying to get used to using Canva, and I want to give PicMonkey and Creative Market a shot.
Post more reviews. I don't have a specific goal in mind here, but I want to be better about posting here about the books I love. So often I gush on Twitter and Goodreads, but I don't always post here or cross-post on retail sites where my comments can actually help sales more directly.
Cross-post old reviews. I tried to do this back in November, but I definitely didn't finish. I want to go back and cross-post all my old stuff on Amazon and B&N for sure.
Update old posts. I've tweaked my formats a little and added purchasing links over the years. I want to go back and update links in my old posts so everything is more uniform and easy to read.
Work on in-post design. I want to be better about spicing up my posts with graphics and designs. I'm trying to get used to using Canva, and I want to give PicMonkey and Creative Market a shot.
Walk 30 minutes every day. Oof. This one will be hard, but when I used to live in Tennessee, I was a lot more active, and I loved going for walks. I want to get back into this. Not only is it good for my body, it's great to destress and also listen to audiobooks.
Learn how to cook better. My mom is a really good cook, and I did not take after her. I own a ton of cookbooks, and I've found a few good ones at my library too and also pinterest exists so there's no reason not to learn how. Plus, it saves money, it's healthier, etc etc. I'm going to look into maybe a basic class if I can.
Create a library. I own a ton of books. If you follow me on Twitter, you know that my personal library is large and also sort of homeless. While most of the books at my parents' house in Tennessee are housed on several shelves, my Texas books are not so lucky. They are haphazardly stacked in my living room, which is no way to truly enjoy them. Buying new shelves and organizing them is on my to-do list for 2017!
Save more money and keep to a budget. I'm a horrendously unorganized person so I want to take better control of my personal finances, set and keep a budget, and put more money away. I definitely need to trim my book-buying budget for sure, as sad as that may be, but I need to look out for the future. Plus, I work in a library. Finding books is not difficult. And, as stated before, I have a massive personal library right at home! Time to give my own books some love.
Get back to church. For several years, I've been experiences not exactly a questioning of faith but a lack of it. Now more than ever, I think it's important to have hope and work for a better world. Those two things are of complete importance, and I think going back to church and actively practicing will help.
Be more active politically. I've never been particularly active when it comes to politics. I vote in elections and... well, that's it. If 2016 has taught me anything, it's that I need to be aware of what my representatives are doing and let them know both when I agree with their words and actions and when I don't agree and want them to change course. Since the election, I've called my senators and congressman a couple times, but I'd like to be more informed on local, state, and federal levels.
Learn how to cook better. My mom is a really good cook, and I did not take after her. I own a ton of cookbooks, and I've found a few good ones at my library too and also pinterest exists so there's no reason not to learn how. Plus, it saves money, it's healthier, etc etc. I'm going to look into maybe a basic class if I can.
Create a library. I own a ton of books. If you follow me on Twitter, you know that my personal library is large and also sort of homeless. While most of the books at my parents' house in Tennessee are housed on several shelves, my Texas books are not so lucky. They are haphazardly stacked in my living room, which is no way to truly enjoy them. Buying new shelves and organizing them is on my to-do list for 2017!
Save more money and keep to a budget. I'm a horrendously unorganized person so I want to take better control of my personal finances, set and keep a budget, and put more money away. I definitely need to trim my book-buying budget for sure, as sad as that may be, but I need to look out for the future. Plus, I work in a library. Finding books is not difficult. And, as stated before, I have a massive personal library right at home! Time to give my own books some love.
Get back to church. For several years, I've been experiences not exactly a questioning of faith but a lack of it. Now more than ever, I think it's important to have hope and work for a better world. Those two things are of complete importance, and I think going back to church and actively practicing will help.
Be more active politically. I've never been particularly active when it comes to politics. I vote in elections and... well, that's it. If 2016 has taught me anything, it's that I need to be aware of what my representatives are doing and let them know both when I agree with their words and actions and when I don't agree and want them to change course. Since the election, I've called my senators and congressman a couple times, but I'd like to be more informed on local, state, and federal levels.
I love these resolutions Marg! Series are so hard! I have found binging them is my fave because then I don't have to wait and also I know I'll get thru it nad not wait forever to finish -- which is also something I do! Wishing you the best in reading, blogging and life goals this year! <3
ReplyDelete-Wendy @ Book Scents
Good luck with all your resolutions, Mary!
ReplyDeleteYou have set lots of goals for yourself this year! Last year I had to buy bookshelves because my books were stacked on the floor and it just feels so much better to be organized. I also share your goal of pursuing faith more actively and has commited myself to going to church again. I look forward to your 52 posts!
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