top ten bookish goals for 2013

Tuesday, January 8, 2013 |
Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, where we all get to exercise our OCD tendencies and come up with bookish lists.  If you’d like to play along, check out this post.


I’m not one for goals or challenges or 5-year plans.  They tend to make me feel anxious and guilty, whether I meet the imagined standard or not.  I also read recently that people who don’t set goals are happier in general than those who do.  Interesting, eh?  So: this isn’t a list of ‘goals’ so much as a list of bookish things I’d do anyway (hopefully. if i get around to them).

Top Ten Bookish Goals for 2013

1. Read happily – I often feel an enormous amount of guilt if I’m not reading that thing I promised to read or got in the mail. I’d like to let go of some of that and remember to simply enjoy the book and the story.

2. Cull my bookshelves – I think I’ll be able to fulfill item number one if I decrease my physical to-be-read pile.  This means giving away books I haven’t touched and won’t get to in this lifetime, and being realistic about that.

3. Focus on middle grade books in March – Last year I participated in Jill of the O.W.L.’s Middle Grade in March, and found that I had fallen in love again with books for younger readers.  I plan to make this March all about MG for a second time.

4. Catch up on recent young adult science fiction releases – I like YA sci-fi, so I’m going to read more of it, especially the new stuff.  Maybe I’ll find another Ender’s Game, maybe I won’t – but it should be fun.

5. Read more adult fantasy and more anthologies of short stories – In the years that I’ve been blogging I’ve neglected adult fantasy for its YA counterpart.  Not a bad thing, but I’ve read a few books lately that made me long for more.  And short stories are undemanding and guilt-free, so why not?

6. Mail myself the fourteen boxes of books that live under the stairs at my parents’ house – This isn’t a ‘must do soon’ task, but I’ve been thinking I should ensure the survival of my library before my mom decides to donate it on a whim or it's damaged by flooding or some such.

7. Attend book events – I attended Book Expo America for the first time last year, and I enjoyed it enough that I think I’ll go again (speaking of, anyone need a roommate?).  Also on the agenda: book signings, the National Book Festival in September, and bookstore tourism while I’m on vacation.

8. Be a regular at book club – I’ve been participating sporadically in the DC Forever Young Adult book club, and I’d like to attend more often in the coming year.  Friends who like reading young adult books are made of awesome.

9. Match my non-blogging friends with books – What sort of friend would I be if I didn’t try to make all of my acquaintances fall in love with great books?  The wrong sort of friend, for sure.

10. Begin volunteering at my local library – Because you save the world a little at a time through personal responsibility. Or something.  Okay, close proximity to books wouldn’t hurt.

What are your bookish goals for 2013?

19 comments:

Becca said...

These are great! I should have thought of #2 as well. My bookshelves look cah-razy.

Here is my list if you are interested:
http://imlostinbooks.blogspot.com/2013/01/top-ten-tuesday-top-10-bookish-goals.html

Tanya Patrice said...

Loving this list of "bookish to-do's" :-) I loved BEA la year and might go again this year. Sadly, I commute, so I miss hanging out with all you amazing bloggers :-)

Tales of Whimsy said...

I want a book club bad. But then I'm so bad at other's picking what I read. ;)

Alyce said...

I can't wait to see which new sci-fi and fantasy books you discover! I would love to attend a book event but don't think that's in the cards this year.

Melody Simpson said...

Love your list! I definitely need to catch up on recent releases. Looking forward to it!

Good luck!

Unknown said...

Have fun at BEA this year! I'd love to go but unfortunately I live way too far away. :(

Here's my Top Ten: www.best-of-ya.blogspot.com

Liviania said...

Great goals. I need to do the feeling less guilty thing too.

Book Soulmates said...

Great resolutions :)
Good luck with all of them!

Isalys / Book Soulmates

Amanda said...

Wonderful goals! I could add the majority of those to my bookish resolution list no problem. If there's another Ender's Game out there, please let me know! It's basically the only YA straight-up sci fi that I really enjoyed. Reading happily is definitely the most important thing to keep in mind as a blogger, I think. I hope you can accomplish all your goals!

Kimmy said...

I definitely agree with your first two goals! I've had to become very honest with myself about what I'm really going to read, and have donated the books that spent years on my bookshelf untouched.

Doing so has made me feel a lot lighter, and I don't miss the pressure that comes with feeling that I must read everything!

Anonymous said...

I also don't care for resolutions.

A great things to do list. I especially like number 9.

Anonymous said...

I love reading all of the bookish things people are going to do this year! I need to cull my collection this year too, though my problem is that I kind of feel like I need to hold on to every book I've ever read. I need to get over that!

Erica said...

Ooo, I LOVE your number one goal. I need to do that.

Shelver506 said...

Oooh, yes, MG lit. I need to branch out as well. Great list!

My TTT: http://shelversanon.blogspot.com/2013/01/top-10-tuesday-bookish-goals-for-2013.html

Charlotte said...

The problem with volunteering at the library, though, especially if you help with the book sales, is that you might end up taking lots of books home! (she says, from bitter experience....)

Ryan said...

I love your goals. Your number one goal is one that I'm going to be working on myself in the coming months. I miss reading for the joy of reading.

carol said...

"Read happily." I like that.

Anonymous said...

Great goals!

I'm still not sure if I'll be able to go to BEA again this year, but I would sure love to.

#8 - FYA book clubs! *high five* I love my FYA book club and hope you're able to meet up with yours more often this year. Bookish friends who read YA are more certainly made of awesome.

Kar.- said...

Great goals! I love the last to ones especially... A good friend wouldn't let his non-bookish friend go wandering around without knowing this amazing world. Also I think it is very sweet that you intend to volunteer at your local library! There is only so much we can do to change the world, but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't help as much as we can :)
Have a great year and I hope you accomplish all your goals!

Thanks for stopping by my TTT :)

Kar @ Pause Time

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