These past few months, I’ve been an awful blogger. Managing both a university course load and a book blog was a lot more difficult than I thought it would be, which is why I ended up taking an extended break from posting for a while. So what better way to determine what changes I want to make in terms of my blogging and reading life and to hold myself accountable for them than some new year’s bookish resolutions?
Reading Resolutions
1. I will purchase books from bookstores instead of online. There are so many cute, independently owned bookshops out there, and I’d love to get a chance to see (and support) them.
2. I will request less books from Netgalley. I feel bad that my request:review ratio is under the recommended 80%, so I really need to catch up on that. And after that, I’m probably just going to read books that I own or books from the library — that way, there’s no pressure to have a review up in time and no guilt when I inevitably don’t.
3. I will finish reading all of the books that I’ve agreed to review. Whether they’re from Netgalley, publishers, or the authors themselves, I have a huge pile of books that I really need to get through.
4. I will not be afraid to put a book down for the meantime or to mark a book as ‘dnf.’ Life’s too short to spend it reading books that you don’t enjoy, after all!
5. Whether I want to read a classic novel, a new release, or a children’s picture book, I will read what I want when I want, and I won’t be ashamed of my reading choices.
Blogging Resolutions
1. I will try to be a more consistent blogger, both in terms of posting and replying to comments in a timely fashion.
2. I’ll continue to be myself. If that means weird, crazy posts or snarky reviews, so be it. My blog is a reflection of who I am in my real life, and I’m going to do my best to keep it that way.
3. I will not participate or perpetuate any drama or negativity, which I’ve thankfully stayed clear of thus far.
4. I will not compare myself to other bloggers to measure how “successful” I am, whether it’s in terms of followers or ARCs or anything else like that. I’m so thankful for all of my readers, and I’ll do my best to consistently show that.
5. I will never allow blogging to be a burden. I started this blog as a fun way to interact with other people who love books as much as I do, and I don’t want it to turn into a chore or something that I dread doing.
6. I will visit more blogs and leave more thoughtful comments on others’ posts. There are a lot of blogs that I genuinely adore, and I need to do a better job of showing my appreciation for them.
7. I will be more available outside of this blog. Whether it’s on Twitter, Goodreads, or via email, I want to be more available to interact with you guys.
Do you have any blogging or bookish resolutions for this year?
I think you have some great resolutions there, especially the part where you say that this is YOUR blog and you should post whatever you want to post 😀 I’m also going to request less on Netgalley. I think I’ll just keep downloading from Edelweiss as my only eARC’s. It’s great that you won’t compare yourself to other bloggers. Everyone is unique and successful 🙂 Good luck and happy reading!
Thanks Mel! I’ve been thinking of using Edelweiss as my primary eARC source recently as well – it’s way too easy to go overboard requesting on Netgalley, after all! Good luck to you too, and happy new year! 🙂
Great resolutions! I also have a resolution to not be afraid of the “Did Not Finish”
thanks! Marking a book as “did not finish” is definitely a daunting task, so I wish you luck with that. 🙂
Superb resolutions!! I want to say no to buying more books if I already have 50 to read at home,not to be afraid of putting a book down after a few chapters if I dont likt it, and not to make blogging a chore but a favorite hobby!! 🙂
Thanks! Your resolutions are quite excellent as well! I especially like the last one: although blogging is a lot of work, it should also be a lot of fun too. Happy new year! 🙂