2022 Bookish Resolutions

Happy New Year! I can’t believe it’s 2022 already, but I’m really looking forward to the fresh start this year provides.

One of my January traditions, like many others, is to draft New Years Resolutions. I don’t often stick to my personal ones, so I decided to keep it simple this year and just resolve to “drink more water, eat intuitively, and exercise to feel good.” My blogging and reading resolutions, though, are more like SMART goals!

Reading Resolutions

1. Read 50 books this year. I managed to read 80 books in 2021, thanks to many, many days spent reading in the park. I’m cautiously optimistic that this summer (and ideally the rest of the year) will be more “normal” – fewer injuries keeping me close to home means I should be able to spend more time biking, hiking, and seeing friends, so my reading time might decrease a little.
2. Listen to 5 audiobooks. Most of the books that I read in 2021 were print books that were borrowed from my library. I listened to my first audiobook in October and it was such a nice way to spend my lunchtime walks. If you have any recommendations, I’m all ears!
3. Clean out my Goodreads to-read list. I started blogging in 2012, which is also when I discovered Goodreads. My to-read list is 1,048 titles long and I’m sure that half of them are books that I no longer intend to read.
4. Use StoryGraph more. StoryGraph has so many great features, from building your own reading challenges to detailed reading stats. I especially love that half stars (and even 0.25 stars) are options in reviews, along with content warnings. Add me as a friend here.
5. Borrow library books instead of purchasing new titles. I love my local library, and I especially want to support them during this new semi-lockdown situation.
6. If I do purchase books, they will be from local, independent bookstores. My neighbourhood in Toronto is filled with so many wonderful bookstores, including a number of secondhand ones, so this will let me explore more of them while directly supporting my community.
7. I will DNF a book if I’m not enjoying it — even if it’s a book that’s universally-beloved or popular in the book blogging world. There are so many books out there that there’s really no point in forcing myself to finish a book that I’m not enjoying.

Blogging Resolutions

1. Post more consistently. I took a couple of extended breaks during 2021 because of recurring injuries that were a huge emotional drain – I was still reading, but just didn’t have the bandwidth to post about it. I am looking to get back into blogging again this year with renewed excitement and energy, and I’ll be better about letting you all know if/when I do need to take a bit of time off!
2. Start drafting reviews shortly after finishing the book. I’m definitely guilty of finishing a book and starting another right away, and by the time I go to write the review, I have no idea what to write. Even something as simple as writing a pros/cons list or writing down favourite quotes while I read would make the review process easier!
3. Visit other blogs more often. There are a lot of blogs that I genuinely adore, and I need to do a better job of leaving genuine comments and showing my appreciation for them.
4. I will not compare myself to other bloggers, whether that’s in terms of ARCs or follower counts. I’m very thankful for everyone who reads here, and I’ll do my best to continually show that while sharing my love of reading. As long as I do both, I consider that a success!
5. I will post what I’m interested in, not just what’s trending/popular. Backlist titles and reviews don’t perform as well, but they’re what I read and enjoy writing so they will still be main content pillars. I do want to generate more discussion posts and personal posts, though, since it’s a great way for us to get to know each other better!
6. I will be more available, whether it’s on this blog, Instagram, Twitter, Goodreads, or via email. I’m aiming for a 24-hour response time across all platforms, so we’ll see how that goes!

What are your bookish resolutions for the year?