Top Ten Bookish Goals for 2018

January 15, 2018 Top Ten Tuesday 67

Welcome to the brand new home of Top Ten Tuesday!

We said a very bittersweet goodbye on The Broke and the Bookish last week. Make sure you stop by, because we all had some sappy things to say and left links for where you can find us.

I’m really excited, but also kind of terrified, to take on hosting such a beloved meme all by myself. I loved writing at The Broke and the Bookish, and am a little sad today because I’ll really miss working with those ladies! Life has taken us all in different directions, though, so the time finally came that we had to split up. I wish them all the happiest lives ever and hope we stay in touch. :)

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This week’s topic is centered around our bookish resolutions/goals for 2018. I really love making goals, and I always get to excited when I stick to them. Let’s hope I can with these!

1. Read more classics.
I read two classics in 2017 by Arthur Conan Doyle (A Study In Scarlet and The Sign of the Four) and felt so unbelievably accomplished. lol. I want to feel that way even more! I’m hoping to read Pride and Prejudice and maybe Gone With the Wind? I’m not sure yet. Do you have any recommendations?

2. Read more books this year than I did last year.
I fell into a book slump and ended up reading way less than usual. I’d like to read more than 45 books this year, which should not be too hard. How many books are you hoping to read this year?

3. Write my book review for a book before starting the next one.
I used to do this, so I don’t even know what happened. lol. Maybe I lost my mojo? I’ve got a big list of reviews I still need to write, and I am so overwhelmed. I also don’t remember all the little details of why I loved or didn’t love some of these books. Making myself write a review before I can move on to another book will really improve my blogging, I think. Do you do this?

4. Embrace the concept of DNF.
I need to get even better at DNFing (did not finish) a book. I think this is why I fell into my slump last year. I didn’t DNF because I wanted to reach my goal or because I wanted to say I’d read something. Looking back over the books I read last year, I didn’t like many of them.

5. Read the books I’ve bought.
I buy and am gifted a lot of books, but I always push them to the side to read the books I’m sent for review. But I don’t OWE anyone anything. I need to feel like it’s ok to read the non-review books that I’ve bought because obviously those ones meant enough to me to pay for.

6. Weed my bookshelves again.
I’ve done this a few times over the last two years, and it’s liberating. I don’t have all the space in the world, and I’m feeling my tastes changing. I need to be ok with donating books I no longer think I’m going to read. I’m weighed down by so many books I’m not sure I’m interested in! Reading the books I’ve bought will help me with this.

7. Ignore the hype.
If I want to read a book, I should read it even if it’s not hyped up or if I know people who hated it. If I don’t want to read a book or want to DNF a book, I should not talk myself out of those decisions because everyone loves that book! Down with peer pressure!

8. Figure out my taste in books again.
As I mentioned above, I’m feeling my interests and my likes/dislikes changing as far as books go. Maybe it’s because I turned 30 last year and am really settling into adulthood, but I feel like I’m moving away from certain kinds of books. I’m no longer wanting to read books about people half my age. I find myself looking for more mature characters with careers and serious relationships, more world building, more details, more intensity, etc. I’m less interested in the books I used to really want to read, which is not to say that I don’t like those kinds of books anymore… I’m just getting pickier about them. I need to embrace this shift and figure out what kind of books I love now.

9. Read more during the day.
I pretty much only have time to read late at night now. This isn’t good for me, plus it’s harder to retain what you read when you’re so bleary-eyed while reading. I’m staying up so late and then I’m tired the next day. I also can’t read my scary books. lol. I need to carve out some me time at some point in the day where I can relax and enjoy some reading time.

10. Browse the backlist.
It’s not all about new or recent releases. I want to read the books nobody is talking about anymore and be different from everyone else. Ever noticed how you see the same handful of books being reviewed on each blog? I want to be different and breathe new life into the books that were released 5-10 years ago.

What are you hoping to accomplish in your bookish life this year?

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67 Responses to “Top Ten Bookish Goals for 2018”

  1. Literary Feline

    You’ve got this Jana! I am glad you are keeping Top Ten Tuesday alive. I am sad to see the group break up, but I do understand.

    Your goals all sound very doable. I wish you the best with them!

    Reply

  2. Cheryl @ The Book Connection

    Thanks for taking over this meme, Jana. Browsed your list of topics and I’m excited. I know you’ll do great.

    We have some similar goals, like read more and weeding the bookshelves. Though I didn’t list it, I would like to read more classics too. I’ve definitely embraced the DNF concept too. Life is too short to read books you don’t enjoy.

    Good luck with all your goals.

    Reply

  3. Rissi @ Finding Wonderland

    I’ve only recently developed a love of YA books. Some are “too immature” but most often, I enjoy them because they’re a “happy place” kind of story. I read adult fiction for YEARS. It wasn’t until a few years into my blogging journey that I began trying some YA, and overall, it’s been a fun experience.

    SO agree with you about knowing ones reading tastes. Life is too short to try and force ourselves through books that aren’t good fits.

    I have an annual “unhaul” and shelf reorganization (every spring) and each year, it’s THE best feeling. And I like to *try* and write reviews while still reading the books. Sometimes these drafts are terrible, but I like it because at least I have thoughts written down. :)
    Rissi @ Finding Wonderland recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday | Let’s Get Organized (aka the List in Which I share all of my This-Is-What-I’d-Like-To-Do Goals)

    Reply

    • Anne@Headfullofbooks

      What a great idea, Rissi, to write reviews as you are reading a book. I think I will try this in the future, especially for those books which I tell myself I need to remember this or that when I write my review.

      Reply

  6. Annemieke

    Reading some backlist books is always good. There are always some gems to find there. Pride and Prejudice is a pretty good read. I also really liked The Wizard of Oz. Children’s classics is always great to read and are quicker to read. ;)
    Good luck with all your goals.
    Annemieke recently posted…TTT #125 – Low Pressure Goals for 2018

    Reply

  7. verushka

    Down with peer pressure indeed — or hype pressure. It’s the media and publicity surrounding a book that usually turns me off one when it gets excessive.

    Reply

  8. Sam@WLABB

    I share many of your goals. However, I embraced the DNF a long time ago. I just cannot keep reading a book I am not enjoying, when I have a million other books I want to read. I think I am more cavalier, because I mostly read books I didn’t buy, but the books I buy are usually from my go-to authors or from my favorite genre (sure things).
    Sam@WLABB recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday: Book Goals

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  9. Thought Student

    Thanks for taking over Top Ten Tuesday.
    It seems that you and I have pretty similar goals for the year ahead except that I struggle to get rid of books.
    If you’re looking for classics I read The Tenant of Wildfell Hall last year and loved it. The middle was slow but it’s worth persevering.

    Reply

  10. Amy

    Thank you for being the new TTT host! I love your goal to ignore hype. Even though it’s not on my list, that’s one I need to get better at!
    Amy x

    Reply

  11. Jovita

    Jana, I’m surprised to see that you and I share many of the same goals. I need to embrace the DNF, that is a tough one for me. Best wishes reaching your goals and with the continuing of TTT.

    Reply

  12. Julianna Aislynn d'Merricksson

    Congrats, and good luck on taking over Top Ten Tuesday! You’ll do great 😃

    Classics, hmmm. Well, I’d suggest the rest of the Sherlock stories. Also Dracula and Frankenstein, if you’ve never read them. Heh, I guess it also depends on how you define ‘classic’, because I’d also suggest The Epic of Gilgamesh,. Beowulf, The Prose Edda, The Poetic Edda, The Thousand and One Nights, and The Art of War.

    Best of luck with all your goals!!

    Reply

  13. Sim @ Flipping Through the Pages

    Welcome Jana as a new host to TTT. I am so glad you took over it instead of ending this :)
    Almost all of your resolutions are mine too :P I too want to read more backlist books this year that’s why I joined the #BeatTheBacklist challenge. Also, Pride and Prejudice is on my list too :D
    Sim @ Flipping Through the Pages recently posted…My Top Ten Bookish Pet Peeves

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  14. Alyce @ The Bumbling Blogger

    I’m also planning on weeding my bookshelves and learning to DNF: life is too short to be surrounded by books you no longer want to read. I always aim to write my review of one book before starting the next, because my brain is a blender. Otherwise I’ll start mixing up character names and inserting a really great murder scene from a crime novel smack dab into the middle of a YA contemporary, and that’s not good!
    Thank you so much for continuing Top Ten Tuesday, and I’m looking forward to the many exciting topics over the months to come.
    Alyce @ The Bumbling Blogger recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish resolutions

    Reply

  17. Suzanne @ The Bookish Libra

    Thanks so much for taking this over, Jana! We share many of the same goals for this year, especially regarding reading books that I already own and tackling the backlist. Good luck to you on all of your goals :)

    Reply

  18. Kay

    First of all, thanks for taking on the ‘top ten’! I used to do this a while back, but got out of the habit. Today is the first day again for me. As to your goals, I think they are great. What I’ve discovered over my ‘long’ (I’m 60) reading life, it’s got to be fun. If it’s not, as you mentioned, slumps will happen. Figure out ways to make it fun and enjoyable. Yes, carve out relaxing reading time in your day if you can. I embrace the DNF. Not every book is meant for every reader and won’t ‘speak’ to every reader. And I love reading the ‘older’ books. I want to be sure that those authors and their creations are not forgotten. Good luck! And mostly, HAVE FUN! LOL
    Kay recently posted…Top 10 Tuesday – Bookish Resolutions/Goals for 2018

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  21. Eve

    I’m right there with you on many of these. Though the idea of getting rid of any of my books, even the ones I know I won’t finish seems impossible. I may be a book hoarder lol

    Reply

  22. Kathy @ Books & Munches

    As you, I really need to pick up some classics. I simply feel I’m not a classics kind of person? But I want to try some. No, I just want to find ONE classic that I absolutely love to bits. There has to be one of those out there? Has to!

    Embracing the concept of DNF. It’s funny how often I hear about that one. I’ve set myself the rule, from the start, that I can DNF as soon as I hit the 100p.-mark and still don’t enjoy it at all. Most of the time the story has picked up by then. I only DNF’d two or three books last year which is.. whoop!

    Backlist: Yes! I own 150 books I haven’t read and I really need to get through those.. [Boyfriend said he’ll reward me if I manage to read 75 of them. Yay motivation!]

    Also whoop for the first TTT on your blog! :D

    Reply

  25. Darlene

    Thanks for taking over this meme! It’s one of my favourites, so I’m happy that you are carrying the torch :)

    I can relate to a lot of your goals. I have never DNF’d a book, and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to do that! I have many classics on my TBR and joined a Gone With the Wind read-a-long, but the audiobook is 49 hrs and that would have taken me over a month to listen to. I find big books daunting!

    As for trying to read more during the day, that’s why I love audiobooks! I can listen on my work commute and while making supper and doing chores. The only sit-down time that I have to read is bedtime, and I’m usually too tired by then to get far far into my paperbacks. It’s a struggle for me, too!

    Great topic!
    Darlene recently posted…Bookish Resolutions/Goals #TopTenTuesday

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  31. Susan (Bloggin' 'bout Books)

    Thanks for keeping TTT going, Jana! I would have hated to see it die. You’ll do great with it.

    I love what you said about not owing anyone anything. You’re so right! I need to remember that reviewing is not my job, it’s my hobby, and I have the right to do it any way I want and not feel guilty about it. Thanks for the reminder.

    Happy TTT and good luck with your resolutions!

    Reply

  32. Christina @ Happy Writer

    I love your resolutions! Especially reading older books, classics, and weeding through that TBR. I’ve placed myself on a book-buying ban for the year — I need to read what’s on my shelves and REALLY cull my selection, or I’ll never have any room for more!
    Christina @ Happy Writer recently posted…My 2018 Bookish Goals!

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  33. Lillian @ Mom with a Reading Problem

    These are great resolutions Jana! I especially like number 4 and 10. I fell into a slump last year too and like you when I look back at what I read, I didn’t enjoy most of them. I felt like I forced myself to finish out of some misguided obligation. My goal this year is to stick to what I want to read and if I’m not enjoying it, set it down. Life is too short to spend on books I don’t like ;)
    I love your idea about rediscovering the backlist. When I was in college (my dark years as I call them), I didn’t read much and there are a lot of books I hear talked about or new books that are compared to these great ones that I’ve never read. I may add this resolution to my own!
    Lillian @ Mom with a Reading Problem recently posted…TTT #131 – Books I’m Looking Forward to in the First Half of 2018

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  35. Leslie

    Hi! Thanks for taking over TTT! I’d be lost without it :) A friend and I read a classic each summer. This has helped me tackle some more of the classics that I didn’t read in high school or college. I’d also do well to read the books I buy! :)
    My TTT
    Leslie

    Reply

  36. Erin @ Bluestocking Bookworm

    I believe that you and I are similarly aged, and I find myself longing for the excitement and stories of YA, but happening to someone who is 25 or 30. It isn’t just teenagers who can save the world, you know?

    Your goal to write your review before you can start a new book is so awesome! I want to do this, but I so often finish a book late at night (another habit I am hoping to break this year) that it would be super disruptive for me to get out of bed, write the review, go back to bed, and try to sleep. I am trying to write my reviews within a week of finishing the book, but sometimes even that is too long!

    Honestly, 4, 5, 7, and 10 on your list are super close to my heart this year too. I feel like we (as readers and bloggers in general) need to realize that we don’t owe anyone anything, and we can read what we want, when we want, and promote the books that need more love. Being an individual in this business of blog is hard, but I think we can manage.

    Thank you so much for keeping TTT alive, and for your time at Broke and the Bookish ♥

    Reply

  37. Chachic

    Thank you so much for taking over hosting Top Ten Tuesday! It’s a fun feature that I want to keep participating in.

    Like you, I also want to read more books in my TBR pile, declutter my shelves and embrace the concept of DNF. I have also figured out that my taste in books have changed since I started blogging. And that’s fine! As time passes, we keep growing as individuals and part of that is being interested in different types of books.

    Reply

  39. Ericka

    Great list! You and I share the classics and the DNF’ing goal for this year, haha. I’ve got Little Women, The Scarlet Letter, and Wuthering Heights waiting for me on my shelf, but I’m distracting myself with the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before series. I hope you accomplish all your goals!

    Reply

  43. Melissa

    These are some great goals! Classic recs: Anna Karenina (so good!), Oliver Twist, North and South…there are a lot of great classics out there :) Both Pride and Prejudice and Gone with the Wind are among my favorites.

    Very excited for the new home of TTT!

    Reply

  46. Jillian

    Gone with the Wind is SOOOOOOOOO good. I hope you love it! :D Also, Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain (for a classic suggestion.)

    Reply

  47. Jorie

    Hallo, Hallo everyone! :)

    Although I went ‘rewind’ on my post today, it parlays a bit onto the topic in the end – as I do have one resolution I want to endeavour to achieve by the end of March, right in time for my 5th Blogoversary. This time round, as I was ill for the first part of January, I missed celebrating my #nextreads for the New Year. I also shared the link here as I wasn’t sure if The Broke and Bookish is going to remain archived or even if the comments are still open for older TTT posts. Looking forward to seeing your entries and being a more active blogger who contributes to this meme.
    Jorie recently posted…#TopTenTuesday No.6 | Top Ten Books I’m Looking Forward to In 2018

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  50. Kristen

    I’m new to participating in Top Ten Tuesdays (last week was the first time I actually linked up), but I’ve been checking this meme out for a long time. I’m really glad you’re keeping it alive! I also love setting goals, so this topic was perfect!

    I love the goals you’ve set for yourself. I also struggle with the concept of DNF, and I probably should have made that one of my goals. I just can’t quit books for some reason. It could be the worst book ever, and I’ll still force myself through it. (And this is also the reason I fell one book short of my total goal last year. Ugh.)

    I’m really into breathing new life into older/less popular books as well. Sure, I’ll read some of the more popular books if they appeal to me, but my “To Read” list is filled with books that aren’t the “typical” books you see popping up on every blog. It’s always fun to embrace that and (hopefully) inspire other people to pick them up as well!

    Good luck with your goals! :-)

    Reply

  52. Cam

    I love reading classics! I have a LONG list to recommend you haha but my favourites are Far From The Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. They’re slightly similar to Jane Austen.

    Ah, I find going along with the hype has distorted my taste in books. Because of that I’m going slow with my reading, rather than devouring book after book. I find that reducing my Goodreads challenge has helped with this :)

    Reply

  53. Charlie

    I have fallen into reading too late at night and falling asleep while reading. It’s not the ideal time to read, but it also helps some nights put me to sleep. Good luck with your goals!

    Reply

  54. Sabrina

    I need to find my likings for books too! Lately I’ve been reading books that are constantly talked about and I want to change that this year.

    ~ Sabrina @ Omg Books and More Books
    omgbooksandmorebooks.blogspot.com

    Reply

  55. Jenn @ Bound to Writing

    This is such a great list of resolutions for the year! It’s hard to DNF a book, I haven’t had to yet, but I feel like I’ll continue to stick with a book even if I don’t like it just so I don’t have to DNF it. I wish you the best in accomplishing your goals!

    Reply

  56. ~Lee~

    Do 2 dragon book reviews a week! And visit all 260 of the people in your link up! :) Bookwyrm can do it!

    Reply

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