10 Bookish New Year’s Resolutions

10 Bookish New Year’s Resolutions

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Forget diets, detoxing, saving etc. Do yourself a favour and make all your resolutions bookish ones in 2017. Here are some ideas:

 

 

  1. Make more time for reading. Easier said than done you think but this really is a worthwhile use of your time. Have you noticed the many articles this year about how good reading is for you? Apparently reading is good for the soul, reading gives you empathy, reading makes you a nicer person, and according to one study that did the rounds earlier this year, reading  even makes you live longer! Surely it doesn’t get more convincing than that (and a lot easier than going to the gym or changing your diet).

 

  1. Start a book club. Well, not only is reading good for you but apparently starting a book club is too. See this article on Canadian Living website on the many proposed benefits. Of course, it makes perfect sense – something to do with the community, or maybe it’s the wine, who can say for sure but, if you’re not already in a book club why not give it a try? And if that’s too hard, simply join us for our monthly book club. It’s free and you can enjoy the discussion from the comfort of your own home. Find out about the Better Reading Live Book Club here.

 

  1. Give yourself goals around reading. One a week, one a month, 100 a year. It really doesn’t matter but if your aim is to read more, making some goals will help to keep you on track.

 

4. Make lists or keep a book diary. Ever go into a bookshop or library and forget what you wanted to read? Making a list will help with that. You can also make lists of what you’ve read each year or if it appeals to the book nerd in you, you can even catalogue all the books you own at websites like LibraryThing. Why you might ask?  Perhaps you want to keep track of the books you’ve read so you can look up your list to remember them or to share with friends and recommend them or you might simply like to show off how well-read you are.

 

 

  1. Spend less time on the screen to make more time for books.  Okay, every screen except the one you read your book on if you’re an e-reader. Think about how much time you might be spending on social media, scrolling mindlessly through inane posts or on endless re-runs of mediocre television shows. Less television, less mobile phone time, less game time will all mean time for the thing you really love… Reading.

 

  1. Keep your books tidy and well presented. Keep the ones you love, discard the ones you don’t. Heresy to some book lovers we know, but you if you want to be able to access the ones you love or share them with friends, it’s easier if you know what you’ve got and lovely bookshelves are a wonderful – and useful – way to decorate your home.

 

  1. Read the books you’ve always wanted to. It might be the complete works of a classic author such as Jane Austen or Charles Dickens, or it might be a really long book – say, Tolstoy’s War and Peace, or a book that you feel daunted by such as James Joyce’s Ulysses, or you might simply want to try a new genre or writer. What’s holding you back? Get started today.

 

  1. Share with friends. You don’t have to start a book club to share your books with friends. Pass on the books you love, talk about books, get recommendations from friends.

 

  1. Make room in the budget for books or borrow them. Do you ever not read because you think you can’t afford the book you want? See if you can make small changes in your budget – perhaps you could sacrifice something to buy yourself a book each month. Alternatively borrow or beg books from friends (remember to give ’em back!) And don’t forget – there are thousands of books at your local library that you can borrow – for free. And if they don’t have what you want they can order it in for you.

 

  1. Try something new. We often hear that people love book clubs because they get to discover new authors and read books they would never have tried. If you’re stuck in a reading rut and only ever read romance, why not try crime, if you only read crime fiction why not try true crime? A book snob? Try something you consider ‘crappy’ for a change, you might just enjoy it. Or think something is too high-brow for you, do the same. You never know until you try.

 

Happy reading and happy New Year! To stay in touch for book recommendations simply subscribe here or like our Facebook page

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