Top 5 Wednesday: 2018 Reading Resolutions

Top 5 Wednesday is hosted by Sam from Thoughts on Tomes, and you can check out the Goodreads group to see more topics!

I usually like to stay pretty loose in my goals and TBRs and whatnot, but this year I actually find myself with some specific resolutions! A lot of it is getting to things I’ve really been meaning to get to for ages….hopefully this year will be the year!

1. Read all the unread books on currently on my shelf

It is TIME to knock off some of the books I’ve had sitting on my shelf for years. Currently I have 37 unread books on my shelf, and I hope to have read all off them by the end of the year. I think it’s doable, and will probably turn out to be about half of the books I read this year. I also plan to cut down on the books I purchase so that the shelf does not grow as I try to get through it, which has been….an endless cycle since I’ve been alive, really. I’ll allow myself sequels to some of the books I already have, or really anticipated releases, but THAT’S IT!!! I want a blank shelf by the end of 2018. (This goal also fulfills my mini goals of finally getting to books like the Mistborn Series by Brandon Sanderson, more Bronte sisters, and Brideshead Revisted by Evelyn Waugh that I have been meaning to read for 20830 years.)

2. Use the library more

Building off of my first goal of reading all the books I already have without buying more, I plan to fulfill my need for books I don’t own by using the library. I only just got a library card about a month ago and it has been GREAT because….FREE BOOKS. I’m 25 years old and have always been fully aware of how libraries work, but going into my public library now I feel….giddy at being able to borrow all the books my heart desires. Physical books, ebooks, audiobooks- I was overwhelmed when I first got my card like some sort of library novice (I did use it in college….but all for academics, so I wasn’t particularly giddy staying up with those books at 4 am). I don’t think this will be a difficult goal.

3. Read more Charles Dickens

I have been a huge fan of Charles Dickens when I first read Great Expectations in 9th grade and my passion was unleashed by Pip’s misfortunes. Since then I’ve read a few more Dickens novels, most of which I have loved (not a fan of Tale of Two Cities, sorry), but I didn’t read any this year, and would really, really like to. In particular, I want to read Bleak House. I feel a need for gloomy, grimy Dickens London.

4. Read Les Mis

This goal I feel the most….trepidatious about. IT’S SO LONG. I mean, I’ve read long books before, and I actually read the first 200 pages of Les Mis a few years ago (then had to go to college, where finding the time and energy to read an extra thousand page book is a spectacular feat I wasn’t strong enough for), but this book still kind of intimidates me? However I love the musical, and most of all I really want to learn more about the characters, so 2018 is MY TIME TO DO IT. (This book is also on my unread shelf, so technically it is required to achieve my first goal, anyway.

5. Donate books 

This isn’t really a reading goal, but….recently I realized how many books I have on my shelves that I just don’t feel the need to have. This consists of books that aren’t exactly my favorites, but some of them are quite popular, so why should they waste away on my shelves unloved when there are people out there who may enjoy them far more than me? I currently have two large piles just sitting on my floor that I’ve cleared off my shelves that I need to give away, perhaps to my library or book donation bins I’ve used in the past. I’ve hoarded many books over the years and it’s time to clear my space and set them free. If you have any other suggestions of where I can send them, or anyone who might need them, please let me know!!

Those are my resolutions for 2018! Hopefully I can look back this time next year and have achieved some ALL of them! What are your resolutions?