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?
Great goals – best of luck with them all! 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Callum!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I AM SO HAPPY TO SEE LES MIS ON THIS LIST. The length is definitely intimidating but it is so worth the commitment. It’s depressing and beautiful and you will love it. ALSO do you know what translation you have……….. I’d highly recommend the Signet classics Fahenstock/McAfee translation but I assume it’s the one you already own because it’s definitely the most popular (this guy https://www.amazon.com/Mis%C3%A9rables-Signet-Classics-Unabridged/dp/B00759W2IM)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh man I need to go investigate what copy I have, it was some Barnes and Noble edition that I bought after seeing the movie when it came out loool. But I think it may be that one….
LikeLiked by 1 person
The good news is that most of the common Les Mis translations are pretty decent!!! The two I’d tell you to avoid though are Julie Rose (her vocab is like…… really anachronistically modern) and Charles Wilbour (just REALLY dense and archaic prose). Fahenstock & McAfee is my and Chelsea’s fave but Hapgood is also a good option!
Realizing how much of a nerd I am as I type this tbh
LikeLiked by 1 person
GOOD TO KNOW, this would be 100 times more confusing to navigate on my own and Les Mis is intimidating as it is 👀
LikeLiked by 1 person
YAY LES MIS! I completely agree obviously, Les Miserables is worth reading and I cared so much about the characters. Seconding the Fahnestock/McAfree Signet Classics edition. I did a lot of poking around forums and reading what people thought was the best translation and I’m really happy with this one. I tried about 50 pages of Julie Rose first and found it too modern for me to get through.
LikeLiked by 2 people
OKAY I’M DEFINITELY READING THAT VERSION!! I’m so glad I have you guys to guide me, I’d be so lost!
LikeLike
I keep saying I need to read all the unread books on my shelf too, but the problem is I just keep buying more!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Exactly!! It’s such a hard cycle to break, lol!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m planning to read mostly books by international authors (not from the US or UK) so I can get a taste of the world’s stories. I want to clear up my unread shelves, too. We’ll see how that goes!
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s such a great goal!! I’d love to read more books by authors from Asian and Middle Eastern countries, and Australian authors! I don’t read a whole lot of books set in Australia, but I find that when I do I tend to love them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Likewise! Though I do admit to feeling a little daunted by my selection from South Korea, Young-Ha Kim’s ‘Black Flower’.
LikeLiked by 1 person