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As we welcome the new year and pray for the health and wealth of our favorite authors and the publication of books that will find their way into our TBR, this is generally the best time to get started with resolutions.
For those who are uninformed or simply need their memories jogged, a New Year resolution is a promise a person makes to themselves at the beginning of the year in hopes that it will see them through that year.
For us readers, it’s essential to have bookish New Year resolutions as well, and I sincerely hope that these are the ones you commit to. They are exciting, and I promise you’ll have a lot of fun while pursuing them.
Just in case you’re wondering, I have also decided to take several of these resolutions as mine, and I’ll tell you which ones in the conclusion below. But just know that I have compiled this list of some book-related New Year resolutions for people like you.
So if you love reading and have been thinking of switching it up this new year or giving yourself a big challenge, any of the resolutions on this list are a perfect place to start.
1. Read outside your comfort zone and experiment with different book genres that you have never tried before.
2. If you have never joined a book club, join one now and ensure you are committed to both the monthly reads and meetups. You can find book clubs to join on Twitter, Instagram, or Goodreads.
3. Challenge yourself to read a certain number of books this year, even if you don’t like setting reading goals.
4. Create a reading nook somewhere in your house and make it as comfortable and cozy as possible.
5. Try reading a different format this year. Perhaps you’ve always been reading physical books; this is your year to try ebooks and audiobooks. Graphic novels are also amazing, and giving manhwas and mangas a chance won’t hurt.
6. Create reading lists centered around different countries so that you can travel and experience different cultures without stepping out of your house.
7. If you like reading physical books, this is the sign you have been waiting for to create DIY bookmarks. Make them as fun, exciting, and lovely as possible.
8. Invite your friends who love reading books over to your house or somewhere else and throw a book-themed party. Or simply host a read-along with your bookish friends.
9. Start writing book reviews this year on Goodreads, Literally, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Amazon, StoryGraph, or any other reading platform.
10. Start an Instagram account for your literary adventures and connect with all the most beautiful book lovers out there.
11. If you would like to throw a party of sorts, try your hand at hosting a book swap pattern where everyone brings books, and they all swap and make friends.
12. This is the year we embrace our inner cringe self, so if you’ve never thought about it, write fanfiction based on your favorite book of all time.
13. For the book lovers who also love cooking, this year, regularly cook meals that are inspired by your favorite books.
14. Start a YouTube channel where you talk about books and try your best to post as regularly as possible. Also, you can start a literary podcast where you can discuss your favorite reads and also do author interviews.
15. Start working out while listening to audiobooks and make this a whole thing that you might even feel uncomfortable by the end of the year if you aren’t listening to a book while working out.
16. Make a bingo card with different reading prompts and try to fill each square throughout the year. For bonus points, share your bingo card online with your fellow bookish friends and make it an ongoing challenge.
17. Attend a book signing or a virtual author event or even an in-person author event. This might sound like you’re going out of your way, but I promise the thrill of meeting other readers who are as passionate about your favorite book as you are is going to make you feel at home immediately.
18. Another fantastic bookish New Year resolution you can have is to read more books from diverse authors. That is, read more books from Black and Indigenous People of Color every month.
19. Visit your local library, get a library card, and start loaning books instead of buying them.
20. When award season comes, make a commitment to read all the books that have been nominated for the award and share your reviews as well as predictions on your blog, social media channels, or with your book club members.
21. Make a conscious effort to read books by authors of different genders, sexual orientations, and identities.
22. Set aside time for self-reflection and journaling about the books you read and how they impact your life.
23. If you want to go even further, write a long letter to an author whose book deeply impacted you. Authors love receiving letters from their readers, and you’re going to end up having a wonderful conversation with the person who changed your life for the better with their creative work.
24. And if you enjoy reading with music, create a reading playlist that complements the mood or theme of the books you’re reading and share it online.
25. Read somewhere that isn’t your usual reading place. If, for example, you always read in your house, try reading in a park, public transportation, a library, or at work.
26. Try your best to read an entire book series, and bonus points if it has already been adapted into a movie or a limited series so you have to watch that as well.
27. Set aside time for re-reading books that have had a significant impact on you at different stages of your life.
28. Start a tradition of giving books as gifts for special occasions, such as birthdays or holidays.
29. Support local authors by attending their book launches or purchasing their books directly from them.
30. Set aside time each week for a blind date with a book, where you pick a book to read without knowing anything about it beforehand.
31. Create a reading bucket list of books you’ve always wanted to read but haven’t gotten around to yet. This list will be your high priority list, so you need to dedicate yourself to working through it slowly.
32. Another wonderful book-related New Year resolution is to read books written in different narrative styles. If you usually read books written in the first person POV, this is a sign you’ve been waiting for to pick up a book written in second person POV or third person POV.
33. Make a date with yourself once a week and remove all gadgets and any form of technology and immerse yourself in a good book.
34. If you’ve been buying physical books that you never got around to reading, this year make a decision to declutter and donate or sell the books that you don’t plan to ever read.
35. Finally, your biggest New Year resolution should be to consistently drop any book you aren’t enjoying. People have said it again and again, but the truth is that life is too short to force yourself to do something you do not enjoy. So if you are no longer vibing with the book, feel free to drop it.
As promised, I have three resolutions on this list that I have challenged myself with: firstly, I plan to read more books by BIPOC authors; secondly, I want to experiment with different narrative POVs; and, thirdly, I plan to start a YouTube channel for the blog where I will discuss everything there is to know about books.
I hope any of these resolutions you decide to pursue is something you are committed to. Remember that even crawling is movement, so get on it as soon as you can, and I promise you’ll have fun with all of it.
There are many other posts on the blog about reading and living and making the most of the world we found ourselves in while immersing ourselves in literature, so make sure you check out the blog.
