Today everyone seems to be posting their top 10 books and/or their reading stats for the year. I just realized, much to my chagrin, that I only read 34 books in 2012. Oh well. It was a pretty bad year for reading, and it was a pretty bad year in general. I don’t think I’m alone in encouraging 2012 to make haste. Nobody seems unhappy to see it go.
The turn of a calendar page feels more important to me this year than it has in a long time. While I am making a few (very simple) personal goals around fitness and career for 2013, I’ve decided not to plan too much when it comes to reading. Not striving for a number–although I certainly hope to do better than 34, but my reading seems to have slowed to a crawl. I may simply aim to read 52 books, one per week, and then again, I might not. I have a few other guidelines: reading from my own stacks, re-reading some old favorites. I’m not going to make any lists of what I think I’d like to re-read most, or which books from my stacks are calling me now. Instead, I’ll most likely follow my mood. I just bought myself a nice big batch of books, and I still have plenty of tempting titles on my shelves. There’s a nice mix of fiction and non-fiction for me to read as well. I will commit only to one thing: In 2013, I WILL read Wolf Hall.
As far as blogging goes, my two goals are primarily to comment more and to post more frequently. As I said above, I’ve become a terribly slow reader, and especially in the first few months of the year, all the books I have to read are chunksters all over 600 pages. But just because I don’t have anything to review doesn’t mean I can’t get out there and visit. As for posting, I may simply post more about reading and fewer reviews. I’ve never tried talking about a book while I’m reading it, at least not here on the blog, but the more I think about it, the idea appeals to me much more than writing a review that sums everything up. Instead, I might discuss as I go, and then do something like a quarterly review. (Wait–that sound suspiciously like a plan, doesn’t it?) I also hope to continue my album project, and to reorganize the blog a bit.
How about you out there? Any grand reading plans?
I’ll be back on New Year’s Day with the first of several posts to share my new books. I hope all of you have a happy and safe New Year. Here’s to 2013!
The Evening Reader 
I’m with you on the lack of plans – I think a year of little structure will do me good. It’s funny how non-plans can become suspiciously like plans, though 😛 Happy New Year!
I am trying to make some, but I am thinking of reducing the amount of challenges that I sign up for this coming year.
I think taking it easy sounds great! I hope you enjoy the books you read in 2013. And I didn’t read nearly as much this year as I normally do, but it actually felt like a fuller reading year for me.
I’m just finishing up my list of reading goals for next year but to be honest they’re mostly reading intentions more than ticking books off lists. I think I’ve got the balance between progress and whim-based reading right… I like the sound of ‘reading thoughts’ posts rather than reviews, I enjoy reading posts about the same book from different reading points or focusing on different plot strands/characters. I find them harder to write but I think it’s because I’m paranoid about missing some crucial element or sounding too naive because I didn’t see the twist coming!
Ana, I like to think a pattern will emerge without my having to plan for it. Happy New Year!
Jaynesbooks, I long ago slowed/stopped challenges. They can be very inspiring at the beginning of the year and then quickly come to seem like chores.
Amy, I would definitely agree that although I didn’t read as many books as I usually do in a year, I felt like I was “with” the books I was reading, as opposed to worrying about getting to the next book. I hadn’t realized until today that I had read fewer books, but even with that in mind I plan to just do my best next year and hope the numbers go up. No goal there!
Alex, writing about reading is definitely something I’ll have to work on as I go. I haven’t even done it yet and I already started to worry about spoilers or just being completely dreary with plot elements. My guess is I might work it out as you say from characters, or maybe just from specific sentences, which will give a chance to talk about the writing more instead of just plot.
I think posting more about reading even when you’re in the middle of a chunkster is a great idea. My biggest reading goal for next year is to read more books off of my shelves. Happy New Year.
Vasilly, I was so stunned by the number of books you have read this year! 🙂 I hope that posting while reading works. It will have to…I am so slow I’d end up with one post a month! Happy New Year!
I like to have a plan, but I also like to feel free to deviate from my plan.
No grand reading plans from me! I’m doing a Harry Potter readalong in January and that’s my only reading plan. I always rebel against my reading plans anyway, so best not to make any in the first place. Happy New Year! I just couldn’t be happier to see the back of 2012, but I’m trying not to expect too much from 2013. :p
Jenny, Happy New Year! Yes, after last year, I think just taking it easy is a good plan. See where 2013 takes us all.
“It was a pretty bad year for reading, and it was a pretty bad year in general.” –> Augh, yes. I think I say the latter about every year, though, haha, but definitely about the I-read-crappily-this-2012. That said, I’m wishing you all the luck with your grand reading plans for this year–they happen to sound a lot like my own. Here’s to the unceasing hope that Real Life is kinder to our books!
Sasha, Happy New Year and good luck to you, too! I am definitely determined to make this a better reading year. My sanity depends on it.