Reading Resolution Ideas for 2017
It’s that countdown to the end of the year time when everyone starts making impossible resolutions. Forget the ones that make you groan and want to hide under a blanket and make a reading resolution this year instead. If you’re wondering what a reading resolution is, it’s fun, simple and something to look forward to instead of dreading! It could be something as simple as setting a reading goal on Goodreads, or even in a notebook, and tracking how many books you read. Maybe you want to set a goal to read a book a week in the year ahead. Or maybe next year will finally be the year you get through the Throne of Glass series. If you’re looking for reading resolution ideas for 2017, here are some ideas to get you started. Feel free to leave some of your own in the comments below.
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Read a book a week
Okay, this is the classic reading challenge, right? I feel like with all of my friends and readers, the benchmark reading challenge is a book a week, or 52 books in a year. Fifty-two books should shave a decent amount off your to be read list, and if you’re a book blogger, or active on bookstagram, or Litsy, you’ll have fresh material to post every week. Reading fifty-two books shows you’re a serious reader, but still leaves you time to have a life. So that’s a baseline challenge, 52 books in a year, a book a week. Imagine there were no limits… how many books would you want to read in a year? If you need some recommendations to get started, check out the awesome lists by genre on the YA Bookshelf site.
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Read more diversely
Reading more diversely is something I’ve really been trying to pay attention to lately. It’s so important to read diverse voices to understand more about our society today. Also, I really value representation of authors from minority backgrounds. With that in mind, I’m going to try to read more diversely next year. I’m aiming to read at least 25% books by diverse authors. With sites like Diversity in YA’s Book Lists archive and Rich in Color, finding diverse YA novels is a whole lot easier. If you’re looking for a way to expand your horizons and discover some great new reads, try setting a reading resolution to read more books by diverse authors and/or about diverse experiences. It’s another way to grow as a reader.
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Try out a new genre
This year I’ve been reading more dystopian, of course, but I’m also starting to get interested in what’s going on in contemporary YA. It seems like there are so many great authors coming out in that genre that I keep hearing about on social media or recommendations from readers like you. So I think I’m going to make 2017 the year of exploring a new genre, YA contemporary. What about you? Are you ready for a break from epic fantasy? Why not try science fiction? For one of your reading resolutions in 2017, dive into reading a new genre. You might be pleasantly surprised at how much you enjoy it.
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Do an A-Z challenge
Who doesn’t love a fun reading challenge? One of my 2017 reading resolutions is to do the A-Z challenge. The basic template is to read 26 books whose titles start from A-Z, but you can vary it up to be authors’ names A-Z or you can narrow it down by genre, like fantasy YA novels/authors or graphic novels or even a genre you don’t usually read. These reading resolutions are fun because they get you to read new books off your TBR and discover new genres and authors with only very loose parameters. Plus, if you’re a planner, you will love brainstorming ideas for what to read for “A,” “B,” “C,” etc. (And by the way, have any good recommendations for “Q” or “Z”? Drop a comment below!)
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Write reviews for everything I read
Recently I was thinking back to a novel I read over the summer, and I remember it wasn’t really my favorite. I think I mentally gave it three stars out of five. But I couldn’t remember why! What made it not a four or a two? I was lost. Blame it on bookworm brain. Some readers write a review for every book they finish. I wish I kept better records, so one of my 2017 reading resolutions is to write book reviews of everything I read. Also, authors will love you for this one as a larger number of reviews helps their ranking on Amazon. At the very least, jot down a line or two. Aim for emphasizing the positives, while being honest about any negatives, and maybe even throw in a favorite quote. How do you remember your thoughts on books you read?
What are some of your reading resolution ideas for 2017? Leave a challenge below and let’s get reading.