Tips and Tricks to Kickstart Your Reading Resolutions
The new year is almost upon us, and you know what that means: time to start talking about reading resolutions!
Maybe you’re one of those dedicated, disciplined people who cheerfully made resolutions to read X number of new books at the start of the year, and now you’re at year’s end, proudly looking back on all you accomplished.
Right?
We didn’t think so.
It’s all right. We’re human. Life gets in the way, and stuff happens: sometimes more stuff than we’d like.
But you still want to make some reading resolutions for the coming year. You want to put a dent in your TBR pile (and find some new books to add to that pile), or check out new genres, authors, or titles you haven’t read before.
“But tell me, O Novel Suspects writers, how exactly do I do that?” you’re probably asking.
Here are a few tips and suggestions for you to look at while you’re waiting for the ball to drop:
- First and foremost, remember this. Reading should be fun and pleasurable: an adventure waiting to happen. It should not be another chore on a too-long to-do list, or an onerous, Sisyphean task. (Unless pushing boulders uphill is your cup of tea, in which case, you do you.)
- Do not be afraid to declare a book a DNF (Did Not Finish) if you gave it a good-faith effort and you JUST couldn’t get into it, even if it’s the title that your whole book club is raving about or if it’s going into its fifty-second week on the bestseller charts. Life’s too short to spend it slogging through displeasurable books; we’re assuming that you’re done with high school or college and you don’t have a term paper coming due on the book you’re reading. Set it aside and move on.
- Think of some authors whose work you’d like to check out. Or ask some friends, or the staff at your local library or bookstore, if they have any authors they’d like to recommend. Do you find yourself reading one particular kind of mystery? Maybe try reading something that’s the opposite; read a contemporary thriller if you usually read classic mysteries or cozies, and vice versa.
- If you’re the sort of person who keeps bullet journals and habit trackers, set a reminder to yourself to take a break at a certain time during the day and do some reading, even it’s just for a few minutes or a few pages. Try keeping a journal of what books you’re reading or have read. (“Read [title] on [date] and loved it, will read again.” “I tried reading [title] and I wanted to slap [character] upside the head.”)
- Set yourself up a reading nook. It doesn’t have to be a Pinterest-worthy window seat with big, squashy pillows and a panoramic view of the surrounding countryside, even though most of us would really love such a space. It can be a chair in one corner of the living room or bedroom, or even a favorite table at a coffee shop or a bench in the park: whatever fits your tastes, budget, schedule, and living space.
- Treat yourself to some book-related swag. You know what we mean: book journals, fancy bookmarks, travel mugs, and little clip-on reading lights. Every bookstore has at least one shelf full of such goodies, and your humble scribe has difficulty resisting the siren song.
- Audiobooks and eBooks are real books, no matter what a lot of people might say. Listening to an audiobook on your commute or while you’re doing housework counts as reading.
- Check out some book-related podcasts; there are podcasts for every genre out there, with reviews, author interviews, and trivia. Join some book discussion groups, either in-person or online. (About book groups: We know that while most book groups are nice places to be, others can be a not-fun experience. If the group you have joined turns out to be full of unfriendly people, do not feel pressured to stay.)
- For the ambitious, why not try holding a book-themed murder mystery party? You can get yourself a party kit with scripts and other things you’ll need, or if you’re feeling especially creative, come up with your own murder scenario from scratch. If staging a full-fledged murder mystery party isn’t in the cards, maybe you can hold a mystery-themed coffee or tea party. (With cookies. Lots of cookies.)
These are all suggestions, and you can try any of them to see what works for you, or you don’t have to try any of them if none of them appeal. Remember, it is your own reading journey, and you can take it however you see fit.
And if you find yourself falling short of any reading goals you set for yourself, don’t feel bad. Again, life happens. Those books will be ready and waiting for you when it’s time for you to pick them back up.
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Erin Roll is a freelance writer, editor, and proofreader. Her favorite genres to read are mystery, science fiction, and fantasy, and her TBR pile is likely to be visible on Google Maps. Before becoming an editor, Erin worked as a journalist and photographer, and she has won far too many awards from the New Jersey Press Association. Erin lives at the top floor of a haunted house in Montclair, NJ. She enjoys reading (of course), writing, hiking, kayaking, music, and video games.