Hello readers and hello 2018!
It’s been a bit over a year since I’ve posted on this blog, but some of my friends on bookstagram have inspired me to start posting again. I love writing — I’m majoring in English, after all — but I’ve found myself not spending time writing for myself. Most of the writing I’ve done in the past few months has been purely academic, yet I always jump on the opportunity to do creative writing in my classes. It seems dumb to not spend time doing something I love, so I’m challenging myself to write more. I want to journal more, blog more, and write more. But I don’t want to post for the sake of posting: I want to create content that I am proud of and want to share with the world.
I typically make New Year’s Resolutions at the beginning of the year in order to provide a framework for how I want my year to be, but aside from the personal resolutions, I also create reading resolutions!
1. Write more reviews. I consume a lot of literature, both for academic reasons and for personal pleasure. I have found that sometimes it’s hard to articulate my feelings about a book, but writing reviews have allowed me to slow down in order to analyse and organise my thoughts. I’ve especially been intimidated by books that I adored, so instead of forming a coherent review, my feelings on the book have typically been reduced to “OMG it’s amaaazing you have to read it!!” I want to challenge myself to write reviews for each book I read for pleasure! Even if it’s a short paragraph, I’m hoping by writing more reviews I will become a more critical reader.
2. Read 30 books in 2018. I’ve done the Goodreads challenge for the past three years, with goals of 25, 30, and 40 in 2015, 2016, and 2017 respectively. I’ve achieved my goal each time. (Although in 2015 I actually read 49 books instead of the 50 that I later changed my goal to be oops.) While I did reach my goal of 40 books this year, I binge read three books at the end of the year in order to achieve my goal. This year, I don’t think I’ll have as much time to read as I have in years previous, for a variety of reasons.
I will be studying abroad this upcoming semester, and I’m hoping to take one English literature course abroad, as opposed to the two I am accustomed to taking. This is due to the differences in credit hours in Scotland as compared to the United States. When I’m abroad, I also won’t have access to my books! While I’m planning on buying some books abroad, it’s not the same as having a bookshelf stocked full of books! Furthermore, over the summer, when I typically have a lot of time to read, I will be studying for the MCAT, or Medical College Admissions Test, which is a heavily intensive process. So realistically, I’m hoping to read 30 books this year. If I read more, that’s fantastic, but I won’t push myself to read solely for the sake of reading — I want reading to remain an enjoyable and relaxing pastime.
3. Read 10 “literary fiction” or classic books. I picked 10 because it seemed like a nice number, though in all honesty it’s rather arbitrary. Over the year, I typically reach for a good Young Adult novel (probably fantasy) when I’m reading for pleasure. But I also want to challenge myself to read beyond my comfort zone. As much as I love reading fantasy, I don’t want to tire of it, and there is so much beautiful literature in other genres yet undiscovered to me. My friends Clara (@thebookwormofnotredame) and Lucie (@wishesandpages) spent 2017 reading more classics (successfully!) and loved so many of them that it has only inspired me to push myself to read more classics and literary fiction (whatever that is).
4. Do the read 5 buy 1 challenge. I didn’t really keep track of the number of books I read this year, but compared to last year, I bought a lot fewer books! When I discovered bookoutlet, I spent so much money buying books I had missed out on in the years I had stopped reading for fun (most of high school). Now I have a ridiculous amount of unread books on my shelves, and I want to make a dent in those books before buying new ones!
5. Read more medical narratives. This year, I read When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby for fun over the summer. I was fortunate enough to be enrolled in a course on the narratives of illness and doctoring this semester, where I read a plethora of literature by patients and doctors. Although not all the works were my cup of tea, I really enjoyed the books as a whole. I’m slowly making my way through Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science by Atul Gawande, and I’m loving the inside look on the life of a surgeon, but also the insight and reflection that Gawande exhibits. I hope that by reading more medical narratives (let’s aim for at least six this year) I will gain a better understanding of the profession I hope to be a part of someday.
Do you make New Year’s Resolutions? What resolutions have you made for yourself? Until next time!
Love from, Isabel
love from isabel 