2021 Reading Resolutions

 

The habit of making new year’s resolutions can feel dreadful at times. It is very easy to think about all of the things that I SHOULD do differently (like organize my home better) or to try to think of a more ideal version of myself (like having a day job that actually fuels my imagination and/or intellect more). But my favorite types of resolutions are the ones that involve getting organized for more fun projects that I have always wanted to do (like running a 5K, writing a full first draft of a novel during National Novel Writing Month and beginning to explore some crafts that I find that I enjoy).  Thinking of my reading resolutions are more in the category of the fun types of projects to do. Also, it can keep my reading life a little more organized!

*For my reading challenge of 2021 I decided that I am going to read my way through the books that I own (and will own) that were featured in Grady Hendrix’s Paperbacks From Hell.   Paperbacks From Hell is a book that chronicles horror novels that came out in the 1970s and 1980 and shows off their awesome covers throughout the book. It was the book responsible for igniting my interest in scrounging through thrift stores, library sales and used bookstores for older paperback horror novels and gothic romance novels. I am not really looking at this as a numeric challenge as a thematic challenge and a reading map.  The content of Grady Hendrix's post deserves its own blog post one of these days. However, for today I am just using this book to construct a fun book goal for 2021!

Of course I have a few other bookish resolutions too:

*Review more of the books that I read on Kindle Unlimited or from independent horror writers on Amazon and Goodreads…even if the book was not offered to me for free in exchange for an honest review.  I will not walk away from offerings for advanced reader copies (ARCs) at all, reviewing books is a passion project for me and an ARC is the most I ever get compensated for a review is by obtaining an advanced reader copy….and I also feel like obtaining an ARC from a writer is a great way to develop a relationship with the author as well.  However, since it is personally important for me to help promote writers who have been published by independent presses and who might be lesser known to help showcase their talent I feel like reviewing MORE of the books that I read to be important.

I already try my best to adapt my essays on my blog on Goodreads and when it is appropriate, but even  if I do not write an essay for my blog, a few sentences or a short paragraph on Amazon and Goodreads can be really helpful for writers.  I recently learned that the number of reviews an author receives matters quite a bit and an author needs at least 50 reviews in order to be featured in newsletters and promotions on Amazon. Even a very short review can help an author out quite a bit!

*Use my Kindle more for my non-horror books!   Okay, this one is more of a statement on the fact that I have a 1 bedroom apartment where I have a limited amount of space and horror seems to be my favorite genre to collect.

 I have thought critically over this resolution because I LOVE supporting local bookstores and try to buy through them when I want to buy a newly released book.  I own signed copies of books that I love in a variety of genres that I hold dear to me.   I don’t think that I ever could stop actually buying books from local bookstores for that reason.  But the truth is that I have come to this weird point in time where I am running out of space in my small apartment and most of the books I have are books that I DO NOT WANT to get rid of.   However I’ve had a tendency with certain types of books to buy them, read them and then want to get rid of them not long afterwards. Those are more of the types of books that I will push myself to get as library e-books or see if they might be available on Kindle Unlimited.  This resolution will be an ongoing deliberation between my values and my space, so this idea will be more of a guideline than a rule.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!  HOPEFULLY 2021 WON'T BRING US MORE HELL....