The chill is not there but if I try hard, I’m sure I can hear a faraway jingle of bells. Thus come my 7 “bookish resolutions” for the remaining months (gosh, where more-of-the-half-year-has-gone?):
1. Staying away from contemporary YA fantasy
I’m all for trash-reading once in a while. And what could be better than fantasy-trash? Now, I’m an adult-adult who loves reading YA fantasy quite unabashedly.
This is what introduced me to champion-authors of the genre like Leigh Bardugo and Katherine Arden this year.
All was going well until I lost my way in the world built up by Sarah J. Maas.
DNF “A Court of Mist and Fury” and vowed to stay off “tropes” full of YA fantasy till next year.
Exception:
- LOTR which is sitting on my Kindle for awhile, pointing accusatory parchmentized fingers at me.
- Nikolai Duology by Leigh Bardugo
- The Winter of The Witch (#Winternight Trilogy #3) by Katherine Arden.
However, the last two are expected to hit shelves earlier in 2019, so there would be a breather.
Related Posts:
Review: Grisha Trilogy
Review: The Bear and the Nightingale
2. More “Stand-Alone” books
Have you already got tired of the onslaught of series we have been catering to?
This might be the money-minting machine for publishers but I need not shell out hard-earned cash on any of them. Moreover, both the
i) dead-end detectives and
ii) beaten-to-death “chosen ones” don’t do it for me, anymore.
Exception:
Lethal White (#Cormoran Strike Series) by Robert Galbraith.
3. Dumping the domestic suspense genre awhile
Marriage in it’s sanest form can be daunting and depressing. Do we need to make it any more awful by reading the cheap replications of “Gone Girl”(without the brilliance of Gillian Flynn)?
Exception:
None.
4. Reading one classic a month (mostly the underrated ones)
This is so important as I want to hone my writing skills. And what’s the better way to do it than reading classics?
But right now, I’m more intrigued to read the underrated ones that don’t hog the limelight of Jane Eyres or 1984s of the world.
So the classics I’ve lined up as of now are-
a) Sylvester by Georgette Heyer
b) My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier
c) The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë
5. Buying only Ebooks
My tiny apartment will burst out if I buy more “real” books and the purse will run dry. My Kindle Paperwhite saved me on both accounts.
That means, my dowdy IG account won’t look “bookstagammer”– enough.
Exception (condition:whenever I’ll have the means):
Entire boxed-sets of-
✓Harry Potter (hardcover)
✓Tintin
✓Asterix
6. Not getting swayed by “reading challenges”
With the challenge of not going bonkers in day-to-day life, I’m not planning to cram the remaining months with more books and touch the golden 100-mark (as if that would make me suddenly all “lit” and “woke”). Nowadays, I prefer relish-reading instead of zooming through the pages.
7. Valuing my native language literature more
In order to keep up with the Joneses (since I decided to turn my generic blog into a book-blog), I’ve neglected the wonderful books published in mother tongue Bengali, for months.

Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash
Now is the time to rectify that. And if you are non-native English book-worm, would you deny the charm of reading a book in your own language? Me neither.
What’re your “bookish goals” for the last leg of 2018? Let me know in the comments.
‘I am taking my Alexa rank to the next level with Blogchatter’
OMG I’m so tired of waiting for the next in the series! I gave up on most series’ a while ago haha.
Glad we are on the same boat. 😀
It is always tough when you buy the first one of a great series and then have to wait for the next ones to come out! I have a houseful of books, so I only buy books for my Kindle now. I would make an exception for a really special book.
I also do the same. Kindle completely revolutionized the way I used to read.
Wow, these are some tricky resolutions that I’m not sure I could keep up with! I like the reading one classic a month one though. I’ve got a huge stack of classics that I need to make my way through, and I think it’s important to read the books that have affected the world so much!
These are all great resolutions! I don’t think I could ever give up my YA fantasy books. I’m a bit of an addict. But reading stand-alones and classics would definitely be a good idea for me!
Thank you for dropping by.🙂 Glad you liked the post.
Great resolutions.. i wish i could also have such a resolutions.
Hope you do it someday. Thank you for commenting on my post. 🙂
Reading is what redefines the way we write. We need to keep revisiting our reading repository and reading habit. Quite an interesting challenge for defining the boundary of reading, the native language literature is a good one and it gives a completely different perspective on what we read. Generally we ignore or avoid reading those books.
Exactly. I’m very fond of British Literature and Japanese crime genre. But India has such diverse repository of regional writings, that it’s ignorance from our side (and lack of good translation effort) that we tend to avoid them.
Thank you for dropping by. 🙂
Great list…the one with the classic literature struck a chord, even I need to start reading more classics, the hidden gems.
So true. Reading classics help me to enrich my vocabulary and writing skill to a great extent, as well.
BTW, my goal for the rest of the year is to pick up some books on wars which I had never dared to read before.
Mine too, especially “The Tattooist of Auschwitz” and “All The Light We Cannot See”. Hope you achieve your goal. 🙂
I have stayed away from any resolution related to books because I end up breaking them. But wish you all the best.
I’ve stopped making resolutions in any other aspect of life- except books. Atleast, these seem do-able. 😀 Thank you for your lovely comment.
Some readers finish every book they pick up, even ones they don’t enjoy. We say, life is short. Read good books and allow yourself to accept when you aren’t connecting with what you’re trying to read. You can always try again in the future.
Couldn’t agree more. I don’t connect with the books by some phenomenal authors like V.S. Naipaul, Rushdie, James Joyce etc., and made peace with it.
Thank you for dropping by. 🙂
You have given me some reading goals. I have neglected my regional language too, have to add that to my list.
Thank you for reading the post. 🙂 Hope you read and write more.
Really appreciate your bookish resolutions. Hope you excel with it. Reading one classic a month is a good idea to accomplish your reading goals.
Thank you for dropping by Vasantha. Glad you liked it. 🙂
Loved these resolutions! I plan to read a Self Help book every month. #Viddhreads #MyfriendAlexa
Go for it Vidhya. Best wishes.
Loved reading your post, being a bibliophile myself. Following you.
Thank you. 🙂 Feeling happy.
nice post. #DelhibloggerReads #MyFriendAlexa
Thank you. 🙂
I don’t read these kind of books…I am always into marketing books…my goal is to stay away from books for a while… And implement
That is another legit feat to achieve. Best wishes. 🙂
Good resolutions…hope you get to keep them! 🙂
Thank you. 🙂
a welcome list to come across… whats best is I found many titles to now look out for from just this one post 🙂
Hope you read them all. 🙂 Thank you for reading my post.
Love the list. Have taken a screenshot of the classic ones, next on my list. On a side note, finished with Lethal White? Thoughts?
I’m 30% into the book and it breaks my heart to say- I’m growing restless.
Never imagined such a lucklustre presentation from J.K. Rowling, given I loved all the previous Strike books. 😦
Only the simmering romance between the Strike & Robin now keeps me going.
I agree 100%. But wait for it. It makes up for it at around 80-90% (being purposely vague so I don’t spoil the fun)
Hello hello hello… It has been a while that I have met a reader who is a fan of Leigh Bardugo, Katherine Arden and Sarah j Mass. :)) Like you even I am waiting for WinterWitch next instalment
FYI I have completed the ACOTAR series but couldn’t take it more when Mass brought spinoffs. However, I liked her Throne of Glass series more.
And Don’t make that LOTR wait in the Kindle anymore 🙂
Loved your resolution of relish reading. Overall a Great post. Loved it totally :DD
Thank you so much Preeti. I’ve jumped in joy (virtually) after spotting a fellow Leigh Bardugo- &- Katherine Arden-lover as well. 😀
People around me still scoff at the idea of someone at the wrong side of 30 reading YA fantasy .
The world is weird, I tell you.
And yes, would start chasing Mr. Tolkien from the next month for sure.
I’m having a crush on your “comment” right now. Thank you for liking the post. 🙂
I like reading classics. But I too have decided to buy e books only. Storing books has become a big problem
Completely agree with you. Convenience comes first- even in reading.
Storing books, yes, that is becoming difficult these days. 3 bookworms in the house and sooner or later we’ll drown in the flood of books. But, my reading has been limited these days(what with kids and reading blogs!). So, I shall make a resolution right here.
3 books in 3 months. Think it is a sane and accomplishable goal.
Namratha from #firstgreenstep
Couldn’t agree more. Till I book a penthouse (in my dreams) and build a sprawling library, Kindle is my friend. 😀 Hope you succeed in your reading-goal. Thanks for the lovely comment.
My favorite is your last resolution !! Reading more and more in the native language.
Yup ❤
very interesting resolutions, am thinking of picking up a couple 😀
You should definitely go for it. 🙂
Great points. #sindhureads #myfriendalexa
Thanks 🙂
This is a wonderful post! And most necessary. Also, I cannot ignore a post on books or resolutions. :p
[@samantha_rjsdr] from
Whimsical Compass
Happy to meet a fellow bibliophile. 🙂 So glad you liked the post.
Reading a good classic every month is a very good habit. Good luck with your resolution.
#MothersGurukulreads #Myfriendalexa
Thank you :). Glad you dropped by.
A cute list of very realistic goals. I share a couple of them, especially the not-getting-swayed-by-reading-challenges bit (as I believe then reading becomes more of a chore less of a joy)
With only three months to go for 2019, have just decided to encompass all my reading goals in one…reading as much as i can! 🙂
Also, I liked that you have included exceptions to each of these goals. Reading teaches us that—-to keep space for extraordinary happenings.
Your comment me so happy. Always a pleasure to stumble upon a fellow bibliophile. Wishing you excelling in your reading (and writing) goals for the next 3 months. 🙂
Interesting post 😀 I can understand not having place for more books 😀
Glad you liked it. 🙂
I’m looking forward to your blog posts on books. I’m disheartened by how little time I have to read so I won’t push myself with bookish challenges but I am never without a book. Reading ‘Quiet’ now – by Susan Cain. It’s all about introverts.
“Quiet” is on my TBR list for a long time. Loved Susan Cain’s Ted talk – “Power of Introverts”. Thank you Kalpana for dropping by. Finding time for reading is a great challenge to me. But as I’m kinda social hermit, it suits me. 😛
Reading kindle books were a good decision 😉. I am like obessed with my kindle. So that was mandatory for me to say 😀
Me too. For me, Kindle is now as vital as cell-phone/laptop. 🙂
I love stand alone books because then I don’t have to think and be like a curious cat. 😀 I too have almost switched to Kindle and ebooks but yet I cannot let go of physical books which I have limited to reading one from library.
Even I have stopped running after book series now. Too long wait for the next part spoils the joy of reading.
Exactly. And they’ve become totally money-minting machines now.
I second your choice of box sets to be owned.. i am equally desperate to have these box sets on my shelf. About ebooks, i am saving up for my kindl. Not that happy with kindle app for Android.
Yeah that Kindle app sucks. I’d totally recommend you to invest upon a Kindle Paperwhite. Worth every penny.
I miss my fast reading habit. In fact, as I have started writing on a regular basis, my reding has been suffering. But it high time now I should make a discipline in life and get back to reading.
I know, right? Blogging in itself is a huge time-eater (in a good sense) that one tends to neglect the pursuit of “reading”.