Top Ten Tuesday, as always, is hosted at my other blog — The Broke & the Bookish
This week’s topic: Ten Bookish/Blogging Resolutions For 2015
I have one simple blogging resolution before I get to my readerly/bookish goals:
To keep focus on why I do this. I’m a pretty chill blogger about things — no strict schedule or feeling obligated to post if I don’t want to. I do what I want. Always. But 2014 was a hard year for me. I LOVED everything I did on the blog, felt creative and happy with what I’m putting out there. But I also really struggled. I don’t know what it is. I’ve been at this for almost 5 years and maybe this is a natural growing pain — the landscape has changed (good and bad and just DIFFERENT), a lot of my very best friends who I met when I started have since quit or have stepped back and that’s really hard for me, I’m desiring less to be part of a marketing plan, I wonder if I’m irrelevant these days, I’ve felt disconnected from the community (and have struggled to comment and read blogs — for many reasons I don’t have room to talk about here), I wonder what the future holds for this blog, etc. Some days I struggled to remember why I even did this. While there was great joy, there were some joyless days in my role as a blogger. I want to strip away EVERYTHING and really focus in on WHY I started this back in 2010 and keep my vision on that. Stop letting the distractions and the CRAP that can come with blogging affect me. I do this (and this was my entire reason for starting this) because I want a space to talk about books/being a reader and share what I’m reading and how I interacted with it. That’s pretty simple. All else should fall into place from there — no guilt, no obligations, no letting the blog dictate my reading, no falling into the trap that feels like I’m reading TO blog, etc. I need to re-find myself as a blogger I think as I go into year 5 of blogging and keeping it simple is where I need to be.
On to my other goals:
In 2014 I somewhat consciously and somewhat NOT read more books than usual from characters who don’t come from my background and I really enjoyed that. So in 2015 I want to be intentional about that and read 1 book a month featuring a character that is a different race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation or socio-economic background, etc than me. I really enjoyed the different perspectives and the shared ones of just being HUMANS in this crazy world. (LOOKING FOR RECS!)
Earlier this fall I talked about how in THEORY I like re-reading but outlined why I don’t do it more often and in that post I expressed that in 2015 I wanted to challenge myself to do this more. So, formally, here it is. My ten books I want to re-read list should prove to come in handy! Asheley told me how she LOVES doing re-reads via audiobooks so I’m thinking I’m going to try that route sometimes to help me with this goal!
I am pretty sure that “finishing series” has been a resolution of mine every year and every year the list of series I am in the middle of GROWS. But in order to achieve this goal, until I hit the 8 finished series goal, I am NOT allowed to start a new series until I make progress in or finish a series. THIS IS GOING TO BE SO HARD.
I need to seriously read books I’ve owned for a long time or get rid of them. That’s just how it needs to be. They have been collecting dust despite my desire to read them at SOME point. My book buying habits have drastically changed in ways because of THIS but before I used to buy A LOT of books at an alarming rate and still a lot of them sit.
I used to read non-fiction A LOT more before I started blogging — memoirs, history books, travelogues, humor, etc. Always very random, random things too. I love learning and I’ve been missing the non-fiction especially this year for some reason as I’ve been VERY heavy on fiction for the past 5 years or so. (LOOKING FOR RECS!)
I used to be all about the audiobooks but in the past year or so stopped. I used to listen while I was on the treadmill, while driving and doing things around the house like hanging up and folding clothes. This will help me with my re-reads goal above. (LOOKING FOR GOOD AUDIOBOOK RECS)
I have been too focused on hitting my Goodreads goal and so I have been ignoring the chunky books on my shelves. THERE, I ADMITTED IT. I can’t help it. It’s this dumb internal pressure that’s like MUST FINISH LOTS OF BOOKS. I want to read some chunksters this year.
This gets overwhelming and I get lazy but, even if I wasn’t blogging, this is something I would want to do as a READER. I’m not really going to worry about doing it for SUPER popular books but I want to make sure I’m leaving reviews for smaller to midlist titles I love. This one is a pain in the butt but I REALLY do want to support the authors I love in the best ways I can & I truly believe this does help. 
My resolution for 2014 was to get back INTO Youtube and I did that. I kind of dropped off here towards the last couple months of this year so I want to commit myself to making AT LEAST 2 videos per month. I’m hoping I’ll do more but I’d like to make this my minimum! Come follow my Youtube endeavors!
What are your bookish/blogging goals for 2015??
Celine says
I haven’t made a real resolutions post because I tend to feel too pressured then. I’m trying to find my way with my blog again too. I’ve blogged for 4,5 years and everything is just so different now than it used to be, and it can be so hard to adapt and find your own place in the community. I’m going back to what started my blog in the first place: writing reviews. Makes me feel a bit like an outsider though, since there are so many people that say that they don’t read reviews, ever, and that they prefer other posts because reviews are out. Ack.
Your goals are fabulous! You’re really diversifying your reading with different formats, lengths, subjects.. Cool 😀 I wish you the best of luck in 2015!
Jamie says
I do the resolutions but honestly I don’t get too serious about them and kind of go wherever my reading takes me and makes me happy. It’s fun to try and honestly I don’t feel a whole ton of pressure thank goodness!
I hate that we are both feeling like we need to re-find ourselves since we are at the same point on our blogging life but hopefully this year can bring us some clarity and peace on where we are and our role in the community. It’s soooo different and I think that I need to just stop holding on to what it was and hoping it will go back to that…bc it won’t.
Yes that was my overall goal! To shake it up quite a bit! I used to read so many different things and I’ve been in a pretty heavy YA bubble, which I love, but I crave all those other things but have just ignored it in favor of just keeping on with my mostly YA reading diet!
Natalie says
These sounds like some really good resolutions! I’m in the midst of writing my resolutions post right now and I’m not going to lie – it’s scary. The idea that once these are out there, once I’ve actually made a promise to myself and the readers of my blog I’ll actually have to stick to it. Good luck with your goals/resolutions in 2015, Jamie!
Elin says
Love your resolutions. Read books that have been on my shelf for years, should be on my list too. I haven’t made any resolutions yet. But maybe I should.
Nicole @ The Quiet Concert says
In theory, I like re-reading too, but I rarely do it but maybe I will join you (unofficially – since I didn’t list it as one of my resolutions) and try to re-read more books in 2015. I LOVE audiobooks, and this is how I’ve done all but one of my re-reads actually – so I second Asheley in that regard. As for non-fiction recommendations, Ashley recently read – We Should Hang Out Sometime and really enjoyed it! So there’s one! 🙂 And I would like to think that I will get control over all of the series I am in the middle of but I know that’s not going to happen, I don’t even track them – maybe I should start there…
Nicole @ The Quiet Concert
Tammy @ Books Bones & Buffy says
I love that your goals are mostly focused on books:-) I too sometimes wonder what the point of blogging is, especially when I work really hard on a post and get very few comments. I still wonder if anyone is reading it sometimes, even though my stats tell me otherwise! And yet, we keep blogging! Hope you have a fantastic 2015!
Cassie B says
Audiobooks are the way to go! Matilda by Roald Dahl and read by Kate Winslet is a great audiobook. She is brilliant as the narrator.
Jordan says
I love your resolutions. I’m a big advocate of audiobooks and I also tend to love re-reading books in audio form that I’ve read in a different format before! The Harry Potter books read by Jim Dale are amazing. My FAVORITE narrator is Davina Porter. She has read SO MANY BOOKS but I fell in love with her reading the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon (I recently head Rainbow Rowell say in an interview that Davina Porter is her favorite, too!) As for chunky books, I’d recommend Outlander (they’re long but read so fast), the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness, Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (read by Scott Brick – another of my favorites!)
Scott Brick also narrates several books by Orson Scott Card – particularly in the Ender universe (if you haven’t read Ender’s Game/Ender’s Shadow, DO IT THIS YEAR. The first time I read Orson Scott Card, I became SO OBSESSED and read everything in the Enderverse (the nerdy word for all the books that comprise this series) and after rereading those two this year, I’m being sucked back in! There are a LOT of books but you can choose ONE series or just read the first ones that I mentioned above. All of Card’s books really make you THINK.)
Jancee @ Jancee Reads says
Chunksters and nonfiction made it super hard for me to reach my Goodreads goal this year. So although I made it, next year I’m scaling back the number to reflect my new reading trends and also give myself some space to just chill. Seriously, why do I get soooo stressed over that number?
Anyway, good luck in reaching your goals!
Jacque says
Good luck with all of your goals!! I trained for a half marathon this year and found audio books to be a great way of keeping up on my reading and helping to pass the time during my training. I would also like to finish several of the series I have started this year. I hope you work your way through the issues you have been having with blogging and have a great new year!!
Here is my TTT: http://jacquesbooknook.blogspot.com/2014/12/top-ten-tuesday-bookish-goals-for-2015.html
Kyra says
I understand that whole blogging thing with friends leaving and such, two of my very good blogging friends stopped blogging and the one withdrew from the community completely and it is quite sad. I love your blog though, Jamie and I hope that you will blog for awhile still, but I wholly understand if you don’t, just know that we’ll always support you with whatever you decide! 🙂
I also need to finish more series, there are SO MANY that I have yet to complete and I want to write a post on which series I want to start/finish etc. I also want to start reading more books that have been on my shelves for years as I generally read the newer books and then the older books get forgotten, but I really want to change that!
Good luck with your goals! 🙂
Kyra @ Blog of a Bookaholic
My TTT Post!
Leah says
Yay non-fiction! 2014 wasn’t too great for my non-fic reading, but I’ve bought a few that I’m hoping to get to next year. I love me some true stories and I’m a bit bummed out I didn’t read nearly as many this year as I would have liked.
So around October/November, there was a crazy period where I was completely caught up with my ARCs and I spent weeks reading library books and stuff I already own. It was AMAZING and actually a little difficult to get back into review copies! Since then, I’ve been alternating: for every ARC I read I’ll pick up a book from my shelf. Not only is it a reward (and motivation!) but it helps to finally get through my mounds of books piled up all over the place!
Megan says
What a bunch of excellent goals. Most of them found me nodding my head and going “Yes, that!” I’ve been meaning to get my feet wet with audiobooks for a long time, and have determined to start re-reading using them, but I haven’t been at all purposeful about it, and I think that should change this year. I definitely want to get better about cross-posting my reviews, too. I read a lot of good books this year that didn’t seem to get all that much attention, and I’d love to do what I can for those authors.
It actually took me a couple *years* to refocus on my blog and why I do this blogging thing. I can definitely relate to going through a period of time when I felt disconnected from the community and blogging just seemed too *hard* and too *changed* from what it had once been and I almost vanished completely from it like so many of my blogging friends were doing. Finally, this year I think I may have come out on the other side of it, stepped back from a lot of the blogging neuroses I was barely aware that I had, and started to actually enjoy blogging and making new connections again this year.
Hope you have a great year!
Lakin says
Great resolutions and I hope your reason for blogging helps you enjoy it! I think we all go through times when we just aren’t completely into it at the moment, but try to keep going anyway. My goals/resolutions are really kind of generic, mainly because I don’t want to feel pressured when it comes to reading like I did at times last year (mostly with review copies). I really should have set cross posting reviews with Amazon and B&N, because I really tend to slack off with that. I do put all of my reviews on Goodreads though (but only because that’s the only way I can get the synopsis of a book on my blog correctly)! I should also probably give audiobooks a chance, but I don’t think I’m there yet.
My TTT
Brandyn says
Totally with you on wanting to read books with more diverse protagonists. There are amazing books out there it just feels like it takes a little more effort to find them.
Rachel says
You should check out Book Riot’s #ReadHarder campaign (http://bookriot.com/2014/12/15/book-riot-2015-read-harder-challenge/). It looks like a very informal push to read outside of one’s normal routine.
Lianne @ caffeinatedlife.net says
Great resolutions! Sometimes I also find myself wondering why I’m book blogging, hence why I’m scaling back a bit (less ARCs, less reading challenges & book tours) and getting back to what I enjoy about book blogging (i.e. last night I was re-reading some reviews I’ve written from some classics (which were some of my better reviews, IMO); the whole thing reinforced my need to get back to reading more classics this year).
Best of luck with your resolutions next year 🙂 (yay for the chunkster reads! =D) Happy New Year!
Lauren at Bookmark Lit says
I love this post! I just want to say in regards to your first paragraph, as a new blogger, your blog inspired me to get going. I love everything you post and am ALWAYS so excited when one of your posts comes up on Bloglovin. I hope you continue to do this for years to come. I’m not sure what the blogging landscape used to look like, but I’m sorry to hear that some things have changed (esp negatively). Regardless, you’ve got a great list of goals and I look forward to watching for your blog in 2015 as I have in 2014! 🙂
Kayla @ The Thousand Lives says
Ohhh cross-posting! That’s a great one 😀 I’m horrible with doing that, even just on Goodreads. I’ll need to add this to my list as well!
Emily says
You’ve got some awesome goals. I also want to try to catch up/finish some series that I’m working on. There’s so many I just ignore because something new pops up (though…I definitely have a few more starts to a few series in my house right now…oops). I think I would have less to read and feel a little less overwhelmed by my TBR if I could just catch up and finish a few of those. I love audiobooks, but sometimes it’s so hard to find one that’s good to listen to. No offense to some of the narrators, but I sometimes just enjoy it more if I am reading it instead of listening to someone else read it. One of the best audiobooks I listened to Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Ann Fowler. The narrator for that one was FANTASTIC. Seriously, I tried to read parts of it when I wasn’t in my car and it just didn’t work out. Even my husband, who typically doesn’t like historical fiction, really enjoyed this one. Good luck on accomplishing your goals for 2015!
Kaley @ Books Etc. says
SO many good goals. And some very similar to mine…or should have been on my list. I love reading your blog (especially when I need a YA rec) and hope you stick around. Here’s to an awesome 2015!
Giova @ Corazones Literarios says
I want to do audiobooks. I never “read” one before so I want to experience one next year. You know I think that the best way to less the pressure of blogging is to stand behind a few days or weeks reading lot of books and then come back. You don’t need to review them just need to read and the come back. It will give you perspective of what you read and blogging.
I love your blog, but if you think is better to let go, do it for yourself
La Coccinelle says
These sound like some great goals! I kind of wish I could re-read some childhood favourites… but I’ve got so many books in my TBR pile already. It would be kind of neat to see if my reaction to my old favourites is still favourable, though.
Trina says
I hope this reads as genuine, because it really is, although it’s sounding really lame to me! … In regards to you feeling bummed about the blogger friends you started with having quit since then, I know you have an abundance of other blogger friends and a great support group, but if you ever want to add a listening ear, please count me in. This next part is NOT marketing myself – but my 2015 goal, which I started early, was to create a YouTube channel where I can talk about books. I bring that up because you said you want to be more active on YouTube, so I’m saying saying this solely as a friend with a similar hobby! Really, if you ever need a listening ear or a fresh POV, I hope you know I feel like we’re friends from some of the conversations we’ve had in the comments section. I’m sure I just come off as an overly clingy follower, but I’m trying to be intentional. 🙂
Also, I totally forgot it was Tuesday! I’ve been working on this dang 2015 goals list for forever and then forgot about it!
Jessica @ a GREAT read says
OOoh nice! I’m really bad about posting my reviews everywhere too! The blog and goodreads are no problem, but Amazon? Yeah, a problem! Especially for the times I get ARCs they don’t like reviews up early at all, so I forget to post them there come release day and I’ve never posted reviews at B&N either…so crazy! So many places to post reviews! And I simply post the same review everywhere that I write on my blog and those can get a little chatty too! LOL! Part of the reason why I get reluctant to post elsewhere!
Good luck with your resolutions!
Here’s my Tuesday Post
Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower 🙂
Jenn @ Lost in a Great Book says
OMG – Cross posting is the bane of my existence. I am HORRIBLE at remembering to do that!!!
As for finishing series … I have only just started two series, both of which have over 30 books to them so far. What was I thinking??? Geez, I have mush for brains sometimes – but it’s also why I deliberately left it off my list of resolutions 🙂
Know that your blog is a wonderful respite for me on many days, and that while I don’t post comments often enough, I DO read and think about what you write. I hope you still enjoy the process, because I enjoy the result!
xoxo from Toronto.
Violet says
This is an awesome list. The resolution that you prefaced with is so heartfelt, and I think that it’s something that’s important to remember. I got very busy over the latter half of 2014 and felt like I was failing at blogging so I was unhappy with my posts, etc. Thank you for reminding me that it’s something to do because it’s what I love to do, and enjoy reading as well and to not feel bad about getting super busy in life. I’ve never been able to reread a lot of books, other than picking them back up and just rereading some chapters here and there, but I think it would be fun to try and reread some books in the new year like you said. I’m in the middle of so many series as well, and started a lot during 2014 as well, so I want to try and finish some as well, even though I always find it difficult to finish reading a series and saying goodbye to the characters and story line- although I guess that’s where rereading can come in too. I want to try and read some longer books, too, since I have A Song of Ice and Fire and the Heroes of Olympus series from Percy Jackson and those are some pretty long books. All of your goals are awesome in trying to read different types of books than usual. Best of luck with your goals in 2015!
Maraia says
Your blog was one of the first book blogs I started reading, and through it I have found so many more. I’m not a blogger myself, but blogs like yours help me feel a part of the wonderful community of fellow book addicts. Thank you – you’re definitely not irrelevant!
I LOVE audio books, and I agree that they’re the perfect way to re-read your favorite books. (Confession: it’s really easy to zone out while listening to audio books, but if you’ve already read the book, it’s not a big deal!) I re-read 33 books this year, and I think all but one of them was on audio. I borrow them through my library’s online database and then play them right on my phone with the Overdrive app. Easy!
Here are my recommendations:
-Harry Potter (Jim Dale is AMAZING. I could listen to his voice forever, and I listen to all seven books every year.)
– Fire by Kristin Cashore (another really great narrator)
– The Scorpio Races/The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater
– Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
– Daughter of Smoke & Bone series by Laini Taylor
– The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (also narrated by Jim Dale)
– anything by Rick Riordan
– His Dark Materials (Phillip Pullman actually does the narration himself!)
– Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier
– Queen of the Tearling (I think I enjoyed this more on audio than I would have otherwise)
Ashley says
Like so many other people commenting, your blog was the got me into book blogging. More importantly than that, your honest and personal reviews have lead to me to some of my favourite books and I always look forward to reading what you have to say. Thank you.
Amanda says
Audiobooks are my favorite! I love holding a book, but for books I know I’m going to have a difficult time getting through, audio is my go to!
Jessica @ Strung Out On Books says
I love your goals! I hope you are able to reach them and be successful in 2015! 🙂 I’ve never been much into audiobooks- I don’t have the attention span when the words aren’t in front of my face- so I hope to listen to some more audiobooks this year. Good luck! 🙂
Jen says
I want to start blogging to find the connection with other readers, but I’m so bad about remembering I want to. Here’s what I posted on my blog as my 2015 reading goals. They are simple, but good for me.
1) Read 60 books – My 2014 goal was 30 and I read 62… so let’s keep the numbers up.
2) Finish the Harry Potter series – I’m on to book 5 this year so this should be easy.
3) Finish 2 other series – I’m in the middle of a few series and would like to finish them.
4) Read 2 classics – This is a genre I have been wanting to try to get into. Why not start in 2015
5) Read 5 physical books from my existing TBR – This challenge means books I have already purchased.
6) Read 5 eBooks from my existing TBR – This challenge means books I have already purchased.
Alise @ Read.Write.Repeat says
Great resolutions!
In the search for good non-fiction books, I strongly recommend Quiet by Susan Cain. It’s all about introversion and how our culture is set up to cater to extroverts. As an introvert myself, I found it incredibly cathartic and validating. However, I think it would also be an excellent read for extroverts in the search to understand how the other half works.
Rebecca says
Hey Jamie,
Just wanted to say – you are SO relevant. You’re one of my favourite bloggers and I always love reading your posts and hearing about what you’re reading. I hope you enjoy re-discovering why you blog in the first place. It’s easy to get off path. I know I have. I found myself blogging for others instead of me. I think it was this post by Ashley @ Noze Graze that it finally actually sunk in: I BLOG FOR ME. Because I love books, because I love connecting with other bookies and letting others know how much I loved a book. Do check it out: http://www.nosegraze.com/we-blog-for-ourselves/
I have some rec’s for you! You want some diverse titles? I WHOLEHEARTEDLY rec The Last Leaves Falling by Sarah Benwell, which releases later this year. Thoguht-provoking, heartbreaking, powerful, thoughtful, cultural, gorgeous – have I convinced you yet? Also, prep the tissues!
Maybe you want a non-fiction that’s not bookish? But if not, I suggest The Bookshop Book. It’s this book about all the wonderful, lovely, quirky full-of-character bookshops around the globe. It’ll bring back fond bookshop memories and make you want to track down all the shops mentioned. A delight for those who LOVE bookshops!
Wishing you a fab 2015 <3 <3 <3
Michelle says
I know exactly what you mean about the landscape having changed in the blogging world. From this “old-timer” to another, I appreciate the enthusiasm and efforts you bring to each of your posts day in and day out. Here’s to completing each and every one of your goals this year!
Happy New Year, Jamie!
Ash @ Typing Tiara says
I love the idea of guilt-free blogging. That’s definitely something I’m hoping to accomplish this year as well.
I’m also hoping to clear out my gigantic TBR because it adds to my reading guilt and when there is guilt over reading that tends to carry over to the blogging in my experience. But despite that goal I’m also wanting to read more non-fiction which I don’t really own as much of so I’ll have to add to my TBR. But I’ve been wanting to branch out for years so I think that will really help me out in the long run.
Ellen says
I feel the same way about blogging. I used to work in a bookshop and I miss talking about books or recommending them.. So I started blogging as a way to share my thoughts. I’ll be blogging for a year at the end of January so I’m still new but I really like it.
I did Blogmas in December and was surprised that I actually posted something every day but I could never do it for longer than those 25 days.
I’m working on my resolutions blogpost now, I’ll upload it tonight or tomorrow.
Love your blog by the way!!
All the best for 2015!!
Kristilyn (Reading In Winter) says
I really need to incorporate more non-fiction in my reading … I read a few this past year and it was great! Good luck with all your bookish goals this year. 🙂
Johannah says
I like your resolutions! I need to read more – non-fiction as well. Maybe in another 2 years or so. I’m more of a mood reader, so I’ve learned this year. Great post and please keep blogging! I love reading your stuff!
Megan C. Stroup says
Reading more nonfiction is definitely on my list for this year, as well as reading those books that have been on my TBR for FOREVER. Good luck meeting your goals!
Alexa S. says
We have a lot of goals in common for this year, Jamie! There’s no doubt in my mind that what you set out to do, you can definitely achieve. I think the most important one you’ve mentioned is about your blog! It’s definitely a difficult spot to be in for you, but I have faith that you’ll slowly and surely figure out what’s right for you and what makes you happiest.