> Queer Books Please: Reading resolutions

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Reading resolutions

Look, okay, the whole new year's resolution post seems a little overdone. And yet, here I am... writing one anyway. One my resolutions for the blog and the podcast is to make my Win A Book From My Bookshelf contest more of a regular feature, a monthly contest that makes it easy for readers and listeners to enter, and also makes it easy for you to interact and share with me and the other folks who enjoy Queer Books Please.  In that spirit, here we go!



January 2014 Win A Book From My Bookshelf Contest: Reading Resolutions Edition!


I think it's fair to guess that most people interesting in a reading blog and podcast may be forming some reading resolutions around this time of year. Whether you're simply hoping to read more volume, or challenge yourself to read something difficult, or branch out into a new genre, setting a reading goal or two is a great way to inspire you on your next trip to the library or the bookstore.

A Year In Reading Suggestions on Tumblr has a different reading prompt for each month of the year. I particularly like the suggestion for January, reading a book that came out in your birth year, and also the suggestion for May, which is to read a book written in another country.

Buzzfeed of course has a GIF filled list of reading related resolutions 

I have two primary reading resolutions this year. The first is to read more Virginia Woolf. I loved ORLANDO when I read it last year and think that her brilliance is well worth navigating the sometimes difficult prose.

My second resolution is inspired by knitting. Knitters and readers have a lot in common, perhaps most obviously the impulse to look ahead to your next project even as you're enjoying your current work in progress. Readers will often build up handsome libraries made up of books they intend to read, knitters develop a stash of yarn so that they are prepared for many projects into the future. Many knitters will reach a point where they need to stop buying new yarn and instead focus on knitting from stash.

In the spirit of that idea, I'm committing to reading from my book stash, working my way through my too read pile on my shelf and the unread ebooks on my kindle. I'm not saying I won't get any new books or get anything from the library. Who knows what might absolutely have to get covered for the podcast, after all! But I'd like to be reading at least 75 percent from stash.

Okay readers, now it's your turn! What are your reading resolutions for the year? 

CONTEST DETAILS: Enter this month's contest by commenting here! You can answer the question, or even just say hi and that you'd like the enter. You can earn an extra entry by sharing on tumblr or twitter. I'll be sure to pop in in the comments sometime and tally entries so you'll know if I caught your tumblr/twitter share or not.

Comment/share by January 31 at midnight pacific time to enter.

If you win, I'll send you a book from my bookshelf! I've got a bunch of great lesbian/lesbianish books that you can choose from, and I'll ship anywhere!




4 comments:

  1. My reading resolution for 2014 is your second resolution nearly word for word, ha ha. I have no aspirations for reaching a certain number of books read during a year's time--busy, busy, busy and I have to read oodles (sometimes interesting, sometimes boring) for work--but they all have to be from my "to read" shelf. No re-reads (okay, one re-read because it was preplanned) and no new books. It's "the Year of the Empty "To-Read" Shelf!"

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  2. Oh, to get through the book stash! I moved countries, leaving my 'stash' thousands of miles away and have now formed a new stash here... hmm.

    This year's reading resolution is to read a book written by an author from every country (and territory) in the world. 204 things in total. I'm three countries in by the 5th so I'm not doing too shoddily.

    Now to keep practicing the knitting/reading combination so I can continue multitasking even though non-American/British works are rarely available in audiobook format.

    Do you have any obscure queer books on your shelves Mary? I'm trying to queer my reading the world project!

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    1. Oh, that's a fantastic resolution! I love that it leads to volume and diversity in one fell swoop.

      Kim Westwood is from Australia and has written a couple great sci fi novels.

      Anne Holt is from Norway and has written a bunch of mysteries.

      I'm currently reading FAREWELL MY QUEEN by Chantal Thomas. A French perspective on the French Revolution, and it's a little queer.

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  3. I'm resolving to read 52 books this year (a book a week).

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