Resolved

I'm not one for making New Year's Resolutions. There's nothing special about the first of the year that will miraculously transform me into an efficient, competent go-getter. But after reading dozens of lists from other people, I thought I'd give it a shot. Start of a new decade and all.

1. Over on Salon.com, book editor Laura Miller makes a case for getting out of your literary comfort zone. Read something different from the ordinary. Choose a new genre. So I'm going to see if I can't expand my horizons a wee bit. Since I read very little fiction, I think I'll try to read one new bestseller every month.

2. Miller is also enthusiastic about writing down everything you read. She claims it's as effective as keeping a diary. While it's true that I do enjoy going back over books I have read, it's even more true that I really dislike making book lists. Probably stems from some grade school summer reading program trauma. You can see how diligent I am about this blog, right? But I'll try.

3. More than one resolution list I've read has had something along the lines of "Fewer blogs, more books." Sounds good in theory. I probably spend at least an hour a day reading stuff online. I doubt that will end any time soon, but I do resolve to keep up with the posts in blogs I love. I did purge a few non-essentials from my Reader, and if I notice too many unread posts stacking up I will happily delete them.

4. I refuse to waste any more time reading books I don't like just because I've started them. I've already ditched a couple this year: Mitch Albom's Have a Little Faith and An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon. The first was so poorly written I couldn't get through it no matter how hard I tried (I have a special hatred for book chapters two pages or less). I enjoyed Gabaldon's other books, but it's been so long since I've read the rest of the Outlander series that I just can't remember who's who. Not to mention that at nearly 900 pages I can barely lift the thing. Think I'll wait until it's out in paperback so I can just buy a copy and take my time.

5. I could add my perennial resolution of getting all my books entered in LibraryThing, but it won't happen (I AM over 1000 books though!). Instead, I swear that this will be the year that all my books will have a home on a shelf somewhere. No more piles on the floor. Maybe.