Below is from my original post from January 2013 with my Reading Resolutions for the year:
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So here are my 2013 reading resolutions. And like last year, I am putting them here in print so that I hold myself accountable to them.
- Genre Resolution: Last year I resolved to read 2 "new to me" contemporary romance authors. Not only did I accomplish this small goal, but by making the resolution, I also did a lot to educate myself on the newest trends in romance throughout the year. This year I am picking a new area to focus on-- Epic Fantasy. I am a big watcher of epic fantasy in TV and movies, but not a big reader. I love lighter, shorter single titles or series in my books. The big epic series are very popular though and I am not as well versed in them beyond George R R Martin. I am also currently working on a Game of Thrones readalikes list for the library, so a little more research will be helpful. Thus, I resolve in 2013 to read 2 first books in epic fantasy series that are new to me.
- Reviews Resolution: I am going to resolve again to get my reviews posted in a more timely fashion. I have already finished one book in 2013 (with 2 more about to be done), and I will try to get that review up this week. I read and reviewed 58 books in 2012, so it is important not to get too far behind or I feel like the queue of unreviewed books is going to smother me. So while last year I only resolved to do better, I am setting a more specific goal this year: In 2013 I resolve to do my best to never have more than 3 books waiting to be reviewed.
- Consulting Resolution: I traveled a lot in 2012. I did have a book come out, so it was important to get out and spread the word, but it was more than I like to travel for work. However, I do love spreading the RA gospel to those who want to improve their service. Thankfully, I am exploring new opportunities to tape webinars for library systems to use. I am doing my first two in March. I am excited about the chance to make it easier both for me to provide continuing education and for busy library workers to take part in it. I think this is a nice compromise. So, if you are interested in having me come to your library, near or far,contact me and we can talk about how I can film a webinar for you and your staff. I will even be using this technique to film an interview with a best selling author later this year.
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So how did I do? Well, I would say it was a decent effort. Overall I averaged out to a grade of a high B. Here are the details on how I graded myself.
For my genre resolution, I did read the first book in Naomi Novik's Temeraire Series. But I never got to another first book in a big epic fantasy series. I did, however, spend a lot of time researching the topic and educating myself. Grade: C for average.
We can forget about the reviews resolution. I did great until the summer when I work less and the kids are around. I have time to read but not as much time to write. We are too busy having fun. The problem is, once I got behind, it was impossible to dig out. Add to the fact that I will have written at least 60 reviews this year which is more than last year. Grade: D+
In terms of my consulting resolutions, I did great. I have been doing a lot more consulting from home by utilizing technology and the trips I did take, were tacked on with visiting family and friends. In fact, I already have 1 international gig lined up for March of 2014 [via Skype] and a few more in the works. Grade: A
We can forget about the reviews resolution. I did great until the summer when I work less and the kids are around. I have time to read but not as much time to write. We are too busy having fun. The problem is, once I got behind, it was impossible to dig out. Add to the fact that I will have written at least 60 reviews this year which is more than last year. Grade: D+
In terms of my consulting resolutions, I did great. I have been doing a lot more consulting from home by utilizing technology and the trips I did take, were tacked on with visiting family and friends. In fact, I already have 1 international gig lined up for March of 2014 [via Skype] and a few more in the works. Grade: A
This will be the final Monday Discussion of 2013. But, save those 2014 resolutions for January 6th when the Monday Discussion will return. I'm already working on those myself.
For past Monday Discussions, click here.
My reading resolution was an extension of my larger resolution which was to only do things that were fun. I must say I really stuck to it and was able to keep it all year! In the past, if a book was awful I sometimes felt an obligation to "give it a chance" if I'd already invested time into reading it. This year, I just gave up and moved onto books that were more worthwhile. I plan to renew this resolution for 2014.
ReplyDeleteMy Goodreads goal was 100 (new) books read and I made that goal along with 14 re-reads. I do post comments for every book on Goodreads, but I fell down dramatically in my blog. I like writing the blog because it gives me a chance to compare & contrast books or to set (public) goals. So I give myself an A+ for reading and a C- for writing.
ReplyDeleteI signed up to participate in some specific reading challenges on the blog. I read (only) 4 of the 12 books I put on my TBR challenge. D+ I read 16+ vintage mysteries. A+ I participated in two of four Classics Club spins. C