Diary of a Bookseller #8
Every year I set out to make normal New Year’s resolutions, like eating better, working out more regularly, the usual stuff most basic middle class white girls vow to do every January. But this year, I realized I really want to make some book related resolutions, so here goes! Some are specific to my role as a book seller and buyer at an independent bookstore in the US, but I most can be universally applied to book lovers around the world.
Resolution #1: Read More
A resolution to read more? How revolutionary. I read, a lot. But I really only finish reading* just over 50 books a year – my goal has always been to average 1 per week. But in previous years, I’ve included non-standard prose books like graphic novels, poetry, manga, etc. in this count and this year I want to focus on those 52 books being traditional prose. I’ll still read the others (I just stocked up on new comic book issues at my local comic book shop today), but I’m not going to count them. I will still count audiobooks, I save eliminating them from the count next year if I can make it to 52 with just traditional books this year.
*as a bookseller, I “blurb read” over 300 books a year, but only finish/savor reading about 1 a week.
Resolution #2: Finish Every Book Club Book
My first book club, I abandoned/endured a hostile takeover, because people were picking their favorite books, getting offended when others didn’t like them, and then yelling at each other if they didn’t finish the book each month. I started to get a lot of anxiety about each and every book club meeting if I wasn’t a huge fan of the book or didn’t finish – no one wants to be yelled at. But for my new book club, the Nonfiction Book Club, I find myself much more compelled to finish every book and the fact that one from last year still isn’t on my completed list is really driving me nuts. Oddly enough, it’s the only one with out an audiobook… I wonder if that has anything to do with it.
Resolution #3: Participate in a Blogger Feature
Every week I see the Top 5 Tuesday posts, featured themes for each month, and all sorts of other book blogger created feature. I’ve never joined in, because I get way too nervous about committing to a theme/genre too far in advance. I’m too much of a mood reader. I can’t even create a TBR list anymore because I feel to much pressure. But this year – this year I want to join in!
Resolution #4: Write 3 Posts a Week
In the two and a half years since I moved Celebration of Books to WordPress, I’ve created a couple of different post styles:
- Bookish Tuesday, typically a book list/category from my book journal
- Diary of a Bookseller, features about my job and reading life in general, typically done on Thursdays
- Nonfiction Book Club, reviews of my monthly nonfiction book club books
- Comic Monday, highlighting my favorite comics and graphic novels (something I want to bring back)
- New This Month, a round up a new books coming out that month
- Book Reviews, a general overview and review of a book I’ve read, typically done on Sundays
With all these options, I figure I should be able to manage consistent posting/be better about planning posts out further in advance. Are there any, dear readers, you would like to see more of/want me to feature?
Resolution #5: Use My New Book Journal!
I go through phases when I want to use my book journal, but this year I made what I’m calling The Ultimate Book Journal! It includes a calendar and blog planning space, pages for each and every book I read during the year, and all of my usual lists that I have on the Book Journal page on here. My end goal with this new book journal is eventually to make it available for purchase and sale – I’ve made some for my coworkers to help me test out the format this year, and then hopefully next year I’ll have it ready for sale! It is a beast of journal, a whopping 300 pages, but I’ve been compiling and sorting through every other book journal I’ve seen/owned/used for the past 15 years and I’ve think I’ve finally got it down pat, I just have to use it!
That’s if for my resolutions for this year, but I’m always looking for more good ideas – does any else make bookish resolutions?
Celebration of Books 