Top Ten Tuesday: Hosted by the Broke and the Bookish!
So, I’ve never been big on resolutions. I know I will inevitably let myself down and then I will just be sad that I made the resolution in the first place because then I created the opportunity to disappoint myself. I know, I am such a terribly cynical person. But for the purpose of this post, I tried my best. It was very difficult to do, I’ll have you know.
- Read 52 books in 2015! One book a week. I CAN TOTALLY DO THAT, RIGHT? I want to set myself a target that’s realistic given how busy I am, a target that’s a little challenging but won’t stress me out. One book a week sounds about right.
- Read at least one LGBTQ book a month! That should be easy…
- Keep blogging. The whole year. If I’m still posting on this blog this time next year I will consider that a resounding success.
- Only request ARCs if I really, really want them. If I request an ARC and I get it, I am going to read it and review it. I feel so bad about all the stuff I got this year that I haven’t read and don’t really plan to read ever…
- In the same vein, STOP BUYING BOOKS UNLESS YOU’RE REALLY GOING TO READ THEM. At least ARCs are free!!! BOOKS AREN’T FREE. SO STOP WASTING YOUR MONEY ON THINGS YOU WILL NEVER READ. 😡
- Read and review more adult fantasy books! And maybe a bit of sci-fi as well. I love fantasy but I’ve always neglected sci-fi and there are some pretty cool books like Ancillary Justice that I really want to read!
- Spend more time reading and commenting on other blogs. I wanna make more blogger friends!
- If I intend to review a book that I’ve read, then I am going to review it, even if it’s just a very quick mini-review. (And yes, ALLOW YOURSELF TO WRITE QUICK MINI-REVIEWS. Reviews don’t all have to be lengthy and eloquent and thoughtful and perfect!!!)
- Actually allow myself to give books low ratings without feeling really bad about it and then somehow rating the book a bit higher than I should’ve because I felt bad. NOOO. DON’T DO THAT CYNTHIA.
- Honestly, I think my biggest resolution is actually to just take it easy and not be overambitious or get angry at myself when I fail to do certain things that I expected myself to do. (This probably applies to life in general as well.) I want to enjoy blogging and just do whatever makes me happy, because that’s the only way I’ll still be blogging a year from now.
Afterwritten 
We have so many goals in common. Like making more blogger friends and just simply comment more. I always want to write looong reviews but I should give a chance to mini-reviews as well, more so if I can post mini reviews of books in the same series.
To simply enjoy blogging made my list too. I always make the mistake of worrying over everything and I don’t want that because it doesn’t only ruin the blogging but the reading experience as well.
I wish you tons of luck and a happy New Year!
MY TTT: http://reading-is-dreaming-with-open-eyes.blogspot.hu/2014/12/top-ten-blogging-resolutions-for-2015.html
Yeah, I write such long reviews. I attempted mini-reviews before but my mini-reviews were pretty much as long as some people’s normal reviews, haha.
Let’s hope we can both just enjoy blogging without stressing out over stuff! Happy New Year to you too! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
I’d love to expand my reach, as in meeting new bloggers, commenting more, and just posting more overall too. At the same time, I want blogging to remain fun, though. It’s a hobby, not a job, so I want to be content with it and not stress over anything.
And I can understand the need to stop buying books you don’t read. I try to read all books I buy, but with the ones I don’t enjoy, it is often a waste of money. I wouldn’t feel to bad about posting negative reviews on these books, on that note, because you spend your own time (and who knows, maybe blood, sweat, and tears, too, I don’t know) to read and analyze that book.
But good luck with your goals!:)
Claire @ Cover to Cover
Yeah, I’d love to expand my reach too. I moved blogs but I didn’t move my followers over so I’m basically starting afresh with this blog. With my previous blog I had just reached over 200 followers in total, so I really want to get my number back up to that… (It’s currently at about 50.)
I guess you’re right! I definitely put a lot of time and care into each review, whether positive or negative. I will try and stop feeling bad about it!
Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
I love this! Some of the #’s made me laugh as well. #1 was my goal for the year just gone, but I only decided it in May so I’d already missed almost 5 months of dedicated reading! My goodreads says I have ONE more book to read until I’ve completed my challenge though, so I’m glad i still managed to get there. O_O I’ve got to read something quickly! =D
I’ve been really good with #6 this year, I read a lot of fantasy. I hope you manage to get in a lot in 2015 – fantasy books can be sooo loong. Number #5 though =( I bought job lots of fantasy books on eBay so I ended up with an extra 90 fantasy books I haven’t read e_e SUCH a bargain though! =D
#7 can be really difficult when you’re blogging a lot, reading a lot, and then working overtime like me. But I’ve found that people in the blogging community understand that you get busy and don’t like hate you, XD so I try at least once a week to visit the blogs I like. Like this one!
Oh God. Oh God number 9. -_- This year, I only had 2 two star books and no 1 star books phew. I felt nervous about posting those two though! I shouldn’t have because they WERE awful. IO really like this post! I guess I will be back next year. =]
I didn’t complete my 2014 Goodreads Challenge. I challenged myself to 60 books and I read 55, I think. I only decided that challenge in March, and then I also didn’t read any books from about August till… er, the beginning of December. So yeah. Better luck this year though, hopefully!
I know, that’s the main problem with fantasy books…. Their length just daunts me. ): 90 FANTASY BOOKS!!! Eeek. I only have about 20 books max that I’ve bought and haven’t read… Maybe my problem isn’t as bad as I thought…
Yeah, it’s definitely hard! I really do want to comment back on every blog that comments on my blog, but it takes up quite a lot of time.
Thanks, I’m so glad you like my blog! 🙂
#4-5 for sure!!! I have so many books that I’ve bought that I’m like… maybe I’ll read them… in a year… It just wastes shelf space and then I feel like I can’t get rid of them because I spent the money so I might as well read them, right??
I’ve struggled with #9 too, but I think I’m getting better at it. I hope you’ll be able to get over the guilt! It’s so hard sometimes, but a bad book is a bad book – no need to lie about it 😉
Thankfully, lately I’ve been making some progress with the books that I got ages ago but haven’t read yet. It’s worse with Kindle books, I feel. They don’t even have a physical existence, so I feel like I can just ignore that I bought them…
Yep! I think it’s also kind of annoying when I feel like I’m the only person in the world who is giving the book a low rating… I’m just like MAYBE I’M JUST WEIRD??? MAYBE THIS IS AN EXCELLENT BOOK AND I JUST DIDN’T SEE IT??? AHHHHH.
Great goals! Love them all, but especially number 10! Happy New Year!
Yes, number 10 is definitely the most important. Happy New Year to you too! Thanks for stopping by my blog! 🙂
I’m with you on the book-hoarding problem. I don’t usually buy books but, oh boy, when I get into the library I pick up ever book I’ve ever heard off and take it home with me. I’ve also got your seventh resolution on my list :3 A great list! Good luck!
Here’s my Top Ten: https://bookrambles.wordpress.com/2014/12/30/top-ten-goals-and-resolutions-for-2015/
Well, at least you don’t have to pay for library books, haha! I should probably get into the habit of using the library but I’m just so lazy, I love shopping for books online in the comfort of my own home and getting them delivered straight to me…
Thanks for stopping by my blog! 🙂
I know the feels of requesting ARCs and being excited from the blurb but then once I actually do get accepted to read it, with mood reading especially, it remains chilling on the TBR shelf forever. Woops.
Cheers,
joey via. thoughts and afterthoughts
Yep… Also the worst thing is when I request an ARC just because I’ve seen some hype for the book and I don’t actually really want to read that book that much myself…. EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT IT, I CAN’T RESIST. It’s terrible.
Thanks for stopping by my blog!
I so know what you mean about giving low ratings. I always feel guilty about it, but I think it’s better to be hones than nice sometimes. If I’m giving everyone three or four, or even five, stars, then the really, really good books don’t get a chance to stand out and shine.
I’m pretty new to book blogging, too, if you want to be blogging friends! I love reading queer books and I want to find more for me to read (and to get for my library) in 2015. We can exchange recommendations?
Yeah, it’s definitely better to be honest! I’ve had quite a bit of luck with all the books I’ve read lately though, I’ve liked all of them. Although now that I’ve said that I’ll probably run into a two-star book soon.
Yes, we should definitely be blogging friends! I have followed you back on Twitter. 🙂 I’m looking forward to a lot of queer books in 2015! Hope they don’t disappoint me…
I THINK 52 BOOKS WILL BE GOOD. That’s around 4 books a month kind of, and I’ve been doing that and I have a ton of work to do to! So it’s pretty manageable. REQUEST ALL THE ARCS AND BUY ALL THE BOOKS HAHAHAHHA. Ok just kidding. I wish you the best of luck on both of those goals though 🙂
WOW ADULT FANTASY?? >>>>>>> BRANDON SANDERSON (now go, go read his books)
Never feel bad about low ratingsss! NEVERRRR. Ok yeah sometimes I feel bad too so I understand. But oh well.
I hope you accomplish all these goals in 2015 Cynthia!
Yeah, I think it will definitely be manageable. Ideally I would read two books a week, since I think having two review posts on the blog each week is really good, but I’m not going to start stressing out if I can’t do that…
I’ve read Mistborn! I just need to find some time to start conquering the Stormlight Archive… I’m so daunted by long books though, haha. I really want to read some other stuff like A Song of Ice and Fire but like…… the books are so long….
Thanks! 🙂
Omg, Cynthia, I love the name of your blog. Afterwitten. It just sounds so classy and bookish and COOL. xD Anyways, those are some good goals! I think reading 52 books is quite doable, even though I only managed to read 28 books this year… *weeps* (But I’m blaming that on my book slump, sooo. :P) And ooh, I hope you’re still blogging by next year! I know I just met you, but we seem to have a lot in common and I’m loving your blog already, as you can probably tell, haha.
AND YES. I can’t agree enough about the ARCs one. That is exactly what I didn’t do, and now I’m paying the price. D: Late last year I requested all the ARCs and now I’m stuck with too many of them and not enough time and motivation. Oh, and I just went to a huge book sale and bought a ton of books. Yeah. I literally am drowning under my reading pile, ugh.
Lol, I’m a pretty long-winded person (seriously, I don’t know how people put up with my posts and comments because they can get so. freaking. long), so every time I try to write a mini-review, I end up writing a regular-length review, maybe just minus one paragraph. :’) But yeah, I have to keep reminding myself that a review doesn’t have to be perfect. That’s one of the reasons why I find reviews so hard to write, compared to other discussion posts!
I definitely agree about the needing to enjoy blogging part! Blogging isn’t a chore, nor should it feel like one. So if you ever feel like you’re losing the love for it, TAKE A BREAK. Seriously. It’ll save your life. ^_^
Wishing you all the best for 2015, Cynthia!!! I’m sure you’ll be able to achieve all those goals, no problem! ;D HAPPY NEW YEAR!
P.S. Thanks sooo much for that awesome comment on my blog. ❤ I'll reply to it soon!
Aww, thanks! You’re lovely! 🙂 I love the name of YOUR blog! It’s so cool! It’s not bookish but it’s just really cool and poetic and unique??
Oh no, a huge book sale! x___x I would be so weak. I would buy everything.
HAHA same I AM SO LONG-WINDED. After I write a post I’m like…. holy shit I wrote a whole massive essay, no one will read this, how can I trim it?? I CAN’T. I spend hours crafting my reviews and I’m like DID I INCLUDE EVERYTHING I WANTED TO SAY??? DID I ANALYSE THIS DEEPLY ENOUGH??? HAVE I CONVEYED THE EXTENT OF MY LOVE IN ENOUGH DETAIL??? God I love writing reviews but they exhaust me sometimes. I look at some other people’s reviews and I’m like…. I wish I could write short reviews like that…. It would probably eat a lot less of my time. But I can’t do it.
I did take a break! I blogged at Jellyfish Reads from March this year till about… August. Then I had to stop because I got way too busy. But I felt GUILTY AS HELL ABOUT my break so I think my last resolution also applies to if I ever feel like taking a break again… I then moved to this blog because I just wanted to purge myself of all the stress and guilt I associated with my previous blog.
Happy new year to you too!! Thank you for stopping by! ❤
Brilliant resolutions, Cynthia! Like you, I tend not to bother with resolutions. But if I was, I would like to try doing a little more on my blog than just reviews. I’d like to post more A Novel Cover Up posts, maybe take part in a few blog tours. But I can’t really do anything that requires much organisation or deadlines right now. Things are quite up in the air in real life at the moment, so blogging and reading have taken a back seat – I still read and blog, but they’re not a priority, and the moment I need to stop, I stop. Life is a bit more important right now. I guess I’ll have to see how 2015 goes.
Happy New Year, Cynthia! 🙂
Yeah, when I first started Jellyfish Reads I found it really difficult to do stuff other than reviews, but I think with this blog it’s starting to come more naturally to me. I tried blog tours before but I realised that maybe they’re not really for me. (Well, when I say I tried blog tours… the one and only blog tour I actually tried to take part in was one for Extraction by Stephanie Diaz and I had a review stop, and when I read the book I was like GOD THIS BOOK IS SO BORING, so I never actually took part in the blog tour…)
Yeah, I think it’s definitely important to prioritise your life no matter what! Even if there aren’t complicated things going in in real life, blogging shouldn’t really take priority over having a healthy social life… Which is kind of what it did for me when I first started blogging. But I feel much better about being able to balance blogging and real life now. I hope things look up soon for you!
Happy New Year to you too, Jo! 🙂
My goal at the moment is to read 116 books, but we’ll see… And I’m planning to read lots of LGBT too, not so many ARCs though (ARC means reviewing and I’m still figuring out how to go about that…). I don’t really have any resolutions/goals (setting goals makes me feel pressured and I don’t like that), but am planning to have lots of fun on my shiny new blog and just do what I feel like to do 😛
116 books? I guess that should be manageable, it’s only just over 2 books a week… When I look at people who read over 200 books a year I’m just like…. HOW. WHAT. ??????????
Yeah, I hate setting resolutions/goals as well really. But I did join quite a few reading challenges this year. I see them more as guides for what to read than as…. goals to achieve? It’s just, there are so many books out there to read, having some challenges that tell me that I should read debut novels or sequels or something just gives me some direction.
ARCs are kind of terrifying. I want to stay away from them but at the same time SHINY BOOKS THAT I GET TO READ BEFORE EVERYONE ELSE. Like, the idea of them seems great, but then when it gets to actually reading the ARCs I’m like….. I CAN’T.
But yeah, doing what you feel like doing is definitely the way to go! 😀