Bookish Habits That I Hope To Maintain Throughout 2019
Now that 2019 has begun, I have a few habits that I’d like to instill into my daily routine in order to improve myself, as a reader. They are subtle habits that I want to maintain throughout the year, but there are also some bookish goals that I hope to hit in this new year!
I Hope to Read 100 Books in 2019
This is a tentative reading goal that I refuse to stress out about. A few years ago, I let the numbers get to me, and it sucked all the fun out of reading. Rather than enjoying the books I was reading, I kept thinking about how quickly I needed to finish them in order to hit that imaginary target that loomed over my head. But this year will be different.
In 2019, I gently hope to read about 100 novels. But if I don’t hit that number, that’s perfectly fine. One bookish goal of mine is to focus more on quality over quantity. If I manage to read 100 novels, that would be great, but if I don’t, I won’t stress out about it. The greatest part of being a reader is getting to experience countless stories at your own pace. I’d rather spend my time diving into wonderful fictional worlds at a slower speed rather than rushing to finish as many books as possible.
So if anyone asks: I don’t have a set reading goal for 2019, but if I could read 100 books, that would be grand.
I Want to Read More Audiobooks
Now that I have discovered my recent love for audiobooks, I have become obsessed with listening to them. Audiobooks are a great way to read books at a faster rate, and ever since I’ve fallen in love with listening to stories, I’ve been reading them at lightning speed. I hope to explore more narrators and immerse myself in more fantasy novels, as well. For me, I enjoy listening to fantasy novels when they are read aloud to me, so I hope to explore the genre of fantasy through the use of a wonderful app called Libby which is connected to my library’s Overdrive account, and that introduces my next goal.
I Want to Support my Local Library More
In 2018, I discovered this app called Libby which is an online database of audiobooks and ebooks that is connected to your local library’s Overdrive account. Since discovering this, I aim to use this app more often to read digitally, which will not only help support my local library but also help me save money.
This year is all about budgeting and saving money, and using a library, if your country has them, is a great way to do just that! Rather than rushing out to buy a book, I aim to read books, more often, through my library. And if I enjoy the novel, then I will buy a copy of it to add to my bookshelves. This is a great way to save money and cut back on buying novels at random which most likely will sit on my TBR shelf for months, if not years before I get around to reading it.
I Want to Curb My Compulsive Book Buying Habits
I know many will gasp, but I want to stop buying so many books this year. Years ago, I bought books like it was my job, and that made my TBR grow out of control, leaving books to collect dust for years before I even considered picking them up.
I want to become a more conscious book buyer and focus more on the books I absolutely need rather than simply buying books on a whim. This is an effort to curb my TBR pile and finally get to the books that have been waiting patiently on my shelves for years.
Rather than buying the latest release, only to ignore it for weeks or months, I’m going to ask myself, in bookstores, “Will I read this book within the month of its purchase, or will it just ignore it for months or years?” If the answer is the latter, then I won’t purchase the book until I’m ready to actually read it.
My Bookshelves Need to be Tidied Up
I don’t know about you, but I love unhauling books that I don’t feel a particular connection to. Others might want to keep every single book they’ve ever read, and to each their own. But I have a limited amount of space in my room to store books, so unhauling novels that I didn’t enjoy or don’t see myself reading any time soon is such a freeing experience.
I don’t mind getting rid of books that don’t bring me any happiness because I know whoever will take those books off my hands will enjoy them much more than I did. I’m a big fan of keeping my shelves from overflowing with books, and in 2019, I hope to maintain that habit by donating or selling the books I don’t need to keep in my possession anymore.
I Want to Take More Photos of My Books
As a bookstagrammer, I want to make it my goal to share more photographs of the books I’ve been loving recently. Photographing books is such a fun hobby which allows you to let your creativity run wild while also sharing your love for reading with others online.
Having a bookstagram has brought me closer to readers around the world, so I hope to increase the number of bookish photos I take in order to spread the bookworm love with others and to discuss the books I’ve been devouring throughout 2019.
Do you have any bookish habits or goals for the new year? Let me know in the comments!
