My New Year's Resolutions (10 months later)

Every day is New Year's Day. So today, after looking back (in horror) at my failure at keeping last January's resolutions, I'm making some new ones.

Here are my January 2011 resolutions and my grade:

• Quit reading so many books about politics. Grade: F
• Quit reading so much ephemera. Incomplete. I didn’t define ephemera.
• Read only one book on a subject, only one biography of a person, not half a dozen as I sometimes do.  Grade: D
• Read more fiction and less non-fiction.  Grade: F
• Read more of the books from the 19th and early 20th century, periods that I love.  Grade: F
• Read fewer literary novels and prize-winners and books from "best-of" lists.  Grade B
• Read more of those mysteries I enjoy so much. Grade: C
• Read more of my Library of America books.  Grade: F
• Employ Nancy Pearl's Rule of 50 ruthlessly. Grade A

My resolutions for the three remaining months of 2011:

• Finish the nonfiction books I'm now reading and then read no more until January.
• Be ruthless about reading only one book on a subject. Force myself to make choices.
• Read more fiction, especially 19th and early 20th century fiction.
• Continue to eschew Booker Longlists and Orange Prize Shortlists.
• Read more mysteries.
• Read at least one Library of America book a month.
• Listen to more audiobooks.
• Continue to employ Nancy Pearl's Rule of 50.

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Comments

[Thomas at My Porch]

I would think that staying away from non-fiction will make it much easier to not read multiple books on one subject.

Do you have a pile of fiction waiting for you or are you leaving it up to chance? If you need recommendations I am more than happy to help. Nancy Pearl would be a great source.

And speaking of NP, the Rule of Fifty is a godsend.

I am contemplating what I might want to achieve by the end of the year. I think my goal will be to finish off the books in my nightstand, many of them already started. Your resolve will help me with mine.

[Mary]

You are absolutely right, Thomas, staying away from the nonfiction is the key to solving my problem. But I LOVE nonfiction. I just don't have a good way to choose between so many good books or the willpower to stick to my choices.

I spent a couple of hours today going through the non-fiction I'm already reading, with my husband across the room laughing at me. Confidence Men is a keeper, but how to I decide between 1493 and Yergin's new book on energy?

I do have a pile of fiction waiting for me. In fact, if I actually piled them up they would reach the 11-ft ceiling and continue up into the attic. And those are just the ones I own. I add to the pile all the time - you and Nan on her Hill Farm are especially are good sources for books I know I'll like.

As you know, I've been trying to decide where to go with my blog and this focus on what I'm reading (and not reading) is part of that re-examination of my goals.

It's only 3 more months to the end of the year. You can do it - limit yourself to the books on your nightstand (with maybe a title or two slipped in before you actually make the vow.)

[Fay]

Mary, I am going to join you on the audiobooks resolution. Load mp3 files onto the player, put on the headphones, and walk. - Fay

[Pamela Thomas]

I've been meaning to get over here to your blog, but in a way I suppose I've been avoiding it because I feared it would be addictive and hence decrease my reading time, LOL. And this subject is addictive - it gives me ideas to think about as I complete my formal reading plan next year! Maybe I can give myself some Fs, too, LOL~

[Juanita Rice]

Late-comer to the conversation asks naively, so what is the Rule of 50 and who is NP?