markk

While writing my last post about my reading achievements in 2018 I came across my reading resolutions for the year. Reviewing them engendered a little disappointment, not so much because I didn't make them (although admittedly that was part of it) but because I had forgotten that I made them in the first place.

Upon reflection, I think the problem is that I forget they exist as they gradually descend down my blog feed. Because of this, I was inspired by a review of my feed to try it differently: rather than make an overarching set of reading resolutions for 2019 I'm going to subdivide them into thirds. This plays into something that I already do, which is set summer and fall reading goals depending upon where I am at that moment. This may cost me a little in terms of my broader reading development, but it will help in terms of ensuring that I don't forget what I'm hoping to achieve in the months ahead.

So, what are my reading resolutions/goals for the next four months? Three stand out at the moment:

1. Rein in my podcasting and its related reading requirements. This is a carry-over from my 2018 reading resolutions. While I did moderate my requests to authors, this was offset somewhat by an increase in the number of books proposed to me by the site editor. This reduced my rate of reduction, but I think it points to a direction in terms of my podcasting output that I can continue to fine-tune so as to free up my reading time for:

2. Reading books about England! Our upcoming summer trip to England (assuming England survives or escapes the Brexit omnishambles in May, of course) has wetted my appetite for reading more about English history, particularly history related to London and the Cotswolds. Currently in addition to the books I mentioned in a previous post I'm planning to read Jerry White's trilogy about modern London, the England-related books on my TBR list, and possibly a biography of Edward Elgar, though the latter two might be sacrificed to the exigencies of time.

3. Read poetry! This was the 2018 resolution that totally got away from me last year. Again, I'll try to harness National Poetry Month to inspire myself to pull down a volume of Yeats or Auden to enjoy.

I'll revisit these when I set my summer reading goals in May to see if my new approach works. Fingers crossed!