2015 Resolutions Challenge
As we start a new year, Laura of Trips Down Imagination Road and Michelle of Because Reading is Better than Real Life are hosting a different kind of challenge for 2015. The jist of it is to share between two and five things you want to do more / better on your blog, or something you want to change of start doing in 2015.
Here are the official rules:
- Create between 1 and 5 resolutions related to books/book blogging (there are examples in Laura’s post but you can make up your own)
- If you have 2 or more resolutions than 1 can be unrelated to books/book blogging 3. Create a sign up post and add it to the Linky on this post (sign up before Feb 1st)
- On the 30th of each month (and the 28th for February) create an update post about your goals and add the post to the Linky that will be on Laura’s or Michelle’s blogs
- This is a year long challenge, so you can’t add resolutions that could be done in a day these must be year long goals.
- For each goal you complete you get one entry into the giveaway that will be in our wrap up post on December 31, 2015
I thought it was a great idea to have some new years resolutions for my blog, as I’ve been doing most things by the seat of my pants since I started blogging, and having just finalised my 2014 wrap-up post with my reviews, genres and other things, I realised I read and reviewed 140 books from Netgalley. That is a lot of books! And I actually do buy books, too.
Just look at how my kindle looks right now:
In case it’s difficult to read – in my TBR collection there are 569 books, in my COYER to read collection there are 304 books, in my ARCs to read 33 and in my 2015 HW Challenge 43… With just my TBR, I have much too many books for a year, and I can’t help but adding more books every single week!
Resolution number 1
Read my own books! Yes, I’m going to try to read more of the books I’ve bought and have either on my physical shelves or on my kindle, because I know I bought those books for a reason. This also means I need to request less ARCs from Netgalley. I specify Netgalley, because I’m going to the RT Book Convention in Texas in May, and I will definitely bring some ARCs home with me from there…
Resolution number 2
Do some more discussion posts. Sometimes, I have really great ideas for discussion posts, but then I forget all about them. So now, I’m having a cute, little, pink notebook in my bag everywhere I go (and next to my bed, too!) so I won’t forget those ideas. I will try to post one discussion post each month.
Resolution number 3
Listen to more audiobooks! I have lots and lots of audiobooks, and I haven’t listened to that many yet. When there is a good narrator, I love being completely immersed in a story without really having to work much for it myself 😉 So I want to participate in an audiobook challenge for next year, and my goal is to listen to one audio book each month.
Resolution number 4
Write more reviews of the books I read that I own. I am very good at writing reviews for my ARC copies, but not always very good when it comes to writing reviews after finishing a book I have paid for. I’m not sure why that is, apart from the fact that I want to keep my Netgalley score up where it is now. So this resolution is about reviewing all the books that I have bought myself (whether they be freebies or full price books).
Resolution number 5
This is not a blogging / bookish resolution. Sadly, I started smoking when I went back to Uni in September 2010 – after being smoke-free for ten years. So my personal resolution for 2015 is to quit smoking! And stay smoke-free!
What about you? Are you participating in the challenge? I think the fact that we can actually choose our own resolutions to use for a year-long challenge is amazing, and while I haven’t given numbers for all of the things I would like to better myself on, I will still have ways to keep track… just wait until you see my 2014 wrap-up post – it includes statistics about where I’ve gotten my books from, for instance.
I hope I’ll see you around the resolution challenge in 2015!
About Linda @ (un)Conventional Bookworms
Linda is an English as foreign language teacher and has a Master's degree in English Language and Literature. She's an avid reader, blogger, compulsive one-clicker and a genre omnivore. Ever since she learnt how to read she has been seen with a book or two in her hands everywhere she goes.
Those are great resolutions! I haven’t made any official ones, but I’m going to read more of my own books too, and buy and request less new ones. All those books can become so overwhelming sometimes. I also want to listen to some more audiobooks, especially because I spend so much time on trains for my commute. Good luck with your goals, and I hope you manage to quit smoking! (:
Audibooks are amazing, I have found some narrators that make it a really good experience to listen instead of reading myself 🙂
Thanks for stopping by Celine.
You should join in this challenge Celine! You set your own goals and you don’t have to do 5! 🙂
Twitter: Mlsimmons
those all sound like great resolutions. Glad to hear you plan on joining the audiobook challenge. It is a lot of fun. Can’t wait to see you at RT.
It’s a good way for me to make sure I actually do listen to those audiobooks I have gotten, Melanie. I can’t wait to see you at RT, either! It’s going to be so much fun 🙂
So excited you’re joining us! (And not just because part of me was worried it was just going to be me and Michelle all year long!)
You have just put in my head the idea of a 2014 wrap up post…which ia just a bit scary for me!
LOL Laura! You really thought it was going to be only you and Michelle?
I have help to make a wrap-up post, all my stats can be imported with short-codes, and that really helps. It’s really good for me to see what I’ve been doing during 2014, and it’s helped me both with my resolutions and for planning some other things as well.
Well…there was a chance! This is me being overly worried!
I honestly dread to think. If I do one that is more than 400 books that I have to go through, now that’s a scary thought!
Read your own books, such a good resolution, I can relate ! That’s funny, I had taken another resolution recently (not buy any new cheap/freebie) and that resolution failed hardly 1mn ago lol, it didn’t last long lol. Based on personal experience, the e-cigarette does help : I used it and smoke less, then stopped 🙂
Yeah, I need to stay away from free/cheap books, too Iza. That one-click finger is always happy to do its job 😉
This is a super idea and I’m going to be joining in this challenge. 🙂 You have some really good resolutions, Lexxie. And I know you’ll do well with them all – I see you as a very goal-oriented person. 🙂 And I may copy a few of yours. I wish you all the luck with quitting smoking. I know it’s going to be hard but I also know you can do it.
**BIG HUGS* & <3**
I know quitting smoking will be hard, but I really, really want to! Just not right this minute :O See what my problem is?
I’m so happy you’re joining this challenge, Brandee! Copy all you want 🙂 the important thing is for us to set some goals we can meet, and that will help us be happier readers and bloggers (and just over-all, too…)
*BIG HUGS*
Twitter: bmreviewsohmy
I was excited to see this challenge come to light and didn’t know it was ready till I seen your post. So now I am going to think of something to do. 🙂
I’m sure you’ll find at least a couple of resolutions, Stormi 😉
Those are some great resolutions! I have a plan to write more discussion posts–they’re so fun to write and makes me less prone to reviewing slumps.
Great post! <33
Discussion posts are awesome, Melanie! I need to keep a note-book close-by, so I don’t forget any ideas for posts I think might be good, though 🙂
Thanks for stopping by!
I’e never tried audio book before. Been interested to get one. Maybe i should put that on my 2015 bookish resolution. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
I have listened to a few that were truly outstanding, Deasy. Thanks for stopping by! All the best for 2015.
Every year I say I am going to read my own books. The stacks in my room are borderline embarrassing!
I know that feeling so well, Lyn! I hope we’ll both be able to at least a dent in your stack in 2015 🙂
Great goals! I also want to do some discussion posts. I always ran out of time but now that I set this as a goal I have to do it lol. Plus it is good to have a variety of posts for our blogs. Good luck and have a great year!
That’s a great idea, Kathy. I know what you mean about time, though… which is why I don’t want to say I’ll do discussion posts every week – if I can get one done per month, I’ll be happy.