Reading Resolutions in 2013….

Bookish Stuff / Thursday, January 3rd, 2013

New Year’s resolutions are becoming nothing more than pressure.  If we’re not promising ourselves to honour our gym subscription, lose 5kg., to learn how to speak a foreign language, or to go through those random boxes in the attic, you can count on bibliophiles gearing up to fix the number of books they’re planning on devouring in the new year. I’m guilty as charged.   I hope I haven’t bitten off more than I can chew.

2012 has finally come to a successful end since I managed to finish my Goodreads goal by reading 51 books.  Here’s the part where you hear some cool music and of course lots of cheering for me.  I tried to choose different types of books and added some YA novels to my repertoire, with some reservation in 2012.  I’m still trying to like it as much as some but it seems just a little on the predictable, light side for me.  I’ll continue to read YA to give it a chance and I’m not giving up on finding some good ones.  Moreover, the YA titles I’ll decide to read in the future will hopefully be chosen with care.  If you have any recommendations please write them below.  Be careful not to suggest too many trilogies and series because you know how much they get on my nerves, although they seem to be the thing to publish at the moment.  There’s always one book that disappoints in them. With that said from the 51 books I read, my 12 Best Reads of 2012 in no particular order were:

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I was lucky to have chosen such interesting books, but unfortunately there were a few duds –1. Fifty Shades of Grey, 2. Fifty Shades Darker, and 3. Fifty Shades Freed.  They were the worst.Henceforth, another one of my goals of 2013 is to try to pick high calibre books no matter what genre and to enjoy my reading.  Speaking of resolutions, this year my goal is to read more African-American literature, more classics, more detective/thriller novels, a few rereads, more graphic novels, and more books from The Guardian Weekly’s 1000 novels everyone must read http://didibooksenglish.wordpress.com/2012/12/05/, which includes a bit of everything previously listed .  My challenges this year will be 55 books for the Goodreads 2013 reading Challenge and 5 books for the Big Book Challenge on Goodreads. That’s probably a few too many since I’m pretty busy, but I love a challenge and I gotta try.  So, I’ll certainly give it a good go.

As for my blog, I’m also adding a new rubric called Teacher Feature where I feature an EFL teacher working here in France each month.  These posts will contain information on what it’s like teaching EFL in France in different environments.  There will also be more posts on book related subjects, whether it be on book events, authors, new releases, and maybe even some other stuff.  I’d also like to thank all my subscribers immensely for supporting ReadEng. Didi’s Press this year and hope that 2013 here keeps your interest peaked about books and the literary world, and urges you to continue to comment or to begin to comment if you haven’t done so yet.  I wish you all very Happy reading, but most of all, I wish you all a very HAPPY NEW YEAR with much love, friendship, health, and prosperity in 2013!! 

24 Replies to “Reading Resolutions in 2013….”

  1. Happy New Year! I never plan the books, I’d like to read. I chose them rather haphazardly. At the moment I am reading a book I’ve read before but loved, Black Boy, along with Vanity Fair which I haven’t previously read. I haven’t read any young adult books but I am thinking about reading some of John Green’s novels. I should probably make a list.

      1. Me too. I learned about John Green through Youtube. He hosted a show called Crash Course: World History. I am so out of touch with new releases. I did know of the Shades of Grey series but I had no interest in reading it.

  2. By searching english and cartoons, I came up with this link. It seems interesting (at least the writer’s explanations show some deep thinking in creating the caracters, and it is in english).
    Check it out at this url :
    http://www.amazon.fr/Exile-Outlander-Graphic-Novel/dp/0345505387/ref=sr_1_13?s=english-books&ie=UTF8&qid=1357250788&sr=1-13#reader_0345505387
    I don’t know what it is worth; when you read this extract you can decide.
    I’ll see another time if I can find some english version of the best french cartoons I know.

  3. Love your Top 12 Didi, especially SILVER SPARROW. Tayari Jones has another novel which I’m determined to read this year.
    In the line of African American lit — I just finished (and really loved) THE TWELVE TRIBES OF HATTIE and, perhaps not American, but I think RUNNING THE RIFT is an excellent book about the genocide in Rwanda. I also read THE KITCHEN HOUSE this year, which I liked much more than THE HEALING.
    For YA, you might try Sherman Alexie. His work is funny and serious. I’m also a big John Green fan. I encourage both you and Erika to find THE FAULT IN OUR STARS. The themes are obvious, but the writing it first rate.

    2. I just started Twelve Tribes and plan to pick up The Kitchen House soon after. I also enjoyed the …Part-Time Indian book by Sherman Alexie. And I keep seeing The Fault in Our Stars pop up on different reading lists and book sites. I might have to add it too! Great recommendations, glad to see most are already on my list.

  4. On the recommendation of a bookshop owner and avid reader, I bought Wonder
    by R.J. Palacio for a teenage nephew, which is supposed to be a wonderful YA/crossover book, as in good for all ages to read, that could be interesting. John Green I see a lot in blog reviews. You’ll meet the challenge I am sure Deidre!

    Great list, there are a few there on my shelf, I’m going to try and make sure I get to in 2013, you see how quickly the list modifies!

    1. I’m definitely going to read The Fault in Our Stars and may add Wonder too. I saw quite a few YT videos about Wonder and it seems to be pretty good. I hope to meet the goal. Thanks to you I’ve discovered a new author. 2013 is already starting out to be an interesting reading experience.

  5. Hey Dee, Happy New year! In some ways your ankle could be seen as a blessing in disguise – look at all you acheived! Congrats. I’m nearing the end of the Jonathon Tropper – it’s really excellent – lightyears beyond Nick Hornby in every way. There are about three other books on your list that I’d like to borrow if you still have them. lets do lunch really quickly. Hope you had a great holiday.
    Love, Jean

    1. Happy New Year to you too!! I knew you’d love Jonathan Tropper. I’m sure you laughed quite a bit. Just tell me which ones you want to borrow and when we do lunch I’ll bring them. Yes the tendon is doing well. You’ll just have to wait to see the progress. I guess it was a blessing in disguise as you said but boy has it put a major pause in my life. No regrets, just moving ahead. Blogging has opened up bright, new, and interesting things for me. Speak with you soon! Love, Dee 😀

  6. I’m impressed 51 books that’s quite an achievement! I’ve just read the 50 shades series and I must be odd and have no literay taste because apart from the sex I enjoyed the overall story. The first book I read in 2 days and I’m not a person who reads books that often. My usual reads are John Grisham or Nicholas Evans so you can see how diverse my tastes are. I only started the 50 shades trilogy because my nanowrimo novel (which I’m still completeing) is a love story so my friend lent me those, and a Gilly cooper book which I’m yet to read.

    A belated happy and prosperous New Year and thank you for supporting my blog 🙂

  7. I may have bitten off more than I can chew with 55 for the Goodreads challenge and 5 for the Big Book Challenge, but I’m really going to be disciplined about it. Although I’m sure I4m going to have trouble in November if I do NaNoWriMo again. As for the Fifty Shades series, it is fan fiction based on the Twilight series, so the basic storyline isn’t really that original, besides the fact that they’re having and BDSM relationship. I’m sure your NaNoWriMo love story was much better. EL James’s writing is catastrophic! Thank you for supporting my blog. 😀 How was that zucchini? Yummy I bet. Happy New Year to you and your family too.

    1. hi didi, I have not seen Twilight but then I don’t watch any TV really :). Me I tend to live in a bubble. My friends only have a passing interest in books and are def not into writing them. Shame because I would love to discuss various books further. Out of interest and please do not roll your eyes 🙂 why did you find her writing catastrophic? I’m new to writing so I’d be interested to hear your views.

      PErhaps it would make a good post for discussion?

      1. Check out my post and there is also another one it’s called Fifty Shades of Grey. You can get to it from the search box. http://didibooksenglish.wordpress.com/2012/12/26/49-50-fifty-shades-darker-and-fifty-shades-freed/
        Basically, her writing has no depth what so ever. She uses the same words and phrases throughout the 3 books. I could have started to count them. It is marked as an erotic love story, but that’s not very accurate. It’s fan fiction based on Twilight. I could go on and on. The only reason people are loving this book is because it contains sex. This book is like acceptable erotica, although I’m sure there is even better, well-written erotica out there. Erotica is really not one of the genre I usually pick up, however I did read Lady Chatterly’s lover and enjoyed it. If you take the sex out of Fifty Shades there isn’t much story.

  8. You know, I put down 50 Shades too. I’m surprised you read all 3 books! I rather have invested that time in completing the Hunger Games trilogy, the Harry Potter series, or attempting something by J.R. Tolkein. After a few pages in the 50 Shades, I just couldn’t do the writing–especially how often the main character looked up at Grey through her lashes (or whatever that line was). I couldn’t understand why people loved those books, but then again, I feel the same way about the Twilight series.

    Thanks for mentioning the Goodreads Big Book Challenge. My Goodreads goal is 50 books, but I laughed with a friend, telling them that my goal meant avoiding books over 450 pages! lol Good luck! We can cheer for each other. It’s week 2 and I’m now on book 2 in the challenge. Let’s see if I can keep it up.

    1. I consider my self a reviewer and I started so I finished it so that I could honestly review it. I don’t believe in saying something is bad and I haven’t even read it. Read The Hunger Games and liked it a lot, but the rest of the series not as much. Starting Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone this weekend. I’m also doing another challenge on Goodreads the 2013 Clutch challenge, reading African-American novels about women I think it is. I’ll try to send you the info. We can do it! I’m on book 2 as well.

  10. Glad I read this post, a friend wants me to read her 50 shades of grey and I have no interest but she is still trying to get me to commit, it is part of their book club. I’m glad that you are so honest with your reviews so she can keep her books for sure. I love your YT videos and I’m inspired as always to read more this new year. for yrs you have been guiding me to new reads and for that I am thankful, you are always right on the money. Keep up the good reads and great reviews, keeps me from wasting money on books that I may put down for lack of interest. Many blessings and prosperity in every area of your life this year!