Over the course of the next 12 months, I want my reading life to be slow and intentional, rather than frenetic. I so love to read, and I’m such a mood reader. This means I often find myself in the middle of five-plus books at once. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. My personal horror is boredom, so reading a group of different things, across genres and formats, has been my way of keeping entertained and always being in the middle of something I’m in the mood for. And yet, I’ve been feeling lately as if I want to give myself a reason to slow down. I actually don’t think this will be easy for me, but I want to approach everything I read in 2018 with intention. I want to give myself the incentive to work through a book more slowly and spend time digesting it after.

I also buy way too many books before reading the ones I already have. I constantly enter this frenzy of wanting to read things that relate to holidays, seasons, and life events, or because everyone else is reading them, resulting in more spur-of-the-moment purchases. I want to treasure each of the books I already own in the way they deserve.

So, I’m Entering a New Year With … 

• A Smaller Goodreads Reading Challenge Number! I’ve decided to set my goal at 50, which is half of my usual number. I don’t usually feel rushed or pressured by my larger goals, because to me it doesn’t matter that much if you adjust them for more or less reading. But, I think setting it lower will create an environment where it’s easy for me to encourage myself to slowly read one book at a time. I do also have a lot of personal goals on my mind for this year, as well as a desire to write more. And, I feel more optimistic and excited about this year than I have in a few years. I turn to reading for escape and comfort more than anything else, so feeling well adjusted as I enter this year makes me think that reading a little less and prioritizing some other things might feel right.

A TBR Jar! I’ve never done one of these before, and since I’m a mood reader, I’ve always been unsure about it. But then, I had an amazing conversation with a Bookstagram friend, @gabbyreadswithtea. She suggested color-coding the slips of paper, so that if I’m in the mood for a fantasy, for example, I can reach in and grab that specific paper. As you can see from the photo here, I’ve done exactly that! Thank you, Gabby!! I’m also planning to use this only when I want to. If I’m dying to pick something up, I’m just going to read that, and then if I grab that paper later I’ll just toss it and reach in again. There are many times when I can’t decide what I want to read next, so I’m sure the jar will become a favorite. There’s something exciting about such random selection too, no?

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