The New Year Bookish Resolutions 2020 Tag, Via @tstrawberrypost - #AmReading

I know we're now about three weeks in to the year, but you can blame Cat for this one, since she posted this last week, and you know I have a weakness for these things.

Anyway, here's a fun tag for what I hope to be reading in 2020. As I say about all these tags, if you want to do it too, go ahead. Just make sure you tell me where I can find your answers, because I'd love to read them.

For now though, here are mine, which we'll look back on when I do my yearly reflections on the past year at the end of 2020, to see if I actually read what I said I'd like to. So...

1.  An author you’d like to read that you’ve never read?

There are several, but I'm going to go with Darlene Foster. I've had her "Amanda Travels" books on my to-read list for a while, and I'd really like to get to those.

2. A book you’d like to read?

Where do I even start with this one? I've got a LOT of books on my to-read list, you know, and I wish there were more available reading hours in a day, because I want to get to them all (something I doubt I'll ever manage, but I'm sure going to read as many as I can in this lifetime). But, I'll try to pick just one which I'd like to get to this year, even though it's really tough to choose.

You know what? It's no good. I can't. The best I can do is to cheat a bit and pick too, but they're part of a series, so it's only kind of cheating. Either way, I'm going to go with "Laughter Lines: Life from the Tail End" and "Doggerel: Life with the Small Dog" by Sue Vincent. I've read "Notes from a Small Dog: Four Legs on Two" and really enjoyed it, so since I have the follow-up books, I'd like to read those too, especially since I love Ani's posts on Sue's blog, so am eager to read more from/about her. If you're a dog-lover, you might want to check them out too.

3. A classic you’d like to read?

There are several, as I'm sure you aren't surprised to hear. But, if I had to pick just one, I'd have to go with "The Time Machine" by H.G. Wells, which I keep meaning to read, and not getting around to reading.

4. A book you’d like to re-read?

My copy of Jean Adamson's "Topsy And Tim" series. I don't think it's marked as having been read on Goodreads, but I read the books as a child, and loved them. I'm looking forward to getting to read those again. I'll wait until I do to rate and review the series on Goodreads though, especially since it's been so long since I read them.

5. A book you’ve had for ages and want to read?

All of them! Seriously, I could be here for ages listing titles for this one. But, if I had to pick just one I'd like to read this year, I think I'm going to have to go with "The Four Treasures of Eirean" by Ali Isaac, which I've been meaning to read for some time. I'd like to get to the other books in the series too.

6. A big book you’d like to read?

I'm going to have to go with my copy of "Leith's Vegetarian Bible" that my brother got me the Christmas before last. I've glanced through it once or twice, but I'd really like to sit down and give that a proper read, and maybe try some of the recipes (or veganized versions of them, if they contain eggs or dairy).

7. An author you’ve previously read and would like to read more of?

There are several I could list for this one too, but I'm going to go with Sally Cronin. I've read - and enjoyed - a few of her books, and have many others of hers, which I'd like to read very soon.

8. A book you got for Christmas and would like to read?

Even though it's technically going to be a re-read for me, it's got to be "The Animals Of Farthing Wood" by Colin Dann. I remember listening to it with my brother when I was younger, and used to love the TV series version, so am looking forward to getting to read this one again. I need to get, and read, the rest of the series too, but I'm not sure if I'll end up doing that this year. The first book, yes, but since I don't have the others in the series yet... We'll see what happens with them.

9. A series you want to read from start to finish?

There are several, but one that springs to mind is Diana Gabaldon's "Outlander" series, which I have the books for, but haven't gotten to yet. I'd really like to get to that one this year.

10. A series you want to finish that you’ve already started?

There are several, but the two I'm most eager to finish are Eoin Colfer's "Artemis Fowl" series, and Amber Fox's "Mae Martin Mysteries" series, both of which I've read the first few books for, have the rest of them, and haven't had a chance to finish reading. I'd definitely like to fix that this year.

11. Do you set reading goals?  If so how many books do you want to read in 2020?

I want to read 104 books in 2020. I usually read more than that (last year was the least I've read in the time I've been recording things on Goodreads, and it was 114 books) but I'd rather finish it early than be stressing about not having read enough books, so I'm keeping my reading goal set to 104 books.

12. Any other reading goals?

No. I often do have other reading goals, but not this year. I mean, there are certain books I'm hoping to read this year - as mentioned above - and I do have the ongoing hope that I'll actually read more books than I add to my to-read list. But I'm also realistic enough to know that's highly unlikely to actually happen, since I seem to find new ones I want to read faster than even I can read them, so don't bother adding it as a goal (though I have had goals for reading a certain number of books from those that have been on my to-read list for more than a certain amount of time in previous years). This year though I mostly want to just focus on enjoying reading the books I read.

13. Are there any reading goals from last year that you’d like to carry into this year?

No. My only goals for last year were to read 104 books and do the two versions of the A-Z reading challenge (titles and authors) and I did those things, so don't need to carry them forward. Though the number of books I hope to read this year is the same as it was last year, as you may have noticed.