Reading Resolutions

[Farrar, Straus and Giroux]

It's January so everyone is hard at work at their New Year's Resolutions! What reading resolutions did you make this year? Louise Doughty, for instance, resolved to read more books and own fewer of them. Check out her hilarious take on it, and let us know what--or how--you plan to read this year!

[HeatherIlene]

My resolution is to read 52 books this year! I hope to read more but my graduate program takes up a lot of my reading-for-pleasure time.

[Denise]

My resolution is to focus on reading my "stash," as opposed to constantly buying new books. I have already broken that resolution three times. My other resolution is to read 120 books this year; I read 110 last year.

[Farrar, Straus and Giroux]

HeatherIlene wrote: "My resolution is to read 52 books this year! I hope to read more but my graduate program takes up a lot of my reading-for-pleasure time."

How is it going so far!?

[Farrar, Straus and Giroux]

Denise wrote: "My resolution is to focus on reading my "stash," as opposed to constantly buying new books. I have already broken that resolution three times. My other resolution is to read 120 books this year; I ..."

120 books is quite the resolution. What have you read so far this year?

[Denise]

Thus far, I have read:

A Friend of the Family
A Tale for the Time Being
What She Left Behind
Arcadia
The Kept
Seating Arrangements
Orphan Train
Ordinary Grace
The Art of Hearing Heartbeats
Alice Close Your Eyes
Tony Hogan Bought Me an Ice-cream Float Before He Stole My Ma
Flappers: Six Women of a Dangerous Generation

And I'm finishing up with The Twelve Tribes of Hattie now.

[Denise]

I almost forgot about Summer House With Swiming Pool by Herman Koch.

[HeatherIlene]

Farrar, Straus and Giroux wrote:

How is it going so far!?"

Great, actually. I usually read right before I go to bed. It helps calm my brain down after I study. And sometimes if I get to class a few minutes early, I read on my iPhone using the Kindle app. It's been great.

[Farrar, Straus and Giroux]

Well, you guys are super impressive. Definitely keep us posted on how it goes throughout the year! My reading resolution this year is to branch out in genre: read more nonfiction and poetry! Any recommendations to start with?

Any other interesting resolutions out there?

[Denise]

I branched out to some young adult last year and was happy I did.

[Maxine]

Denise wrote: "Thus far, I have read:

A Friend of the Family
A Tale for the Time Being
What She Left Behind
Arcadia
The Kept
Seating Arrangements
Orphan Train
Ordinary Grace
The Art of Hearing Heartbeats
Alice C..."

Farrar, Straus and Giroux wrote: "Well, you guys are super impressive. Definitely keep us posted on how it goes throughout the year! My reading resolution this year is to branch out in genre: read more nonfiction and poetry! Any re..."

I loved A Tale For the Time Being--her other books, "My Year of Meats" and "All Over Creation" are good also. Also Lauren Groff's "Arcadia"
I recommend Sue Monk Kidd--"Invention Of Wings"
My new book which I'll be showing at the LATimes Book Fair 4/12 is "May the Spirit Be Unbroken:Search For the Mother Root" is biography, labor history and memoir woven throughout. Maxine De Felice

[Ashley]

I'm trying to focus on quality over quantity. I have some really long books I've been putting off and this is the year to change that!

And I completely understand what it's like to buy more books when you haven't read the last ones...It's a bit of a problem. :)

[Ann]

My reading resolutions for this year were to read 175 book in total and for most (as close to all as possible) to come from books I already have home on my shelves. I've got to move some out so I can make room for more!

[Farrar, Straus and Giroux]

Denise wrote: "I branched out to some young adult last year and was happy I did."

I did too! Started with the "classics": John Green and Rainbow Rowell. Amazing.

[Farrar, Straus and Giroux]

Ashley wrote: "I'm trying to focus on quality over quantity. I have some really long books I've been putting off and this is the year to change that!

And I completely understand what it's like to buy more books..."

What are some of the long books? Winter always seems to me like a great time to power through a long, dense read :)

[Farrar, Straus and Giroux]

Ann wrote: "My reading resolutions for this year were to read 175 book in total and for most (as close to all as possible) to come from books I already have home on my shelves. I've got to move some out so I ..."

That's a really good idea! Having 175+ unread books on your shelves seems daunting, but also really exciting. Like being in a bookstore!

[Ann]

Farrar, Straus and Giroux wrote: "Ann wrote: "My reading resolutions for this year were to read 175 book in total and for most (as close to all as possible) to come from books I already have home on my shelves. I've got to move so..."
LOL! More than you know! I actually have like 450+ books on the shelves! I never ever pay full price for a book. I have a few on the shelves that I may have paid like $5.00 for. Most were like 50 cents or a Dollar! I do book and yard sales all spring and summer and library sales too and I still find too much to read! (Not really any such thing!)

[Jonathan]

Resolved this week to read Denis Johnson's new one, *The Laughing Monsters,* due in the fall, which this week's New Yorker divulged. (He's got a new short story in the issue, if we've got any Johnsonians here.)

[Farrar, Straus and Giroux]

Jonathan wrote: "Resolved this week to read Denis Johnson's new one, *The Laughing Monsters,* due in the fall, which this week's New Yorker divulged. (He's got a new short story in the issue, if we've got any Johns..."

Sounds great!