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| This is me :o |
As Christmas sadly
draws to a close and we set about pulling the mistletoe down from the ceiling,
blowing out that sickly sweet cinnamon scented candle and eating the last
crumbs of Christmas cake that no one really wanted, it really is easy to feel a
bit sad, isn’t it? When all that festive cheer is gone you’re going to need
something else to replace the excitement of having all those santa ornaments
dotted around the house – New Year! If we can’t celebrate December anymore
let’s celebrate January instead! And, of course, with New Years Day comes New
Years Resolutions.
Now, don’t worry. I am not going to harp on at you about my overwhelming desire
to stop eating chocolate and start hitting the gym at every possible moment
during the day (I think we all know that’s never going to happen). No,
this is a book blog, so of course, these must be Reading Resolutions. And,
trust me; I have a few bad habits to break…
So without further ado I bring you this year’s 4 Reading Resolutions:
1.
Start using bookmarks
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| It has begun |
What have I been doing instead,
you ask? Fine - May as well get it out in the open now, because it’s all about
to change. I am a page folder. I know it’s terrible, I can see you all wincing
when you see me put a crease or a crinkle in a brand new book, and up until
recently I have felt no remorse. But the problem is getting out of hand – It
was okay when it was just my books, at that point it was just a quick and easy
way to mark my pages, but now I’m folding other people’s books without even
thinking! I can’t handle the shame of creasing another’s book, any more of this
guilt and I’ll drive myself insane. So, this is why, starting January 1st
I will pick up a bookmark and never fold again… I hope.
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| Ooft.. |
2.
Read at least two classic novels
Okay, I’m kind of lazy so maybe
two is a tad optimistic, but still! I would like to read at least one
classic novel. Too many of my favourite teen fictions and movies are based off
or make reference too classic novels such as ‘Wuthering Heights’, ‘Pride and
Prejudice’ or ‘The Scarlet Letter’. Supposedly these books provide some
amazingly mind-blowing experience that will skyrocket me into such an intense
euphoria that I will never be able to enjoy reading again. I want in on that,
Dudes. So, though it may be hard work, and at times I may curse a Brontë or stamp
Dickens name into the dirt, but as long as I persevere I shall take my place
among the reading elite and I will be able to finally let myself swoon over
Colin Firth acting in the old BBC ‘Pride and Prejudice’ series.
3.
Stop holing up in the teen section, you hermit!
Looking through my bookshelf at
all the different books I’ve read this year and it occurs to me that I have a
certain… taste in books. What I mean by this is apparently I read almost solely
what Waterstones puts on the recommended table in the teen section. I am
addicted to teen fiction, particularly the contemporary kind! I can actually
feel the craving in me now. I crave Rainbow Rowell and John Green like a
drug-addict craves crystal meth. Is there a rehab for this kind of thing? Whether
there is or not, I’m not going. I can do this on my own. Cold turkey. This year I shall
finally take those few hesitant steps out of the confines of young-adult. I
shall browse through not-young-adult and sci-fi and crime/thriller novels!... Maybe.
4.
Attempt the Goodreads 50 Book Challenge
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| I'm learning! I swear! |
I have spent many hours tampering about with the site but I think
I have finally worked out how Goodreads works. However, as I explored through
the deep depths of the website trying to work out exactly what a TBR is and how
the hell one makes a ‘Listopia’ I stumbled upon the 2014 Reading Challenge.
Obviously, having found it in December, it’s a bit late to attempt my 50 books
this year, but with any luck I will be able to sign up on January 1st
and power-read my way through the rest of the year. I’ve never done goodreads
stuff before, nor have I ever counted the amount of books I read in a year, so
I’m not entirely sure how big a number 50 really is, so if you lot reckon I
should boost that figure or push it back down, do tell me! All I know is that
in 2015 Majestical Evie shall fix on her determined face and she shall read
more books in one year than ever before! And that my friends, is a promise, not
a resolution!
Okay, first ... Can I just say that I absolutely love the way you write your posts? I enjoy them immensely and your humour is really great! :D
ReplyDeleteNow I don't want to judge you for folding your pages but damnit! Bookmarks are great! There are so many different and pretty ones ... magnetic bookmarks! Harry Potter! With quotes on it! I looove collecting them and using a different one for every book I read. ♥
Reading classics is definitely a good idea! I should do that too ... I read "Pride and Prejudice" one or two years ago after watching the movie with Kira Knightly and absolutely loved it!
And Goodreads is awesome! I'm using it a lot, so if you want to you can can add me as a friend - my name is "ThePandasaurus" ... or wait: HERE - just if you want to, of course! :D
Aw man, Yvonne you're a real charmer, you! I absolutely love long comments with a bit of thought in them!! This is so nice :D Well, firstly, the feeling is most definitely mutual! I love your blog too :3 Looks like we could be blogging buddies ^_^
DeleteI know bookmarks are great, I just always lose them and then I'm rubbish at remembering page numbers so I just fold the page a teeeeeeny bit and promise myself I'm only doing it just this once... Then it escalates and spirals out of control until eventually my book is a dog eared mess :( But that will change I swear! I'm working on it :3 I've probably cut down my folding about 50% by now even :D It's a start
Classics are just difficult. Like I want to but I'm lazy. You have to really concentrate and push yourself through them for it to work, but I do think it will help me broaden my tastes and I want to know what all the fuss is about... Maybe we should start a wee read-a-thon at some point?? (although maybe that would be a bit more fun with regular old teen fiction)
And off I go to goodreads to add you :3 Nothing wrong with a little bit of shameless self promoting Yvonne! It's much easier with that little link :D
Thank you so much for stopping by, I love it so much x
Aww, thank you! And yes, definitely! :D
DeleteOh well, habits are easily formed but not easily broken. I know it's hard but it's a start that you want to work on it - although I really don't mind, those are your books and if it doesn't bother you that's totally okay. ;)
A read-a-thon sounds great! Classic or not, I'd be okay with both! But like you said, classics are always a little bit more time consuming ... although there are quite a few that are actually pretty good and entertaining!
Yay, perfect! And in case you have a question about anything, feel free to ask! :)
Well what's in your TBR at the moment? We could make a joint post about it at the end somehow?? I don't know how these things work really ^_^
DeleteOh my ... that's an endless list! I can only link you to my Goodreads bookshelves - HERE's my to-read-soon shelf but there's also a "normal" to-be-read shelf with looooads of other books!
DeleteGood luck with your resolutions! I really hope you stick with the bookmarks one, because just the knowledge of you folding pages makes me cringe. I'm one hell of a neat freak when it comes to books, you see. I also need to stop sticking to the teen/young adult section. As much as I love it, I feel like it's time that I started reading a lot more adult books. I hope you manage to find lots of good ones to expand your reading taste!
ReplyDeleteAlso, hi. I'm Charlotte and I've just found you blog and I really enjoy it. ^_^
Hello Charlotte! Welcome to my blog :D do you have one of your own or are you just a innocent bystander? Either way, thankyou so much for even taking the time to comment it means a lot :o like seriously thanks
DeleteI know my page folding is terrible, its like a book sin, but its a hard habit to shake D; I'm sure I can do oy though. A little bit of new years magic will do the trick!!
I do have my own blog over at Bookmarks and Blogging. As you can probably tell by my URL, I enjoy bookmarks. Like, I enjoy them so much I have a jar full of them. Last I checked I had over 40.
DeleteYou're more than welcome for the comment. I know how nice it is to receive even little ones, so I'm doing my part to try and comment on other people's posts more often. I guess that's my (blog) reading resolution. ^_^
Oooo... I have these cool ones all ready for my resolution given to me by a friend where you have to write on them about the book. And you like record words you don't know and discussions about the book you want to have with people :3 Sounds confusing but it's cute :D If you want to get into the whole comment thing a big way to help your blog is to go to the bloggers commenting back page. There's a picture at the side of my blog, if you click that it'll take you to a really cool helpful blog :3 Just a tip :) Are you new to blogging or a bit of a keyboard veteran? :D
DeleteOh wow! I think I might have to try and find some like that because I'm always stumbling across new words - especially when I read adult books and they include a wider vocabulary. They sound like the type of thing that makes reading a lot more fun and interactive. :) I've seen the bloggers commenting back a few times but have never really used it or anything. I should probably start doing that! I've been blogging with blogger since late 2013, but have been dabbling in other platforms since 2009/10. It's only in the last 10 months or so that I've actually started taking it seriously though. :)
DeleteI agree with Yvonne you always come with such great discussion posts. I told myself that next year I'll be doing more of these posts so I'll be taking some pointers from you! Girl page folding?!! * Cringes * Thank goodness your are using bookmarks, it's the perfect time to break those old bad habits anyway lmao. Oh and let me know if you want to buddy read My Life Next Door. We could even do a cool co-review for it if you want!
ReplyDeleteAh Tika you flatter me so much :o Thankyou :D Me give YOU pointers? Ha!! More like the other way around.. Your blog is like the chocolate of the blog world :o I know it's bad, I'm sooooorry! But at least I'm changing, right? Better late than never ^_ ^ I would love to do a buddy read (whatever that is :D) If you have twitter we can sort it through Twit messaging?
DeleteYes you heard me right . . . YOU give ME pointers lmao. I definitely need them for discussion posts and such. & girl thank you so much. You definitely push me to be great and I'm so grateful for that :) Yes! we can do twitter or a messaging app called Voxer which I think is much better. Let me know which one you're comfortable with using.
DeleteI own endless amounts of bookmarks and yet I mostly fold the pages myself and I hate it!, I think I may have to add this to me list of resolutions. I also have the full collection of cloth bound classic books from Waterstones and have yet to touch them so I want to read at least two classics too!
ReplyDeleteHope you have a lovely new year.
I know! You've been living with the shameful secret as well huh? A real pain isn't it.. Maybe we should go forward with this resolution together, make the bookmark era less unbearable? Also, I'm glad I'm not the only one who struggles with classics. They're pretty, and very interesting.. but heavy.. and sometimes (dare I say it?) booking :o I think I may have just committed reading blasphemy so I shall end this reply by saying that I really appreciate that you took the time to comment, I just love it :D Happy New Year!
DeleteOhhh noes, no dog-earing allowed everrr!! Heh, and I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling that way so it's a good thing you're trying to change your ways :p I should also probably be challenging myself to read outside of my typical YA reads... but oh, they're just so good!
ReplyDeleteGood luck to you on your Goodreads challenge this year!!
It's okay, I've two days in and it's hard, but I'm mostly turned to bookmarks! You're definitely not alone, just read the comments! I've frustrated everyone ^_^ I'm awful at climbing out of my comfort zone. I go to read a classic and I'm like... ooo just one more teen fix :D Thanks for the luck :3 Good luck with your year in general
DeleteThis post made me giggle, so thank you Evie! I am a reformed page folder, so it can be done! Actually, I got a Nook and you can't fold pages on that, so... haha! The topic of Classic novels is one of my favorites. I am also addicted to YA / NA novels, but I'm also an English major. I have read my fair share of classics, so I will totally recommend a couple that I feel you may enjoy. Pride & Prejudice is an absolute must. You will fall in love with Mr. Darcy because, let's face it, he's absolutely the perfectly written book boyfriend! If you read Percy Jackson and have any interest in Greek mythology, Homer's Odyssey is a great read. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Bram Stoker's Dracula are great if you are into paranormal. There are so many great classics out there that have inspired all of our modern writers- they are worth a read girl (:
ReplyDeleteI wish you the best of luck and tons of bookish goodness in this new year.
Morrighan @ Elysian Fields
Ah, thanks Morrighan! I love to make people laugh :D Your battle of page folding gives me hope! I am not alone :D I'm not a fan of e-readers, I like the aesthetic beauty of a book, so that one can't help me! Pride and Prejudice is the most obvious one I think, that and Wuthering Heights are the ones I most hear people harping on about. But I love a good old book boyfriend! What sort is he? Dark and mysterious? Charming and friends? Quiet but caring?? Percy Jackson has sadly never interested me so maybe that one isn't for me! But I love the books I study at high school ^_^ We're doing Twelve Angry Men this year as our play and I am in love with it. So clever. Thanks for all the tips, girl!! Love your pearls of wisdom! Happy New Year to you x
DeleteOh Evie, I love your posts! Out of all the reading resolutions I read, I think yours is just brilliant :D
ReplyDeleteI am really glad you decided to start using a bookmark. I used to fold pages too! But it all changed when I read the Harry Potter series because I just refused to put a crease on that baby. So, I will support you and hope as well that your page-folding days are over.
I'm also aiming to read some classic novels this year. It's really sad that I haven't read that many classics because I'm a Literature student, majoring in fiction. It's just embarrassing. And yea, you should totally go for 50! That's the number most people go for. I don't though D: I can barely read 30 books with all the readings materials I get for classes.
Happy New Year Evie! :D
Oh my dear, thank you so very much :') That brings a wee tear to my eye!
DeleteEveryone's glad, Izzy! Just look up the comments and you'll see the irritation ^_^ I'm glad I started using a bookmark before it got out of hand.. The blogging world was about ready to devour me :3 Good way to die though ^_^ All the books I get new are paperbacks so whether I fold pages or not, as careful as I am, they always end up a bit battered so it's difficult to care. I can see how Potter set you straight!
Oh, I see! It isn't so bad for me cause I'm only in high school so no one expects me to read classics by choice c: I can get away with it. A bit more difficult for you, but then again, no one should be able to force you n stuff..
With goodreads some people achieve crazy goals!! Like I saw someone with a 300 book challenge?! No way can I do that and also get my schoolwork done! It's a really important year for me at school so I figured 50 would do just fine if I didn't count my textbooks :D
Thanks for taking the time to comment Izzy! Glad we're quite good blogging friends!!
Hello Madge, my new year reading resolutions begin with a confession, I am not a bookmarker, nor am I a page folder, I am..................... a page face down book open push it flatter leave it therer. There its out there I am cruel to books and damage their spines.
ReplyDeleteI am going to try and do this less and perhaps move on to page folding as a step towards random scraps of paper inserted to books and less thrillers with action types saving lots of folk. I am only going to borrow one other and that is to get some more classics read, If I could be so bold as to suggest your classic be Tess of the Durbervilles ? Gogog
Hey Gogogogogog!! Oooo... Now I know my habits pretty bad but that really is terrible!! I do that one only momentarily when pausing my reading to sip tea or go get some cake and such business, but never when I am done reading!! Simply diabolical ^_^ At least you're stop though :D Just like me, making for a better and brighter bookshelf :3 I've heard of Tess actually :o I shall look it out, I think my first classic will have to be either pride and prejudice or withering heights :3
DeleteI used to be a folder too!! :D I don't know why I stopped though..; probably because I found a REALLY cool bookmark or something like that. Oh hey, that's a little tip maybe? Make/buy an awesome bookmark you would love too see between your books!
ReplyDelete