As I type this, a part of me is saying to myself: What is she, crazy? It's only the middle of December! But today seems as good a time to lay down your intentions for the coming year as any.
For 2008, I intend to stay more focused on my readings.
I often start too many books on impulse, so much so that at times I have ended up with 15 titles half-read and unfinished. For the coming year I am going to try to reduce that number. I shall make an effort to finish up most of these half-read books.
I shall also try my best to resist starting new books on impulse. Hopefully I can control the number of Books In Progress to a maximum of 3~5 titles at any one time. This may still seem like a lot – yet, still a healthier figure than 15!
My purpose is to allow myself to slow down and better appreciate the books I am reading. I think my usual approach to reading has been a little misguided. It's what Robertson Davies calls "end-gaining" – where I am reading a book just for the sake of being able "to be done" with it.
So for 2008, let's see if I can take time to read more deeply and thoroughly, if not more. Will I have more fun, or will I learn more? Who knows?
I will also need to look into writing more on my readings. Not just the usual pooterish, descriptive posts -- or maybe not even a blog post. Besides this blog, I also keep a handwritten journal where I write everything inside. Sometimes, I use it just to keep notes of my readings, how my yoga practice went, how things are like at work. I would like to write more, and who knows - maybe they would make it as blog posts eventually.
The purpose is just to be more reflective about the things I read.
7 comments:
I understand how hard it is to keep it down to just a few books going at once. I did a surprisingly good job at this last year reading just one book at a time for most of the year! I used to be a 5 or 6 books at a time guy. Then I set the goal for this year to read one at a time and I stuck with it for the most part, but I've been slipping up lately :/ I have 3 going now which isn't so bad. The only problem I find with that is when I have so many books going, I never finish any of them! Oh well...all this is to say, I understand ;)
Sounds like a group of worthy goals! Good luck to you!
ah, i like that as a purpose. the reading deeply one.
i can very much relate as i have sometimes been bogged down by too many books at once or wanting to get through those that i'm reading too quickly...
Very good intentions. I've sort of started thinking of mine too.
I like to have a couple of books going on but I try to keep it between 2-4. That usually works out pretty well.
"I often start too many books on impulse, so much so that at times I have ended up with 15 titles half-read and unfinished. For the coming year I am going to try to reduce that number. I shall make an effort to finish up most of these half-read books. "
That reads as if it came from my own fingers on the keyboard! I need to do the exact same thing. I wish us both well in our goals for the coming year!!!
Awesome goals - I think it's great you keep a handwritten journal too. Wish I was as diligent! I try but it just gets messy.
Chris Thanks - and it's a continuous effort, isn't it? Any time you let yourself go, one books will just lead to another. :)
Andi Thanks. Let's see how it goes end of next year.
Jean Pierre Well, since I can't possibly read all the books in the world. Might as well make every book count.
Iliana Always good to set intentions, I think. Even if it's just for readings.
But you are definitely more disciplined than I am. I had 15 books! How can anyone be reading 15 books all at once! ;p
Carl Good luck to us both for 2008, then! :)
acquisitionist I used to be totally self-conscious about being messy on a journal - after a while, I decided, who cares. It's more important to get the stuff on the page. A lot of it may be crap, but sometimes -- something worthwhile comes out of the effort.
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