Happy New Year, fellow book lovers!​ A new start is quite a relief after the endurance test that was 2020. For this month’s blog, I wanted to write about setting reading goals, creating your own literary “bucket list” and suggest some tips for reinvigorating stalled reading habits.

Do you lament that: “You used to love reading, but now find little time or motivation?” Have you been suffering from a lack of concentration, ability to sustain attention or even desire to read when the opportunity does arise? We all go through phases when our interests wane or life leads us in other directions temporarily. If getting back into reading is your goal for this year, the following tips might help prevent the typical resolution abandonment that often occurs by February 1.

• Not sure where to start? ​Rely on some trusted sources to narrow your search. Asking someone to recommend their all-time favorite book often results in an agonized blank stare. For me, that question is like asking which of my children is my favorite. And I only have four of ​them​! Try instead asking people who share your interests the ​last​ book that they really enjoyed. Maybe do a swap by giving them a used copy of one that you thought was good. A bonus to this approach is that you could set up a date to discuss the books-deepening your connection both with the works and with the friend who shared them with you. You can also start or join a book club for added ideas, depth of experience, and accountability. Our ​GPL Book Clubs​ are a great way to share some excellent books and conversation, and you may make some new local friends along the way!
• Be courageous, but not overly ambitious.​ If you haven’t been in the practice of regular reading or have always found it to be a challenge, setting unrealistic goals will likely sabotage your efforts. You might aim to read at least 6 books over the course of the year, with the real goal of taking the time to thoroughly digest each one. Set aside a good time of day to read and pick a location where you won’t be easily distracted or interrupted. Note: Some people love to read and relax at bedtime, but others may only get in a few paragraphs before nodding off.
• Pick books that you actually want to read. ​Sounds obvious, but there are some titles we guilt ourselves into thinking we “should” read despite having avoided them for years. Also, if you start a book and it does not sustain your interest or you dread opening it,ditch it right away. Life is too short and books too abundant to waste time slogging through a title that does not satisfy.
• Be realistic about your time and the length of the books you choose. ​It is difficult to follow a long, complicated story if you can only read in spurts or have long stretches in between. If you get easily discouraged or overwhelmed, short stories or essays can be good picks. Have patience with yourself and choose something you can actually enjoy and absorb. Trying to read ​War and Peace​ in 10 minutes clips per week will quickly cause you to surrender.
• Keep a list of books that you want to read, but don’t be wedded to it and edit it often. ​Having no list at all can cause you to forget intended picks, but having hundreds of titles may be too daunting. Too much choice can actually make it more difficult to choose your next selection. Prioritize those that most pique your interest and read them first. No need to save "the best for last.” If a book has been on your list for a while but you can’t seem to muster much enthusiasm about it, remove it from the list for now.

Making Lists and Tracking Reading Goals:

If you love lists, obtaining achievements and setting personal challenges, you might want to try using the following sites/apps.

Goodreads
Litsy
Read More: Reading Habit Tracker
LibraryThing
Libib

Of course, you can also go “Old School”: Treat yourself to a beautiful notebook to track your progress, jot down notes, write your own micro-reviews and create potential people/book pairings.

Recommended Reading for Building a Reading Bucket List:

	​Classics for Pleasure by Michael Dirda
	1000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life Changing List by James Mostich
	​A Book of Book Lists: A Bibliophile’s Compendium by Alex Johnson
	Book Lust/​Book Crush​ Series by Nancy Pearl

This one can help with follow-through for any resolution:

For creating new habits, the author recommends employing self-identity goals and values to cement commitments to change.

	Atomic Habits​ by James Clear

January's Featured Reviews

	The first review I am including this month is For the Love of Books by Graham Torrent. This is a pleasant journey for those who prefer to get a little background and trivia before deciding what their next read might be.
	I am also recommending ​Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman​ by Haruki Murakami. This collection of short stories is beautiful, captivating and cerebral-perfect for those who want to stretch into modern literary “classics,” but don’t necessarily want to commit to a longer work.

Recent Readings

I just finished: ​Honeycomb​ by Joanne M. Harris, ​Plain Bad Heroines​ by Emily Danforth and Leave the World Behind​ by Rumaan Alam. I have taken the opportunity to pick some titles that had been on my list but got lost in the shuffle: ​Bluebird Bluebird​ by Attica Locke and ​His & Hers​ by Alice Feeney.

I love getting your emails ​(jnmegan@gpl.org​)! Send me your ideas for lists, challenges and your readingresolutions. I am so inspired by how much enthusiasm our community has shown about all thereading/listening/viewing opportunities there are. I share your joy and look forward to sharing with youmany more adventures to come over this new year.

Until next time: Be well and be well-read!

Joelle

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So, who am I, anyway? I am a resident of West Groton, with a husband, 4 teen aged children and a Samoyed puppy—all of whom are systematically destroying our house during the COVID crisis. I am currently working part time at the Groton Public Library and in a former life I was employed as a Director or PR/Marketing at a high-tech consulting firm. My BA is in Psychology, but most of my time was spent in college earning a Concentration on the Novel. That is all to say that I make no claims at being an expert of any kind and my thoughts, opinions and mistakes are solely my own. I am just a person whose passion for books has continued to grow from the moment I was first able to grip and gnaw on them, and I have been devouring them ever since.