Welcome to 2021. It’s such a relief to see 2020 exit the calendar. Yet the events of this past year cannot be reversed. In the fall & winter, I lost both my father and my step-father-in-law, one from complications of a bone marrow transplant and the other from old age. They are in a better place, I believe, but those are events that nothing in 2021 or in the next years will ever reverse for my family.
Otherwise, I welcome this new year. I found this New Year’s Book Tag over at Pretty Purple Polka Dots. I believe it originated on @Bookables.
The New Year’s Book Tag
How many books are you planning to read in 2021?
Last year, I made a New Year’s resolution to put my own writing first and book reviewing second. That didn’t happen. Slowly but surely, the book reviewing took over. By the end of the year, I’d read 70 books. For some people, that’s a lot; for others, that’s a drop in the ocean. For me, that meant less time to work on my novel.
So this year, I’ve set the goal at 30. I can manage reading about one book a week and still have time to write fiction. I’ve also allocated one day of the week (Friday) to be a “blogging day”: all reviews, tags, posts, pins, etc. are finished on Friday. Theoretically, it works. Realistically, I’ve spent every Saturday finishing up Friday’s tasks. Like this post!
Name five books you didn’t get to this year but want to make a priority in 2021.
What genre do you want to read more of?
I’m not fond of romance, but I think I could enjoy romantic suspense in small doses. If anyone has any recommendations for romantic suspense, I’ll listen!
Name three non-book related goals for 2020.
- Complete 3-5 pullups without assistance. (It’s a goal I’ve been working on for years. Each time I get a step closer, something happens that sets back my progress, such as getting sick.)
- Organize our family photos. They’re mostly organized, but there are loose ones lying around. Plus, I’ve been hanging onto duplicates of studio photos of my kids and I need to deal with those, too.
- Make Sundays a day of rest. No writing. No cleaning. No catch-up-on-whatever tasks. Simply church, then relaxing. I might read for a little while, but I also might watch a movie with my kids.
What’s a book you’ve had forever you still need to read?
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. Why I haven’t read it is a mystery to me. It’s a classic!
One word you’re hoping 2021 will be.
I’ll ditto Aoife’s answer: easier.
Your turn!
What books are you looking forward to reading this year? Do you set reading goals? I’d love to hear about them. As always, if you enjoyed this post, I’d be thrilled if you share it with others!
Talk to me! What do you think?