Resolved

I'm not one to make New Years Resolutions. I don't like to set goals for myself unless I feel ready to complete them. If I'm not in the mood and I lack the motivation then I'd rather just avoid inevitable failure and skip making the resolution to begin with.

This year though I felt ready to make a few changes. My list was short and sweet, but achievable I think.

1. Read more books. Specifically more fiction. Lately I have stuck entirely to memoirs and biographies. I need to venture into the world of fiction and fantasy again.

2. Re-read old favorites. As Lewis said, "I can't imagine a man really enjoying a book and reading it only once."

3. Travel to four states. I am ready to give into my wanderlust.

4. Try something new every chance that I get even if it scares me.

So, let's talk about reading. I've always been an avid reader. I recently found a list of books read in my Junior year. There were 62 book on that list. I always carried a book with me. Sometimes I would stay up until 2am reading page after page of a book on my bathroom floor. Oftentimes I would stay in bed all weekend because I COULD NOT BEAR putting the book down. Obviously I couldn't maintain this reading addiction once I got a full time job and graduated. But I still read a respectable 15-20 books per year.

But, then 2013 happened. I read a total of four books last year. 

1. Carry On, Warrior

2. Sober Mercies

3. Bird by Bird

4. Girl Interrupted.

All good books. But, four?? Really?? So sad. Also, notice that these are all memoirs and autobiographies. What happened to fiction and fantasy and the classics??

So, this year I vowed to read more. I want to always be in the middle of some story. I love non-fiction very much indeed, but I don't want it to be to the neglect of fiction (which I love equally). I want to experience new stories and re-live my old favorites. 

So often when I sit to read I find myself distracted and thinking of all the "more important" things I should be doing. I need to remind myself that just because I'm not physically doing something that does not mean it isn't incredibly important. I need to make space in my busy life for reading.

Today is March 7th. Last night I finished reading my fifth book this year (Hey! I've already beat last year's record.). One new friend; four old friends. My old friends I listened to on CD. It's a wonderful way to spend my commute to and from work. This morning I began reading Farmer Giles of Ham (something old) and listening to an Anne Lamott book (something new).

Happy me!

Books read in 2014:

1. Descent Into Hell (new read)

2. The Magician's Nephew

3. Peter Pan

4. The Horse and His Boy

5. Treasure Island