Top Ten Tuesday – My Blogging and Bookish Resolutions

By Rachel

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Blogging and Bookish Resolutions

This is my first ever Bookish Resolutions post! It will be amazing to see if I achieve these this time next year!

1. Purge my Bookshelves!

I’ve quite a few books sitting around that I picked up before blogging, which I’ll likely not read now since discovering so many highly recommended books. Also, I used to just keep my favourite books, ones that meant something to me, or ones I’d want to reread, but since blogging I’m hoarding more than I used to, so the shelves need a gut-out!

I don't like you anymore gif

2. Actually get some Bookshelves! 

I have one small bookshelf that was full before I even started blogging, so you can imagine I am now in desperate need of some lovely bookcases. My dad decided to make them as a project, and they will be beautiful, but I’ve been waiting forever and I don’t know if I can wait much longer! My dining room literally looks like this:

so many books gif

3. Write More Discussion Posts!

I love discussion posts, but they take longer to put together and I often do memes and reviews, but rarely write my own discussions. So for 2015 I’d like to write more discussions, maybe one per month??

Finding time to blog gif

4. Try to buy less books.

I’m kidding myself with this one. I know I am. I once wrote a discussion on how I justify my book-buying, and while I still agree with that post, I’m also still buying quicker than I can read… I’m going to try and cut back a little in 2015 to reduce my TBR pile – auto-buy authors are allowed (like Maas and Hoover), and I can only buy books that are on my wishlist if they’re on a great offer – no random snap-purchases!

minions shopping gif

5. Clear My NetGalley Backlog!

I’ve already failed this miserably because my goal was to clear my backlog by New Year… oopsies? I have around 17 books to read and will not be requesting any more until I’ve read at least 10 of them.

are you ready gif

6. Do Blog House-keeping.

I already started this a couple of weeks ago, but I want to have gone through my entire blog before I reach one year of blogging, to tidy things up a little, make sure things are named correctly and that links work etc. Yes. I have OCD and I’m slightly crazy. I’m OK with that.

minion cleaning gif

7. Embrace the DNF!

I used to be awful at this, and I feel like I have gotten better, but (luckily) I haven’t felt the need to DNF for a while. I want to be strong in 2015 though, and when I do feel the need to DNF, I want to be able to do it without guilt and without the dreaded,”But what if it gets really good a couple of pages from now?” fear. No. Just, no.

Throwing book out the window gif

8. Make a Dent in My Classics Challenge. 

I’ve a terrible record for reading classics. I’m not saying I have to like them all, but I want to at least have made a decent stab at trying them. I even signed up to the Classics Club in 2014, but I still didn’t attack them with enthusiasm and wild abandon… Maybe in 2015?

over analysing books gif

9. Cross-Post My Reviews.

As well as tidying up my blog, I really need to get better at organising my shelves on Goodreads and actually cross-posting more reviews. I don’t really cross-post on Amazon or anywhere else, and I’m wondering if I should? Do any of you do this? Is it worthwhile? Let me know!

Book is better gif

10. Attempt a Little More Photography…

I really admire blogs that make use of amazing photography, I even admire blogs that manage to use any form of photography because I am so, so bad at including real-life images on my blog. Maybe it just isn’t for me, each blog has it’s own style and maybe mine isn’t about using great photography… but it would be nice to try.

pages turning gif

What are your bookish and blogging resolutions for 2015?? Let me know in the comments! 

About Rachel

Avid reader & #bookblogger. Lover of all things business. A fan of drinks & dancing. Ever optimistic. Feminist.

53 Responses

      1. Cathy746books

        I know, I’ve been quiet – the twins have their birthday in December so the Christmas build up was MANIC. Yes, I got some books: The Secret Place by Tana French, Daughter, Station Eleven and The Days of Anna Madrigal. Squee! Fancy doing a co read of Apple Tree Yard in January? x

        Like

      2. Rachel

        AHHHHH I want Station 11!!! Sounds so good! Busy December then! I had so many big plans for December thinking it would be a quieter month, but I was playing host for the family, so nope, no free time! Yep, buddy read and joint review sounds great, will kick me back into things again in the new year, and I’ve heard really good things about it! R x

        Liked by 1 person

      4. Rachel

        Sounds like a plan. I’m reading Heir of Fire at the minute, so as soon as I’m done I can make a start with you. We could do a joint conversational style one?? I did that with Brandie from Brandie is a Book Junkie this year and it went well! R x

        Liked by 1 person

  2. chocolatepages

    You make me feel better that I am not the only one that makes requests on Netgalley and then has got too many to read, but still….. just one more that looks fantastic!
    I haven’t made any new year bookish resolutions this year, but I think I just might write one.
    Happy New Year.
    Amanda.

    Like

    1. Rachel

      I had to just stop looking at it. I got two recently – one was Before I Go – it was on my Top Ten Books I’m Looking Forward to In 2015, so I allowed myself that one, and a Vampire Diaries one. I shouldn’t have, but I did. So now I just don’t even look at what’s on it! Lol. I need to DNF a few of them to be honest, I struggle DNFing review copies. You should give it a go, Amanda! I’m hoping this post might help keep me focused! Happy New Year 😀 R x

      Liked by 1 person

      2. Rachel

        Did Not Finish. When a book is slowly killing you and you fight with yourself to put it down, but can’t. Some people struggle with just putting it down unfinished! R x

        Liked by 1 person

      3. chocolatepages

        Ah, I see. I feel I owe it to authors that have asked me to review, to finish their books. But I haven’t been reviewing that long. If it’s my own book I’m reading I can tell within a few chapters if I’ll finish it or not. I have less problems not finishing books I have personally chosen. Thanks for the explanation. 🙂

        Like

      4. Rachel

        No problem. Yep, I feel the same so when I’m contacted by an author I will rarely agree to do a review up-front, if I get to the book or take a notion for it that’s fine, and there’s less pressure to review. I did feel pressure to review the likes of NetGalley books at the start, but that has lessened as I’ve found forcing myself to read a book usually puts me in a slump and a bad mood! Lol R x

        Like

  3. Kiesha at Life Between Reads

    I need bookshelves too! I’ve been using the top shelves in the closets around my house. Haha. Good luck with your goals!!

    Like

  5. Tessa

    I found a couple of my own goals on your list. I also want to try to write more discussion posts, so I joined the 2015 Book Blog Discussion Post challenge hosted by Feed Your Fiction Addiction and It Starts at Midnight. Honestly, I need motivation in order to get anything done, so the challenge is the perfect thing for me. Good luck with your goals in the new year!

    Like

    1. Rachel

      Thanks, Tessa! I don’t want to sign up to too many challenges, because knowing me I’ll forget I’m part of it! Lol that and discussions very much need a burst of inspiration for me, I’m not sure I could do one to a deadline…. R x

      Like

  6. charliegirlteachergirl

    I just spent over an hour cross-posting my reviews to Amazon and Goodreads…all the way back into the beginning of October! Yikes! I WISH I only had 17 NetGalley books. That’s my big focus for 2015.

    Good luck with your goals! 🙂

    Like

    1. Rachel

      I know it’s going to take forever… I’ll need to tidy the blog, tidy goodreads and then start cross-posting… Le sigh. Thanks! Happy New Year! R x

      Like

  7. Carol

    I love how Maas is a required author even during a book ban. I’m the same! I am not allowed to buy any books until the end of March with the obvious exception of Queen Sarah. Good luck with all your resolutions Rachel and Happy New Year! 😀

    Like

    1. Rachel

      LOL! Yes, definitely! I wonder can I last til March. I might try and put myself on one until my birthday… it’s in February, that could work… R x

      Like

  9. Charnell @ Reviews from a Bookworm

    Love your goals, these are all things I actually want to do myself! 🙂 I need to purge my shelves so bad, especially since receiving far too many books for Christmas. I have the space for the books, but I know that some of the books on shelves are things I am NEVER going to read now. So I should get rid of them to make space for new ones.

    Also want more discussion posts, because they are my favourite to do. But they take more time, effort and I sometimes don’t have the time to do them. I joined Instagram and have now been doing more photography, but nothing amazing. It’s just taking pictures of books and they aren’t as beautiful as I wish they could be, but I am trying.

    Like

    1. Rachel

      Thanks! I saw your pile of book gifts on Instagram. I may have drooled a little! And all individually wrapped too! 😀 Wishful thinking at the minute with all of these goals I’m sure, but we have to start somewhere! R x

      Like

  10. Elen @ A World of Reviews

    I have so many NetGalley books to catch up on too! I managed to get rid of a lot of books at the beginning of the year, but somehow my bookshelves have managed to fill up again so it looks like I’ll need to do another purge. 🙂 I hate getting rid of books though… Good luck with your resolutions!

    Like

  11. Ula @ Blog of Erised

    I actually get a new bookshelf every now and then but now I have nowhere to put them anymore, and those I have are full as well. I must purge my shelves as well but I just cannot! Even if I disliked a book, it’s still mine, I bought it or had it gifted, so I just cannot let go! :X
    I will try to buy less books as well but I found that not requesting ARCs is much easier so I’ll focus on that. I have a bad rep on NetGalley and I must fix that ratio stat!
    I used to feel bad about DNF but then I figured my time is too precious so now I am completely guilt free! 😀
    And yes I do cross-post reviews. They help authors a lot on Amazon so I’ll be working on posting mine there in 2015. 🙂
    Happy reading and all the best in 2015!

    Like

    1. Rachel

      Purge!! It’s good for you (I’m sure…). I have difficulty in letting go now too, which is new for me, I never had this problem before! Since finding AMAZING books I don’t feel so bad DNFing, ain’t nobody got time for that and all that jazz! Hmm.. I think I’ll spend a while tidying Goodreads, and then cross-posting, as well as setting up a proper wishlist on Amazon, so that way I can track prices… It’ll take HOURS! Lol. Happy New Year! 😀 R x

      Like

  12. Tara

    These are great goals! I might try a few of them myself — especially the bookish photography one. I feel like that would add some personality to my blog and show my unique way of experiencing books. Plus my boyfriend loves internet addiction and has already agreed to be my nerdy photographer! I’m also totally down for trying to cross post more reviews. I need to be more systematic about posting on Goodreads at the very least!

    Like

    1. Rachel

      Hey, Tara! How are you keeping?? I really wish I could do better with the photography one, especially as smartphone cameras make life easier, but then I have zero PhotoShop skills to do anything with it after! Lol. I’m going to spend a while sorting Goodreads out and the try to stay on top of it. But it will take a while to get it sorted first! I may get the coffee on… R x

      Like

  15. Arya D.

    These are some great resolutions! I hadn’t thought about some of them and will try to do some of them as well during the year! Best of luck in 2015!

    Like

    1. Rachel

      You dared me indirectly, and I did it! It was for 6 weeks I think. 6 weeks and 1 day I placed an order… 😀 going to stick to this for as long as possible to get my physical TBR down a good bit. Haha hardcover junkie! I got The 5th Wave in hardcover for… Wait for it… 89p!! R x

      Like

  17. Brandie

    Embrace the DNF! This is a great one. Too many good books to keep reading one that stinks. I used to feel guilty about this but I eventually got better about it.

    I love your discussion posts!! More of those!! lol

    Great goals!! I’m going to clean off my Goodreads list of old stuff I’ll never get to.

    Like

    1. Rachel

      Haha! I might have to do a feature with that title – “Embrace the DNF!” Love it. I had a problem with DNFing last year, but really, there’s FAR too many books I want to read now to be reading ones I don’t connect with.

      Lol – I’ll work on getting those discussions done! I’ve 33 drafts sitting in WP at the minute, so I’ll need to add some coherent thoughts to them and get them scheduled!

      I spent a couple of hours over the Christmas holidays clearing up Goodreads while watching Christmas movies with the family (I’m trying to multi-task bloggy things so I don’t become a total recluse!). It took a while but it was worth it. I did discover though that I own over 100 physical books I’ve yet to read, and have around 300 on my wishlist (I may need to incorporate the library into my resolutions this year…). Based on my average of 60 books read last year… You can see where this is going… R x

      Liked by 1 person

  18. Karine

    You have some really good ideas in there. I brought a new bookcase last year and I have already filled it, yet there are books in there that I feel I will never read now. But keep telling myself I will one day. So maybe it is time to clean them out and stop filling in an empty gap when there is one on the shelf.
    I do cross post a little to Amazon when I remember, when the book effected me in someway or because I have to for ARC reviews. Otherwise I’m too busy reading to do it ore often.
    Photography idea is an interesting one. Might look more into this

    Like

    1. Rachel

      Thanks, Karine! I do that with books all the time! I have so many random chick-lits I picked up in charity shops before I started blogging that I’ll probably never get to now because they’re so down my TBR after building a great new TBR this year from recommendations!… but I struggle to let go of them completely until I’ve read them or at least given them a chance – then I can give them away! I’m in DESPERATE need of bookcases – I’m really considering going to Ikea for a couple of cheap ones… I’ve just started cross-posting properly, I’m hoping this way I can keep on top of it. I don’t post full length reviews, just give an overview and link to the full review. I went through my 2014 reads and cross-posted the ones I really had something to say about, but I’m hoping this year to stay on top of it so it isn’t overwhelming! Thanks for stopping by! R x

      Like

Leave a comment, and start a conversation!