DC Public Library discussion

Happy New Year!

Last year a bunch of us made reading resolutions for 2013 and, while most of us, on reflection, didn't quite meet all of our goals, we all got a lot read.

So what are your reading plans and goals for 2014? Do you want to read a book in your second language? Discover a new genre? Read 100 books? Learn to appreciate poetry? Let us know and we'll support each other on the journey.

I personally want to try to read better books this year. I read a LOT of books in 2013, but a lot of them were mediocre and forgettable. This is a subjective thing, of course, but I really want to try to read a higher quality of fiction and nonfiction in 2014. More classics, better prose, fewer derivative young adult titles. I'm starting 2014 by going to a Moby-Dick; or, The Whale Marathon, so that will be a step in the right direction!

I want to read more classics for sure. I don't know how I made it to adulthood without reading so many. For most people, lots of them were required reading in school.

I also want to read a series. I've read the first book of a few but I've never finished one. The plan is to finish the Night trilogy. And possibly, but less likely, the Things Fall Apart trilogy.

And my last goal is to read at least one more book by an author I enjoyed. Oh, one more! To finish the books that I haven't read by Edwidge Danticat.

Well, my goal last year was to read 57 books in one year in order to beat my old record, and I only read 37. So again, my goal is to read about 5 a month. I read a number of books that were really long and slowed me down, but were among the best books I read last year. I also dragged on reading some classics, but I'm glad I've checked them off. So I want to reach my goal while continuing to read the quality of books I want to read.

And now that you mention it, I do want to increase the number of books I read in my second language over how many I've read during the past couple of years.

I'm with Maria on reading better books this year. I think I probably read more books last year than any other year before, but too many were just so-so or worse. I'm much rather read half as many books but have them be of much higher quality. Every year, I try to get the number of owned-but-unread books I have under 100, but I end up taking in too many "new" ones (usually as gifts, freebies, or at ridiculously cheap used prices).

I'm making a new resolution right now not to read anything that is compared to the Hunger Games in a blurb or by the publisher. Every single time it has led to wasted time and disappointment!