Have a Happy New Year!

It always awes me how fast time seems to go when a new year rolls around. I mean, in my head, I still feel like it's 2009. I don't feel even remotely grown up but then I look at my younger siblings and I realize just how fast our time goes when we're not looking. And yet, New Year's Day just feels like another day. Tomorrow is just another Wednesday.

Whatever it is that you do to celebrate the New Year, whether that be writing your New Year's Resolutions or even a bucket list, make sure you do celebrate it. New Year's Eve and New Year's Day aren't solely celebrations of man's ability to keep time but they celebrate something a little deeper than that. They celebrate life. They celebrate the fact that you have survived the problems, the mistakes, and the diversions. They celebrate that you are still growing. And maybe that's why we associate resolutions with this holiday. What are we going to do better this year? Are we going to stop doing something this year? Could be that we want to try something new. There are so many reflections on life and the way we live it that surface with this holiday and since reading and growing come hand in hand, I have created a short list of possible resolutions that have a whole lot to do with sticking your nose in a book.

Reading Resolutions:

• One short read a week. Think about it. Short novels, although sometimes fleeting, are so much fun to read. Maybe pick up a novella, or a collection of short stories or poetry. Read them when you have a few minutes between classes. Or when in bed, right before you fall asleep (supposedly that is better for you than playing on your phone). On Sunday afternoons, when you're procrastinating doing work because, I mean, it's Sunday. Read the short stuff and before you know it you have read 52 short novels in a year. That's pretty good.
• You could play on the same trend as the last resolution and read one long book every month. University classes do give us a lot to read but it's nice to balance that out with something that we chose to read.
• Read the favorite book of one of your loved ones. If it's someone's favorite, then it's bound to be at least an alright read. Simply ask them what it is and then spend your time reading it and you'd be surprised how much you can learn about someone by reading their favorite book. Plus you get a decent book to add to your repertoire.
• Read one of the trending books that people obsess over or read a book that neither you nor any of your acquaintances have even heard of. 
• Pick an author and read only their books during the year. If it's your favorite author or an author you really dislike. Spend this year taking your time to really get to know their writing inside out.
• Pick a new genre and read the best in that genre. If you're the kind of reader that only reads fantasy or young adult fiction maybe spend this next year only reading biographies or creative non-fiction or only flash fiction. There are so many interesting genres out there and it could be an interesting to step out of your reading bubble this year and try something new. You never know where you'll find your next favorite book.
• Educate yourself with all the classics or focus entirely on contemporary work.
• Pick a book with really good reviews but one that you normally would just pass over on the shelf.

There are lots of possible reading resolutions and these are only some of them but when writing your resolutions this year make sure you set aside time to make at least one reading resolution. And don't be afraid to be creative. Happy New Year!