2011 Reading Resolutions

Happy New Year! 2011 brings a lot of promise and (hopefully) a lot of good books to read. Since some of my schedule will be loosened up come May 6 (3 p.m., Colonial Life Arena), I hope to read more books than I did in 2010 (72). Here are some of my reading (and writing resolutions in 2011:

• Read more books that I own. I check out many of the books from the library, which makes me put the books that I own on the back burner. So a lot of them sit on my shelf, waiting to be read. I hope to make a least a small dent in the new year.



• Finish reading Dreams from My Father. Obama was running for president when I started this book. He is already half way through his first term (I'm claiming he will be reelected next year). It's nothing against the President, but it's one of those books I pick up, read a few chapters and put it down and not pick it up again until months later. It's not the book, just me.



• Finish reading The Help by the time the movie comes out in August. I haven't picked it up since the book club discussed it over the summer.



• Attend more book festivals, especially if they are outside of the state of South Carolina. There are a few that I am thinking about attending in 2011. Because Southwest is coming to Charleston in March, it will be easier and cheaper to fly. I am interested in going to the National Black Book Festival in Houston and the National Black Book Conference in Atlanta.



• Write more in this blog. I also hope to do freelance in other blogs and publications.


• Read outside of my box. Maybe read some more chick lit (and I know there are people who dislike this term). Or maybe some mystery and suspense. It's worth a shot.

• Start an online book club. While I was working on a project for school, I found a free Internet program where you can join through Facebook. I feel this will be a good way to have a book club with people from across the county. And you won't have to leave your house.

What are your reading resolutions for 2011? Will you work on reading a book that you gave up on? What about trying out a new genre? Do you want to meet your favorite author? Let me know!

One more thing: Have you had a chance to read Black Voices' 15 Books That Mattered in 2010? I love that many of these are books I've read, recommendations by authors that I have read (many in 2010), and some books that are on my shelf. I have to giggle at the fact that Soror Nikki chose Decoded as one of her favorite books of 2010 (but I'm not surprised, considering her love of hip hop).