Reading Resolutions 2010 – How did I do?

Back in January, as always, I made some reading resolutions.  There were just four of them, so how did I do this year?

1. As always, try and reduce the TBR mountains – goes without saying really. That also means acquiring less books – but I’m not going to impose any out and out purchasing restrictions. Instead I shall try to think more about all the good reads waiting that I already have. FAILED

Out of over 100 books read in 2010, a large number, 37 to be exact were published in 2010, and a further 27 were published in 2009 and so hadn’t been in the TBR long if at all – mostly paperbacks of hardbacks released in 2009 I’d wager.  Looking through my list, I could only count around 20 that were definitely acquired further back in time (and that’s counting the Lord of the Rings as three books).  I have plans to address that this year!

2. Read the Canongate Myths series – This was one from 2009 that I failed to achieve at all, but if I make an effort to read one volume a month, it’ll be fun, and I love re-tellings of this kind. PASSED PARTLY

I started well and managed four out of the dozen or so titles in this series so far. I rather got sidetracked onto the Mabinogion later in the year – which are also retellings of myths, so think I can just about say I passed.

3. Again try to read more books published before I was born. (Between you and me that means pre-1960). I’m thinking of finally getting to grips with Wodehouse for starters, and more Thomas HardyPASSED

In 2009 I read just five books published pre-1960, so it couldn’t be hard to do better.  In 2010 I read 13 (again counting LOTR as three though).  That is a respectable pass as far as I’m concerned even though I still haven’t got around to Wodehouse or more Hardy!

4. Re-read a few books that I really enjoyed the first time around. Last year I revisited just one book fully and it was an excellent experience, so I should definitely do it again more often. PASSED

I joined in the LOTR readalong and loved it all over again.  Also I re-read Ella Minnow Pea and The Spy Who Came in From the Cold for book group, both books standing up well to being re-read – Spy turning out to be my Book of the Year  I was planning to take part in DGR’s War & Peace readalong, but didn’t get started in time.  I think that’s about the right level of re-reading given my un-read TBR so that’s a pass.

I’m still musing on updating my resolutions for 2011. I’m not a great one for challenges and the like, so shall keep things simple – but that’s another post …

How did you go against your Reading Resolutions if you made them?

This post was republished into its original place in my blog’s timeline from my lost posts archive

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