So, you know, this absolutely horrifying year of 2017 is soon ending. And New Years is, like, the time to reconsider, refocus & set some goals, right?
You see, there’s a certain irony about me: I’ve always loved books. I learned to read when I was three, and devoured all kinds of written word much faster than any kid my age had business doing. I’ve checked the most books out of my primary school’s library five years in a row. Mum routinely came to my room in the evenings to remind me about homework, food, and sleep.
And almost all of that I’ve lost in high school.
That’s when depression hit, and out of all the things I’ve missed out because of that, reading has been by far the worst loss. I couldn’t focus on a book to save my life. Something I’d have read in a few hours before now took weeks.
I never recovered from that. Reading is still hard for me, for reasons I don’t entirely understand. I’ve barely read anything in 2017.
And, frankly, this is unacceptable to me. I intend to spend my life reading and writing all kinds of words. So as of today, I’m saying “fuck this” to my mental illnesses and starting READING!
And to help me with that: 2018 Beat The Backlist. (basically, it’s a reading challenge that focuses on working on that TBR list. it is literally that simple.)
Seeing how little I’ve been reading in the recent years, I’m going to start small – for now, my goal is 3 books. If I can do that, I’m gonna slowly raise the bar, and see how much I can get done in the next year.
I’m gonna update this post with my team and a book list in the near future!
Good luck to all of you, guys, whatever you aim to accomplish in 2k18.
Stay determined!
I’m on the Dewey Dragons team! Reptiles represent 🐉
Also, here’s my current TBR:
Angela Carter’s short story collection (includes two pieces from Fireworks, five from The Bloody Chamber, six from Black Venus, and two from American Ghosts and Old World Wonders)
In Iceland, books are exchanged on Christmas Eve, and you spend the rest of the night reading. People generally take their books to bed along with some chocolate. How cozy and wonderful does that sound?
(More fun facts: Iceland publishes more books per capita than any other country, and new books are typically published only during the Christmas season—the frenzy is called Jólabókaflóð, or the Christmas Book Flood.)
LIST OF THE WEEK: TEN NATIVE AMERICAN PROTAGONISTS We thought about what to put here, but these ten Native American protagonists speak for themselves. For more fun lists and all things YA lit, visit our website, follow us here and on Twitter, and subscribe to our weekly newsletter!
[EDIT] Thanks to Crystal Brunelle for pointing out that Dragon Castle has a Slovakian protaganist. Our bad! We’ve replaced it with The Lesser Blessed.