Reflection and Resolution

I know I'm a few days late, but I'd like to officially wish everyone a happy new year. I hope you all enjoyed your holiday season and found yourselves with stuffed bellies and piles of new books. Last year had its share of ups and downs, beginning particularly low when I lost a dear friend. The rest of my year certainly wasn't as desolate, but that event seemed to hover over the rest of my year. I struggled a lot with work, didn't meet my reading or blogging goals, and had a hard time staying organized.

But 2011 saw a lot of triumphs, as well. John Green commented on my blog, I shared a cab with David Levithan, and Ellen Hopkins told me I rock. I met countless bloggers, authors, and book lovers from New York to New Orleans. I read fifty-nine fantastic books written by phenomenal authors, and I gained a ton of new followers I appreciate every day. Blogging can certainly be time-consuming and stressful (and believe me, Josh still searches for the paychecks...), but it is also one of the most rewarding experiences with one of the most supportive communities out there. I am forever grateful to be a part of it.

Now that 2012 is here, I want to make a few conservative goals.

• Read fifty books, with at least ten being historical fiction and at least twelve by debut authors
• Blog at least once a week, not including WoW or IMM
• Read what I want when I want without feeling "committed" to things I didn't commit to

I desperately feel the need to tone things down while still being productive and efficient. It's so easy to get bogged down by review copies and release dates, but there are so many books and so many bloggers. What fun is it to see the same books being reviewed over and over again? I have a plethora of books I own but haven't read, and my book buying is not likely to cease. I'd like to spend more time "catching up" on the books and review copies I already have and less time feeling like I have to read this right now. We've all, at times, questioned why we do this, but I think the general consensus is because we enjoy it. And the second it feels like work, most of us will quit.

In addition to reading and blogging, I also want to spend an adequate amount of time with my family, my friends, and my side projects. And until someone wants to pay me to read and review*, I also must dedicate forty-plus hours a week in exchange for a paycheck. I should also mention that the first half of the year will be particularly low-achieving while I prepare for the best day of my life thus far: the day I marry my better half**.

*I'm looking at you, NYT! You know you want me!

**You thought I was talking about meeting John Green, didn't you? Believe me, it was tough to choose, but Josh won out...barely ;)