Top 5 book-related intentions for 2021

I’m of the opinion that resolutions or, as I prefer to call them, intentions shouldn’t be confined to the start of the year but that it’s better to review and set them constantly. With that in mind, here are my book-related intentions for 2021.

One: Complete the 52 Book Club 2021 Reading Challenge

You read 52 different books in 52 different categories. I did this in 2019 and managed to complete it. Last year, what with everything that was happening, I lost my way with finding books for the categories, plus the categories themselves were a bit more problematic for me. However, this year I’m back with a vengeance and have already completed 25 categories. Of course, it’s easier to match books to categories at the beginning; the further through the challenge I get, the more selective I have to be when choosing books to read. It’s not too late to join in the fun so find out more here: https://www.the52book.club/challenges/2021-reading-challenge/

Two: Keep a more detailed reading journal

A couple of years ago, I began a very basic reading journal, in which I noted information such as title, author, date of publication, number of pages, start and finish dates, number of stars, and the potential 52 Book Club Reading Challenge categories the books would fit into. Last year, I did the same but lost my way. This year, I have decided to do all of the above, plus the genre, themes, what drew me to the book, some thoughts before reading, interesting quotations, sometimes a bit of information about what happens in each part or chapter (particularly if I’m reading it for a course or book club), and any thoughts that strike me. The detail I go into very much depends on my reaction to the book.

Three: Take some literature-related courses

I seem to have signed up for a few of these:

• Twelfth Night (January)
• Middle Eastern Literature (January)
• How to Read a Novel (January)
• How to Read a Poem (January/February)
• Ten Poets (March-May)
• Contemporary Literature (April)
• Reading Lolita in Tehran (April/May)
• Critical Reading (April-July)
• Literature of the Absurd (May/June)

Four: Explore Middle Eastern and Japanese fiction

I’ve discovered I particularly like fiction from these areas and would like to delve deeper into novels written by authors from these regions.

Five: Choose an author and read all or most of their work

I did this with George Orwell and Virginia Woolf last year. It’s a great way to get into their writing style and to follow the development of their work if you read them in chronological order, discovering how common themes thread through their writing. This kind of immersion is very fulfilling. Whilst I did course on both of these writers to guide me through the process, I now feel confident to undertake this independently. I’m considering starting with Khaled Hosseini (he has fewer novels than other writers I’m pondering) and will also seek out some relevant journal articles and YouTube videos, anything I can find to give me a deeper understanding.

Seeing these intentions written down makes me realise they are quite ambitious; having said that they are not beyond my capability and if I only manage to do part of them, then I will be satisfied.