By Jen Bort
Fayetteville Free Library
If you set a New Year’s resolution (or several) last week, consider adding a reading resolution to augment your goal.
For instance, if your resolution is to limit social-media use but you can’t stop picking up your phone, try pairing it with a resolution to read more eBooks. Reading eBooks on your phone via Hoopla, Libby or OverDrive can be a great alternative to mindlessly scrolling through your social media feed.
Is your resolution to work out more? Consider adding a reading resolution to listen to more audiobooks – if you do so while you exercise, it’ll help time fly.
Is your resolution to keep a journal? Consider adding a reading resolution to start a Book of Books (BOB), which can be as simple as a list of books you’ve read and date completed. A Book of Books can mimic or be a great start to journaling by helping you remember not just the book, but what was happening and even where you were while you read it. (Recommendation: “My Life with Bob,” by Pamela Paul.)
Another reading resolution to consider: Read outside your comfort zone. By trying a genre you might normally shy away from, you could expand your horizons and discover, for instance, that you enjoy reading YA (young adult) novels, graphic novels, or even picture books. Reading outside your comfort zone might also mean reconsidering the authors you’ve been reading. Do they include women, people of color or indigenous people? If not, consider seeking some out.
Other ideas for reading resolutions include setting a specific goal (e.g., to read a book a week); prioritizing books to read that you already own (donating books after you read them might be part of this if one of your resolutions is to clean house); reading local authors or joining a book club.
For help with your resolutions, whatever they may be, visit the Fayetteville Free Library in person or online at FFLIB.org. Bonus: eBooks and audiobooks are free to borrow, same as print books. This should help with that additional money saving resolution.
The FFL Buzz will be back next week.
