Resolve to Read More This Year

By Victoria Robertson on January 16, 2017

It’s 2017, which, for many, means that New Year’s resolutions are in full swing.

But maybe this year, instead of promising to attend the gym every day (which we both know is never going to happen), make resolutions you know you can keep, such as reading more books.

I know, you’re all college students, so reading more is probably the last thing on your mind. But when you think about it, not all books are in-depth analyses of psychometric measures you don’t understand — mindless reading is still a thing.

stocksnap.io

And if you aren’t sure (or don’t have time) to figure out which books would be best for your reading needs, there are plenty of sources for you to do so.

On one side, there’s the Book of the Month club, where you choose from five new books every month. They range in genre (to appeal to everyone) and get delivered directly to your door in hardcover with a small gift each month along with it.

The club is open to anyone, and you can buy a one-month, three-month, six-month or one-year membership, depending on your needs and budget. And the best part? If you don’t like any of the selections for a given month, you can skip it.

So if you have a three-month membership but get a little busy with classes in February and won’t have time to read, you can choose to skip the month and then the skipped month gets tacked on the end of your membership, so you aren’t losing out. This is an affordable, easy plan that’s perfect for college students that aren’t sure what their schedule is going to look like on a month to month basis.

But if a membership isn’t quite your cup of tea, don’t worry! There are plenty of other options.

If you haven’t joined yet, Goodreads is a great place to check up on the latest books.

You can document what you’re reading now (or have read in the past), create a virtual bookshelf of books that you would like to read and even join a book club specific to your preferences. There are book clubs for history lovers, horror fanatics, thriller fans and sci-fi nerds. There are even a few celebrity-run book clubs, like Emma Watson’s Our Shared Self, which is a feminist book club open to anyone that wants to read some powerful, feminist works.

The book clubs are all run differently, so you’ll have to pick one that fits your preferences. Watson’s club, for example, picks a new book every two months, while others are monthly, bimonthly, weekly, etc.

You can also be as involved or uninvolved in the clubs as you’d like — there aren’t any requirements, so if you don’t like a pick, you are able to skip it without missing out, and you can choose to (or not to) post on the boards to have conversations with readers in the club about the chosen book.

And you are also more than welcome to start your own book club on the site if your desired genre/format isn’t available. You can have your friends join or simply communicate with complete strangers that have similar interests.

Essentially, you are able to make the entire Goodreads experience your own. And if the organized “club” structure isn’t your thing, you are more than welcome to simply pick out books and put them on your virtual shelves, post statuses and check out what your friends are reading.

Goodreads is a virtual space with endless possibilities for people who are already avid readers or who are looking to become better readers, etc.

Plus, you can add your resolution to your profile by making a challenge for yourself (typically setting a number of books you’d like to read by the end of the year), and the site shows you your progress every time you log on.

Both Book of the Month and Goodreads are only two examples of the endless book reading possibilities out there, so scour the internet and find what works best for you! For some of you, that means simply reading the New York Times Bestseller List, which is perfectly fine as well. To achieve this resolution, you’re going to have to find something that works for you, so definitely take advantage of the resources that you know are out there!

If you’re interested in joining the Book of the Month club, click here.

If you’re interested in joining Goodreads, click this link and sign up (you can do so easily through Facebook, or, for those of you without a Facebook, you can create an account through your email).

And don’t be afraid to join both! (I did).

The time constraints completely fit into your schedule, so it is what you make of it. Happy Reading!

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format