From the wise words of Lily and Val (a crafting, calligraphy, all things pretty website and store; which is where this awesome “refocus” design is from!), 2018 is the time to refocus. At the perfect existential age of 23, a current Master’s seeking grad student, a kinda-sorta New York resident, it might appear that I have things together–but we all know me, and I don’t. For starters, why do I let things I love (i.e. reading and reviewing) fall by the wayside? Let’s stop that, future Shelby. Some goals for this new year include some of the cliche things (like eat better! Note, Z and I got Dominos delivered yesterday–what a great way to start the new year, eh?), but more importantly, they include book-related things.
This year, I want to read one book a week (total 52 books in 2018) that are non-academic, meaning they are not required reading for classes. I also want to post to my bookstagram three or so times a week, as well as posting one review (at least!) a week here.
I want to include my list of 52 books here so you guys can see what I’m up to and give me more suggestions on what to read. Currently, my list is at 40 something. I’m planning on leaving the last 10 or so open instead of planning those away this early in the year.
| *A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab |
| This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab |
| Pendragon #9 by DJ McHale |
| Pendragon #10 by DJ McHale |
| Nimona by Noelle Stevenson |
| Empire of Storms by Sarah J Maas |
| Assassins Blade by Sarah J Maas |
| Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley |
| WinterSong by S. Jae-Jones |
| Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance by Ruth Emmie Lang |
| Before She Ignites by Jodi Meadows |
| Without Merit by Colleen Hoover |
| The Breathless by Tara Goedjen |
| Select by Marit Weisenberg |
| The Witches of New York by Ami McKay |
| Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst |
| Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra |
| The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell |
| *The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh |
| *Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman |
| *Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor |
| Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo |
| Starborn by Lucy Hounsom |
| *Everless by Sara Holland |
| The Disappearances by Emily Bain Murphy |
| A Million Junes by Emily Henry |
| *Women of Will by Tina Packer |
| Private Lives of the Tudors by Tracy Borman |
| Elizabeth by John Guy |
| Furyborn by Claire Legrand |
| *A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J Maas |
| Wicked like Wildfire by Lana Popovic |
| School for Unusual Girls by Kathleen Baldwin |
| The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan |
| Starflight by Melissa Landers |
| It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover |
| Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld |
| Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye |
| The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah |
| Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee |
| Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta |
| Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco |
| The Dollhouse by Fiona Davis |
| *Dangerous Lies by Becca Fitzpatrick |
| Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom |
| One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid |
| Hot Cop by Laurelin Paige |
| RoomHate by Penelope Ward |
If you made it this far down, congrats! The books marked with an asterisk are the ones I’m most excited about and will probably be reading first–this list isn’t in any particular order and as you can see, there’s a healthy mixing of genres and authors. Naturally, there are many YA (my favorite) but there is a sprinkling of non-fiction as well as classics and, of course, some erotica at the end (which will probably be read in the summertime).
Some other book things I’m looking forward to sticking to are: the MLA 2018 New York Convention happening this weekend; BookCon in NY in the summer; finishing my novel by December 31st (fingers crossed, people); reading for my upcoming six Master’s courses this year–as well as picking a mentor and applying to PhD programs come summertime.
So let’s all pray to the book gods that I am capable of keeping up with this resolution–it is, after all, time to refocus.
