2026 Reading Resolutions

Happy 2026! 

How is everyone enjoying their 2026 so far? 

Sorry for being away for the past few months for an improv blog break. It seemed to happen without me knowing, but it was nice to read without worrying about finding time to blog and just pop a sentence or a gif on my Goodreads/StoryGraph/Instragram (hence I do think this will be my last year book blogging and ease into different ways of reviewing as, come on, it's been over 15/16 years and as much as I like reading proofs from publishers, I miss reading books/audiobooks where I spend my actual money on and purchase!)

So yes, that's on the horizon. But you've not got rid of me just yet. 

I have some reading resolutions/plans for myself. The main thing is keeping my reading casual.

"But, Andrew," I hear you cry, "isn't that your normal when it comes to reading?"

Well, yeah, but the last few years, I seem to enjoy going towards books (I use this term loosely to include ebooks and audiobooks) that don't exactly fit my Go-To genres (fantasy, crime/thriller/mystery, teen), so I want to do some exploring of these, as well as not rushing.

I think most of us who blog (again, loose term that covers BookTok, Booktube, Booksagram, Bookcasts and other forms) worry that we're not reading enough so we power through the story. So, I want to not worry so much about deadlines (I have this as I have several VERY long titles that I want to read this year that I keep putting off... yes, Priory of the Orange Tree. I am talking about you.)

And now that I'm reading back my own writing, I've realised that my resolution is basically "remember why you read: enjoyment". So yes, this year's reading resolution is to enjoy myself with it comes to my reading/audiobooking. 

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EDIT: Ok, I have just read the above a week or two after I wrote that and yikes. That reads a tad portentous, doesn't it? "Keep reading fun". Isn't that why we read? For enjoyment and pleasure?  

So, let me be clear and actually say "Here's my reading resolutions" so you can see what I'm planning on the reading front to keep it fun and casual (and this might help me chatting more on the blog while I wind this down over the next 12 months while upping my Goodreads/StoryGraph/Instagram - to keep that side light and fun). 

Like I said earlier, I want to branch out in my reading and read stories that aren't exactly in my Go-To genres and maybe try new genres (does that mean I might go near the dread Classics shelves in Waterstones and Foyles? We shall see... I have ideas and plans…)

And I want to tackle my magpie-mess of a To Be Read stacks of my physical, ebook and audio. They are all, individually, long lists so I would like to get my groove on and get a few of them read or DNFed. 

Basically, am going to try and... hang on, Jennifer Coolidge might be able to say it better...

New Year Resolutions for 2017

HELLO 2017! It's so nice to meet you at last! It's been a long time coming so here we are. You lovely lovely today.

Anyway, this is my New Year's Resolutions blog post. Basically, this is me telling you all my goals/hopes/dreams for what I want to do for the blog and my reading for the next 12 months.

Now, some are going to be repeats for previous New Year Resolutions so skip those if you are bored but here there are.

READ FOR PLEASURE

Ok, this might seem like a no brainer, but we bookish people (bloggers/vloggers/podcasters/etc) start this as a hobby and then, somewhere along the way, it becomes a little overwhelming. We put ourselves under pressure (no one is putting this pressure on us. We do it ourselves!) to read EVERY book/ebook/audiobook that we own. And we shouldn't live like this. Reading is a pleasure, it should be fun. So, that is my main rule of this year (hence why this rule is underlined and none of the others are!): read for fun. If I read for fun and for my own enjoyment, you guys will see it in my posts. 

BE MORE RUTHLESS

This one is going to be more tricky but, if I am going to read for my own pleasure, then I need to be more ruthless on what I read, how I read and why I read. Literary agents and publishers have this rule - they read the first three chapters. If these chapters don't grab them, they move on. It's not for them. And that's what I'm going to do more of. If I don't click with a story, put it down and move on. Why force yourself to read something you're not liking when you have something on TBR that you KNOW you will love? So, yes, more ruthless in my reading and why - but I will take about why I DNF something in blog posts. I want to be honest with you guys. 

TAKE MORE RISKS IN READING

I like pushing myself to try new things. Sometimes it works and sometime it doesn't. But I want to keep pushing myself on this, to try new and exciting stories (you might notice I do this via audiobook and NetGalley, FYI) and see if I discover a new story or author that I can love! And maybe read things that might be on everyone's radar... HIGHLY UNLIKELY but try and be brave!

READ MORE DIVERSE STORIES

Do I really need to go into this one? I think it speaks for itself... 

COMPLETE BRITISH BOOK CHALLENGE 2017

I signed up to do this (introduction post for that is here!). So, 12 books (min) by authors who either are born & live in UK, born in UK but live overseas or born overseas but live in the UK. Ok, I know I can smash this anyway, but I want to do this while reading authors from all over the globe. 

REREAD (#RE3) MORE BOOKS

Well, it comes to no surprise to anyone that I want to do some rereads (or #re3 as I call them on the blog!), but I have set a challenge for myself. I must reread all 5 The Old Kingdom series novels by Garth Nix AND all 3 His Dark Materials novels by Philip Pullman (I chat about my plans here). The time is right for me to blitz these reads! I AM SO READY! 

(and I can reread any book/audiobook I want without guilt! That is going to be more tricky, me thinks...)

USE MY KINDLE MORE

Need I say more...?

AND FINALLY... GET MY ARC & NETGALLEYS UNDER CONTROL

*burst into hysterical laughter* I'll try and I will fail! 

Oh, this isn't a resolution but over the course of the year, I will be doing polls on my Twitter (https://twitter.com/PewterWolf13) so you guys pick my next read. I'll give you guys a heads-up on the blog, via the blog's Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/ThePewterWolf/) or via the lovely people at Bookish Brits or I'll do it on the spur of the moment. The poll will be done in a mix of way - titles, authors, genres, publishers, the cover's main colour, etc. So keep your eyes peeled as for some reasons, you will be in control!

There are a few other things I would like to put as a resolution, but I might keep them quiet for a while as this year might be a trial run over if I can write/do those things. So keep your eyes peeled on them as well.

Yes, that's it. I think. No, that's it. This is most/some/not even a good amount of New Year resolutions for the blog in 2017 but I am going to try and keep to these resolutions and make this an awesome year for the Pewter Wolf!

New Year Resolutions

Dear Andrew,

I know you don't like thinking about New Year Resolutions as you don't usually stick to them. But with the blog, I thought it would be nice of you to have a few. Just for a while. Plus, these are resolutions are resolutions I think will keep.

So, let's talk about these resolutions for the Pewter Wolf, shall we?

1. Don't stress over the blog
I know you worry about the blog. I know this as you worry you're not good enough or the blog isn't good enough. This has to stop. You shouldn't get yourself into a state over the blog. This is suppose to be a fun full-time hobby. So stop worrying. You're doing good, don't let worrying over it.

2. More rereads (#re3) & try and use your Kindle more...
I know you said you would reread more books over the past few years and last year, you read all seven Harry Potter books and you had fun! You enjoyed doing them, and you always started thinking about rereading other books. So, why not? I'm not going to give you a target but this year, just try to read a few rereads. I think we know what rereads you want to read...

And Kindle... yeah... moving on!

3. Don't double up
Ok, I know you don't do this, but let's try and see if we can keep this going. It's rare that you read the same author back-to-back (I know you read Lemony Snicker back to back for a while, but that was in 2015 to get you out a reading slump, so this doesn't count!), but maybe for a month or two, we should try and make this rule go with genre as well. It would be an interesting challenge.

4. Take more risks
You've done this with the audiobooks you listened to last year and you had have kinda started with the books, but let's push ourselves. Let's go further! You might not like everything you read, but at least you're trying new stuff and things outside your comfort zone. If you want, keep trying new things with audiobooks but be braver with stories! BE BRAVER!

5. Take Blog Breaks (And Stick to Them!)
I know you try and take time away from the blog and not post anything for a month - your RSM - but you changed the dates last month. And you didn't really stick to it. You posted guest posts and you wrote posts for the following month. How about for a month, you take a break from the blog and you stay away from your laptop? It will do you some good to have a break. The world isn't going to end because you take some time off. Ever if it's for a few weeks, do it! Enjoy your non-blogger life. You might like that hot glowing thing in the sky...

6. See resolution one over you feeling like a book blogger fraud
Relax. Breath. You are not faking this so please don't stress over the feeling you are not good enough to be a book blogger, that you are a fake, a fraud. You are not. How many more times will people need to tell you this?

7. Read for fun!
Ok, this is something you are very good at. Just read what you want to read. And to hell with everyone else!

Do you think you can do that, Andrew? Will you at least try?

Glad we had this chat. Ok, off you go into 2016 and to doing that boring thing we call a job...

Bookish New Year's Resolutions

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL, MY LOVELIES!!! Are you all enjoying the new year so far?

But it's that time on the blog, me talking about my bookish New Year resolutions... And I have 4 kinda resolutions for my reading this year. I might not stick to all of them (bar one. One I am sticking to NO MATTER WHAT!). But yes, my resolutions are as follows...

1. Read More - This isn't me saying "I must read more books!" because if that is the case, I will fail. What I mean is read more widely. Read genres I'm don't normally read in. And I have a few already in my TBR (and some books in grown-up genres I like [ie. 3 KATHY REICHS!!!]) and one preordered (should be out in April if all goes to plan), but yes... be braver in my reading.

2. Get my TBR pile under some control - This is NEVER HAPPEN but make it neat and tidy. My TBR pile grows without me knowing and I need to be either more organised and make lists or be more ruthless over what books I can give to my local library or charity shops. But yes, get things up straight with my books and maybe my blog...

3. British Books Challenge - You might have seen the tab on the top of the blog but yes, I'm taking part in the British Books Challenge. Which is, if I understand this right, a challenge to read 12 books from UK authors. I'm pretty certain I will complete this very quickly but it's going to be fun to see who I read and what I think of them...

4. Reread Harry Potter - I did talk about this in a previous post but THIS IS THE YEAR WHERE I READ ALL SEVEN HARRY POTTER! I don't think I need to explain myself any further, do I?

But yes, this is my ideas and plans for my reading. I hope I can stick to a few of them but OH WELL! We shall see...

I suppose I should have a real new year's resolution. Maybe get fitter...

Ok... maybe not getting fit... 

New Year's Eve's Message

When I decided that I was going to write this blogpost (over a week or so ago), I mentally planned how I was going to write it and what I was going to say. While I still have the essance of it still in my head, I've suddenly have no idea where to start.

Let's start with the most important (and the main reason why I'm writing this). I want to say thank you.

Thank you to you, dear readers, for reading my blog.
Thank you to all the cool bloggers I have met and who have welcomed me into the world of book-blogging with open arms, big smiles and a dirty sense of humour.
Thank you to publishing houses (too many to name but all wonderful) for sending me copies of books that made me go hyper.
Thank you to my friends who had to handle me going randomly insane once in a while.
Thanks to my family (especially my mum and sister - two of the strongest women I have ever known) for being there. I love you all so much!
And thanks to the PIW - I love you. Even though I have forced books upon you (The Hunger Games, The Body Finder and, soon, The Pledge), ruined songs by either YouTube, pulling faces or changing words in songs to food (my fave is "trifle", even though I hate the stuff!) and still get confused when you say "Cod" whether you mean "Call of Duty" or the fish...

Now I have got all my thank yous out of the way, I suppose I'm meant to tell you all what is happening to The Pewter Wolf blog in the coming year. And, truth be told, I have no real idea. I have starts of ideas on what I want the blog to go in 2012 (read more scary novels, read more male authors, read more male leads, read more diversity, read more crime novels, read more on my kindle, read the books I've actually got/bought, the list is endless!), but all seem to come back to one point: be braver in reading. I'm not 100% certain what this means, but I'm going to try and figure it out, and I hope you guys will figure it out with me.

Now, before I go, I wanted to end this blog (my last of 2011) with something inspirational. I was going to use a quote from someone - Aung San Suu Kyi, The Dalai Lama, JK Rowling, even the wisest of people (aka my Mum) - but nothing seems to feel right for this moment. So, am going to write two things and then am going to ruin it. So, here we go:

1. You are extraordinary. Let no one else take that away from you. Because you are.
2. Follow your dreams and your heart will always be happy.

And now, am going to ruin it. LET'S KICK 2012 ASS!!!

These Should Have Been My New Year's Resolution...

A LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNGGG time ago, I blogged about an image I found via a friend of mine on Twitter an image that I loved and was going to be my New Year's Resolution.

I found two more so I sense that they will be my New Year's resolutions for the rest of the year, or next year...

Every Day... (My Motto For 2010!)

I must thank my twitter and Livejournal friend Nicole (http://twitter.com/melovecoffee and http://organizedmess.livejournal.com) for this photo. I'm not sure if she took it or she found it on the net, but I really liked it and I've been meaning to upload it to here and, maybe, facebook. So now, I have finally stopped thinking of excuses and an upload this picture. So, Nicole, thanks!!!