Each New Year we re-set at midnight on the dot, covered in glitter and a little tipsy on the watered-down cocktails we bought that afternoon to hold us over while we staked out a park to watch two sets of fireworks and trudge home to do it all again. We make promises to ourselves, to get fit and drink less, to be nicer to others, to make those work goals from the December before. It’s an inspiring and sometimes exhausting time of the year, but the best thing about it is that we get to try again.

Anyway, if you don’t feel like going for a run here are some book resolutions for 2019:

via GIPHY

1. A Book Published in 2019

Let’s face it—we all have books that have been sitting in our TBR for years, but it’s always a good idea to read at least one major release each year that everyone is talking about. You’ll feel more connected with what’s happening around you.

2. A Book You Own But Never Read
   But still read those books you bought years ago c’mon.
3. A Classic
   Any one will do. Can be a romantic classic or a fiction classic. I never realise how much classics are mentioned in pop-culture until I read one. It enriches the mind and it’s also a window into a time long ago that we may have forgotten.
4. A Book Written by an Australian/New Zealand Author
   The best thing about local books is that you can recognise locations. I read The Messenger by Markus Zusak when I first got here and was beyond excited to be able to follow the Ed along while he drove through Central Sydney.
5. A Non-Fiction Book
   We focus so much on fiction books that we forget that non-fiction is actually a really fun genre to breach in to. Memoir, self-help, biography, anything that remotely interests you that you want to learn more about.
6. An LGBT+ Romance
   Mostly dominated by young adult novels, as young adult presents the most progressive of genres. However, if you’d like to read an adult novel, read Less by Andrew Sean Greer. It’s the stand-out of 2018 for adult LGBT+ fiction.
7. A Book with the Protagonist that Shares Your Occupation
   I read these to see how accurate they are.
8. A Book That Has Been Made Into a Movie*
   *BEFORE you go to see the film
9. A Romance Novel With Diverse Lead Characters
   It’s going to be 2019—there are a plethora of amazing romance novels that have diverse characters. My personal favorited this year has been To All The Boys I Love Before by Jenny Han.
10. The Bestseller of Your Birth Year
    Google your birth year and “book bestseller” and you should be directed to a list of the New York Time’s Bestsellers of that year. Choose one and give it a whirl.
11. A Translated Romance Novel
    French ones are fun.
12. A Historical Romance Set in Ancient Times
    Bet you didn’t know this was a thing? Read The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller.
13. A Book of Short Stories
    Novels are a big investment of time, but short stores are little pockets of narrative that you can read in one train ride. If you’re in a slump this year, read an anthology of short stories to feel a sense of accomplishment.
14. A Book Someone Gave You/Recommended
    We all have friends that constantly recommend books for us to read and we say we will, but we end up never reading it. The guilt festers in the back of our minds every single time we see them and we wish we would have taken the time to read that one novel they keep harping on about. Read it this year, go get coffee with them and discuss.
15. A Book You Chose Based on the Cover Alone
    You were in the bookstore, you saw a book with a cover that spoke to you on another level. You impulsively bought it for the Instagram post but then left it sitting on your shelf for most of the year. Give it a read and see if your instincts were correct!
16. That Book You Were Supposed to Read in Uni
    100% guilty.
17. Banned Romance Novel

Banned books are always fun and controversial—and fulfil their duty of taking you out of your comfort zone. You probably have read a banned book some time in your life like To Kill a Mockingbird or Harry Potter—take it to the next level and find a banned romance novel.

18. A Book You Started and Never Finished
    This is book resolutions after all—and that one book that’s been gathering dust on your bedside table either needs to be finished or given away.
19. A Book You Can Read in One Sitting
    Finally—don’t put too much pressure on yourself this year. Reading is supposed to be an enjoyable experience, not something you feel obliged to do. Life is too short to read books you don’t like. Don’t worry if you don’t meet every single resolution, read every book on your bookshelf, or read the year’s bestseller. Relax, find something short and sweet and easy, and try to remember why you love reading again.

By Hillary Albertson

Image via Disney