Confab: Reasons for Blogging & Resolutions

As 2013 draws to a close, 2014 is almost upon us. For many this once again means coming up with New Year’s resolutions. I’m sure that for just as many, failing to keep them is not a foreign concept either. Seeing how I’ve only been into book blogging for a little over 6 months now, I thought revisiting my reasons for blogging would help guide me in coming up with resolutions I can actually keep and will still want to keep when October rolls around.

1. I wanted to track the books I read. After years of reading I’m ashamed to report that I couldn’t pinpoint my reading preferences. I knew that I’ve mostly been an eclectic reader but I had to have preferences, right? Except, I couldn’t tell you what they were if you would’ve asked. Now I can see that I strongly tend towards Contemporary. Well, for the moment at least.
2. I wanted to be able to look back on the books I’ve read without needing to reread them. Book synopses are rather useful in this aspect but sometimes they all start to sound the same. Noting down things that struck me seemed like a more foolproof method. Though when writing reviews, I do try to refrain from spoilers because I almost always hate spoilers myself.
3. I figured reviewing books would hone my analytical skills. Figuring out what works in a book and what doesn’t and why seemed like a good way to flex my brain muscles a bit. Plus with all that essay writing and all those literature reviews I had to write for my university studies, doing it for fiction switched things up a little. At the same time, it trained my ability to recall details without constantly looking them up in their books. It also prompted me to take down notes while reading for future reference.
4. I’m a visual person. This means that as much as Goodreads offers a splendid platform for my general purposes, I like information to be laid out on my terms. Allowing each review to have its own page appeases that need.

1. The book blogging community. I only discovered that there was such a community a month or so after I set up my own blog. Sure, I was aware that other book lovers out there set up their own blogs but I didn’t really go looking. For some reason I expected everyone to be an island of some sort. I was wrong. Book bloggers love to connect with other book bloggers, and book lovers as a whole. I want to connect. My little island has slowly sailed towards mainland but it has not quite become part of it yet. Baby steps.
2. A place to post discussions. When I was younger I used to get on everybody’s nerves because I wouldn’t let them finish talking. I always had to share my own thoughts and opinions, no matter if it was my turn to speak or not. Fear not, I have toned down a lot since those days but I still have opinions and I still like to share them. Since this is my blog, I can share them whenever I like. On the bright side, I’m not in anybody’s way and when others decide to comment on my discussion posts, I know that they are genuinely interested in what I have to say.
3. Share my love for books. Besides my sister, I don’t know anyone who reads as much as I do, much less reads YA books. Perhaps it’s because the people I hang out with I mostly know through sports, so our shared interests predominantly involve sports. Sadly then I rarely am involved in bookish exchanges with others.

These reasons are what I want to keep in mind when thinking about what I expect out of 2014 for my blog. First and foremost, I want to have fun blogging. A lot of bloggers have been on hiatus lately, citing pressure and stress as contributing factors. I don’t want to reach that stage. At the same time, I do want to keep at contributing regular content to keep my blog alive. Maybe I will introduce a wider variety of features, so I don’t fall into a slump.

Communication is key. I don’t want to keep talking to a wall. Neither do I want to remain an island. Establishing connections though is my job. I can’t expect others to know I exist without making my existence known. To make my existence known, I need to comment more on other blogs instead of holing myself up here. It’s not just about letting others know I exist though. It’d be nice to get to know some like-minded people a little better. Y’know? Break out of my shell.

When it comes to reading, I want to challenge myself a little more. I also want to extend the resolve I made last year to read more non-fiction as well. Fiction-wise, I will stick to YA but I also would like to venture out to more adult fiction too. Looks like I need to set a higher number of books as my reading target to achieve all that.

Anyway, I have yet to come up with my measurable resolutions. I will keep thinking about them and what I do want to achieve before compiling a cohesive list. Hopefully I manage to do so in time for New Year’s.

If you have a book blog, why do you blog? Also, what are your resolutions for 2014? Be it in terms of blogging or in terms of reading? Suggestions are also welcome!