New Year’s Reading Resolution

by Hope Loman Rowan Public Library

            Now that we’ve all said goodbye to 2015 and hello to a brand new year, you might find yourself deciding on whether or not to make a resolution for the rest of 2016.  Most individuals will choose something related to improving their body—losing a certain amount of weight, for instance, or exercising more—but why don’t you try something new this year and improve your mind instead? Specifically, why don’t you make a New Year’s resolution to read more books from your local library?

Why should you pick up more books? Well, not only does reading increase mental stimulation and knowledge, it also improves your concentration, can be a good stress reliever, and—best of all--is free entertainment! Additionally, this resolution can be as simple as checking out whatever book piques your interest and going from there (just get another one when you’re done!). For those of us who like something more structured, or have no idea where to start, there are also many wonderful online book challenges that are both creative and stimulating.

For instance, the blog Book Riot is holding its second annual Read Harder Challenge, where it wants readers to “spend a whole year reading consciously, thoughtfully, and outside your comfort zone.” There are 24 tasks for each reader to accomplish, such as “Read a horror book,” and an incentive of filling out the checklist provided on the website to get a 30% discount from their online store. To start you off under the horror category, you might want to download the Rowan Public Library’s digital copy of “Within These Walls” by Ania Ahlborn, pick up “Slade House” by David Mitchel, or read Mary Shelley’s beloved classic “Frankenstein.”

Alternatively, the book and lifestyle blog My Soul Called Life has the 2016 Monthly Key Word Reading Challenge, where readers have to choose one book whose title includes one or more of the six keywords provided for that month. For example, January’s list is Crowd, Girl, The, Bad, Soul, and Soft, which could lead you to check out our popular fiction books like “The Girl on the Train” by Paula Hawkins or “The Bazaar of Bad Dreams” by Stephen King, or if you’re more of a non-fiction fan you can try any one of our “Chicken Soup for the Soul” books.

There are all kinds of book challenges out there for readers with varied interests and of all ages, from “getting back to ‘The Classics’” to focusing on novels with dystopian themes--there's even an Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge where readers are encouraged to read one book that has a title starting with every letter of the alphabet! Take a look and see which one not only appeals to you, but is a goal that you feel comfortable working towards all year round. And, as always, feel free to ask a librarian at the Rowan Public Library what books they would recommend to satisfy your literary needs. Here’s to a happy (and well-read) 2016!