Filipino Friday: Goals and Resolutions

Filipino FridayI meant to host Filipino Friday last week, but all the hoopla and celebrations for the turn of the year caught up with me and I totally forgot about it. Ooops. Sorry Chachic!

But anyway, here I am! To those unfamiliar, Filipino Friday is a weekly (or sort of weekly) discussion among Filipino Book Bloggers about anything book or book blogging related. I’d like to start off this year’s discussion with something that I am sure everyone did or is still doing now that the new year is upon us: reading goals and resolutions.

I’m fond of setting goals and resolutions, because I believe in the power of setting one. That’s one of the big reasons why I love the new year because it allows people to start with a blank slate and leave whatever they don’t want to bring into the new year from the past there. I am also slightly nuts about setting challenges for myself, so I am always open to joining challenges that I like, or even some challenges that I am not sure I like them just so I can try to go outside of my comfort zone. So here’s this week’s question: what are your 2011 goals and resolutions as a reader and (Filipino) book blogger? Do you plan to read more books from last year, or do you plan to concentrate on a certain genre only? Do you want to up your stats, your comments or network more? Are you joining reading challenges or are you winging it? Do you plan to buy more books or less? Do you have a reading order ready for the books you will read for January, or even in the next months or the whole year?

I’ve already posted about joining the TwentyEleven challenge, which I hope helps me try new books and genres that I haven’t read before. I’ve also decided not to put a number on the books I plan to read this year after I’ve reached 100 last year — although I wouldn’t mind reading more than the number of books I read last year. I have set other goals for myself, though:

  • Read 5 classics – I’ve been setting a 10 book goal in a year, but I know that I will never reach that number because I read classics too slow. I read 3 last year (5 if you count the C.S. Lewis books, which I am not sure are classics), so this year, I’m aiming for a lower number from 10, but higher from the total I read last year. :)
  • Read at least 20 books by Filipinos – I really enjoyed Project 20:10 last year, and even if I didn’t reach the target 20 books, I’m happy that I tried. I have discovered many good Filipino fiction last year because of that challenge. I want to do that again this year.

As for resolutions? I haven’t set a final list, but here’s what I have from the top of my head:

  • I will embrace my Mt. TBR. No more stressing over the number of books I have or will have. Sure, I still think I have too many, but I will not stress over it anymore. I figure, as long as I can read and love reading, I will not stop getting books, so why fight it?
  • However, I will avoid impulse buys. I am very bad at impulse buys. Book buying is my kind of retail therapy, so whenever I am sad or angry or emotional, I tend to get more books. :P I will try to stop doing that…by doing what, I am not sure yet. But I will avoid impulse buys as much as possible.
  • I will allow myself not to finish books. Best example is the book I posted about yesterday. However, I will only probably do this for review copies, if I really cannot stand it anymore. I will still attempt to finish the books I bought with my own money, no matter how much I end up disliking it. I have very high tolerance, anyway. :P And while review copies are nice (and free), I will not force myself to love the book or finish it if I have lost interest.
  • I will keep on writing honest reviews and find ways to improve my reviewing. I know I tend to ramble on my reviews, so this year I’m going to work on that. :P
  • I will clean out my shelves twice this year. No, not dusting or re-arranging (although I would do that), but I will weed out books that I know will find better homes somewhere. If I know I won’t re-read it anymore, then I can give them to someone who will love it more than I do.
  • I will attend more bookish events this year. I think this is self-explanatory? :)

So what about you? What are your reading/blogging goals and resolutions this 2011? I know some of you have already posted your goals and challenges in your blogs, so feel free to leave a link for them below and I can do a round up here, too. :)

I’m sure most of us agree that 2010 has been a good year for us Filipino Book Bloggers, so here’s to hoping 2011 will be an even better year. :) *cheers*

29 Thoughts on “Filipino Friday: Goals and Resolutions

  1. This is a timely post indeed!

    Actually, I’ve already made mine on a previous blog post: http://wp.me/p14wAA-8d

    And, by the way, I liked this one very much and wholly agree with you on this:

    I will embrace my Mt. TBR. No more stressing over the number of books I have or will have. Sure, I still think I have too many, but I will not stress over it anymore. I figure, as long as I can read and love reading, I will not stop getting books, so why fight it?

    We’re on the same page here, Tina! ;)

    What a way to kick in the year’s Filipino Friday discussion. As always, great job, Tina! :D

    • Thanks Jzhun! Yes, it’s important not to fight the TBR. :P It’s tiring to keep being guilty about how many books we get when there are so many books to get out there. :D We will tackle it, eventually.

  2. Thanks for starting this, Tina! I hope to read as many Filipino books as I can. My count for last year was a measly four books by Pinoy authors (two of them Mina Esguerra’s novellas). I hope I can read at least ten. I also hope to read more of Asian writers in general; I don’t think I read as much from our regional writers as I had wanted to last year.

    Another reading goal of mine for 2011 is to read more hard science fiction. I enjoy sci-fi but I must admit that the SF titles on my TBR is short compared to my fantasy titles.

    Here’s hoping that we reach our goals this year! :)

    • Asian writers – true. I’m more focused on Filipinos, but I wouldn’t mind reading books written by authors from our neighboring countries.

      Now that you mentioned it, if you can get copies of Camy Tang’s books, do try her! She writes Asian (well, Asian-American, but still, Asian) chick lit. :)

      Ah sci fi! I’m not much of a science fiction reader too, but since I did say I will try reading other genres this year, I will try some too. I think Ender’s Game is a good place to start? :)

  3. my only goal for 2011 is to read more Filipino books. having started last November (with the horror challenge), I now want to continue exploring and discovering Filipino books that I can (and want to) write about. :)

    • Same here! Okay, I’m not much of a fan of horror, but maybe this year I can try reading some of what you’ve read. :D

  4. My plan is pretty simple. Continue reading the stuffs I like and explore the stuffs I haven’t yet explored. I will still read whatever I want to read, and not let anyone dictate to me what I should read.

  5. This is a timely post, Tina! I have just made a post in my blog last night about my bookish 2011 resolutions and I am excited. I am bent on reading off all the books in my TBR pile, but to be realistic about it, I will choose 50 books for this year. I am joining a reading challenge (my first time to do so) but I am adding a little twist. For more details, here’s the link to my post: http://lynaireads.luigiandlynai.net/2011/01/happy-2011-bookworld/

    Cheers to a more bookish 2011! :)

    • I just replied to your entry! :) I like that challenge, but I think I’m not too disciplined to do that. And I read faster than normal, so it would be too easy for me. Perhaps if I decide to get a new book for every 10 books…but nah. :P

      Cheers!

  6. I will read a fewer books than last year. :)

  7. Tricia on January 7, 2011 at 6:13 pm said:

    Mine, still continue my quantity book challenge of 70 books and read all Chuck Palahniuk books :) And of course, not to forget Mt. TBR!

  8. Great goals to start the year Tina! My plan this year is just to read more books as much as I can. Last year I failed to do that because of my schedule at work. Now that I’m back to school, I think I can read more this time! :)

    • I think as time goes, we tend to manage our reading time better. I hope this year is a better reading year for you too, Edil!

  9. I also have a hard time with classics, I do not flip the pages as fast as YA and Fantasy. So I figured perhaps I could take it slowly by reading Children’s Classic Literature like maybe The Secret Garden, Anne of Green Gables, or Alice in Wonderland.

    I too need to read more books by Filipinos. So far, I have Jessica Zafra’s Twisted Series and Bob Ong’s ABNKKBSNPlAko (if you don’t count comic books-Pugad Baboy by Pol Medina) (I know, I know, this is a measly number that I should be ashamed of) I am not quite familiar with many local authors. I have Mina Esguerra books on my list this year though. Any recommendations?

    I only have 1 book left in my TBR. So I have the opposite goal, to make a Mountain of my TBR Pile this year! (Well, if funds permit, that is) :P

    • Children’s classics is a good idea. :) I remember reading Anne of Green Gables a bit faster than when I did Pride and Prejudice or Persuasion. You could also try reading A Little Princess. Gave me good memories of the cartoon version. :) And I think a re-read of The Secret Garden is in order for me, too!

      For local fiction…you can try Marla Miniano’s books, which is also from Summit. If you want it a bit thicker, go for the Anvil/Marshall Cavendish chick lit, like Amazing Grace by Tara FT Sering. :) And because I like plugging the first local dystopian fantasy in the country, go get Naermyth by Karen Francisco. If you want a bit of YA speculative fiction, Tall Story by Candy Gourlay. :)

      Lucky you with only 1 book in your TBR! I can’t remember the day when mine has been in that number. Haha. When I started working, I started acquiring books faster than I can read them!

      • I forgot about A Little Princess! I loved the cartoon version and the Tagalog movie as well :) I remember being thoroughly afraid of Miss Minchin :P I will put this on my classics list.

        Okay, that’s Esguerra, Miniano, and Sering for some local chick-lit. Gourlay’s Tall Story (sounds like an interesting sibling story) and Francisco’s Naermyth (I love me some dystopia and fantasy)

        Thanks for all these great recommendations Tina! :P

  10. Hi. Here’s my reading plan for 2011.

    http://fantaghiro23.blogspot.com/2011/01/reading-plan-for-2011.html

    Basically, my goal is to bring my TBR down to a manageable level. Because yes, I stress out about my TBR and will continue to do so until it is manageable. I look forward to going back to the days when I only had 20 or so books in my TBR. Hence I’m limiting my book buying this year. After all, it’s not like I don’t have a lot of books to read. And it’s not like the story will change if I don’t buy the book right away. Besides, I like the challenge.

    Aside from that, also plan to read more local books and make headway on my lifetime reading plan.

    • And it’s not like the story will change if I don’t buy the book right away.

      Haha I like that. :)

      Local books – I think we all have the same goal! I hope that in 2011, book bloggers become more recognized in the local book scene. I think we’ve started making waves last year. :D

  11. Great post! I think I need to get around to doing a
    Filipino Friday post as well. I swear, we have practically the same
    resolutions! Mine mainly revolve around my towering to-be-read pile
    and my persistent urge to buy every book in sight- it’s a disease,
    I tell you. But another resolution I have, although it isn’t really
    related to blogging, is to write more. I have so many ideas for
    novels, but I never actually sit down and type them up. That’s
    probably my main goal this year :D

    • Novel, you say? Join us on November, we have National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)! :) I’m one of the municipal liaisons for the Philippines, and it’s really the only time I get to write a novel. And it’s very, very fun, too. :)

  12. Sorry for the late reply, I really don’t have goals for 2011, just to enjoy reading and blogging as much as (if not more than) I did in 2010. :) I will also do my best to read the books that have been in my TBR pile for so long but I’m not making any promises. I’d want to limit the number of books that I buy but I know that’s pretty hopeless so I’m not going to put any pressure on myself.

    I joined only one challenge: http://chachic.wordpress.com/2010/12/17/the-aussie-ya-readin-challenge/ – the Aussie YA reading challenge. This makes me realize that maybe we should have created something similar for local books? Maybe like a Filipino challenge, where we could all promise to read a certain number of books. I know we all want to show our appreciation for the local publication scene.

    • Hey Chachic, it’s no problem! :)

      Maybe we can still start a local books challenge? It’s not too late, and we still have 11 months to accomplish that. Maybe we can talk about that on the 22nd? :)

  13. I have about 50 books in my TBR pile and resolve not to buy anything new until I substantially reduce said pile! (But will make exception for Jennifer Crusie or supercheap ebook purchases.)

    Last year I read more local titles than ever, and I want to continue on that track too.

  14. Good plans Tina. I was thinking of writing up plans too but decided against it because I know I’ll just be too complacent again and end up disappointing myself. My only promise for this year is to read at least one (or two) books each month. Not too demanding. And like most of you, I really hope to read more of our local books too this year.

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