I’m not doing resolutions this year. I’m not resolving to lose weight, grow vegetables/up/a beard, run in a marathon, tidy out my kitchen cupboards. I’m not setting goals to be more patient, organised, generous, sociable, or to save a grand, the planet, me from myself.

I do have hopes and wishes though. Like this, perfectly summed up by word magician Neil Gaiman:

I hope all of that, especially the books. I know last year I read at least seventy-five books, but I’m not sure on the number (though I did print out my library borrowing record because I was curious) and they were like life: some ordinary everyday stories, blending into the ones before, some starbursts of ideas and reaction puncturing my days like fireworks, others again slow careful creations which climbed inside my skin and changed me, their words and ideas grafted on my history.

So this year, I will read. Time available for fun reading is rapidly condensing, so I’m thinking of using this to get my “Must Reads!” accomplished, with handy tick boxes to spur me on. I want to read a couple of non-fiction, and a cook book, titles still unknown.

I’m going to read the Book of Mormon through hopefully once, though am happy to be side-tracked into themes, symbolism, revelation and contemplation. If I don’t read it through, I hope it’s because something resonated in me like an ancient, dappled gong, tumbling me down into greater understanding, enlightenment and appreciation.

I hope I read a heap of excellent books this year, or maybe twelve for my list. But if I only read that “almost one” – that’s the perfect hope and wish fulfilled right there.

Got any book-focused hopes or wishes for 2014? Any 2014 releases you are looking forward to? Do you count how many books you read? Any plans for number of books read for this year?


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