3 MORE Resolutions for the Reader in You
We make it part of their world and life; we interact with it in non-traditional ways.
from “5 New Year’s Resolutions for the Reader in You”
I would say a good reader does that. Well, at least every good reader I know.
What if we don’t do that?
If you consider yourself a “reader”, not merely someone who “likes to read”, I’m sure you do this is some way. In a previous article about reader resolutions, I explained 5 ways you may make reading part of your life. And, in THIS article, I want to give your 3 MORE ways to interact with reading as a lifestyle and not just an activity. Between the two, I’m sure the reader in you has been participating deeper than you think. If not, it’s not too late to start!
I will study common allusions so I may better understand higher-level texts.
Most classic texts and higher-level modern texts will have references to other well-known texts. With that in mind, if you read these kinds of texts (which you should just for the challenge in understanding a more complicated human nature), having studied the 5 most common allusions would be of great help to you in order to better “get it”. If you actually did your reading in Western schools growing up, you probably read and studied a few already.
I will rate and review the stories I read on various sites.
As an indie writer and reader, I have come to understand the importance of ratings and reviews to get work into the hands of others. Reviews are how we share our opinion about a piece and help others decide if they want to invest their brain-power in reading the same one. Beyond marketing, though, reviews are also how we open others’ minds to different perspectives they may not have considered about a text. Considering we include part of our interpretation of the text in a good review, others have a chance to contemplate another side that will affect their decision to read it.
There are many places that books are posted, but the most popular that I have found people check for reader reviews is Amazon and Goodreads.
I will complement fiction and non-fiction readings so I can better understand both.
Most good books will expose you to something with which you aren’t familiar. With classic literature, it’s easy to find lots of things to research outside of the text to better help you contextualize it. But, what about modern reads, like romance, dystopia, fantasy, etc? I can almost guarantee that there is something deeper in every text you read. You may not need to research it to understand the story–like the sport in a sports romance, or the government structure in a dystopia–but I’m sure doing so won’t hurt. Expand your mind every chance you get; this is another chance to do so.
Being a reader means a lot more than just reading books; I’m learning that more and more as I immerse myself in the scholar and bookstagram communities. And, even if you aren’t involved with a club or community, when you have a true love of reading, you’ll do more than just finish book after book. It will become a way for you to understand and interact with the world through a more “experienced” lens. And it’s those “experiences” that make us better people.
What have been your reader goals so far this year? Have you done any of these or the other five?
Let us know in the comments below and on social media, of course!
