I’ve been absent from the blogosphere for a while now, an unconscious decision that mainly came down to work commitments, a long commute and general life meaning that I’ve had very little time to dedicate to writing reviews. But 2017 is a new year, and I’m trying to start the way that I mean to go on…

My 2017 blogging resolutions:

Start writing – This one is pretty self-explanatory. The longer it’s been since my last post, the more I feel guilty for neglecting The Stacked Shelf. I’m starting off by aiming for at least two posts a month – something that’s hopefully manageable without being too daunting!

Making reviewing more interesting for me as a writer – Sometimes I’ve found that reading a book critically and analysing the main talking points takes away from the experience as a reader. I’m also guilty of sometimes seeing reviewing as a chore that has to be done rather than a way of sharing the things that I’m really interested in with readers. This year, I’m going to try not to overthink it, and to keep review posts shorter and centred on what I really enjoyed/didn’t enjoy about a book.

Read more classics – This one’s been on my resolution list for many years, and despite building up quite a collection of classic reads on my shelves, I’ve yet to really get stuck in. I’m aiming to start with something with something shorter and more manageable – The Scarlett Letter – and work my way up to some of the more weighty tomes (Anna Karenina I’m looking at you!)

Break out of my comfort zone – When I first started blogging I tended to read a wider selection of genres. Recently I’ve been guilty of just sticking to what I know. I’ll be trying to branch out and get recommendations from other reviewers for books that I wouldn’t usually read.

Persevere even if something doesn’t immediately catch my interest – These days, much of my reading gets done on the way home from work, when all I want is something easy and interesting to read. If something doesn’t catch my interest immediately, it joins the pile of unread books that’s been steadily building. 2017 may not be the year that I tackle the whole pile, but I’ll be trying not to add to it!