What's your reading resolution?

Every year we make the same resolutions…sign up to a gym membership (we use once), start a fad diet (we break on week 1), save money (unlikely!) But this year is different. Because this year, it’s all about the Reading Resolution! Whether it’s reading to improve a skill, or tackling a well-known classic, here are our top 10 Reading Resolutions for 2017.

Download the Reading Resolutions checklist here and check them off as you go!

#1 Read the book before seeing the film

Don’t get us wrong, we’re all for creative license and we love a good movie! But as character insight goes, you just can’t beat the book. And most importantly, none of the major scenes get cut! If you’re planning a trip to see Fifty Shades Darker, make sure you pick up the book first.

#2 Finish an author’s entire catalogue

There are plenty of great authors around, and when you find one you really like it can feel like a major coup! This year, we’re setting ourselves the challenge of finishing an author’s entire catalogue. Lee Child, James Patterson, Danielle Steele – which author will you choose?

#3 Read the best books of 2016

So many to choose from! Admittedly, The Girl on the Train was a 2015 novel…but with the release of the Hollywood movie, 2016 blew it out of the water! If you haven’t read it, add it to your list. Even master of suspense Stephen King is a fan!

#4 Try a debut author

Sometimes the best books come out of nowhere – and some of our all-time favourite reads have been debut authors! If you’re a fan of psychological thrillers, Ali Land’s Good Me Bad Me is definitely for you. We defy you not to want to talk about it after! 

#5 Pick up a YA novel

To Kill a Mockingbird, Harry Potter, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – the best-loved books span all ages. Don’t let the category of ‘Young Adult’ deter you, The One Memory of Flora Banks is a remarkable and powerful novel celebrating the resilience of the human mind and spirit.

#6 Read an award-winning author

From the Booker-winning author of The Sense of An Ending, Julian Barnes, comes another compelling read! A compact masterpiece dedicated to the Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich, The Noise of Time is a novel about art and power, courage and cowardice.

#7 Read a book that moves you

Shock, suspense, laughter, sorrow…there’s no denying books are emotive. Imagine dedicating your life to train as a neurosurgeon, only to be diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. One day you’re the doctor, the next you’re the patient. When Breath Becomes Air is as moving as it gets.

#8 Read a classic

Everyone has a book that managed to pass them by at school. Well, now is your excuse to revisit it. Great Expectations, Lord of the Flies, Oliver Twist…there are hundreds to choose from. Stuck on where to start? Just look for the little orange Popular Penguins.

#9 Read the first book in a new series

We love a page-turner and with Orphan X we were hooked from page one! Following dark and brooding vigilante figure Evan Smoak, this book shot straight to No.1 on the bestsellers list. The second Evan Smoak novel Nowhere Man is out 30 January 2017 – so get reading, quick!

#10 Read to improve a skill

Books can benefit both mind and body. Swat up on your cooking skills and stay healthy at the same time! The new cookbook from My Kitchen Rules favourites Jay and Sarah, Jay & Sarah: Fresh and Affordable Family Food, is the perfect pick. Focusing on fresh, affordable family food, it’s packed with healthy, fuss-free recipes.

Make sure to let us know what your reading resolutions are on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, using the hashtag #readingresolution2017.

Happy reading!