Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Resolutions for 2016

This is my second attempt at TTT! Hopefully I'm able to keep up with it for the majority of this year. ^_^

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Source: www.brokeandbookish.com

This week the objective is to list your top ten bookish resolutions for 2016. I've decided to do five book-related ones and five more general/personal ones.

Bookish ones first!

1. Make reading a priority. Last year I honestly didn't read that much, and thinking about it now, I realize it wasn't necessarily because I was just constantly in a "reading slump" and wasn't in the mood to read. It had a lot more to do with the fact that I wasn't setting aside time to read everyday, like I used to, and that's something I need to get back into doing again.
2. Buy less, borrow more. I discovered my love of borrowing library books again this past year (mostly due to me starting my Libraray Technician course ;)), and I'd love to continue doing it again this year. I honestly just can't afford to buy that many books these days either (and I don't have a ton of space for them anymore...), so taking books out of the library will save me a lot of future guilt too. haha I am a book collector at heart though, so I know I'll buy at least a few books at some point this year. As long as I don't buy too many though, I'll be happy. :)
3. Read more classics and adult fiction. I love my YA and Middle Grade books, but I also really enjoy a good classic or adult novel, so I'd really like to read more of them this year. My plan is to try to read one of each every month.
4. Get through as many of my unfinished series as possible. I need to double check, but I'm pretty sure I have at least a dozen or so unfinished series on my shelves at the moment, and I'd really like to remedy that (especially since I haven't completed that many series in my life...) And this year is when I'm going to try to do that!
5. Continue to read more manga and graphic novels. Last year I also really found out how much I love (and obsess) over manga and graphic novels, so, of course, I'd like to read more of them this year as well, and expand my knowledge and the variety of them that I read.

Bonus: I'd also like to finally get around to re-reading a few of my favourite books and series which I've been putting off doing for a year or two now (namely Harry Potter >>).

Now for the not-so-bookish ones!

1. Write every day. Reading is my main passion and hobby, but I've also always loved to write, and, like reading, I don't do it as much as I'd like. So this year I'm going to try to write everyday, whether it be for 10 minutes or 3 hours, journaling, blogging, or working on the novel I've been meaning to write for two years now. I just want to write more and truly find out what sort of writer I am.
2. Keep up with my blog and other social media. I've obviously had trouble with this one in the past, so I'd really like to prove to myself that I can, at least, post semi-frequently on my blog and all my social media sites over the course of the year. It's fun and I enjoy doing it most of the time. The Internet is sorta like my social playground, so I'd like to utilize the "social" part of it more. :)
3. Live a healthier lifestyle. To some, I'm sure I look perfectly healthy and in shape, but in reality, I'm not. I hardly ever exercise and my meals aren't always as balanced as they should be, so this year I'd like to make a real effort to change that. I'd love to start running and just get out of the house more in general and enjoy the "great outdoors" as much as I can. I should really have a better sleep schedule too...
4. Push myself out of my comfort zone more often. I am an introvert and someone who has a lot of social anxiety. I'm actually a very anxious person in general, and I only really noticed just how much it's affecting my life over the past year. I've missed out on a lot of things over the course of my 20+ years because I just wasn't brave enough to start or sign up for them. And I'm reeeeeally tired of it. So I'm hoping to do more things that make me uncomfortable and that I just hate doing this year. I know in the long run I'll feel a lot better about myself and enjoy life a lot more if I do.
5. Enjoy life! This one is easy in theory, but harder in practise. I just want to really enjoy my life and not take anything for granted. Not let days just pass by without thinking about them. Really make each day count, so that I can think back on them fondly. Just be as happy and grateful as I can be.

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly, original feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Top Ten Tuesday: New Series I Want To Start

My first (but terribly late) TTT! Yay! This will, hopefully, be a weekly feature here on my blog, and I'm very excited to finally be partaking in it.

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Source: www.brokeandbookish.com

This week the objective is to list the top ten new/newer-ish series I haven't started yet, but really want to. My list is shown below, in order of "wanting-to-read-ness", and I have included pictures of all of the books in the series that have covers (including books that haven't been released yet). And can I just say how much I love all of the covers shown here! They're all super pretty.

The TodHunter Moon Trilogy by Angie Sage

Angie's books are geared towards children, but I recently finished her Septimus Heap series (which this trilogy is a sort of companion/sequel to) and I now consider it to be one my favourite series of all time. I am very thankful I didn't have to wait that long for the first book in this trilogy to come out, and I can't wait to start reading it!

The Magisterium Series by Holly Black & Cassandra Clare

I am a huge fan of Cassandra Clare and I've heard really good things about Holly Black's books so when I heard they were writing a children's fantasy series together I was super stoked. I just bought The Iron Trial today, and I definitely plan to read it soon.

The Cormoran Strike Series by Robert Galbraith

As soon as the news broke last year about J.K. Rowling having written a new crime novel under a pseudonym, I ran out to the nearest bookstore and picked up a copy. I have yet to read it or it's sequel, but I plan to in the very near future. I don't read a lot of crime/mystery books, but I'll read anything written by Jo (especially after reading and enjoying The Casual Vacancy), and she's one of the few authors I can say that about.

The Gypsy King Trilogy by Maureen Fergus

I randomly found this series in my local bookstore late last year. (At that point the first two books had already been released.) The covers caught my eye and after I read the first book's synopsis I knew I had to have them, so I bought both that same day, without a second thought. I picked up the third book shortly after it was released earlier this year, but still have yet to read the first book. Hopefully I won't regret buying the entire trilogy before reading any of the books, but the books' plot really do sound good and the author is a Canadian as well, so I don't mind helping her out, regardless. :) I should really get to these books soon though, to see if I do indeed enjoy them as much as I think I'm going to.

The Apparition Series by Gail Gallant

I literally just found these books today when I was browsing in my local bookstore. They had a sticker on them that said "Local Author", which caught my eye and had me immediately intrigued. I quickly read the first book's synopsis and first page, and was sucked in, almost at once. I'll admit that the fact that these books were written by an author that lives near me and set in the area I live in did play a big part of me deciding to buy these, but I do honestly think (read: hope) that I'll really enjoy them as well. I have a feeling I won't have to wait too long to find that out though, as I plan to read both books ASAP.

The Selection Series by Kiera Cass

I honestly wasn't all that interested in this series until a month or two ago, when I came upon a few raving reviews for it. I also grew to have more faith in it after I heard there were going to be more books published in the series. It seems like the type of story I'll like too, so hopefully I'm one of the few who comes away wanting to rave about it. ^_^

 The Throne of Glass Series by Sarah J. Maas

This is the only series on this list that I don't own. I do hope to buy these big, beautiful books soon, but I have plenty of other books on my TBR pile right now to keep me occupied. Hopefully I'll be able to buy (and read) them soon though, as so many people rave about them.

The Queen of the Tearling Series by Erika Johansen

I bought this book shortly after it came out (at a discount) after hearing good things about it. I love high fantasy so I'm thinking I'll really enjoy this series. It's been compared to Game of Thrones, so we'll see if it lives up to that.

The Bone Season Series by Samantha Shannon

I'll admit that I only really bought the first book in this series because of the hype it had and how it was getting such good reviews. I do know that it's a fantasy/sci-fi series though and I remember finding the plot intriguing when I first read it. We'll see how I like it when I do eventually read it. I should get the first book read before the second one comes out, but this one isn't super high up on my current TBR pile, so that may not happen.

The Splintered Trilogy by A.G. Howard

Gorgeous covers + Alice in Wonderland retelling= Give me, give me, yes please! I actually can't remember exactly when I bought the first book in the series, or even if there was a reason beyond the fact that it has a beautiful cover and an interesting plot, but that doesn't really matter anyway, I suppose. :P I do know that I'm probably going to marathon the entire trilogy in January, after the last book comes out, cause I really am eager to read the books and I doubt I'll be able to resist once all of them are available to me.

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly, original feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.