The Good Intentions Book Tag
2 January 2024
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: New Year Resolutions, The Good Intentions Book Tag
A couple of years ago now I came up with my Good Intentions Book Tag. Put bluntly I’m not very good at sticking to resolutions so instead decided to come up with a tag based around the most popular ‘resolutions for this time of year. Today I’m going to look back at my previous good intentions tags and see how I got along as well as coming up with some new books from my 2023 book list.
This is my Good Intentions Book Tag – this gives me another opportunity to revisit some of the great books I read (mostly during the past year):
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Exercise more : This is a book that is a real chunkster, in fact you will need help to even pick this book up:
The two previous books I came up with were Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff and Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky. I’ve actually read both of these books since choosing them. This year I’m coming up with a book I haven’t started yet but I am keen to get to – Infinity Gate by MR Carey. This has great reviews and it’s an author that I enjoy so I need to give my head a wobble and get to this one soon. This one clocks in at just shy of 550 pages so not too daunting.
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Lose weight : A book that is not a chunkster; a short story or novella. A book you could probably read in one sitting:
For the previous two years I went Comfort Me With Apples by Catherynne M Valente and Tread of Angels by Rebecca Roanhorse. This year I’m going to choose a book by an author that I’m loving at the moment. Thornhedge by T Kingfisher. This is short, sweet and satisfying.
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Eat healthy : A book that is good for you. This is a book that made you feel so happy that you wanted to give it a big hug:
Previously I chose The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E Harrow which I will say, one more time at least, is a beautiful book and Miss Percy’s Pocket Guide to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons by Quenby Olson because I just loved it. This year I’ve chosen Claws and Contrivances by Stephanie Burgis. This story is absolutely delightful and I can’t say enough good things about it.
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Fulfill your ambitions : A book that has a lot going on. Plenty of different threads, points of views and action but everything eventually comes together in a very satisfactory fashion:
Last year I chose The Empire’s Ruin by Brian Staveley (#1 Ashes of the Unhewn Thrown) and the year before Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandell. This year I’ve chosen The Star and the Strange Moon by Constance Sayers. I really enjoyed this one it’s told in two different timelines and it has lots of threads that all come together in a most pleasing fashion.
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Spend more time with the family : A series of books that you love and that has developed more than you ever anticipated:
Previously I posted about the Mercy Thompson books by Patricia Briggs and the Stranger Times Series by CK McDonnell. This year I’m choosing a book that was the start of a duology that promises great things and really great characters – Talonsister by Jen Williams.
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Tick off an item from your bucket list : Reduce the tbr. Choose a book from Mount TBR that you would like to read this year:
Well, so far I’ve failed for two years in a row to catch up with the book I’ve chosen. So, I think I will choose something else. I’ve been fancying reading The September House by Carissa Orlando.
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Save money : A book that was an absolute bargain – you would have to be crazy in fact not to have bought this book:
I’ve not bought as many books as usual this year – possibly because I’m so very bad at picking up my own books. The last book I bought that I’m excited to pick up and was very reasonable for my kindle was Miss Percy’s Travel Guide to Welsh Moors and Feral Dragons (A Miss Percy Guide Book #2) by Quenby Olson
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Get Organised : A book with a glossary, maps, useful words, lists of people – this book is one helpful book, it wants you to know ALL the things and it’s not afraid to use footnotes and other devices to help you do so:
Previously I picked Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke and The Hunger of the Gods by John Gwynne. This year I’m going to choose the Emily Wilde books. I’ve made a start on the second and I’m really enjoying it so far. These books make use of footnotes to provide useful information about the fae.
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Start a new hobby : A book that is outside your comfort zone. Perhaps everyone was raving about this book, maybe it was over-hyped, you hesitated to pick it up in fact, but when you did – you loved it:
Finally, a book that is outside of my comfort zone. To clarify, for the most part I read SFF, I also like to read a little crime/thriller/horror and also some history. The Maid by Nita Prose. This is a cozy murder mystery which I don’t tend to really read a lot of but thoroughly enjoyed. I’ve also read the second book in the series – The Mystery Guest and loved that too.
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That’s my top ten Good Intentions Book Tag for 2023.
Books and travelling with Lynn 
To do or not to do. A list of intentions for 2013
Filed under General Comments
Tags: New Year Resolutions
So, I’ve had a think about the New Year’s Resolutions I intend to make and break for 2013. Okay, that might seem a bit negative but let’s face it I’m not going to stick to everything completely. Anyway, if I manage to stick to all my resolutions perhaps I’ve been too easy on myself!!
Firstly, and really rather predictable and boring, I need to pick back up with exercise, healthy eating and doing more walking. The biggest problem with this in the past year has been the weather. Now, I know you’re probably all groaning loudly but it does seem to have rained a lot this year and frankly I don’t want to walk to work and be drenched when I arrive. It just makes the rest of the day very damp, miserable and uncomfortable. But, I’ll just have to get over myself and my aversion to getting wet because the weather certainly doesn’t show any signs of immediate improvement. Perhaps some waterproofs? Wellies – not exactly renowned for walking in! A very large umbrella – I have a vision of taking off during a large gust of wind or even worse causing some sort of accident as my umbrella is taken by a particular strong gust and whipped into the path of oncoming traffic! Okay, no brollies! The drowned rat look is going to be the new black for the next 12 months!
Okay, having got the obvious resolution out of the way – reading! Well, this year, I failed miserably on my challenges! 100 books in a year – nope, nowhere near (about 70/80ish). I did take part in a few events and readalongs however and, in my defence, I didn’t include every book on my list because a few I didn’t review and a few more I never finished (and I’m not reviewing a book if I don’t finish it because it doesn’t feel fair). It’s not my biggest pet hate when reading reviews but it does feel wrong to me so I don’t go there (my biggest peeve is people who give books 1 star on Amazon or Goodreads, etc, and then base that rating on the price of the book! What? Just no. Look, I know this can become an expensive hobby, particularly if you read quite a few books like I do, but I want to know what you thought of the book not the price. And, anyway, if you object to the price you could always wait for the price to come down or wait for your library to get a copy – don’t down mark a book because you think it’s expensive! So, do I try and chill a bit with my books. Don’t lets be silly!! I’m taking part in a couple of events in Jan/Feb focusing on sci-fi and also a read along – interesting in taking part in any of these none challenges?? Check out the details here, here and here. They’re going to be good so you should really sign yourself up. Throughout the year I’ll also be reading some books from the Mercury Retrograde’s catalogue. More details to follow on this. I think I probably will enter the 100 books a year challenge (because I’m pigheaded and don’t like to admit defeat) and I will try and be a bit more focused but, at the end of the day, my reading is just for fun, relaxation, escape, whatever. It’s not a chore. On top of that, having looked at some of the expected books for 2013 I don’t think I’ll have a problem reading lots this year and probably exceeding my challenges!
My final mission for 2013 is a bit odd. I’ve decided to actually do something with our photographs. I know that probably sounds random, particularly as we’re in the digital era and a good deal of our pictures are stored electronically but I quite like the idea of going through and selecting some (not all – that would be too big a task not to mention incredibly expensive) and putting them in some kind of order. A bit of a pain because I’ll have to start having pictures printed out, etc, etc, but I quite like the idea and it will give me the opportunity to revisit some of our past holidays.
There they are. Fairly low key really. Healthier eating, exercise, reading and something a bit family orientated.
Let’s see how well that all goes and what falls flat at the first hurdle!