Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme where every Tuesday we look at a particular topic for discussion and use various (or more to the point ten) bookish examples to demonstrate that particular topic.  Top Ten Tuesday (created and hosted by  The Broke and Bookish) is now being hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl and future week’s topics can be found here.  This week’s topic :

Hopes for 2021

In keeping with the nature of this blog and my much loved hobby of reading I’m going to keep this centred on all things bookish (so, please take it for granted that I would also dearly love for a cure for the current pandemic, for everyone to have a fantastic year, for all our friends and families to remain safe and healthy and for 2021 to be a most excellent year), that being said, here are my ten ‘bookish-themed’ hopes:

1. I would like all my book wishes to come true.  I know this is greedy and ridiculous and I also realise that I can’t possibly read ALL THE BOOKS, but, at the same time it really doesn’t help me from wanting them all.  I can’t help but hoping to have them all in my little grabby hands.  There.
2. To become more organised.  I frequently see author interviews in which the question – ‘are you a planner or a pantser’ is asked.  I may not be a writer, and for the avoidance of doubt I will just confirm that I have no hopes or intentions whatsoever in that direction – I’m very much a reader.  But, writer or not, I am definitely a pantser.
3. My blog needs updating.  I’ve become very lazy over the past few years and pay little regard to the set up or style.  I know that changing the style is probably more trouble than it’s worth but I would like to get on top of things like my A-Z of books (which is probably about 3 years out of date atm).
4. I would very much like to catch up with some older outstanding review requests, this includes both traditionally and self published books.  I always take these things on board with the best intentions but sometimes I overwhelm myself.  Eyes too big for the belly as we like to say in the UK.  To all the authors or publishers who have gifted me books that I have not yet read my most sincere apologies.  I will try to do better.  Know this though, my biggest victim is probably myself, I can’t resist buying new books all the time and yet my own ‘bought’ books very rarely get read.
5. It would be really good if I could get back into the habit of writing reviews as soon as I’ve finished a book.  This is how I used to operate.  I liked to put my thoughts down whilst the emotions were still rampaging around.  Once I leave things a few days it really affects me and I don’t feel I can quite capture those ‘just finished’ feelings.  I think the main reason my writing review habits changed is that quite often I will stay up late to finish a book and usually then just want to sleep.  What’s a girl to do?  Do I stay up and finish the book or leave it to the next day, finish it early and write the review?  Who am I kidding.
6. To organise my kindle better.  This includes removing the books that are complete so that I can really see the wood for the trees.  That’s a downfall of the kindle – no stacks of books all over the house to make you feel guilty.  Once that book goes onto your e-reader it can’t make you feel bad any more.
7. Completion.  I would seriously like to finish off some of my outstanding series before I start new ones.  I guess the real issue here is that when I see a new book that looks really awesome I fall into the trap of wanting it immediately (probably because nothing is more daunting than falling behind with a series).  I think I need to go back through my lists and lists and lists and maybe make yet one more list – it can’t hurt now – in which I make a note of my unfinished series and really try to tick some of those off.
8. I would also like to be a bit more sociable and get back to chatting with everyone on a daily basis rather than leaving things for a few days and then commenting on a week’s worth of posts all at once.  I’ve definitely got into bad habits last year (what with one thing and another  *waves arms around crazily*) and it would be good if I could shake those habits this year.
9. To reinstate my ‘weekly wrap up’ post or something of a similar nature – maybe to join in with the ‘What’s on my Plate’ meme.  I need something that I can check in with to keep me on track.  I mean, I don’t want to remove all the spontaneity or fun of picking up an unscheduled book and it would definitely be good to start reading some books on a whim – but the weekly wrap ups were very good for keeping me a bit more focused.
10. Finally, I hope that 2021 treats us all well.