How To Be Well Read ... A 2017 Goal

One of the first things I mentioned on my New Years Goals list was to stop buying so many books... so you may be surprised to find me only 25 days into the month, discussing what books I'm planning on buying.

Well, part of my plan for 2017 is to stop frivolously buying books. Which means, stop buying YA fantasy books when I already have a tonne to read. But, I am a self confessed book buying addict which means that going cold turkey is not going to happen. Especially now that I've bagged myself a job that is a mere stone's throw away from Waterstones. Instead, I am allowing myself a mere 12-15 books to buy this year. Yes. 12-15 for the entire year! 

Considering I could easily buy 10+ per shopping trip, this is a huge change to the usual for me and I for one am excited for it. The main thing for me however, is to change the type of books I'm reading. Christmas 2015 I was kindly brought "How to be Well Read" by John Sutherland, which is a list of 500 critically acclaimed (or controversial) books that you should aim to tick off if you want to become "Well Read" now whilst I find the idea of being Well Read or not rather pointless (why force yourself to read literature that you don't enjoy purely to say you've done so?) this book does highlight some key books that are not only acclaimed but important reads. This is something that I really wanted to include in my 2017 reading lists. 

Many of the books that I have shortlisted for this year are feminist or sociological critiques on society and I would really love to develop my understanding on these subject matters over the course of the year to not only make me a more well rounded reader, but also a well rounded human being. 

My 2017 list is as follows:

Lucius Apuleius - The Golden Ass (AD 160) 

Margaret Atwood - The Handmaid's Tale (1985)

Orson Scott Card - Enders Game (1985)

Angela Carter - Nights of the Circus (1984)

George Eliot - Middlemarch (1872)

Neil Gaiman - American Gods (2001)

Kazuo Ishiguro - The Remains of the Day (1989)

Haruki Murakami - IQ84 (2009-10)

George Orwell - 1984 (1942)

Sylvia Plath - The Bell Jar (1963)

Thomas Pynchan - Bleeding Edge (2013)

Jean Rhys - Wide Sargasso Sea (1966)

I'm really excited to get reading these 12. I'm aiming to read one a month and buy one a month... although I may have accidentally gone out and brought both The Handmaid's Tale and Nights of the Circus... yeah. In my defense I had a £10 off stamp card + about £10 on my points app so it had to happen really didn't it? 

The extra 3 books I'm accounting for are my most anticipated releases of 2017. Both the TOG and ACOTAR (Feyre's Arc) series by Sarah J Maas are coming to an end this year and there will be a new ADSOM book out by V.E Schwab. These books are must buys for me so they are OBVIOUSLY going to be brought. 

I would really love to know if you would be interested in reading full reviews for each of these books? I really enjoy analysing books and since leaving Uni I've not had much cause to, so if that would interest you then please let me know in the comments!

New Year Goals

Happy New Year!

I took a little break in December, as you may have noticed from the telltale lack of content recently. I managed to get the flu and then was so busy with general life things that I didn't have the time or motivation to get back to writing. So I gave myself a little life-break, I didn't apply for jobs, I took a backseat on social media and just allowed myself to enjoy the holidays and spending all that extra time with family and friends. 

Not only was it refreshing to take a step back from the all-consuming bloggersphere, but it actually really helped me to focus in on what I want from 2017. I got to spend the entire Christmas period with Dan and in that time we have really planned our year and have some solid ideas in place for what we want from life this year. 

The new year is always a time when we reflect on our lives and the year that just passed and try to make commitments to do the next year differently or better. I don't really like the term "resolutions" purely because I don't want to have to resolve myself to do something, It's already starting off the year with a list of things I don't really want to do. Instead, I like to call them goals. It's a subtle difference in the language but it always makes me feel better. A goal I can work towards, a resolution I'm stuck with. 

So of course, I want to make a physical list of my New Year goals for not only my own benefit and holding myself accountable but also because it may inspire you to set a couple of goals yourself! 

• Stop buying so many books. I have an obscene amount of books that I've still not read and I was getting into the habit of buying books purely for the sake of buying books, This year I need to make better financial decisions and that includes not making silly purchases. I've written a refined list of 15 books to buy in the year of 2017. If it's not on the list, I'm not going to buy it. 
• Start my career. This probably doesn't even need to be here it's so painfully obvious, but 2017 is the year when I finally find my career path. I know I want to work in social media, marketing or publishing but I'm really looking for a position that gives me the opportunity to gain valuable experience so I can grow a career for myself. I've applied for some really exciting positions already in the past week so I'm feeling very hopeful. 
• Move out. Once I've managed to gain employment I will be able to save and move out of my family home. I love my parents and they are incredibly supportive and patient, but I am dying to have some freedom back since leaving University. Dan and I already have a pretty solid plan in place but it's pretty hush-hush for now so you will have to watch this space! 
• Lose my Uni weight. Like a lot of people, I gained a fair amount of weight at Uni and I have been struggling to lose it ever since. This year I'm really focusing on my diet and exercise and making sure that I eat predominately vegan in the weekdays with the occasional eggs & fish on the weekend. However, this is more than just a diet to lose weight, I have transitioned from a full-on Carnivore to a Pescetarian in 2016 and it took me the best part of 4-5 months to get to a happy and HEALTHY place with my diet. 
• Spend more time on self-care. Something I really improved in 2016, was the amount of time I spent looking after my mental health. I've learnt to balance my work/personal life and when to turn off my phone and enjoy the real world. It's something I really want to carry forward into 2017. 
• Create content that I want to create. I adore this little blog, 2017 will mark 4 years of Bambi's Blogs and I feel like it has changed so much since the early days when I set it up to talk about makeup and skincare in-between leaving college and starting university. Nowadays I'm less focused on beauty and makeup but more interested in books, lifestyle and cooking. I still do the occasional review posts and Lush is always going to be a regular feature, but as I'm entering my 23rd year, I really want my space on the net to reflect what I'm interested in right now and that is predominately lifestyle topics.

That's it! That's my goal list laid out in front of you for the world to see. I also hope to rescue a dog and a couple of cats but it's obviously subject to moving out and tenancy agreements so I'm keeping that one to myself for the most part until things become a little clearer in a couple of months time. However, do not fear, once those plans are made, this blog will become an animal showcase - I'm not even kidding.  

I hope you continue with me on this journey this year and I'm really excited to create some interesting and fun content in 2017!