Scribbled Verses: Word of the Day Calendar for Poets (+ Top Ten Bookish/Blogging Resolutions)

Welcome back for round two of Scribbled Verses where I share a few words from the tip of my own pen.  As I wrote in my inaugural post, for the first few Fridays I will be sharing one-line poems à la Michael McFee in a Word of the Day Calendar style.  Today, I will also be posting my Top Ten (read - eight) bookish/blogging resolutions as part of The Broke and The Bookish's Top Ten Tuesday.  (Yes, I realize it's not Tuesday.)  I was not planning on participating in this Top Ten Tuesday because I had posted my New Year's Resolution Reads last Tuesday, and my students returned this Tuesday, so this week has been crazy, but when I read some of the other bloggers' posts, I was inspired to put my resolutions for the year in writing as well.  Without further ado:

Top Ten Eight Bookish/Blogging Resolutions

1. Scribbled Verses - Considering I am embedding my list in my new Friday Feature, I thought it was appropriate that this is resolution number one.  I've posted about the origin of this project as part of my Poetry Project Mid-Year Reflection and in last week's inaugural post, but basically, I am hoping to post some of my own writing every Friday for the foreseeable future, which will help me with resolution number two.

2. Write more - As an English major, teacher, and blogger, I love to write, but I don't make time for it like I used to.  I hope to rectify that this year.

3. Listen to Audiobooks - Confession: I have never listened to an audiobook.  But, I have already attempted to uphold this resolution.  I have an hour commute to work each day (30 minutes there, 30 minutes home), so I decided to make the most of it by turning driving time into reading time.  I downloaded a free app from Audiobooks in the Apple App Store to test.  The app boasts 5,154 classic audiobooks free.  Now, they can offer these books free because their narrators are volunteers; so far I've had a good experience with the narrator of my current read, but I've heard tale that professional narrators for paid audiobooks really add to a reading experience.  The jury's still out because I find my mind wanders when listening more so than when I am reading to myself, but mostly, I'm happy to have "read" sixteen chapters this past week during my commute!  Want to know what book I'm listening to?

4. Read Anna Karenina and Les Miserables - I shamelessly admit that I wanted to read both Anna Karenina and Les Miserables when I saw the movies' previews.  I am a staunch read than watch person, and the movies intrigued me like no mention of the books ever have.  I've already cheated and seen Les Miserables (brilliant!), but I haven't seen Anna Karenina yet.  I started Anna Karenina last year on the plane ride to the NCTE conference I attended.  I got about 130 pages in, which according to my Kindle is 11% through the book!  Although I'm definitely intrigued by the characters, the Russian names make it hard to keep them all straight, and I hadn't picked it back up since I got back home (in November!).  Solution = Audiobook.

5. DNF - So far, I feel like I'm doing quite well with my resolutions.  Number five is a continuation of a personal resolution I made last year about Do Not Finishes.  As an English major and an English teacher, I have always felt majorly guilty when I didn't finish a book or didn't like a book - especially if it was considered a "classic."  I've finally gotten over that - I even have a DNF shelf on my Goodreads account - and I hope to continue that practice this year.  Life's too short, and there are too many great books out there for me to waste time on something I don't like.  Besides, do I really need to keep every book I read in school?  No; if I, for some reason, need to return to Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, I'll get a copy from my library, which brings me to resolution number six.

6. Utilize the public library - I have become fast friends with my school librarian, and she and I have worked together to get some great books in the library for our students; if I encourage my students to use the library, I should too!  I've been able to read a lot of new releases and start some older series without breaking the bank.  I used to go to the library All. The. Time. as a child, but I got out of the habit as an adult.  Now, I'm back.  In fact, I think I'll go check out Ally Condie's Reached while I'm thinking about it...

7. Read what I own/limit book buying (*Autobuy authors = exception) - Renewing my friendship with the library last year has really helped me with resolution number seven.  I only bought books by my auto-buy authors (come back in February to see who they are) last year.

8. Reading Outside the Box Challenge by Musings of a Book Lover - After a year and a half of blogging, I am participating in my first reading challenge.  Kate at Musings of a Book Lover has put together a great, flexible reading challenge to encourage participants to read more outside of their comfort zone this year.  I hope I can stay on track for my January goal, which is to read and review a book that's been turned into a movie.  (I'm looking at you, Anna Karenina!) 

My resolutions may seem suspiciously absent of a number of books goal or a blogging schedule, but those kinds of limits don't work for me because I can never anticipate how busy my professional life is going to be, which often gets in the way of my reading and blogging time.  I do hope to read a lot and post more regularly this year, as always, and I believe many of my resolutions above will help me achieve those goals.

In keeping with resolution number one, I leave you with a word of the day and a poem.

Behoove:  to be necessary or proper for; to be worthwhile; to be needful, proper, or due

She left him unviolent

As it behooved her to do –

A loud silence speaks.