What's this about anyway?

What is this all about? How did you get here? What are we doing? Are there any horse socks?

All relevant questions (except that last one; that's from the old lady on the field trip in classic 90's comedy Billy Madison.) The rest of the questions, I'm happy to address, thanks for asking.

I'm a sucker for a New Year's resolution. Yes, I know the pitfalls and the naivete that comes with 

thinking you'll change your life just because of a date on the calendar. But, life moves fast and without specific reasons to set goals, I tend to flounder.

The last few years, my resolutions have been related to my personal health. Overall, I do pretty well. I made a resolution a few years ago to do a sprint triathlon - and, now I've done 10. I made a resolution last year to be more patient. Let's just say I'm still working on that. This year, I wanted to go big, I wanted to do something for my brain and I wanted to base it on something I actually enjoy doing. Thus, the Reading Resolution was born.

It's simple: I'm reading a book a week in 2017. 

Some people (my mom) will hear that and say, "So what? I've been doing that for years. I don't need to talk about it and reach out to others for my own personal validation." (My mom could add that ending to lot of things she says to me, frankly.) Others, though, are shocked at the magnitude of this feat. I work with people (journalists!) who tell me they haven't read a book for pleasure since... childhood? I'm closer to the former. I read a lot; I'd rather read than watch TV (and, I watch a LOT of TV.) I read while I blow-dry my hair, I read in the bathtub, I just read three books on a week-long vacation. But, I tend to go in streaks, reading a few books in a row, then reading only magazines for a month before I find something good. This will keep me regular. It's like fiber. For my brain.

So, why blog about it? Geez, mom, I'm getting to that!

I'm blogging about it for a few reasons. I want to stay accountable, first and foremost. If I know thousands of people are checking this blog, waiting with bated breath to see if I'm fulfilling my obligation, I'll be more likely to stick to the plan.

I'm kidding, by the way. I'll be lucky if anyone reads this at all.

I'm also doing it to remember what I read and to share those books with other people. Maybe it's the English major left over from college, but I LOVE talking about books. So, even if this is a one-way conversation, I'm excited to think more deeply about what I read and put it on paper... er, computer... you know what I mean.

I've been building a list of books for the past few weeks, but I'd love your suggestions (note: I'm an admitted book snob. Just because you tell me I should read it doesn't mean I will. And, if I read it and hate it, I'll judge you. It's not you, it's me. It's not something I'm proud of.) I have a loaded gift card to my favorite local bookstore, an Amazon Prime membership waiting to cater to my whims and, because my kids still need to eat, I got a shiny new library card, even though my neighborhood library is tiny and every decent book is on a hold for the next 1,000 years.

I'm excited to get started. Thanks for sharing this journey with me!