I’m starting 2019 feeling fairly motivated, like everyone else in the world. Last year, I feel like I hit my three main goals for the year in spades- get a job, start my blog and start learning Russian. As I go into 2019, I want to continue focusing on becoming the best version of myself – and I realize this covers a few different areas. As I think of goals to improve my mental, physical and spiritual well-being over the coming year, I realize I need to exercise my brain more outside of a work setting. I felt a lot of creative energy in the last year without many outlets for it. I want to improve my blog and my writing, and one way to do that is to read more.

Growing up, I was a voracious reader. As you grow older, life tends to get in the way and things you once loved tend to fall by the wayside. In an effort to get back on track with reading, I’m planning on reading 12 books this year. This may be a low bar for some, but I figured 1 book a month was manageable. I want to try to read more female authors and more American authors as well. While living in England, something that really struck me was my friends’ unfamiliarity with American authors. I say this and realize that sounds like an obvious statement. But think about it – all the American movie stars and athletes are known all over the world. Why wouldn’t that be the same for authors, right? But after a few conversations with European friends, I began to realize that only a handful of my friends had any familiarity with American literature. If I can, I’d like to read at least 1 book in a foreign language as well. Maybe the second Harry Potter book in French? We’ll see

So far, I’m loving the fact that I have less screen time via reading and that I don’t have to waste my cellphone battery on the train if I’ve brought my book along. I love reading in transit on my daily commute and as I set off on a new adventure. I’ll be using my blog as an accountability tracker as well. I hope it helps you get to know me a bit better and gives you more insight into who I am as a person. I encourage you to follow me on GoodReads and send any suggestions you may have along!

Jan 2019

Cork Dork – A Wine-Fueled Adventure Among the Obsessive Sommeliers, Big Bottle Hunters, and Rogue Scientists Who Taught Me to Live for Taste by Bianca Bosker