Rekindling my love of books: why my New Year’s resolution is to read more

When tasked with the mammoth task of crafting a New Year’s resolution, often we are hit with a multitude of thoughts. Where do I see myself this time next year? What should I have done in the previous year? 

Being set a number of chapters to read every week, from stories across time, to heavy pieces of theory, what was once my love for reading has transformed into a bit of a chore.

However, at the close of 2024, I was hit with the realisation that I had never written anything to do with books. No reviews, no thoughts, no nothing. And it became blatantly obvious that my New Year’s resolution should be to read for fun more!

As I reach the end of my degree in History, I realise that perhaps I read a lot more than most. Being set a number of chapters to read every week, from stories across time, to heavy pieces of theory, what was once my love for reading has transformed into a bit of a chore. When I was younger, after a long day of school, I would cherish the opportunity to relax and indulge in a book that had been sitting on my bookshelf for so long. Now, however, I find myself burnt out from the difficult university reading I have to decipher throughout the day, leaving no time to read what I enjoy, and even less of a desire to associate reading with enjoyment.

Getting lost within the pages of a thrilling story, regardless of the cliché, is the perfect way of relaxation

This is something I feel that I have been battling for a considerable amount of time, and something I imagine is a familiar feeling for most. My mind is now tuned into thinking reading equals work, not for pleasure or fun, but to boost my understanding and thus improve my university grades. While I do fundamentally enjoy completing my university reading, and feel like my knowledge has truly expanded throughout my degree, I have lost that personal love of reading a book and not wanting to put it down, and thinking all day about what happens next. Not just with non-fiction, but also fiction, as studying English Literature at school transformed my reading mind to work in a hyper-academic train of thought, picking out details and not really engaging with the plot or true meaning.

It is without a doubt, and a renowned fact, that reading does so much to benefit the mind. Getting lost within the pages of a thrilling story, regardless of the cliché, is the perfect way to relax, and letting go of all the pent up emotions that have built up throughout the day. Reading is a lifelong skill that is taught from birth, and essential for grasping information, and also understanding emotions. However, with the multitude of distractions facing students our age, it looks like university students are actively avoiding reading. What with feeling overwhelmed by the lack of time to complete their daily tasks, and finding arguably more fun distractions when balancing their work and social lives. 

I am going to make an active effort to read more books for fun, and hopefully return my mind back to associating reading with something truly enjoyable

With all this in mind, I suppose it is no wonder that university students are not engaging with reading as much as they should, and I feel myself to be characteristic of this. In my adult years, I don’t even particularly know what I like to read, and where to even start. I have actively engaged in ‘BookTok’ for a considerable time, trying to find the best new book that I have to read, but after putting it off, I never get around to actually reading them.

It is with that sentiment, that in 2025, I am going to make an active effort to read more books for fun, and hopefully return my mind back to associating reading with something truly enjoyable. My goal for 2025 is to try to read one book per month, regardless of how difficult my university reading is, and start from there. As you can tell, I am nowhere near being a GoodReads pro, and I have never read the Harry Potter books in my life, but I hope to change this narrative moving into the new year. To that end, please share any book recommendations, and help a desperate girl in need in starting her quarter-life reading journey!