Great Reads That Will Help You Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions

Many conversations during the first few days of January inevitably turn to the question: โ€œSo, do you have any resolutions?โ€ Itโ€™s a simple question that can be difficult to answer. Sure, there are things youโ€™d like to change about yourself and your life, but where do you begin? And how do you even go about keeping a resolution? Instead of picking up a self-help book that youโ€™ll get bored of halfway through, find inspiration in one of the books below.

-Michelle King for Airshipdaily.com

Here are some recommended books in the Southfield Public Library catalog with commentary by the articleโ€™s writer. If you donโ€™t see a copy available, contact a librarian to place an item on hold for you!

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
McCullers, Carson
Resolution 1: Be More Understanding
If your resolution is to be more selfless, pick up Carson McCullerโ€™s The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. The classic novel is told through the perspective of multiple characters but centers around John Singer, a deaf-mute who moves in with a young musician after his caretaker goes insane. You will finish the book with a newfound empathy for those around you.
Our Catalog
Oryx and Crane
Atwood, Margaret
Resolution 2: Be More Green
If you need some motivation to finally buy a reusable water bottle and recycle your yogurt containers, read Margaret Atwoodโ€™s Oryx and Crake. Atwood tells a believable (to the point that itโ€™s eerie) story about how humans are responsible for the apocalypse. It will make you think twice about buying that Poland Springs.
Our Catalog
The Art of Fielding
Harbach, Chad
Resolution 3: Strive for Your Goals
Yes, The Art of Fielding is about baseball, but even if you couldnโ€™t care less about the sport, Chad Harbachโ€™s first novel will trick you into thinking you do. The characters in it arenโ€™t the nicest people โ€” they lie, they cheat, theyโ€™re often reckless and selfish โ€“ but they are good people. Itโ€™s that distinction which will leave you fighting back tears as you near the bookโ€™s end.
Our Catalog
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Smith, Betty
Resolution 4: Be More Proactive
In the age of Union Pool and luxury condos, itโ€™s difficult to imagine Williamsburg the way Betty Smith describes it. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn follows Frances Nolan, beginning when she is 11 and ending at 17. Though itโ€™s technically a young adult novel, it is well worth an adult revisit. Smith explores tenacity in a powerful way, making her book the ideal read if youโ€™re starting 2014 feeling a bit knocked down. Francesโ€™s persistence, despite her familyโ€™s poverty, will be an inspiration.
Our Catalog
Half Empty
Rakoff, David
Resolution 5: Restore Your Faith in Humanity
The cover of the late David Rakoffโ€™s collection of essays Half Empty includes the warning โ€œNo Inspirational Life Lessons Will Be Found In These Pages,โ€ but thatโ€™s just not true. What you wonโ€™t find are the kind of saccharine lessons that exist in so many self-help books. Still, with quotes like this you will find life lessons in this collection: โ€œPeople are really trying their best. Just like being happy and sad, you will find yourself on both sides of the equation many times over your lifetime, either saying or hearing the wrong thing. Let's all give each other a pass, shall we?โ€ Rakoff isnโ€™t saying everything will be fine โ€” heโ€™s not even saying most things will be fine. But his is a faith in humanity that's deeply refreshing. Read this if you cringe every time someone says something like, โ€œWell, everything happens for a reason.โ€
Our Catalog
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Garcia Marquez, Gabriel
Resolution 6: Be More Politically Active
If you think One Hundred Years of Solitude is just a piece of magical realism, think again. Gabriel Garcia Marquez's book is is an allegory for political strife in Latin America, and it's a perfect read if youโ€™re hoping to get more politically involved this year. The multi-generational story of the Buendรญa family will inspire you to get more active, and Marquezโ€™s stunning writing will keep you captivated.
Our Catalog
Crime and Punishment
Dostoevsky, Fyodor
Resolution 7: Finish Crime and Punishment
Not only can this book help you with many of your other resolutions, it will also inspire a brand new one (or put to rest a very old one): to finish Crime and Punishment! Reading about the moral dilemmas of Rodion Raskolnikov will force you to ask questions about your own morality. Itโ€™s a dense book, but few novels look at the repercussions of choice as well as this one.
Our Catalog
The Selected Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson
Emerson, Ralph Waldo
Resolution 8: Get Back to Nature
If youโ€™re trying to make this the year that you spend more time outdoors than inside watching Netflix, pick up The Essential Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson. This expansive collection includes his major speeches, essays and poems, all of which will inspire you to go for a walk instead of refreshing Twitter again.
Our Catalog
chat loading...
ajax-loader
Scroll to Top