Pickering Book Tree on New Year Reading Resolutions

The New Year is so often seen as a regenerative time, an opportunity to change habits and start afresh. It’s also the darkest and coldest time of the year, the festive period quietening into a time for introspection, the long evenings providing time to curl up with a book.

While some resolutions focus on shaping up the body with diets and fitness plans, how about something a little gentler for the start of 2023? Taking time out to read can feel like an indulgence, but reading is well known to be healthy for both mind and spirit, a remedy to help us pause from the busy world and give us space to look outwards quietly. A good book takes you on a journey, while a great book leaves you feeling changed by the end of it, the world looking a little different from before.

This is the perfect time to build new reading habits, delve into a comforting book, or escape into a page-turner. It’s perhaps also a great time to challenge yourself to read outside your comfort zone and pick up an unexpected read. If you fancy a structured and relaxed challenge, then consider joining us for Book Bingo. We promise it will be fun for new readers and bookworms alike!

As for our resolutions and plans for the year ahead…

Making a difference starts with small acts of kindness, and as we begin 2023 we look forward to further giving back to the community who have supported us in our first few months of trading. One of our biggest goals as a business is to share a bit of light in the world. We keep all of our visiting author events free to attend, and have some exciting ideas to share creativity and reading with people of all ages.

We most of all want to share our passion for books, connect people with reads we hope they’ll love, and provide a cosy space to discover something new. We believe that each book holds the potential to change a life, and that there’s a book out there for everyone. We especially believe in the power of reading from a young age, which is why we will donate £749 worth of books to Pickering infant and junior schools in the New Year following our Books for School Libraries campaign. We will also continue adding to the 143 biodiverse trees planted via the shop so far to help the environment and communities worldwide benefit from nature. Next month we’ll be planting trees in Peru, and you can read more about this project in the shop.

If you’d like to get into reading as a new or rediscovered hobby, or need help finding your next book, we’re always happy to help both in the shop and online via email or messenger. For some ready-made bookspiration check out our Ring in the New Reads page, where we’ll share a different list of five recommendations for the first five days of January.

There’s nothing better than starting a new book which comes highly recommended. Turning that first crisp page to start something new, to be moved, to laugh, or walk in someone else’s shoes for a few hours.

A book waiting to be read contains possibilities, inviting you to breathe life into characters built of words, willing you to begin.