New year, new books, same amazing Teen Board! To kick off the new year, we asked our Teen Board members about some of their read-solutions, whether they involve reading a certain number of books, finishing a series or trying out a new genre or author.  As a bonus, some members also shared the title of the first book they read this year.

Last year, I read close to 100 books, and explored a lot of new genres, including fantasy. However, this year I don’t think I will be reaching that many books. I am both graduating high school and starting college in 2017, and schoolwork has already taken over my reading schedule. But, of the books I have read this year, I have enjoyed all of them. The first book I read this year was I CRAWL THROUGH IT by A.S., which I absolutely loved, and is now one of my all time favorites. --- Reanna H.

My New Year's "Read-solution" for 2017 is to branch out in terms of genres. I generally tend to stick to contemporary realistic fiction or fantasy/science fiction, but I don't want to limit myself to what I know I like when there are new things to try! My first read of the year proved that hunch --- WUTHERING HEIGHTS is a classic for a reason, and I'm glad I stepped out of my comfort zone to try it. 2017 is going to be a whole new year for my literary life, and I can't wait to read everything from horror to memoirs to mystery! --- Laura T.

This year my goal is to read at least half of the Reading Olympics books. So far I have read four out of the possible 50 so I still have a long way to go. I'm looking forward to reading more books that I wouldn't normally read if I was just randomly browsing. The first book I have read in the new year was THE COLLECTOR by John Fowles. It was a surprisingly quick read and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys philosophy or psychology. --- Emily G.

I'm not a big fan of bookish goals such as: reading a certain amount books a year or planning out all the novels you'll be read in the coming month.  I just find the pressure and limitations of such goals to be stressful and unnecessary, and it ends up taking the fun out of reading for me. As for the first book I completed this year, it was actually my KidsReads review book THE UNINTENTIONAL ADVENTURES OF THE BLAND SISTERS: The Jolly Regina by Kara LaReau which I enjoyed and would recommend to anyone. --- Rachel A.

I plan to read at least 100 books this year. According to my handy-dandy spreadsheet, I only read about 70 books last year, and I feel as if that isn't enough books. I know I can do better. My first book this year was one I wanted to read last year but didn't have time to. I started GEMINA by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff a few days ago. I loved ILLUMINAE because of its unique look, dynamic characters, and gut-busting humor, so I decided to try GEMINA. So far so good. --- Wren L.

This year I have many read-solutions. For starters, I need to get out of my reading slump. I've only read two books this month, which is three or four books less than what I usually read! This year my goal is to read 40 books which should be manageable. I also want to read a larger variety of genres because I tend to only read realistic fiction, fantasy, and some sci-fi. The first book I read this year was actually one I reviewed, LIFE IN A FISHBOWL by Len Vlahos. This book was unlike anything I have ever read and was definitely worthy of being the first read of the New Year. The only other book I will finish this month is BLOOD OF WONDERLAND by Colleen Oakes and is another book I am reviewing. So far, I love BLOOD OF WONDERLAND, I think it will be the book to bring me out of my slump! Happy 2017 and happy reading!! --- Mikenzie R.

I have a few read-solutions this year, one of them being the common goal: read more books! Last year, I read seventy eight books, which is an all time low for me. Although I am more busy this year than any, I am going to try to even just read one more! Another one of my read-solutions is to read more classics, particularly Victorian literature. This may have been inspired by the newly released season of BBC's Sherlock, but I adore the Victorian style of writing and have been wanting to read them for a while. I have already read a book this month, STALKING JACK THE RIPPER by Kerri Maniscalco.  --- Caitlyn K.

My read-solutions for this year is to just read about 30 books this year, especially more non-fiction novels. I've already finished quite a few books this year including THE JUNGLE, BEHELD, and SPINDLE. I'll also be reading HUCKLEBERRY FINN for school and AIR. --- Alyssa L.

My read-solution for this year is to finish all the books I only half way read in the past couple of years. A lot of the books I need to finish simply were at a slow spot when I put them down and I've yet to pick them back up to read again because I want to read the newest and most exciting book out there. This read-solution will also help me to stop feeling bad about all the unfinished story's that I've put on the back burner. To kick off the year I read the third installment in the Zodiac series BLACK MOON by Romina Russell and I also started to read THE MAGICIANS by Lev Gossmean. --- Carolyn C.

One of my read-solutions this year is to find a completely new book series that will really draw me in and have me entranced within the pages. The first book I've read this year is THE HOBBIT. --- Jeremy H.

I think I can speak for many readers this year when I say one of my resolutions is to read more diversely. I want to try and read more books this year that focus on people of different races, sexualities, etc. Another one of my "read-solutions” is to buy less books. My TBR has gotten to a size that I can’t take anymore, so I want to plow through it. Finally, my last one is to read more fantasy books. Fantasy is actually my favorite genre, but I feel like I always default to contemporaries (especially during the school year since they’re fast reads) so I’m hoping I can pick up some more this year! --- Brynn S.

A main resolution for my reading this year is to definitely pick up some more diverse reads. There are so many amazing diverse books coming out this year by some even more brilliant diverse authors that I cannot wait to read from! The first book I read this year was actually THE SCARLET LETTER by Nathaniel Hawthorne for my english class, but I thought it was very interesting if you're into classics and the infamous eighteenth-century Puritans. --- Taylor F.

For my read-resolution in 2017, I plan to finally move away from romance and maybe branch into sci-fi or non-fiction. There have been multiple times in my life when I have sworn off of romance as reading romance novels fills me with warm hope, but leaves me with an empty feeling of my own nonexistent live life. However, I keep boomeranging right back to it, so I am unsure how long this resolution will last. --- Vaishnavi S.

The first book I read in 2017 was THE KITE RUNNER by Khaled Hosseini. I recently read Hosseini's other book A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS for school and absolutely loved it, so I decided to give this on a try and I was not disappointed. While I like the prose in A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS better, THE KITE RUNNER was so good I could barely put it down. For the rest of 2017 however, I plan on rereading the HARRY POTTER series. For the past couple of years its been a goal of mine and I've only made it to the 3rd or 4th book before school or other things got in the way. But 2017 is the year that I'm finally going to make it through, I can feel it. --- Zoe I.

One of the things I'll change this year is the amount of time I dedicate to reading on a daily basis. With schoolwork and other things alike, I haven't been able to find a lot of time to read and wish to spend at least an hour every night before bedtime reading. This year, I have started the Lunar Chronicles series and it's fantastic so far!!! --- Alize J.