What’s your New Year’s Resolution? I don’t mean those about losing weight, working out, or being better at recycling. No, the resolutions that interest me are about what books we choose to read, and why.

This is the time of year a lot of people take stock and try to chart a course for the year ahead. For many, that means simply trying to read more books. According to the Pew Research Center, “Americans read an average (mean) of 12 books per year, while the typical (median) American has read four books in the past 12 months.’’ (Way to force us to go look up the difference between median and mean, Pew!) At any rate, it seems that many of us could stand to read a few more books a year.

But what if you’re already reading a lot? How else might one shake up their 2020 reading lists? I asked some local booksellers — people who read for a living — what they’re looking forward to in the new year.

For Susan Bernhard of Belmont Books, it’s a question of striking out beyond her normal reading — mostly literary fiction — and venturing into new territory. “I want to read more memoir, more poetry. And we have added a romance section at the bookstore, and I would like to read more romance.’’

Her colleague Kathy Crowley agrees. “My goal has been to read more diversely in general, sort of outside my comfort zone — for me that would also include reading nonfiction!’’

“I already started this in 2019, but my resolution is to read more previously published books,’’ said Rachel Cass of Harvard Book Store. “As booksellers, we’re constantly inundated with new and forthcoming books, and it’s easy to get caught up in marketing hype or the newest, shiniest thing in the store. I’m trying to take a break from that and catch up on some of the books that have been on my shelves for too long. Top of the stack this week: ‘The Namesake’ by Jhumpa Lahiri, ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’ by James Baldwin, and ‘The Wedding Date’ by Jasmine Guillory.’’

And then there are specific reading projects. Harvard Book Store’s Carole Horne has been inspired to go way, way back. “After reading Pat Barker’s ‘The Silence of the Girls,’ the story of the Iliad told from the point of view of Briseis,’’ Horne said, “a friend and I are going to start with Homer’s Iliad and see where it takes us.’’

Local author Alysia Abbott (“Fairyland’’) believes in resolutions. “Last year my resolution was to read more books by people of color,’’ Abbot said. “I read T Kira Madden, Justin Torres, Grace Talusan, Carmen Maria Machado among others. This year, I’d like to read more books in translation.’’

As for me, I agree with Cass — those of us reading on deadline could benefit from dipping into the past more often than we do. And I resolve to read more for pleasure, to balance the books I devour for future published reviews with some I can relish purely for their own sake. Wishing you all a happy year in reading!

Kate Tuttle, a freelance writer and critic, can be reached at kate.tuttle@gmail.com.