This post is part of Reading While Parenting, a feature at A Wonderful Mess, where we delve into exactly how parents can read and what reading can add to parenthood. In honor of the new year we will be thinking about our reading lives over the next two weeks here on A Wonderful Mess. This week we’re talking about our reading goals for the year and next week we are talking about reading culture in our homes and communities. These are posts are short and sweet so you get back to reading your book.
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Dear readers, Happy New Year!
It’s that time where we set goals for the year. I’ll be honest, I’ve been suspicious of new year’s resolutions in years past. Yes, this time of year really supports that fresh start effect that can facilitate goals. However, I am wary of the narrative that there is always something to change or to improve on. But with that said, I do like to set some intentions around my reading life each year. I like a plan, what can I say?
To number or not
Do you set a numeric goal of books (pages or daily minutes) for your reading year? This previous year, I did set a numeric goal of books read, which I did reach.
I knew that this particular goal would require me to center reading in my life but it also didn’t feel too out of reach based on estimations of how long it takes me to read books. Overall this was a positive experience. It did what I had hoped, as in it supported me in priortizing reading.
There can be some downsides to setting a number goal. In a world that we love to track, optimize, and gamify we can lose sight of the purpose of reading in our lives. Is reading really only to get some digital confetti? Trying to read to a number goal can also influence our reading choices and keep us from trying books out of our comfort zone or out of a certain page limit. If choosing a numeric goal, it’s helpful to ask yourself question what would this number mean to you and your life?
This year I am…
Setting broader intentions instead of picking a number of books read. I have no plans to change how and when I read, so theoretically I will likely land near the same number next year. I don’t feel the need to “improve” upon the number. For my reading life this year, I am choosing to go more with some guiding principles. And here they are:
Looking to the saga, epic, the long view, and the big picture
I have no intention of diving into The Iliad. I am looking to embrace stories across time—family sagas, characters across a lifetime, deepening connection to characters and places by completing some series. I have found in moments of stress and strife, expanding our perspective is a helpful exercise. To remember that this moment is just that, this moment, and then there is another, and so on. Putting the moments together through fiction is an excellent way to swim in bigger picture.
The old is new to me
I’ve previously written about returning to reading fiction in the last couple of years. It’s easy to get distracted by all the new and shiny stories coming out each month. And yet there are so many stories pre-2026 that I want to visit. I am not swearing off new releases but I am continuing to focus on finding titles from years before. I am doing this in a few ways that I will share in the future.
I’ve got a couple reading challenges I might dip in and out of through the year, too. And I’ll be reading with my book club. But I want to hear from you. What do you envision for your reading life this year?
The comments section is what we make of it. Feel free to answer any or all of the questions below.
Do you have any reading goals or intentions this year? Please share.
Any books you are looking forward to this new year?
Don’t hesitate to share any reading conundrums? These may become a topic for a future post.
Okay, may you find a moment to read a page or two.
Back to my bookshelf,
Kathryn
P.S. Next week we’ll be talking about book culture….at home and in your community.
Number goals aren’t ever good for me, but intentions and “reading projects” are!
Excited for next week — you know I love those topics ☺️
I used to set number goals but didn’t do it last year and may skip it again this year. But I do track what I read on StoryGraph.
I want to read more physical books this year as I’ve mostly been doing audio recently so I’m trying to keep physical books I want to read in strategic places as a reminder :)