2025 Reading Concept-of-a-Plan and TBR
Last year, my new-years “resolution” was vastly different from years prior. My goal was no goals. I put 12 books down as my Goodreads ideal, and decided not to push myself or keep track. Graduate school makes reading for enjoyment nearly impossible, so I didn’t want to worsen that with unrealistic expectations or deadlines. I had to relax and realize my book pages were started out of passion and wanting to share my thoughts with friends during the pandemic. I needed that reminder, not that I’m some influential book critic with fans foaming at the mouth. I passively and subconsciously set ideals and deadlines for myself from 2021-2022 that were not sustainable - or enjoyable - and I wanted to enjoy my direction with Madeline’s at every step of the way.
As my early twenties turn into my mid-twenties, I’ve had my fair share of obstacles and hardships. This also comes with great joy, but the point is that things happen, and reading is not a measure of your intelligence, productivity, or depth. I found myself getting self-conscience when I would be asked what I’m reading and I hadn’t glanced at my shelves in months.
In the new year, my projection for myself is more than 2024, but not set in stone (i.e. “4 books per month”,” or “a book per week”). I started using the (free) app Fable to join book clubs and my goal is to join clubs that truly interest me and stick with the milestones created by the moderators. While this may not sound really like a plan (hence the title), its already shaping up to double or potentially triple my reading count from the last year.
I decided this a few weeks ago in mid-December, so I may have had a bit of a head start. I started my own club on Fable to read When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker. This was just the next book I knew I wanted to read, so I figured I could start with that and poll club members for the next read afterward. Then, I started exploring other clubs and letting the algorithm work its magic. I joined a Stephen King club, which has the goal of getting through most if not all of King’s backlog (Reading Randa vs. Stephen King). I joined a Romantasy club (A Court of Smut and Escapism), clubs moderated by favorite Youtubers (Athena’s Atheneum and A Clockwork Reader), and my friend Julia started a club just for sharing thoughts among friends as we read our own novels. The beauty of this is that I can skip any month that doesn’t interest me, but so far I have been interested in every pick.
This isn’t in collaboration with Fable in any way - I just truly think it’s a great app. Here are a list of books I’m starting off the year with, and books I’m looking forward to in the coming months:
Current Club Reads:
Firestarter by Stephen King
Never Let me Go by Kazou Ishiguro
When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker
Blood and Steel by by Helen Scheurer
Heir by Sabaa Tahir
Personal TBR:
Pierce Brown’s Red Rising series
Atomic Habits by James Clear
Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons series
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
Lady Macbeth and A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid
Fairy Tale by Stephen King
Sundial by Catriona Ward
The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton
From Below by Darcy Coates
What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher
All’s Well by Mona Awad
Too Much by Rachel Vorona Cote
The Gospel According to Eve by Amanda W. Benckhuysen
Babel and Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio
The Conspiracy Against the Human Race by Thomas Ligotti
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Once upon a Broken Heart series by Stephanie Garber
I’ll end it there, but it goes on for quite a while. These are the reads I hope to prioritize in the new year. Let me know your thoughts and recommendations, and I look forward to sharing another year of lit reviews with you!