Reading Goal Grace
Photo by cottonbro studio: https://www.pexels.com/photo/stack-of-hardbound-books-4861379/
On December 26, 2025, I sat on my couch with my dog, staring at the pile of books on the table in front of me. I was on holiday (literally) from work, and I had checked several novels out from the library with the intention of reading at least three or four on my break.
At the beginning of my break in December, I saw an Instagram Reel that was meant to be humorous: a book lover sits on a couch with half a dozen books laying around her and says she’s trying last-minute to finish her reading goal for the year.
As much as I know she was joking for the purpose of the video (though I don’t know her, so maybe she wasn’t), that idea felt stressful to me. I’m sure there are many people who did a lot of speed-reading at the end of December just to meet a self-imposed goal by the deadline of December 31, like they were in high school or college cramming for a test.
Well, I’m not in school. I’m an adult who gets to choose when and what I read. It’s a leisure and learning activity for me, which I have no desire to make stressful. Thinking of that Instagram video as I stared at those books, I decided in that moment not to care if I didn’t reach my reading goal.
In 2024, I made a goal to read 24 books. I ended up reading 25, and that fact made me overjoyed!
In 2025, my goal was to read 36 books, which I later lowered back down to 24 when it became clear I wouldn’t reach 36. Now, unlike in 2024, I didn’t listen to any audiobooks in 2025, which would’ve increased the number I was able to get through. But I’ve decided for now that I prefer reading physical books over listening to them. And I think I prefer doing so at my own pace rather than feeling like I have to read a certain amount at a time or at a certain speed.
Ultimately, I did miss my 2025 goal of reading 24 books; I read 19. I only finished two in the whole stack on the table during my Christmas/New Year’s break.
And because of the decision I made on the day after Christmas, I was okay with it; I gave myself grace. There’s always 2026, and 19 books in one year is nothing to shake a stick at when a lot of current research indicates American literacy levels are tanking, not growing. Besides, I read some books this year that should definitely count as more than one (like Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson and the entire Bible in chronological format).
Also, Goodreads has been a great tool to help me keep track of my reading, but I decided not to let its “yearly challenge” feature stress me. Especially because I recently discovered—fun fact!—Goodreads is a subsidiary company to Amazon. I got curious about Goodreads’ connection to Amazon when I saw Goodreads ratings on Amazon book listings, so I did some quick research. Then I decided I’m not going to let an Amazon company “guilt” me about not reading enough.
And hey, that means I have several books that I’m currently reading already in the queue to start out 2026! My goal will be 26 this time, in line with the current year. If I do happen to read more, that just means I’ll blow an already achievable goal out of the water! Besides that, hopefully I’ll read more in general as I simultaneously try to withdraw from social media a bit.
Happy reading (or listening) this year, friends and family! Remember, recreational reading is supposed to be fun and enjoyable, not a chore. Read what you want to read when you can and want to. Even reading or listening to one book is better for your brain and mental health than scrolling endlessly on social media!