2026 Writing Goals

I know, I know, I’m really late in posting my writing goals! But I have already started working on them; it’s only this blog post that is late. So let’s talk about how my writing went in 2025 and what my goals are for 2026.

2026 Reading Goals

Goals for 2026 in my reading journal

January is almost over, but it’s never too late to set reading goals for the new year! In 2026, I want to:

• Read 50 books. I’ve had this goal for several years now. I usually have no problems reaching it, so I see no reason to change it.
• Fill out book bingo. I’ll talk more about my bingo board below.
• Review all books. I want to review all books in my reading journal, and I also want to write something about them in this blog, even if it’s just a short mention.
• Take part in Jane Austen July. I’ve joined the Jane Austen readathon two years in a row, and I’ve had so much fun! I already have some plans for what I want to read.
• Read at least one e-book. I had this goal last year as well and failed spectacularly. I didn’t read a single e-book. This year, I want to make the goal easy and try to read just one e-book.
• Read at least two library books. Last year, I read twenty library books. Reading two should be no problem!

 

2025 Reading Wrap-Up

Some of my favorite reads in 2025

It’s late January and I finally have time to write my 2025 reading wrap-up and talk about my favorite books I read last year. Better late than never!

 

2025 Reading Wrap-Up

• Total books read: 84
• Total pages read: 27,529
• Days read: 354
• Average rating: 4.14
• New books bought/received: 26

My goal was to read 50 books, so I definitely surpassed that goal! I did pretty great with my other reading goals as well. I took part in Jane Austen July as planned, read a lot of library books, and wrote a review of every book that I read at least in my reading journal.

Then there were the goals I didn’t quite reach. I had hoped to do a buddy read, but that didn’t happen. I also wanted to read e-books from my Kindle app, but I didn’t read a single e-book. Oops. The final goal was to fill out a book bingo, which I almost accomplished. I didn’t fill three squares out of twenty-five, as I didn’t read an e-book, an indie book, or a romance novel.

Let’s talk about my ten favorite books I read in 2025 next! The links lead to a longer review of each book.

December Wrap-Up and January Hopefuls

December Reads

December Wrap-Up

• Finished: 9
• Started but not finished: 1
• Total pages read: 2,304
• Average rating: 4.42

I finished three novels and one memoir in December. The novels were Lauren Groff’s historical fiction The Vaster Wilds (5/5 stars), Octavia E. Butler’s dystopian fiction Parable of the Sower (4.5/5 stars), and Jacqueline Harpman’s I Who Have Never Known Men (5/5 stars). You can find longer reviews behind the links. Tara Westover’s memoir Educated (5/5 stars) I’m reviewing below. As you can see from the ratings, I had a great month in December!

I also started one novel in December, The Beekeeper’s Promise by Fiona Valpy. I finished it in early January, but since I read most of it during the Christmas holiday, I’m reviewing it in this post as well.