2025 is here and with it comes a new set of reading goals. To be honest, several of these goals are repeats from last year reading goals because I genuinely feel so much better doing them. Without further ado, let’s jump into it.

Reading Goal #1 – No reading tally goal

I switch between calling this a no-tally goal and a blind reading goal, so forgive me in advance. This goal simply represents having no “must read this many books” goal. There are reading events and challenges I like to do throughout the year which mean I read more in specific seasons, whereas other times I can hardly finish a book due to workload, weather, or other life focuses. I really enjoyed reading for the sake of reading last year, not counting books or trying to squeeze in another read for the month just to stay up to speed on my goal. I note my finished reads on a Notion page with the basic info and then I write my review to post here. That’s all. It makes each read feel significant in a deeper way, taking away the arbitrary book count aspect of it. I am certain this will be how I read from now on, but setting it up as a goal is still a good way to remind myself of what matters when reading.

Reading Goal #2 – Non-Fiction Books in Review Posts

I struggle with non-fiction books most of the time, but my main reason for this goal is due to my PhD studies. I will be reading a lot this year, and I mean a lot. I want to be able to articulate in posts why my uni books are useful, important, impactful, as so on because non-fiction has the power to be as immersive and enlightening as fiction. One of my favourite reads of 2024 was Under the Weather, a non-fiction book about the climate crisis and the proven meteorological impacts man has had in recent decades on the planet. There are several more non-fiction books I have picked up for a February reading challenge that I think are incredible, but I have not had the time to read them. So, 2025 is the year I read non-fiction and tell the world about it.

Reading Goal #3 – Physical TBR Takedown

I did really well with my physical tbr list in 2024, with the number of unread titles only jumping in December as a result of birthday and Christmas gifts, namely my box set of Andzrej Sapkowski’s The Witcher series. There are still books on the list from 2024, but they are largely my brother’s copies of Frank Herbert’s Dune series, J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-Earth tales (The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy), and The Kingkiller Series by Patrick Rothfuss – still waiting on book three btw, Pat. I don’t want to pressure myself by giving a due date for these physical tbr reads, but I do want them read by a specific point in the year. I’ll keep an eye on them as the weeks progress and my PhD workload changes.

Reading Goal #4 – Reading More For Fun

I picked up a lot of books in 2024 to expand my genres and try new things, and for the most part it was a good time. One thing I do realise now though is that I would restrict what new books and genres I tried based on how I wanted to come across on bookish social media. It was for the kind of reader I wanted to appear as instead of the kind of reader I was. This realisation came from seeing the genres that I genuinely enjoy reading and the genres I have been naturally shifting away from. 2025 will be the year I read books because I want to and I don’t care what the content is. It can be books that have no visible following due to them being an older series, or post-colonial critiques that scratch the itch I get from Dark Academia that isn’t always satisfied. Understanding what I like to read and want to read more of, what I want to help give more awareness in the world, and what brings me joy to read will be integral to getting through 2025 as my work-life balance is about to get a real beating.

To summarise, I will be doing another no-tally reading year where I will review more non-fiction books, tackle my physical tbr, and read more of what I want to read. Fairly simple, right? I highly recommend setting some reading goals for yourself this year, and when I say goals I mean multiple. I have seen many people get fixated on one thing so much so they lose sight of the true purpose of reading. Multiple goals means multiple chances to be surprised by your 2025 reads, and there is no shame in not completing a goal, sometimes it just means that we thought we would be able to achieve more in the year and unforeseen things came up. I hope that whatever your reading goal is in 2025 you have a fantastic year and find a new favourite or two to recommend to your friends, family, and fellow readers.