When we last talked about my reading goal, it was May of 2025. My goal was to read 70 books. While I wasn’t documenting, I was reading. I’m going to share with you the books I read/listened to for the remainder of 2025 and then discuss whether or not I have a goal for this year. I will make note of any books that I did not finish. As we know, I hate not finishing books but I’m at the point where I will try very hard to finish but will give myself an out if I just can’t.
By April, I had read 22 books total with 48 remaining to meet my goal.
MAY
May-7 books read this month; 29 total; 41 remaining
JUNE
June-7 books read; 36 total; 34 left
I did not finish the Art Thief. In fact, I could only listen to about an hour of it before I knew that it wasn’t for me.
JULY
July-6 books read; 42 total; 28 left
You’ll notice that I got into read a lot of Allen Eskens books this month. I have read other books by him and really enjoy them.
AUGUST
August-6 books read; 48 total; 22 left
SEPTEMBER
I did not finish The Happy Ever After Playlist. My DNF’s are still included in the count because I did at least spend time trying to get through it.
September-6 books read; 54 total; 16 left.
This is generally the time of year where I wonder if I’m going to make my goal. As the holidays approach, time for reading becomes less.
OCTOBER
I usually have 2 books going at once. I listen to one while I read another. I was reading the Mysterious Baker on Rue de Paris and just could not get through it. I’ve read a couple of other books by the author and enjoyed them very much. Reading this book was a DNF. But there’s an update!
And, I read the House of Mirth for a bookclub but it too was a DNF.
October-6 books read; 60 total; 10 left
NOVEMBER
The book All the Colors of the Dark was highly recommended and was on many of the internets “best” lists. Well, it was a DNF for me and after only about 30 minutes of listening. The book just didn’t make sense. A friend in a bookclub told me that the book is written like an Instagram post with hashtags and all. Definitely explains the disjointed narration.
November-7 books read; 67 total; 3 remaining.
DECEMBER
You’ll notice that the Mysterious Bakery book is back. That’s because I decide to give it another shot because my bookclub chose it. I decided to listen to it instead of reading and I loved it!!
In case it’s not clear, I was also in a Harlan Coben phase. I’ve read a few of his books and really like them. Some of these have Netflix shows that I plan to watch so that was the reason for my choosing these books.
December-6 books read; 73 total; AND I MET MY GOAL!!!!
I really did not think that I would make it but I did. I think part of it was because I kept reading these authors that I really liked and would end one book and immediately start another.
2026 PLANS
So what are my plans for this current year? It’s really no different from previous years. I love reading and want to do it as much as possible. Having met my goal for 2025, I want to set a new goal for 2026. This year I will shoot for 78 books. I have friends that read 100 or more books per year but at this point in my life there is no way that I can do that!
Why do I choose a goal since I like reading anyway? It’s simply a fun way to keep me on track. I might take more time off from reading if I didn’t set a goal and then share it each month.
I will update you each month with what I’ve read and progress towards my goal. If you have any recommendations, please send them my way in the comments. Happy Reading!!!
