New Year’s Resolutions for Recovering Readers
Set New Year’s resolutions for reading that you can actually keep this year!
Ah, the fresh start that comes with turning that calendar page to January 1.
I love this time between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. I get some of my best ideas and greatest inspiration for the year ahead during these moments.
While the rest of the internet is going to try to convince you to set goals around your health, this year I’d love for you to consider setting some reading goals you can actually keep.
Reading makes a far greater positive impact on your well-being than a too-strict diet you do for 5 days before abandoning. Consistently making time for yourself to relax with a book will reduce stress, increase inspiration, and help make you a happier you.
Resolve to Read for Joy
I firmly believe that reading is beneficial to your health and this could very possibly be the best resolution you make for the new year on many levels.
You can read why I think it is important to read here but it is proven to be an excellent source of stress-relief and an incredible source of joy.
Read because you want to, not because you have to. Make this an activity you do for your own self care this year.
And as you create your list of reading-related resolutions, #1 on that list should be: I resolve to read for JOY.
Need a good boost of motivation? Read the author’s note at the end of Hello Stranger, our January book of the month. The author, Katherine Center, shared the best piece I’ve ever seen on the power of reading for joy and hope.
Resolve to Read What YOU Want
Do not let any smarty-pants book list make you feel bad.
You are intelligent enough, you are clever enough, you do not need to prove anything by reading brainy, difficult books.
Do I love the challenge of the latest bestseller? Sure. But not always in stressful seasons of life.
Sometimes I need a Hallmark romance. Sometimes I need a Viking warrior fantasy. Many days I want a seasonal romance.
This year put yourself in the driver’s seat and commit to only reading things that interest you.
Set a Reasonable Book Goal
The GoodReads annual book challenge is always super popular. Now the other reading apps have followed suit. You can set a reading goal in Fable, StoryGraph, and more.
But before you choose that number, think very carefully about how your motivation works.
Does a HUGE number actually motivate you? Or does it just impress your friends on social media?
For me, I’ve learned I need to set my reading goal on the small side so that I can easily meet it. I have enough stress in my real life, I don’t need a random number of books to cause me any more grief next fall.
I set my number at 24 books most years. That’s an average of 2 books per month. During really stressful months, I may only read 1. When I’m in the zone, it could be as high as 4. So that number works out well for me to keep me on pace over the course of an ebb and flow year.
It’s a number that keeps pushing me to pick up a book but leaves plenty of room for months where I just can’t.
Maybe that number for you will be 40, 80, 100+. Just make sure that number works for YOU.
Resolve to Try Something New
If you’re trying to get back into reading, you may not even know what you like to read anymore. Your tastes may have completely changed since the last time you were a full-fledged reader.
You really don’t know unless you try it. Branch out and vow to pick a new author, a new genre, or a new series.
Want some help expanding your horizons? Print off my free book bingo card for some inspiration.
Set a Short Page Limit Before DNF
If you decide that new book, new author, new genre, new series is just not holding your attention and you’re avoiding reading because you just don’t want to pick it up again, ABANDON IT.
Toss that title onto your Did Not Finish list and move on. You could always come back to it, or not. Life’s too short to miss out on reading a book you love because you’re stuck paused in one you can’t bring yourself to enjoy right now.
Establish a Bite-Sized Mini Habit
Don’t let your reading goals fall by the wayside along with typical new year’s resolutions. Start off on the right foot by establishing teeny-tiny mini habits you can actually keep up with.
Most of these mini-habits help you discover pockets of time throughout your very busy days to sneak in tiny corners of reading that will absolutely increase the number of books you read this year.
Find a Friend or Join a Club
Any time you’re setting a goal, you’re more likely to finish if you have support.
Find a friend who wants to start up a 2-person book club with you. Find a few more friends and make it a full-fledged group.
Or, just come on over and join the Peanut Blossom Book Club for Recovering Readers. You can see our 2025 book club picks here.
Example: My New Year’s Reading Resolutions
Want to see how I’m pulling together this list of new year’s goals for my reading life this year? This is what my resolutions look like using the tips above:
- I Resolve to Read for Joy: I’ll read what makes my heart happy, make my reading time cozy, and remind myself that my self-care and mental health matters.
- Reading Goal: 24 books
- Mini Habit: I will carry a book or my Kindle with me at all times, even around my house, so that I can reach for a book instead of social media scrolling.
- Something New: I’ll pick 1 classic novel I haven’t read yet. (I’m always reading new things as I hunt for next year’s book club list, so this goal isn’t as important to me. It’s already an established habit.)
- DNF: I will abandon a book after 10 pages OR any time I haven’t read in 3 days straight because my current book doesn’t interest me.
So how about you? What does your reading resolution list look like this year? Leave me a comment if you’ve got great ideas that would help another reader out!
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