With the first day of summer flying by a few days ago, we’ve sailed past the longest day of the year, and the lunar midpoint of the year. While I have a few days left before the calendar midpoint, I’m feeling like an update on my 53-book reading goal for this year is due. Feel free to skip to the end if you just want my books recs so far this year (the journaling and action prompts are past that list).
In January, I made a list of all the unread books I already own with the goal of reading them all this year. As I am not a collector of books, I got tired of looking at books I invested money in, but had not yet invested time in. I also found my book stack on the nightstand getting a bit too tall, so perhaps I was thinking of my sleeping safety.
Many don’t feel any such self-inflicted pressure to read the books they buy (and probably sleep better at night for that reason alone) but as I looked at my book stash, I just felt rather uninspired. So off we went into the year to read.
It has gone well with plenty of books read both on and off the list. The stats suggest the goal is within reach: it’s June 26 as I’m writing this and I am exactly halfway through. That midpoint includes the e-books I added to the list a few months back. If you love a good specific number: 24 read, 25 to be read. I claim the halfway point because I’m in the middle of two of the books on the “to be read” list but won’t finish either in the next few days.
The original number of books was 44 physical books plus 9 e-books, so for those of you keeping super close tabs on this process – I declared 4 as “DNF” and moved on, not all books are for me. Author Daniel Pink suggests using 100 less your age as a guideline on how many pages to give a book before deciding to keep going or move on (for audiobooks this could be minutes instead of pages). I tend to give a bit more but sometimes it really is best to give it up. Too many books are loose in the world to stick with one that’s a real slog and I sometimes wonder if this is why so many people say they don’t like to read. Getting stuck on one bad (for you) book but feeling like you must finish It could really suck all the joy out of reading.
Back to the numbers – I’ve read 24 books off my list, but I’ve also read a total of 64 books and 10 short stories (plus the pieces of the ones I DNF) since January 1st. That feels like a lot, and as evidence it suggests I could have already read all the books I own, but I’m not all that excited to read all the books I own. I tend to be far more excited about new ones. I did sneak in an audiobook I already owned – but since I didn’t tackle that space in my list, it’s just bonus information. 25 already owned books versus nearly 40 new ones shows clearly how much I love a new book (and how easily I’m swayed even when I have a big goal in place).
In general, I am so much more excited about new books that this month I gave serious thought to just ignoring or donating the 24 remaining books and moving on. But as I sat in front of the remaining stack, most are books I’m very interested in, they just tend to not fall into the ‘summer beach read’ category that might be drawing my eye right now. A friend recently asked if I ever read anything light, and I promise I do – I just don’t talk about them much because, well, there isn’t as much I feel called to share in them. I’ve read about 15 books this year by Elsie Silver and Iove them – but while I felt somewhat prepared for my first rodeo (last weekend, for real) because of them, the rural Canada horse focused romances aren’t coming up much in my daily conversations.
Anyway. This is a self-made goal so I could easily shift it or decide I’m done, but as I gave myself time to ponder, I’ve decided it’s just the mid project slump. Maybe you recognize the idea – beginnings and ends are fun and exciting, middles not as much. A list of 52 books isn’t a reading sprint – it’s a double marathon, and the middle is a lot of months of reading with no end in sight. I don’t run marathons, but I imagine this is how they feel.
I’m sticking with it.
Of the 64 books I’ve read this year, here’s a little rundown of what I’ve loved:
- Romance – Anything by Elsie Silver if you’re looking to escape with some small-town cowboyish romances in just about every trope. I’m an Abby Jimenez fan as well – I love how she blends romance with the very real complications of life (like dealing with a parent who has Alzheimer’s in Say You’ll Remember Me)
- Engaging science – Mary Roach. Both Gulp and Packing for Mars were fascinating. Her book Fuzz is still on the list, and in other years I think I’ve read everything else she has written, all are great.
- Outstanding history: Radium Girls was wild and sad and made me question lots of things. The Escape Artist was brilliant and sad and made me question lots of things. A Promised Land by Barack Obama was a deep dive into the world – culture, history, politics – and I found it fascinating.
- General fiction: The Correspondent was delightful; I loved how it was written all in letters. The Great Passage is a Japanese novel set over the 15 years it took to create a new dictionary. The language is as beautiful as the presentation of how language changes over time. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue left me thinking. I’m so happy this was a book club selection because I had a LOT to talk about after this one.
- In Self Awareness and Growth: The Body Keeps the Score just might retraumatize some folks who could benefit from it because it’s written very clinically, but remains a very, very, valuable read. I had started it once before, and having now finished it would recommend taking care – skim or skip the details in the case studies as needed. In a much lighter read: Excellent Advice for Living by Kevin Kelly remains the only book I’ve kept so far (to be fair, most of what I read comes from the library, but still there were 24 physical books) and it’s in reach of my desk. Today when I flipped it open it offered this: “Half the skill of being educated is learning what you can ignore.”
Journal Prompt: What goal or project am I in the “middle slump” of? What could I do to re-engage with it or reset so I can approach it with a refreshed mindset?
Physical Prompt: Select a book and give it (100 minus your age) pages or minutes. If you can’t wait to keep going, do so – otherwise set it free (delete, donate, etc.)
All content I share here, elsewhere on my websites and in social media is created by me, Alison Gurevich – and not AI or other sources unless otherwise specifically attributed. This includes all photographs, writing, and ideas. All rights reserved by Alison Gurevich. “Reading: Goals & Book Recs” was originally published to www.breathtomotion.com on June 26, 2026. When you find typos or grammar errors, celebrate humanity and enjoy a little song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3wKzyIN1yk (Human by Rag N Bone Man).