It’s January, so book communities are full of reading-resolutions articles and challenges. This is something I have traditionally ignored.
I’m hugely proud of anyone who sets a goal amount of books for the year, because life is very demanding and carving out the time is an accomplishment in itself, but I’ve never been a numbers person when it comes to reading. I’ve also never managed to make a resolution that involved a specific celebrity’s or club’s reading list without immediately rebelling against it and finding literally anything else more interesting. As soon as it becomes a To Do list, I’m unable to even.
That said, this past year I fell into a rut. When you read and edit in the same genres day in and day out (even when they are your absolute favorites), your brain sometimes refuses to turn off the editor switch. It’s high time to shake the mental snow globe and challenge myself, and I need to make it more playful.
Here’s what I came up with so far:
Exploration
This year, I want to try at least 3 new/long-ignored genres. Trying something new and discovering you love it is one of the best feelings reading has to offer.
I know for some of you the This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me release in March will mark the first foray into isekai/portal fantasy, so the BDH will be with me on this path. For the Horde!
Controversy
I’m deleting my TBR lists.
Ok, take a moment. This is still a safe space. I don’t mean my unread purchased books; sequels and auto-buy authors are also safe.
But the endless Goodreads shelves, bookmarks, and lists that have been accumulating for almost two decades have started to feel less like possibility and more like a pressure that weighs down on my shoulders. I’m a very different person than I was when I started them, they’re chaotically spread all over the place, and I’m realistically never going to catch up. If a book is meant to find me again, it will.
Consider it the reading equivalent of that decluttering trick of turning your hangers around in the closet as you wear the clothes, and donating whatever is left unturned at the end of two years.
Spontaneity
I want to do at least one trust-fall post where I ask for recommendations based on a trope or vibe and then try to read every single book that gets suggested, without being too controlling and selective.
I still love you best of all, but this will probably not happen on the blog. The BDH shows up with thousands of recommendations as soon as Gondor calls for reading aid, and we would still be here next century.
Letting Go of Guilt
At the same time, I want to teach my brain that to DNF is not a sin. Life is too short to finish books you don’t like.
I will give books a fair try, and I will give myself permission to skim, because I know I will still crave closure. But I will no longer force myself to finish because anything else feels illegal.
If you’re a ruthless DNFer, please teach us your ways!
Nostalgic Rereads
As a teenager, I devoured books by South American authors, particularly the Latin American Boom and that distinctive magical realism strain that will forever linger in my brain. García Márquez. Borges. Cortázar. Vargas Llosa. Sabato. I want to reread them with (allegedly) adult eyes and see if the spell still holds and manages to stimulate my reading appetite out of monotony.
Now it’s your turn! The Horde reads a lot and it reads well.
Have you done any of these and how did they go? Will I regret my TBR purge? Is there any reading resolution you’ve made in the past that went particularly well for you? Please brag so we can try it too!
first?
First first of 2026! 🥇
Wow! I’ve never been first before! such an honor 🥲
I used to always finish every book like I was on a mission, but now I’m old and realize life is too short to waste time reading things that don’t either make me happy or expand my mind.
Every book suggested?
Well, personally, Sharon Lee is starting a reread of all the Liaden books, in publication order, and is posting her thoughts on her blog. So I’ve started with her and will continue through all 27+ titles for now.
Happy New Year everyone!
This sounds like fun. I used to love those books.
“I still love you best of all, but this will probably not happen on the blog. The BDH shows up with thousands of recommendations as soon as Gondor calls for reading aid, and we would still be here next century.”
I might have giggled at this sentence. I made a resolution to go through my shelves this year and reread some old favorites that I had not touched in a while. I love doing this as some books read very differently as I get older. My Jane Austin’s are on that list due to her anniversary year.
This is a good resolution, I think I’ll try it.
+1 Jane Austen
TBH Ilona Andrews is the only author I buy new. All other books are from charity shops, friends bookcases or the library! I tend to go on the cover art…… It’s the same way I buy wine, if I like the picture I go for it 😂
This!
Cover art alone brought me to a series that I finished that led me to Kate Daniel’s series via if you like this series try this one list. Literally devoured (dead tree and audio)the complete House Andrews catalog between April and August of 2024. Good cover art for the win!
Cover art was my go to when paperbacks were around $3-$5 in B. Dalton’s and Waldenbooks in the mall! (yep, I am OLD!) I still use it in the library. Now the covers and painted edges are still tempting, but I use Kindle unlimited, Hoopla, and library physical copies to vet them before I buy.
heeheehee. I confess +1.
I’m reading along as well. I just started “Agent of Change” and got sucked in right away.
I’m a long time fan as well and have unearthed Agent of Change. With the knowledge of later books it should be interesting. It’s been years since I’ve reread the entire series. I’m also looking forward to Sharon’s comments as she rereads.
I’ve read almost all their books, but they have disappeared off the market place & the library no longer has any listed. Finally took them off my want list. Just have to re-read the PB’s I have. All the used book stores around here have closed D*** it.
Reply to Kathryn. Please check more e-libraries. I read all of the Liaden books except three from e-libaries. In addition to your local library, check for county libraries and I just found out California has a statewide online library. I also successfully purchased the previous five Constellation collections from online used bookstores. Never give up, Never surrender!
Me too!
Trying to place this as a reply to Sheila. It weirdly showed up at random…
Me too!
And I find this correction hysterical. Happy New Year!
I got caught up in the Liaden Universe recently because Nalini Singh kept recommending them. There are sooo many books and the reading order is kinda hinky but I am enjoying them.
Can’t wean myself from the Liaden Universe, and reading Sharon’s comments about what she likes/dislikes after 30 years and which bits she wrote or Steve wrote is a rare treat.
I’ve never read these books, thanks for the recommendation! I just bought Agents of Change. Fingers are crossed, I fall in love then have 27 new books to read lol
Happy New Year!
There are also multiple short story collections, too. I love the Liaden books (and Sharon’s Carousel books). You are in for a treat. I’m planning on joining Sharon’s read a little late (because I tend to gulp them down). They hold up for many rereads. -Enjoy!
I am finishing off a few that I managed to miss.
I just paid $50 to join the Brooklyn library as an it if state card holder. It’s digital only, but their ebook and audiobook selection is huge
Well, I recently re-read your Hidden Legacy series – and it helped me to deal with a very difficult moment in my life, so I’m very grateful to you for writing it. As far as this year goes, my plans are to read 26+26 books – 26 new ones and 26 re-reads. We’ll see how it goes. 🙂
I’m so happy Hidden Legacy brough you relief! I will pass on to House Andrews 🙂
I’m also going back & re-reading authors/titles that I’ve read before but haven’t picked up in a long time. For a lot of them, it’s been 20+ years (basically since high school) & I want to see how much my perspective has changed or not changed. Good luck to you!
I’ve re-read books that I read in high school/college/twenties with varying results. 20-30 years of life experiences changes your outlook. Examples are “Gone with the Wind” which I read at 17 and thought was romantic. I read it for a book club at 40 after I became a Mom and couldn’t handle how horrible a Mother Scarlett O’Hara was. “1984” which was scarier when I read it as a full adult. “To Kill a Mockingbird” I loved when I read it at 16 and have loved again during a book club read in my 40’s and reading it with my teenager during his high school read of it.
Good for you!
Reading should only be on your chore chart as a new reader – then – when you’re hooked it’s just a happy fix.
No reading resolutions for me – I’m not competing with anyone – not even myself 😊
Enjoy- and Happy New Year!
It took me decades as a reader to DNF. I think life’s too short to do something that’s meant to be fun, if it’s not actually fun. So many books, so little time!
Agreed! I remember the first time I DNF a vook. I was on a plane and was MAD at where the author was taking the story and as I was standing up I just slid it into the back pocket of the plane for someone else to hopefully enjoy.
The only reading resolution I make that involves actual effort is an annual challenge organized by Book Riot called Read Harder (https://bookriot.com/read-harder-2026/). I’ve been doing it with a friend since 2019 and as we head into our 8th year the shared spreadsheet we track it on is a digital artifact with power that only grows. This particular challenge is what I use to force myself out of my reading comfort zone, and its been successful in prompting me to find interesting books I wouldn’t have without an external push.
Because I’m a voracious reader regardless I just don’t have stress associated with the numeric trackers, I like keeping the log so that I can circle back occasionally when I need to jog my memory about a specific book. I’m running trackers on both Goodreads and Storigraph (for reasons) and Storigraph in particular has some interesting stats trends it will show you if that’s your thing, but if something else works better, do whatever works.
Read Harder sounds fun and challenging!
reply to Gail,
good for you, a log is a hugh help/
I have Office on my PC & have Excel files of all my books. Keep Ebooks, PB”s & hardcover in seperate files. Also rate them, show if traded or donated so I dont duplicate. This helps as I notice a lot of very old books showing up a E books. Over the last 60 years I have donated over 10,000 books.
Happy Reading all
According to Amazon, I read 163 ebooks last year. This doesn’t include DNF books, which I have no problem doing. I read about 6 chapters, and then the last two for closure and I’m done. I’ve always been a fast reader, and Hank g a kindle with me at all times, means at any available moment, I’m reading.
I have become a ruthless DNFer, and it has made my reading life happier. If a book is not bringing me the joy I expected it to, I stop reading it. I’ve stopped in as soon as a few pages, though usually I give it 2-3 chapters. I have gone as far as half a book and still stopped.
Alternatively, I will skim/skip read books that I like enough to want to know what happened but not enough to read completely. Life is short. Reading should be fun – not a chore.
This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me will be my first official journey into isekai/portal on my own. I have sat by my hubby as he has listened to or watched lots of anime in the genre, so I am familiar with it. His first comment when I mentioned the summary was “Oh! you’re gonna read an isekai.” 🤣 I am excited to see how they handle it.
I am in the DNF camp if a book and/or series doesn’t hold my attention or the author went in an entirely different direction right in the middle of a series without letting the reader know. There’s one particular author I’m thinking of who did this, and lost me as a reader. It’s ok not to finish a book.
Then there are series I’ve read pretty much from the beginning and keep going strong even after over 60 books.
My advice for you, Mod R and the Horde, love what you read and read what you love. It makes the DNF pile a lot less frustrating. 😁
When you say “even after over 60 books”, might you be referring to Nora Robert’s/JD Robb? She’s one of my must-reads (along with our beloved AuthorLords.)
Christine Feehan for me. Her Dark series got me right into paranormal romances but I’m finding the characters are just the same all the time, the romance is the same & it’s turned me off that particular series for now. The early stuff in that series still gets a reread but the later stuff not so much.
I have a tip for how to get closure on a book you feel you will DNF. I’ve been doing this for years as I occasionally start a book, realize something isn’t working for me but my brain demands closure- I go to the last chapter and read it. Then if I’m curious about how we got to that point, I flip to the next to last chapter and read it. Sometimes that reignites my interest and I return to where I stopped but mostly it just helps me wrap up the loose ends so that I can move on.
I think the last book I did the jump to the end with was Paladin’s Grace. It’s a simplistic method but I’ve found it highly useful.
I’ve done this and it works for me too. Useful.
I do that too. It’s very useful.
I am right with all of you who DNF, too. Took me being retired to let go of guilt associated with it. And skim/skip. I have no patience for authors who use endless redundant internal monologue or who describe every single piece of clothing any character wears at any time throughout the book. So, freedom to continue the joy of reading whatever I want whenever I want. Life is good that way.
yes this for the “Ugh, why did i get this?”
Me, too … However, I did not start doing this until this past year. I was a ‘plow through no matter what’. 70 years of reading … and I ending up reading a lot of schlock and/or boring stuff. Never again.
+1
I usually have a Goodreads goal that I blow out of the water by July. So last year I set a higher goal. And then I discovered “The Wandering Inn” web series which has a ridiculous number of super long posts (some pages are 70K words in a single post, there are well over a thousand pages now), and didn’t read a book for 3 months while I worked my way through the entire series. So I didn’t reach my goal.
I made a commitment last year to be willing to put down a book if I don’t like it instead of trying to force myself to read it. What happens when I try to force it is it ends up sitting on my end table collecting dust, but I don’t start a new physical book since I already have one “started”. This only happens with physical books, so my collection of paper grows while I continue to not read the book I started. I’ve never had this problem with Kindle books. Maybe because they are cheaper and easier to ignore on my phone. I also have this problem with video games, mostly because I feel bad about spending $70 on a game and not finishing it, so instead the PS5 collects dust while I doom-scroll Netflix.
I start skimming at that point or I put it on the shelf so it can fade to oblivion. I usually have a couple books going anyway so that may help me with ignoring it. I definitely try not to waste time with uninteresting books & hopefully you can find a way to do so too.
I used to finish every book I started out of spite even if I was hating it. I wasn’t a quitter GD it! Then covid came along and I realized I could leave this mortal coil with a book I actively disliked as my last read and I couldn’t stand it. It isn’t always easy because I find myself trying to convince Me that it might get better in just another chapter or 3… or thousands of good readers marked this 5 stars they can’t all be wrong can they? They CAN be wrong, or if not wrong then just not right for you in particular. I just DNF a book last night that I got 80% of the way into before I realized not only was I bored with it, I was making notes and highlights on the nit pickiest things because I was so bored. I do have to go the extra step and immediately remove it from my kindle so I don’t keep seeing a book that isn’t at 99% or New.
I read all the time and I don’t like pressure from any source. I keep a wish list on Amazon and Fantasticfiction.com but what appeals at the moment doesn’t always appeal to me later. I have favorites I reread regularly, and am always looking for new authors who could become favorites, but those are few and far between these days.
I am a ruthless DNFer. I believe because of this I enjoy my reading journey more. This year I hit 205 books and average rating 4.3. I give books about 100 pgs or 12 chapters to grab me, if it doesnt then Im out.
Before I used to slog through books I wasnt enjoying and it would throw off my mood for other books as well. So I’d take longer with that book and never get to other books. A vicious cycle.
So my advice, DNF or pause what you’re not enjoying and read something else. Its freeing!
I have a hard time with DNFing a book, But I have gotten better lately.
Usually I can recognize if the book just isn’t for me, or if I just don’t care what happens anymore – and put it down. When that happens, I donate the book to one of my local little free libraries and hope that somebody else will love it instead.
My reading goal setting is mostly an arbitrary number that I pick out of the air for the main purpose of seeing just how many books I read in the year. I don’t really care if I meet my goal – but it does feel nice if I do pass it. Because that means I’ve made a dent in my TBR. 😂
also my want to read lists online. I make and often never look at them again. 😂😂
Definitely doing that wrong. hahaha
I used to be a fanatical finisher of any book I started, but age has made me ruthless in the other way: if 3 chapters don’t catch my attention, I’m done. I do skim to the end to find out who done it or what happened, but that’s about it. My reading life has become so much more pleasant.
I’m a big fan of DNFing. If a book doesn’t give me what I want it’s wasting my time and I let it go
I’m a DNF’er and proud! If I push myself to keep reading a book I’m not enjoying, it’s very likely I’ll go into a reading slump and not enjoy anything for a while. So I DNF.
Same as you, I have done a purge on my TBR shelf on Goodreads. Was I as ruthless as I could? Eh, no. But it was something.
As far as reading resolutions go, I set a target for both number of books and number of pages. I’m tentatively trying a new approach and reading through the alphabet. I’ve made it to D so far (A Day Of Fallen Night, by Samantha Shannon, in case anyone is interested), let’s see how that goes.
This post really resonates. I review my TBR pile (actually a list) every 4-6 months and ruthlessly purge it. Sometimes it’s just not the right time, and if I am meant to read it, it will find me again. I give each book 50-100 pages and if I am not really engaged, I let it go off into DNF land. I am treating my reading like my possessions: decluttering, finding the value, reclaiming my time. Honestly, it’s part of protecting my peace. My TBR pile should bring me joy, not stress. There are so many wonderful things to read that I have accepted “everything isn’t for everyone” and started DNF’ing. I am not getting younger and my reading time is valuable. Wishing everyone the best in the new year! Happy reading.
Yes! +100!
I can relate to the issues with To Read lists-I belong (voluntarily) to a book club, and I nearly always rebel against/resent having to read the assigned book 😀
I have rotten luck with recommending books to friends, and vice versa: nearly every book I suggest for someone, they hate (my book club House Andrews recommendation backfired horribly).
I’ve had oddly amazing luck with books people mention in passing disliking or being bored reading, though. Yay Spontaneity! 🙂
I can’t get my mom to read IA either. It’s exactly the kind of books she’d like, idk what her problem is. It’s like the minute I recommend anything, it goes on a never to read list, so I stopped. Now she tells me about books, and when I say I’ve already read it, she’ll ask why I didn’t tell her about it. Gee, I wonder.
Happy New Year!
I lowered my reading challenge goal this year. I read for enjoyment, yet there I was, stressing (ridiculously) because Goodreads was telling me almost all year that I was X books behind.
The only time I have not finished a book was when I got it for free and realized this is why it is free. I think I keep reading a boring or just not for me book is the hope that it gets better . I am going to try the suggestion to read the last chapter. Why I never thought of that? Beats me.
So I need to confess, that many times I will begin reading a book, and if it is especially slow, I will read the ending. If it seems worthwhile, I will go back and read from the point I left off. That said, if it’s a really good book, and I am afraid one of my favorite characters is in peril, I will read the ending to find out what happens. Thank you so much for posting The Inheritance by chapter and letting us know that Ada and Bear both survive. I couldn’t wait for the book to come out, but instead of reading the finale, I actually started at the beginning. I loved the world you created and all of the characters. It’s hard to wait for the next book! Happy New Year.
Thank you for giving permission to join the DNF group. That is my uncomfortable resolution for this year. My second is to explore one author’s writing that is not part of the genre she/he is known for.
I’m not good at goals or planning but maybe this year will be The Year! Happy New Year to the Horde – may you find success on every front!
I just reread Richard Rhodes The Making of the Atomic Bomb. Gripping work; reads like a good science fiction novel, except that it is all too unfortunately real.
My problem is, that excellent writers like Ilona Andrews (and Patricia Briggs, Naomi Novik, some others) have spoiled me for many, many books. I really struggle to find series that combines both excellent writing, internally consistent developed world-building, character development, etc…. I do love fantasy-themed books, romantasy, urban fantasy, all that “tasy” stuff: , but so often there is some completely unrealistic element thrown in there that I’m just supposed to “believe” (whether its a character quirk, or a plot twist, or some aspect of the world) — and I can’t, because it’s not consistent with the world– and then the author has lost me. I’m done. It’s like being on a pleasant- maybe even a thrillling–car ride– and then the wheels stop turning smoothly or develop a skip and I just can’t ignore it, the irritation completely overshadows the ride. That’s when I DNF.
Witness! Sometimes I can keep going, but the cognitive dissonance is so distracting and hard to work around. Sometimes it’s just not worth the slog.
+100! For me, good authors are fun to read no matter the content. If Ilona writes about finding a scorpion or her newest garn, I’m engrossed, despite not loving either thing 😉 . The stories of for instance HA are an excellent plus, of course, but even the writing itself is a good time. So I started to DNF books even after the first 3-5 pages if I realized they can’t capture me with either writing style or story. It depends on the genre, of course, but if Fantasy / Romance / SciFi /… isn’t engaging – what is it supposed to be, then? Also, a big no-go for me is the type of romance, even if well written, which relies on overly dramatic, horrible life stories as an emotional anker for the turning point of the books. If you have to have your main character go through unimaginable terror just so she can fall in love with her neighbor, you’re taking the easy way or are simply not that good of an author, and my emotions are too valuable for you to play with them without any regard. Thanks, bye 😉
my goal is to finish the 100 plus series I’ve been leaving hanging the past 5 years or more. There’s so many good series I need to finish. I am also making myself read nonfiction that’s good for my brain even if it is 5 pages a day.
I was a founding member of a book club more than 25 years ago. Every person got to choose a book for the group to read. Often they were books I would never have chosen, sometimes I really struggled, but I was always glad to sit down and talk about it. I found lots of books I loved, but would never have picked up. Sometimes I hated a book, but was glad to hear what someone else loved about the book. I’ve joined 2 other book clubs and have read and shared LOTS OF BOOKS. And I have discovered that people who really like to read are very nice people. So, join a book club that’s not a genre book club. You get exposed to lots of books and meet some really great people.
Hi, librarian and readers’ advisor here (we suggest options for someone looking for their next read). I had a lot of genres to become familiar with when I started, and I became ruthless about DNF. There’s a practice called “Read a Book in Ten Minutes” you might consider for potential DNFs; it’s freely available online but basically — read the first few pages, skip ahead several chapters and read another couple of pages (do this a couple of times), then read the last few pages. You get the feel for the book without wasting your life wading through drek. If you search on [speed-reading Saricks] you will find helpful hints.
Many people over the years have told me “oh, I must finish any book I start” which is a holdover from assigned reading in childhood. If it’s assigned, yes. For pleasure or personal information, no. I encourage you to join us unrepentant DNFers; it’s along the same line as “life’s too short, eat dessert first!”
As far as exploring new genres, I second the recommendation for Sharon Lee. Her Liaden series is space opera; she also has a small-town contemporary fantasy series variously referred to as the Carousel series, or Archers Beach.
Good luck and enjoy exploring the world of books; I hope you find new favorites to go with your current preferences!
Thank you for the recommendation of Sharon Lee’s Carousel series.
Another great example of “the book has found me” 🙂
I once forced myself to finish a long book. It took weeks. Everyone said it was that author’s best work, but I did not enjoy the plot, some of the parts were just gross to me, and I hated it. Afterwards I realized that I wasn’t going to win any awards, I didn’t need to read the book for a class, and all I did was waste weeks of my time.
I am still not great at stopping a book partway, but I have divided them into 2 camps – not right now and probably not ever. The not right now are the ones I’m just not feeling today. Those are typically books with serious subjects that I want to read, but then when I get them from the library, I always seem to grab something else instead. I keep a list of those, and I don’t feel bad. I’ll pick those up again when the time is right. The second set is the “no, why am I reading this” group. I have skipped to the end before, especially if it is a mystery, and often that makes me interested again. For other things – books outside my preferred genres especially – I remind myself that the book will be enjoyed by someone else, I am not being paid to edit or review it, and think about a book I want to read more than the current book. Then I take the book back to the library, donate it, or recycle it if the book is falling apart. When it is off your shelves, you won’t think about it anymore, unless they turn it into a movie.
Reading is freedom. It is escape. It can be used to learn, to become someone else, to see things from a new perspective. Don’t punish yourself by reading something you don’t like (unless you are in school, in which case ask your teacher or professor if you can substitute the book for something else).
I find it so hard to DNF, but I have started to build skills. Right now, I’ll start by skipping a couple of pages and seeing if it gets better. I do this a few times. If I have missed whole paragraphs and pages and have not missed anything, I set it down and walk away.
I have also taking the path of 1) nostalgia read. I am re-reading old books on my shelves and novels I loved in HS and college. then I alternate with 2) a book I know nothing about that I picked up due to a blurb or random grab at the library. I’ve found new genres and authors this way but when I get several books in a row that just aren’t for me, it makes it hard to pick up the next book. The alternating has finally helped me move forward.
good luck!
I totally get this! Last year I reread a lot of my teenage books (hard SF pre 1988) and really enjoyed and appreciated the aging and how the writing world has changed esp in diversity! The entire collection of Asimov robot novels!
I’m letting my thrifty-ness help on this genre expanding mission as well…listening to audible originals because they are ‘free’ – just listened to some John Scalzi novellas….and really enjoyed.
I still fall into my urban fantasy hole all the time…..but the fresh genres are fun to dip into!
I have a really big physical book collection, so last year I set a goal to read 50 books out of the physical books that I own, and I did it! I have also been pretty ruthless about giving away books that I know I will not read again, or I just don’t feel an emotional connection to. This has been great because there is only so much space in my house. I have also stared using the Bookshelf app to keep track of what I own and what I am reading and gifting to others, and this has been wonderful as well. And as for DNF- just give yourself permission! Remember that a novel can still be brilliant, or wildly popular, or anything at all really, and still not be something you will like. Don’t waste your precious reading time on books that just aren’t for you. Happy reading and Happy New Year!
I’m the worst for getting rid of my physical books. Usually something will jog a memory of a particular scene & then I have to reread the book it’s from. Plus a few of mine are older than me so I can never get rid of them because they went out of print ages ago.
Well, I do ‘t use good reads, but I do have a reading tracker each year.
My goal is to actually read less.
I am doing a variant 75 challenge but doing exercise instead.
I averaged a book a day in 2025 and that does not include a lot of my other reading.
I will be trying some new authors and my big project is reading and rereading Anne McCaffrey’s backlist.
Ohh good choice! Anne McCaffreys books are always fun to reread! Diana Wynne Jones too
I just introduced my daughters to Diana Wynne Jones and it’s so much fun watching them enjoy them!
+1 on Anne McCaffrey
I used to maintain a Goodreads list. Since I used read on a Kindle, when Amazon took it over and added the hooks into Goodreads list updates, it was so easy to do. But then I swapped over to Kobo instead and Goodreads wasn’t as easy so I stopped using it more and more.
Now, I agree entirely that the person I was when I added those books to the list is not the same. On occasion, I wonder if there’s anything there worth looking at, but my To Be Read list got to be so big that I may as well not bother.
I don’t regret it. It was hard for the first bit, but it was freeing.
The funniest part is that occasionally, I pick up a book and start reading then realize I have already read it before – but that doesn’t stop me from enjoying it again. That wouldn’t have happened if I still had my list of books that I’ve read up-to-date on Goodreads.
I’m a big DNFer — there are *way* too many books I want to read to spend time on ones that don’t work for me.
I’m a public Children’s Librarian, and really feel it’s important to have books to recommend for all ages. ideally, I’d like to end the year with at least one 5* book for every group – Children’s, Teen, Adult plus nonfiction. It didn’t happen for YA this year.
Totally agree with you on TBR – the ones I put on my list initially are probably 10 years old at this point;
If I could suggest a genre, not books – perhaps look at nonfiction. There are so many neat ones being published…I tend to enjoy ones that may be aren’t as popular – recent 5* of mine include How to Kill a Witch (about Scotland’s history of witch killing), Gracie Gold’s memoir (if you like skating or Olympic sports a depressing read), a history of WW1 poets, and a travelog through every single US National Park (I’ve learned I really enjoy travelog’s – combo of history, social commentary, etc).
Regardless of what you discover to read, I wish you both (and all the amazing moderators) and your families a wonderful New Year!
Yup, my 3 new genres this year will probably include biographies/autobiographies- so dipping a toe in nonfiction.
@ModR – as a fiction reader with an occasional foray into nonfiction, may I broadly suggest that nonfiction books written by journalists might appeal? I’ve found that the journalistic style is a nice bridge from the fiction world. mileage may vary, but if you have to make decisions…😀
You will not regret deleting the TBR! Honestly when I go back and skim through mine most of it doesn’t resonate and I am wondering why I even put it on the list. There is a reason I never got to it, and it’s not because I didn’t read any books.
I think you will love the different genres! I do this with my book club, mainly because I got to the point that I could not stand another WWII historical fiction. Every month we read a different genre – mystery, non-fiction, essay collection, fairy tale retelling, cookbook, poetry, YA, dystopian, fantasy, sci-fi, there are way more than we will get to!
I weed my Goodreads TBR regularly. Getting rid of impulsive additions and things I’m no longer interested in.
Regarding DNFs, I use the Nancy Pearl rule. Take 100, subtract your age, and the result is the number of pages to read before quitting. That said, I usually give a book about 50 pages to capture my attention.
Life is too short to read books that you aren’t enjoying. Have fun with your goals this year!
I don’t make any official reading goals but unofficially I want to read more than 100 books in a year. Made it to 118 last year!
Like a lot of people here I’m bad at DNFing but I’ve definitely gotten better. I can remember at least two books I put down last year. I just don’t have the free time to waste on books I actively dislike. Although somehow it never occurred to me to skip to the end. Maybe because I mostly read digitally?
Being an editor actually taught me to DNF. Before I started working in publishing, and actually just after starting too 😉, I would finish everything, even if I didn’t like it much. But once your submissions pile has reached triple digits, which is not uncommon, that is simply no longer possible. So I learned by necessity to let it go. Nowadays a book will get 2 chapters to convince me, at most (not counting those where you just stop at page 2).
Initially, that was just for work reading, but as my life got busier and busier (relationship, offspring, the works) I started to realise how precious my free time really is. As a student, single and broke, I read and mostly re-read so much, as in, a book per day territory. Now? Not anymore. I struggle to find the time to read a book a week (for personal pleasure, not work) and often don’t even make that. So any book has to be worth it. My spare time is too precious to spend on subpar stuff. So value yourself and your time, basically.
Which also means the “take a chance on a new author” is tricky. Investing time in a book that turns out meh makes me feel cheated somehow. My trick for that is anthologies that include at least one story by an autobuy author. That lets me sample writing by (to me) new authors, which helps steer me to new novels. I can still end up going for a novel that doesn’t suit me, but my chances are better. It does mean I don’t go outside of genres much, as anthologies tend to be genre-based.
I get that you can’t turn your editor brain off anymore. That’s been my standard setting for some 20-odd years now (and means I’ll actually point out spelling mistakes on restaurant menus to whomever I’m with, sigh). What worked for me is that the genre I work in and the genres I read for fun are mostly very far apart. So, that’d be my advice: try something radically different as a palate cleanser. SFF is work? Then try reading cosy crime, spy fiction or Regency Romance to get you out of that zone. Pick up a children’s book occasionally. Or go even further afield and grab a (celebrity) memoir or popular science book.
If you are fluent in multiple languages but don’t normally work with translations, pick up something that was translated but specifically _not_ from a language you speak. See how your editor brain handles that. (Mine hates it, because I specifically work with translations so it actually kicks it into gear – I’m using reverse psychology here 😉)
I do very much get being in a rut, and how tricky it is when your work and your hobby are so close together. I hope you find a way out of that!
I typically don’t reread books or series. There’s to many books I haven’t read yet to spend time on ones that I have, even if I love them.
That’s changing this year. I’m going to reread favorites, like Hidden Legacy and ACOTAR because it’s been years since I read them and I want to experience them again, even if I do remember what’s to come. I’ve been in a reading slump for a couple of years and I just need something I know I’ll love.
Also, I will not be reading AI written books and will be blasting those who say they are the”author”. I tried reading a Christmas romance last month and it was just not keeping my interest and it just felt flat. About 100 pages in, I finally realized it reads like AI posts and understood why I couldn’t get into it. I had no clue (naive me) that people are having AI write an entire book and then trying to pass them as their own writing, but not surprised. Some people will do anything for a buck.
You will not regret your TBR purge. I learned over the years I grew and changed as a person and that included my taste in books.
Also, I think a TBR is kind of like a drawer you keep stuffing things in that “you may need one day”, with a chance of never looking for it again.
Love your ideas! I can attest to my TBR pile. When I look at it in Goodreads, I wonder what I was thinking on some of them.
My philosophy is that there are too many books to wasted on a DNF (sorry, not sorry)
I do love that you are re-visiting books. As we evolve, so do our tastes. I read a book that I originally DNF (but forgot it was one of my DNFs) and ended up really liking the book.
Off to set my book goals on Goodreads!
I live with a scientist, so the house is filled with books that I have no idea about. This year I aim to pick up a book from their section of our shelves (or the stacks by the side tables) and give it a go. I will keep a dictionary handy, haha.
As to DNF, I choose to do the skim, as I do want to know how it ends.
Happy New Year!
I finally been able to DNF a book when I am not engaged. There are too many books available to read one that I don’t care like. I feel no guilt unless it is one I have bought as one is sitting next to me… that I have been ignoring. I have to admit Maggie will be the first in that genre for me but I haven’t read an Andrew’s book that I didn’t love!
I DNFed *so many* books this year. The thing is, if I’m not enjoying a book, I’ll start avoiding reading in general. That’s the last thing I want, so I look at DNFing less as rejecting a book and more as continuing reading. As soon as I give up on something, I immediately pick something up that I feel excited about. Whatever it takes to keep up momentum.
Actually, I did this last night. Mod R, I took your book quiz and got The Edge, which I hadn’t read yet. The quiz was spot on, I LOVE IT. But I’ve been trying to pace myself. I had picked up an older series (not HA) that’s well-recommended on Reddit, but it was just too grim for me. So I returned that and treated myself by checking out Fate’s Edge 😂
I belong to a book club that challenges me to read books I would never select. Sometimes, it is work to finish the book. I often do my college trick of reading the first and last pages of a chapter. At this stage of my life I want what I want. I admire your gumption!
I, a stout fantasy reader, always challenge myself to throw in a nonfiction book each year. (I have the best luck with flora and fauna books.)
I have learned that there are fossils of sea creatures atop Mt Everest, that jellyfish exhibits at aquariums are feats of engineering, and that some plants can recognize kin to cooperatively grow.
and then the other 99% of my personal reading is fiction 😀
I refuse to make reading a chore! I read for pleasure, and to put numbers and goals will make it a chore. I will read what may be on my shelf, reread what I want and read something new if it catches my fancy. If I’m not engaged I will not finish it. (Always used to finish, but too many other books)
exactly this!
I read for fun, because I love to vanish into new (or old) worlds and just enjoy the plot, the characters -maybe just the writing- whatever that book has to offer and if I don’t enjoy it, I don’t see the point of wasting my valuable time.
I find if it’s bugging me and I don’t like it, I don’t really care about the outcome, so I never flip to the back or anything.
I also don’t count the books or keep a real TBR beyond writing down random recommendations people give me. But I feel no obligation to read those books.
I love Ilona Andrews and just wish they had more books or I could find more books as good as theirs. Keep writing!!
I’m a DNFer! And proud of it! Too many times I’ll start a book with intriguing ideas, but it is either poorly written or doesn’t go deep enough into what makes a book fun for me, to make it worth it. I USED to finish every book when younger, even when it was torturous. Once I hit my late 30s, I found the glorious (forbidden?) freedom of ditching books —and doing it with ease came fairly quickly. I realized my life would be too short to even read all the stellar books in the world, so if I wanted to travel via imagination to the fullest (reading), I had to drop everything that wasn’t gold. Even authors I loved while younger, I discovered that I still LIKE their books ok, but many I do not LOVE save passionately read and reread, as the authors I found this century. Also some authors I started with the 90s(?) maybe, and they stayed with writing a few series that are crazy long, and I stopped reading them because they lost their spark, got tired and same old thing. You DESERVE to partake of only the finest delicacies according to YOUR taste, like the most exquisite chocolate truffles, delicious mocha whipped cream tortes and decadent tiramisu served up to you on the brightest shining dishes (obviously I’m biased in my metaphors!). Life is too short—go explore, wonder, discover brilliant new authors you never knew, and promptly binge read their entire catalog! (Or maybe that’s just me!😅) Enjoy your new freedom!
I love this!
I can’t turn my English brain off, I don’t recall ever dnf a physical book, but ebooks hmm if my brain stutters over the spelling, word choice, sentences that don’t make sense or trypo’s a couple of times I’m done with it!
I thought I’d reread authors from decades ago but got honest with myself and have decided to leave them back as past nostalgia as I’m not the same person so would hate to be disappointed.
Hmmmm…… You’re supposed to read the books on the TBR lists? That’s a novel concept that I haven’t considered. 😉
Honestly, I have a list saved in Amazon of “Want To Read”. It’s really just a list that I don’t look at. If something looks even remotely interesting, I’ll add it. Then they’ll tell me if it’s on sale and I can decide then if I want to read it. 🤷♀️
I have so many books saved to my phone in the Kindle app (you never know when you’ll need a book and not have service or what if you get stranded for a long time and the only books you have are what’s with you?), so sometimes I’ll browse though what’s downloaded and see if anything takes my fancy. I usually just search for whatever I’m feeling when I need a new book.
I read different genres depending on my mood and try not to judge myself if I’m only feeling a certain way for however long. I can only think of a few books that I DNF’d and one of those I tried to pick up 4 separate times (it was the middle in a long series). Finally told myself it was ok to just be done with those books (honestly, that book had such a hard no from me that I can’t even skip it or try another book by that author). That being said, if it doesn’t bring you joy, or at least escapism, move on. It’s ok. You’re ok. Reading is for pleasure, it’s not a chore. 🤗
DNF is a very rear thing for me.
I have my small authors group which is automatic read, no matter how my interests have changed over the years. These are my comfort reads which are guaranteed not to disappoint, no matter the cost of books. I always finish these.
For me, trying a new genre or new author requires at least 2-3 books already published to invest time and energy, because some new authors may choose not to continue after one book. The BDH book recommendations blog pages are my favorite to re-visit for new authors and genres that will not disappoint, while w*aiting for new books from my favorite authors.
Joining a public library is a good place to experience new genre and authors, and a good way to support public libraries in the community this year.
I’m so looking forward to Maggie!! I’ve purposefully avoided spoilers so very interested. I’ve also been reading isekai manhwas for years haha so very interested to see this crossover happen xD
Also would love to read some books that make me think. Last year Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold was a favorite but I need a new fave. I want something to challenge me!
I’m also looking forwared to my yearly re-read of Iron and Magic 🙂 I’m a little sad I didn’t save the free snippets from the blog earlier, especially since a possible hugh 2 might be like 2027+, but I honestly think I re-read them so much I can practically re-read it from my own brain hahahaa
I am inspired to stop hoarding my TBR lists! They congregate as opened tabs on my browser, lists on Goodreads and Amazon, and physical lists on my journal. No more! I will look for recommendations based on mood and read new authors to broaden my horizons.
This year was the year I read difficult books and classics. I will continue with that and happily print miniature cover pages to add to my reading journal. I enjoy track and reviewing books on the StoryGraph app.
As a counsellor who works with clients with PTSD, who’s brains have a hard time with reading my usual recommendation is to go back to their favourites and reread them as many times as they still love them. That way they have a positive emotional connection and if their brain skips out for a bit, they’re not missing anything that might harm the story experience.
I agree with those who have said life is too short, not to spend time with your favourite books and authors
I belong to two book clubs. I have given myself permission not to read the required book, or to stop after several chapters if it is not to my taste. Now granted I am doing these book clubs to expand my taste, but it is ok not to finish if they aren’t to my taste.
I do go through book slumps and will go back to reread favorites.
I like the idea of cleansing the TBR on the various sites (Goodreads and Storygraph).
I find it very hard to DNF. Predominately an audiobook girl and have to factor in the narrator as well.
My goal last year was to read one non-fiction a month (John Green Everything is Tuberculosis was excellent). That lasted until June then I missed some and felt I had to double up towards the end of the year – got 10 under my belt. I hope to do better this year.
Further I want to read a physical book and a kindle book every month. My time, like others, is precious and audio helps me, you would think I would DNF easier.
Love the idea of deleting the TBR notes, saved bookmarks, etc. I have a LOT of those and deleting them would kind of be a weight lifted. And getting out of my reading comfort zone sounds appealing as well.
Re DNF-ing … I make a practice of trying out new-to-me authors from the library first. If I buy a book I often become grimly determined to finish it so I don’t “waste” money. I don’t feel that same commitment to finish library books. (Libraries track circulation numbers so any ‘borrow’ is good regardless of whether it’s read or not.)
Ahh, the DNF. I just recently have been able to do this guilt-free. I remind myself:
— Time is too short.
— I have other books I could be reading instead of slogging through this. Or, you know, doing adult stuff.
— There isn’t a test. I’m not going to be graded, judged, or whatever because I didn’t finish the book.
I realized, too, that I was taking this approach to series as well. I MUST COMPLETE IT!! Nope. I don’t have to. Can’t make me. So, indulge your inner two-year old if needed to help you DNF.
I hope that whatever approach you take brings you joyful reading.
When Amazon first released their Kindle you could log in and everyday they would have a new list of about 20 ebooks for you to download absolutely FREE. As you can imagine my TBR list grew quickly and extensively over time I could no longer remember what the books were even about and some books I no longer even recalled adding in the first place! So like you I made the decision to delete everything I no longer recognized or remembered reading…. Looking back I am so glad I did. I never would’ve have gotten through all those books and being the organized person I am the annoyance from the unknown books would have continually driven me insane. So while it sounds crazy sometimes it can be helpful in more ways than one!
When I was younger, I read a couple books about speed-reading techniques.
One for non-fiction actually made sense: look at the table of contents, check the footnote/reference section to see how extensive the research was, then read the opening and the conclusion. That might give you all the information you need on that topic. Or make you decide to go back and read the whole thing because it seems worthwhile. Or junk it because it isn’t.
For fiction, the finest speed-reading technique I ever found was called “How to read 500 pages a minute”: Pick up a 500 page book and start to read it. Skim the first part for a minute. Decide it’s not for you and quit reading it. You have just “read” 500 pages in a minute and saved a week of your leisure time.
As I get older, this one becomes more pointed: On first starting to read a book or watch a movie, ask yourself: “Is this worth the amount of my life it will cost to read or watch it?” If the answer is “No” — dump it.
As I get older, it seems like two trends are intersecting: the rise of the unedited books in genre (scifi romance, romantasy, scifi, mystery, etc) and a growing intolerance on my part for errors – typos, homophones, continuity errors, bad plotting, poor characterization, etc etc. I am DNFing more than I am finishing. I DNF’d a book last night at 20% when the author used “grizzly site” for “grisly sight” – it wasn’t the first problem in the book. So, actually, my goal for next year is to read LESS. It doesn’t help that I am still on complete home rest from a cardiomyopathy issue in late 2025, because reading (and audiobooks) are my main diversion.
Also, when I can got out and sign up, I need to go to my local library and get my card so I can use Libby/Overdrive and Hoopla.
Maybe your library is one of the libraries that offers digital cards that you can sign up for online? 🤞
Hi Mo,
Many libraries will bring you materials if you are homebound, whether temporarily or permanently. I suggest you call and ask for help getting a card to use their digital collection and also enquire what it takes to be served by their Outreach department.
I don’t make NY resolutions. They are a burden and I immediately resent whatever the eff I just committed to.
Instead, I have to trick myself.
I get the a point of being uncomfortable with *not* reading/doing whatever is hanging…and I tell myself, “ok. I am choosing to read/do this. It is my choice. If I change my mind after I’ve started, then that’s ok”. But my choice is to start it.
It’s stupid, but it works for my twisty mind.
I’m an unrepentant DNFer. This is somewhat new for me and is my reaction to abundance and familiarity.
I always have another book lined up. I’ll even tackle books that I suspect I won’t care for FIRST, believing I can give up on them after six chapters and cross them off my list.
As for familiarity, here is a thought I have frequently when I seal a book, half read, into its tomb:
I’ve seen this fourteen times before and nine of them did it better. There’s nothing wrong with this book, but we’re fifteen chapters deep and it hasn’t really touched me or taught me. Farewell, book, I’m sure you’ll find your audience in someone else, someday!
The really easy abandon-me books are where the author and I have such different thinking that I either can’t get my bearings at all or I can’t respect any analysis that the author brings.
“The landlord you’ve described to us would never actually do that.”
“The city government failing that you present is so simplified that I can’t even respect it as a parody.”
One from yesterday:
“The sounds and motions you’re describing can’t result from the fight moves you’re giving us. Do you even know what these words mean or are you just pasting from your AI output?”
You don’t have to respect the work. You want to, but you don’t have to!
This past year has been my first where I truly embraced DNFing books. And it was amazing. I probably only did it a handful of times over the year but it was absolutely freeing. It could have been anything- badly written, too young, not the right vibe atm, don’t like the audio narrator… I allowed myself to read whatever I wanted and only what I wanted. It’s energy i hope I continue to bring with me into this year’s reading.
Book clubs and rigid TBRs/goals/tracking turn fun reading into assignments in my brain. My inner 12 yo then doesn’t want to read it. I love all of these 🙂
I just want to read this year. Anything. And enjoy it.
I have certain authors I follow and easily read the new books from them, House Andrews is there of course.
Then everything else I read is free falling – what ever I see online recommended or stumble upon on my app.
I cannot commit to any list/book club eymtc. as I have enough pressure at work. Reading has to be a “get away from your brain moment” for me 🤷♀️
Ebooks have been wonderful for aging eyes and smaller storage spaces. 😄
I only keep a “wish list” on Libby – have been borrowing more books and audiobooks than buying (except for HA, of course).
I’m a fan of DNF – give it 25-50 pages depending on book size then let it go.
Re-reading (or re-listening) old favorites are like comfort food for me. Besides HA, Vorkosigan, Liaden and Mercyverse books fall in that group. 😊
I used to religiously finish every book I started, no matter how long it took or how painful it was. I’m a menopausal Genexer and have realized that my time is valuable, and there is no need for me to waste it reading something that doesn’t satisfy me or make me happy. I’m now a practiced skimmer and ruthless not-finisher. If a book doesn’t capture me in the first few chapters, if I don’t like or can’t relate to the main character (there are a lot of losers out there), if I start feeling like its a chore to go back and read more of the book, or if I’m simply not in the mood for that type of story…. bye bye! And I don’t feel the least bit guilty about it anymore. Reading is my major hobby/passtime and is for my pleasure, it is only worth it if I enjoy it. I am so grateful for authors like you guys who I know I will enjoy no matter what. There is absolute treasure out there, and there is also a lot of garbage. Throw away the guilt! no one is keeping track of what you read or whether you finish it but you!
Hard core DNF’r here, but only in the last couple decades. As a kid I HAD to finish anything I started reading. This decision took off when Kindle Unlimited became a thing and I found some (judgement ahead so TW here) truly horrendous stories. The writing, the faulty plots, the gratuitous vi*lence against only the heroine/women, grammatical errors that most word processing programs would’ve caught if only they were used. I could go on but you get it. As House Andrews stated, there are only so many hours in a day. Why waste time with cardboard stories when you could be finding a book you can’t put down?
I’ve done the nostalgic re-read and I highly recommend it. You are a different person than you were when you first read that book. Life changes us. Your view of the story and characters may be different. Sometimes you can sink back into your childhood and other times you come away with a new outlook on the story and yourself.
I don’t typically set reading goals. If I find a book that interests me I try it and sometimes the book is ok. Other times I end up getting all the book in a series. The free books from audible plus have got me hooked on 4 different authors I now love. When I have nothing new that appeals at any given time I reread Jeanine Frost, Ilona Andrews or Patricia Briggs Treasures
Happy new year! For DNF: I once finished a book that had so many red flags I guess I kept thinking this can’t really be what’s happening, and stuck it out. It never pivoted. I was shocked by the positive reviews. Those were not my people! Clearly. I’m not talking about a cliff hanger or a plot twist … but a premise that involved violence on a whole other level. After THAT… I now am able to DNF. But it’s rare bc I stick to my safe spaces these days. BDH and HA recommended books have always been finished.
Ok — other DNF — has included non fiction that I had good intentions but just couldn’t keep going. 😊 sorry to Jean Luc Picard I mean Patrick Stewart. I feel guilty about never finishing your autobiography! Real life you vs Starship Captain you … my expectations were misaligned lol
Reading is a pleasure for me. I don’t do anything to damage it. If a book isn’t appealing, I am known to read the end and see if it goes anywhere. Sometimes it encourages me to continue reading, and sometimes it’s a great reason to stop. There’s no reason, imo, to read a book which doesn’t appeal. Life is short!
I don’t set reading goals because I always read a ton anyway (250-300 books/year but I’m a retired, empty nester.) I read for fun, so if I’m not having fun, I stop reading a book. Usually though they’re DNFY- Did not finish yet. For whatever reason, I’m not currently into it, but if I wanted to read it in the first place, I may well come back to it later.
I reread a lot, but usually that’s rereading something on audiobook that I’ve read with my eyes. I love revisiting my favorites in a new way.
“The BDH shows up with thousands of recommendations as soon as Gondor calls for reading aid, and we would still be here next century.” LMAO! <3
I've only had a TBR pile like twice in my life, so I'm of no use to you there. I read anywhere from 500-750 books a year (thank you kindle for letting me know that little factoid). I just read fast. I spoil my dogs, I cook, I read, I listen to music, I sketch, and I play a few video games. My life in a nutshell outside of work.
I will "DNF" a book after a few chapters if I am not enjoying it. I don't have to justify that. It's a simple "my free time is extremely valuable – am I having fun?". No = DNF. It might even be an old favorite book of mine. Sometimes, I'm just not in the mood for it. I'd suggest thinking of it like money or calories/nutrition (I'm diabetic, nuff said about that). Whatever motivates you more personally. Example: If you spend an hour on a book and are just "meh", is it worth $60 of your free time? Would you have happily paid that money for the past hour? If that's not a "yes", put it down. It's ok even if it's a great book to set it aside. Next week or month, you might crave it, and it'll be awesome THEN 🙂
Happy New Year, hope that was helpful!
The only thing I try to do is read something every single day on my kindle app. The caveat is you need internet to have it count. I lost years of daily reads due to a hospital having craptastic internet and a knee replacement. By the time I realized I lost years, kindle support could do nothing. Still salty on that one. The other thing is I let kindle challenge guide me into trying new things. Some I stick with. Others not. I get in ruts too, so belonging to an online book club and a physical once a month one is a lot of fun. Authors pages keep it fresh. I read 3-4 books at the same time if I’m in a rut. If tired of one, switch. Works. Sometimes a book goes unfinished, but not too often. For me, if well written, it’s a not now mood thing. There are winter books, summer reads, tired and bored reads, sick and need humor reads. Mood matters to me a lot. I have comfort genres. I figure if heaven doesn’t have kindle, I’m in hell or purgatory at best.
I managed to beat my yearly reading record in 2025 by reading 453 books in kindle unlimited. My goal was 52 books. I was riding the feeling of satisfied accomplishment for most of the year after meeting my goal. I think there was one book I didn’t finish because of some mental block, and another I dropped due to trigger issues, and made sure not to try any others by that book’s author. My method when DNF’ing a book is to consider my own mental health first. If a book makes me feel unwell or hopeless, then I drop the series unless I can see a light at the end of the projected tunnel.
Does anyone keep a Reading Journal? I watch a lot of planner videos on YouTube and noticed the Reading Journal subgenre. I do track what books I have read in a notebook just because, but I don’t create beautifully drawn pages in a notebook, with pages devoted to my comments on the plot etc.. who had the time. Reading should be fun, a pleasure, not pressure to read so many books in a week, and record the number of pages, how long it took to read, note the plot, tropes, etc… what’s the point?
I keep a journal, it’s not a daily need to jot something down. It’s just something that clears my mind. I get a 50 cent cow notebook, 100 pages college-ruled, when I hit the last page I reread my entries, look at the drawings and lists, then throw it away. No fuss journaling and it really is cathartic.
I’ve found myself not really liking one of my favourite author’s long time series because the stories have just become all the same, only the names have changed.
I’ve started rereading stuff I haven’t read in a while (Nalini Singh & Jean Johnson) or going back to old favourites (Tamora Pierce, Ilona Andrews). I’m trying some more youth novels to try & find stuff my niece will like & enjoying the more subtle romance & less in your face sex of youth books. Also still reading short stories that are straight up smut 🙂
I’ve taking recommendations for books but I’ve never done someone else’s reading list. Is this a thing people do to expand their book base?
Has anyone ever read a book that was very highly recommended, and it was absolutely horrible? I just had that experience, I kept listening to it hoping it would get better but it didn’t. Will not be reading/listening to anymore of this author.
Way too many times. Even when I think I know the reviewer’s taste, I’ve been fooled. They’re not me, I’m not them.
Who are your auto-buy authors? You’re one of mine!
I will pass it on to Ilona, but to be clear – this post is by me, Mod R 😊. You can check the author right below the article title.
So, interestingly, when you get this blog as email you don’t get the “by” author line. I’ve sometimes read the blog in my email and been very confused about who the author was (is?). Don’t know if that is something that can be added to the emails.
On TBR, it took me way too long to learn this: Other people’s must-reads are not mine, and mine are not theirs. Even with good friends whose opinions I highly respect, our tolerances for various items are not completely congruent. There’s a particular balance of elements that resonates with me, and other readers prefer balances that differ to greater or lesser degrees.
(Same goes for anything else: No one else’s top ten list is ever exactly like mine.)
I left Goodreads around the same time I left other social media sites. For my brain wiring, it’s just a black hole of time and energy that is more happily spent reading actual books.
The author who taught me to be ruthless about DNF is many years dead now. The book was Ancient Evenings. I read that whole thing, so sure that it *had* to get better sooner or later. It turned out to be the first book I ever threw in the trash (still one of only a handful). I’ll never get those hours back.
My resolutions occur in real time, when needed and not by the calendar. Reading resolutions are about what kind of things I need to learn or read at that particular time.So my current life priorities guide my reading resolutions. This winter I’m taking the time to read more nonfiction on subjects of longtime interest to me, along with enough comfort reading to balance the tough stuff. Mind you, I *like* nonfiction, but some takes more processing than others.
Wishing everyone all the reading their heart desires in 2026!
DNF was hard at first, but then I’d take a few minutes and re-wire the book in my brain. I would come up with an easy(ish) story and ending for the book, and convince myself that’s what really happened.
It took a little bit of effort at first, but then got easier and easier. There are times now, that I don’t feel the need to even make up a story/ending on some books.
Now I’m a hardcore DNF-er. There are just so many stories in this world that need consuming. This way I get to consume stories that haven’t even been written! lol
Goodreads is my happy place. I have so much fun organizing and reorganizating my books. I also have really enjoyed the Goodreads challenges to try new authors and genres. Gamification works for my brain. I ruthlessly revise my TBR regularly but I use it because my brain fog is bad enough that I don’t remember what I want to read next (besides the new House Andrews, Nalini Singh, Ben Aaronovitch, Lucy Parker, JD Robb, John Scalzi or JAK.) I also love GR for helping me keep track of my stats, especially reading more authors of color. I am a suburban gringa; I need to be pushed to try new things.
Last year I turned off my Kindle Unlimited account in January to work on my purchased or free TBR pile. I started at almost 500 picks in January 2025. Finished New years Eve at around 360 novels. Of those 120 or more novels, more than half were DNF that I permanently deleted off my Kindle account. The rest I finished and led to new authors I have never read before. Many of these novels were free or 99 cent purchases.
This year, I still plan on wading through the pile but I always take time every year to reread my favorites. I usually reread every book from Ilona Andrews and T.A. White. Currently in the process of rereading Brandon Sanderson (he is not every year his books are too long, lol).
Then any authors whose latest series comes out, I have to read the whole series or at least the last book in the series. My new favorite series of 2025 was hands down, Dungeon Crawler Carl. The series has made me laugh, and cry, and smile. This was my first and only foray into LitRPG.
Greetings to Fellow Sanderson fan. I have been using GA ad a way to re read Sanderson on long drives
Happy New Year to all!
Thank you, ModR, for this timely post! I have a pile of 50 books in my reading room to be read and released to my library used book sale area this year. (All are used books adopted from various sources – for clarity, none are House Andrews). This post and the passionate detailed replies from fellow Horde members has supplied DNF strategies I can utilize to get through the pile. So, thank you to the Horde as well!
Sending peace, health and safety to all!
So, I work at a bookstore and whenever we return things to the publishers, I get a higher discount. So on the topic of okay-DNFing, my trick is to take the huge pile of pulled books I collected from the return pile, download all of the Kindle 10% previews and read all of those. If the next week when I go back to the bookstore I remember the 10% (what the book is about) and fondly, then I buy it.
Yes to everything you posted! I realized a while back that those Goodreads challenges, if I made realistic goals, stressed me out towards the end of the year. So I make a ridiculously easy goal that I know I’ll hit probably in June and then just get a bunch of you go girl types messages instead of stressful one.
Once upon a time I too had a hard time with DNFing books. Then I realized life is too short and there are too many books. I will skip to the very end and read the final scene and/or chapter and many times that is enough closure for me. If a book really isn’t resonating then I don’t even need to know the ending. I also have done a fast skim if the book is only semi working. No guilt!
I will say that going back to read books I once loved can be bittersweet. I checked out a book from the library from an author I read a very long time ago but I had to put it down. What in the 80’s was forward thinking female main characters were now very much outdated. It was interesting to see that though.
However, there are books that stand the test of time and I love that with art we can pick up old favorites to experience any time we want. With the finale of Stranger Things it got me thinking about generational hits that we continue to hand down to our kids and keep living. Star Wars, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and now Stranger Things get to live on. At any time we want we can dive right in and re-experience some of the magic. I do this with House Andrews books and do it with all art mediums.
I like your idea for challenging our reading on much smaller scales that feel like discovery instead of pressure. Great post Mod R!
DNF: I have no idea if this will work for you, since most people seem to be bothered by ‘spoilers’ and I never have been.
If I get a few chapters into something and start wondering if it’s worth the bother, I read the final chapter. If the response to that is ‘meh’, I get rid of the book. If it holds my interest, I go back and plow my way through the dull part. Or skip it – that works, too, since the dull part tends to be only one chapter.
I find that that I’m impatient and so book spoilt that if an author doesn’t grab my interest within a certain amount of paragraphs that’s it – bye bye . Next book
I’ve been a ruthless DNF’er for over 2 decades . I borrowed a local librarian’s formula. It works well because as you get older you feel you don’t want to waste as much time on something that isn’t working for you right now. Anyway
100 pages – my current age = # of pages it has to get good before I drop it.
When I started doing this, that was 58 pages to get good. Now it’s 35 pages get good. Of course if it’s truly dreadful I’ll drop it before then.But I don’t pick up that many truly dreadful ones anymore.
love this formula and attitude to DNF
I don’t often take recommendations on what I should read. I try everything Ilona suggests, but don’t always like it.
I tend to describe my taste in fiction as ‘the more thoroughly mixed the genres are, the better I like it’ and/or ‘I like my high adventure mixed with low comedy’. And that second is why Ilona Andrews is on my pre-order immediately list.
Love that you trashed your TBR, maybe one day I’ll join you especially the old stuff I’ve never looked at.
I am a willing DNF participant, as a mood reader I rarely toss to DNF until I’ve put it down three times with a few exceptions: if the writing is just so bad, too many errors, I start suspecting AI and I can’t find info on author, racist or problematic author I find out or suspect due to writing I’ll research.
I treat DNF like food I have to try it but then why torture myself with something I don’t like. The Time Travellers Wife was super popular I tried and put it away tried several more times. Then one day I gave myself permission to DNF, it was liberating and saved me from my reading slump.
I always set 100 as my book goals but know life sometimes fu(k$ with best laid plans so I will adjust in early December to a challenge but achievable goal.
Good luck!! DNF isn’t a bad word its a gift to yourself.
To find new authors, I find a book of short stories by authors I either don’t know or have only vaguely heard of in one of the genres I tend to enjoy (there are several).
I truly miss Mike Resnick. He was a fine author in his own right, but he was absolutely brilliant as an editor. If he was the editor of a book of short stories, it was pretty much guaranteed I would find at least three authors worth the bother.
If you ever venture into romance let me know, that has been my comfort reads in between doing my sue diligence as a hoard member and re reading Ilona Books. I want to read more of the nonfiction books that I have accumulated amd yes life is too short to guilt over books.
I’m a ruthless DNR person! If it doesn’t grab me in the first quarter – I’m done. Life is too short for books I don’t like.
I’ve also been thinking about deleting my TBR on Goodreads. I keep editing it down, wondering why I put various books on it. Think you’ve inspired me to go for it.
This year I want to try and read the TBR books I have physical copies of. They’re all NF, which I enjoy but only in small doses. A couple were my late fathers (he never read them) before they were mine. Might be time to “rehome” if I’m not going to read them either.
Happy new year!!
Oops, DNF
I’m a ruthless DNF’er. RUTHLESS. I started by your aforementioned “skim” method. At times, I even read the last two or three chapters (I have yet to regret not reading a whole book from doing this. Mostly skip-to-ending happens when I’m halfway through and really suspicious that I’m going to continue to be disappointed. Reading the ending has always justified the DNF except in one case, I didn’t understand the ending at all. It was like…not the same book. STILL NO REGRETS). Honestly, while I love reading there are SO many books to read that I don’t feel like I have to wade through something that becomes a chore. Sometimes I set it aside with the “idea” that if I still want to read it in a week, I can pick it back up. This procrastination let’s me move to another book and rarely do I pick the DNF back up. BUT, I sometimes do and am then rewarded. If the book sticks with me enough that a week later I think about it, it’s probably worth the read! If it doesn’t I generally don’t even REMEMBER the book so there is NO GUILT! In this case, just know you can always try again. It makes it pretty easy to step aside and read something else!
Happy New Year! May all your goals come true.
Happy New Year! Like you, I read through the South American authors in my 20′ and 30’s. Garcia Marquez is timeless and he holds up in “older adulthood”. Some of the others are hit or miss. If you have particular memories attached to reading them, then don’t revisit them. The magic goes.
As for the virtual TBR list, ditch it. If the books resonate when you’re browsing you’ll buy them. And it’s okay to have books in your real TBr pile that you may never get to, the pleasure is knowing you could. Remember, AE Newton said, “We cherish books even if unread, their mere presence exudes comfort, their reading access, reassurance”.