One of my favorite parts of the holiday season is to read about everyone’s reading goals for next year. Looking back at my blog, I can see that I didn’t actually set any goals in 2024 because I was in a super reading funk at the end of 2023. That mood set me on a course to spend the winter and part of spring reading mostly fantasy books which was a lot of fun: I highly recommend trying new genres if you’re not feeling enthusiastic about reading.
And now — I am feeling optimistic about my reading life in 2025. I want to challenge myself to read from a diversity of perspectives and voices and to focus on literary fiction. So I’ve set myself a few goals: to read more translated work, to continue with prize reading challenges, and to focus on becoming a completist for two new authors. Here are the details:
Translated Works
I plan to read at least 12 novels that are translated into English in 2025, which works out to an average of 1/month. I have several translated works unread on my shelf already and will supplement these with the International Booker longlist when it’s released in February. And you’ll see other books listed in this post that I’ll plan to count. I don’t think it will be hard to reach this goal!
Female Booker Prize Winners
I plan to continue with my challenge to read all of the Female Booker Prize Winners. I’ve created a StoryGraph challenge to help me track this and all are welcome to join! So far I’ve read 8/21 of the titles on this list; my goal is to read 6 more in 2025.
Women’s Prize Winners
I also plan to continue my challenge to read all of the Women’s Prize Winners. I’ve joined a StoryGraph challenge to help me track those books and have read 12/29 of the books. My goal is to read 6 more in 2025.
Han Kang Completist
Han Kang won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature for her “intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life” and I haven’t read any of her work! She only has four works translated into English (a fifth is due to be published in 2025) and I’m planning to read them all next year:
- Human Acts
- The Vegetarian
- Greek Lessons
- The White Book
- We Do Not Part (to be published in 2025)
And because these are all translated works, I’ll also be counting these titles to satisfy my Translated Works goal.
Ann Patchett – Work Towards Completist
I plan to turn my sights to Ann Patchett’s extensive backlist in 2025. From what I see, she has 14 books (fiction and nonfiction) published and I have read 4 of them. I plan to read 6 more in 2025. Luckily, my library has quite a bit of her backlist so it should be easy to grab something as I need it.
Homer – Emily Wilson Translations
This feels like the biggest stretch for me, but I’m planning to read the Emily Wilson translations of The Iliad and The Odyssey in 2025. These will be super long-term reads and I’ll be giving myself about 6 months for each.
These will also count towards my Translated Works goal.
Toni Morrison Re-Read?
I’m considering rereading Toni Morrison’s work in 2025. I have a plan set up, including a way to read all of The Source of Self Regard throughout 2025 but it feels a little overwhelming, so I’m not sure where I’ll land on this one. But don’t be surprised if you start seeing these pop up again!
In addition to these specific goals I am sure I’ll get a ton of inspiration from the variety of prizes that I follow, including The Aspen Words Prize (the longlist for next year’s prize has already been announced), The Women’s Prize, and The Booker Prize. Those three longlists tend to fill my TBR really quickly and I love spending all year trying to read as many as I can get my hands on.
Do you have any reading goals for next year? Would you like to join along with any of mine? Let’s talk about what YOUR reading goals for next year!
The Cozy Burrow 
This is so inspiring, Katie. I love tagging along as you explore your life’s bibliography!
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These are great goals and I look forward to following along. I am also working my way through Women’s Prize Winners, so I’d be happy to do some kind of buddy read there. I’ll also be checking out the longlist for next year’s prize. I will also be working on completing the works of Barbara Kingsolver, Peter Heller, and Maggie O’Farrell.
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This year I didn’t even set a reading goal until maybe February. The one thing I have on my list for 2025 is to read some James Baldwin. I am going over to The Storygraph to see your challenges. Thanks for the links.
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I don’t set any number goals, but I have done a few “projects” that have involved reading a number of books (like reading all of Maggie O’Farrell and Anne Patchett, and deep diving into Prize winner backlists and a few authors with deep backlist). For 2025, I want to read more translated works (my new deep-dive project is reading around the world – I’ll keep you posted!), keep up with my various bookclubs and buddy reads (reading for connection is still one of #1 intentions), complete Sarah Perry and explore more Samantha Harvey, Percival Everett, Anne Enright, and Jenny Erpenbeck, continue reading backlist Booker and Women’s Prize winners, and read the short-lists for the Women’s and Booker prizes (and maybe the Booker International … not sure yet given all the other translated books I want to read). whoa (?!? this is the first time I actually wrote down all the ideas that have been floating around in my brain – TBD … because I read a lot, but I’m not sure I read this much?!)
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I enjoy following your reading lists and goals. I don’t really set any reading goals. I have piles of books everywhere and I just go from there.
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I don’t set specific goals, too much stress then for me, but your list has some inspiration for me. I adore Ann Patchett’s writing and would love to read more of her work. Toni Morrison is always on my list that I’d like to raid, surprisingly I’ve not read any of her books. They feel daunting to start for some reason, so she’s always remained on the TBR.
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I love how ambitious you are! I’ve joined your SG challenge, though I think that will be a long-term goal. I see Mary has already mentioned that our deep dive next year will be women in translation, so perhaps you’ll consider joining us for some of the selections? I haven’t set any formal goals yet, but one thing I want to focus on next year is actually reading the many, many books I have on my shelves that are unread. I’ve picked up a lot from Free Little Libraries, a used book sale, and the book store, plus books I’ve been given by my mother or bought new and just never gotten around to reading. I’d like to start the year by making a list of all the physical books I own but haven’t read (and want to) and then make a point of reading at least some of those books next year.
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My reading goal next year is to slow down a bit… savor each book, give myself some space to digest what I just read. I know it seems counterintuitive, but I looked back on the books I read in the first quarter of the year and I remember almost none of them. I want to remember more about what I read… so I am going to give myself the space to do that this year and see how that changes what I read!
I am so impressed by your reading goals, Katie! You are an inspiration. (and I just finished Han Kang’s We Do Not Part but I have not read anything else by her!)
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Good luck with your goals. I’ve been thinking of some “intentions” too. It’s exciting to think about, right? Ann Patchett is one of my favorite writers and you reminded me I still have two of her novels yet to read. This will be a 2025 intention.
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Your enthusiastic reading shines in this post. Wow! You are ambitious. I generally set up a loose TBR list by each season. I never get through all the books and often add a title or two as I go along. I like having a map but also like a good side trip. I also have monthly selections by my local group to add to the mix.
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