Bookish Goals for 2025

I was browsing for book blogs and I found this challenge. Thanks to Jana, who's hosting Top Ten Tuesdays at The Artsy Reader Girl. 

1. Read books without feeling like it's a chore

I have been on a reading slump since the pandemic restrictions loosened up. I am hoping to read at least two books per month. However, I know stressing myself out would just deter me from reading.

2. Read more books written by women from various ethnicity.

If you ask me who my favorite authors are, all three of them are old white men. Oh, the clutches of patriarchy! I have to expand my reading backlog criteria because it is not going to diversify itself.

3. Read more books with women as main characters

I’m the type to dissociate myself from the books I read because I read to escape. Most of the books I’ve read have had men as lead characters. This is harder than it sounds—old habits die hard. I’ve been in a BL rabbit hole since 2019.

4. Chill with the Catholic Guilt. LOL.

As a mood reader, I always feel like I don’t read fast enough whenever I see book content creators on social media who have already read more books than I could possibly finish in a lifetime. As of today, I have only completed 69 books. While I know guilting myself over such trivial matters is self-inflicted, that awareness alone isn’t always enough to ease my guilt. I have to remind myself that reading is a hobby, not a competition..

5. Declutter my Kindle

A few years ago, I experienced FOMO when people were downloading free books from Amazon. I did the same without even reading the first page to see if I liked them. Now, I have to declutter.

6. Review books objectively

In recent years, my book ratings have been based on various elements of the books I’ve read. However, my older Goodreads reviews focused more on how the books made me feel. Since my goal is to fully capture my reading experience, I’ve decided to change my approach. I restructured my reviews to align with the way I rate the manhuas / manhwas I’ve read. See my book rating system.

7. Utilize the local library

Borrowing physical books and e-books from the library has become easier, thanks to our local library app, which can be synced with Libby. Since I’ve contributed to it through my tax money and paid ten or twelve dollars for a lifetime membership, I might as well make the most of it. I can’t remember the exact amount—it was a long time ago, haha!