New year, new reads!

I set a pretty ambitious bar for myself in 2025, aiming to read 52 books—and I not only hit that goal, I blew past it, finishing 60 books last year. I won’t pretend there isn’t a little pressure to chase high numbers (and hey, there’s this weird urge to land on an even number), but mostly I read because it’s fun. I love getting lost in characters’ lives and emotions, while also stretching my brain by exploring different categories. This year I’m keeping the 52-book goal, though there’s an unconscious itch to flirt with 100.

I’m planning to branch out more deliberately: classics, extra romance, a bit more fantasy, some Christian nonfiction, along with my trusty mysteries.

I’ve also decided to simplify my rating system. I rarely remember half-star nuances anyway; on Goodreads, I’ll stick to a clean five-star scale. If a book doesn’t earn five stars, it’s a solid four; middling reads get a three, and so on. That should ease the stress of agonizing over half points. I might post a rating guide eventually, but for now, I’ll leave it vague until I truly define it.