Literary Pursuits

Reading Goals for 2025

January 1, 2025 / No Comments

Happy New Year! This is the post in which I lay out all my carefully planned literary ambitions for the upcoming year since I want to be more intentional in my reading.

Except, as usual, I’m not as on top of it as I’d like, so those careful plans? Yeah, they’re still a muddled mess in my mind.

I have a few things figured out, and since New Year’s Day has arrived, let’s go ahead and get started. The first part of my plan is to come back and tweak this post as I go along. So far, so good.

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Goal #1. Bible Reading

I’m going to read the Jubilee Bible this year. This is a new-to-me translation, and I’m intrigued by the story of how it was originally a Spanish translation and why the translator felt it was important to translate it into English. Essentially, “The Jubilee Bible (JUB) stands apart from most other English versions in print since the beginning of the last century. The usage and context tend to define each key word so you do not have to blindly rely on theological dictionaries or reference materials that may wittingly or unwittingly include any type of prejudice or bias.” I’ve started it on Kindle (which is currently available for free), but I may end up ordering a printed copy.

Alongside that, I’ll be reading a lovely year-long devotional book, Everyday Gospel, by Paul David Tripp. I received it as a gift, and I love how it ties in with reading through the Bible in a year.

Goal #2. Biblical Studies Challenge

I’ve decided to join the 2025 Biblical Studies Challenge hosted by ReadJournalLove. I don’t have all my books picked out for this challenge yet, but here are the monthly topics.

Additionally, Lyle and I are going to lead a Bible Study this year based on Well Versed by James L. Garlow.

Goal #3. My Book Journal Reading Challenge

I picked up a cute little book journal a while back, and it includes a 24-book reading challenge. I can achieve that in a year by reading two books a month. I don’t intend to read these in any particular order. I’ll come back and update this as I decide on titles. Books on this list will likely overlap with titles from other challenges. Feel free to let me know if you have any recommendations.

  1. A book written by someone on a different continent: Grace in Strange Disguise by Christine Dillon
  2. A book written before 1900: The Cricket on the Hearth by Charles Dickens
  3. A book of poetry: Mountain Interval by Robert Frost
  4. A graphic novel
  5. A book set in wartime
  6. A book recently turned into a movie or TV show
  7. A book set in a dystopian future: Behold a White Horse by Mark Goodwin
  8. A book set in a time period you would like to visit: The Crimson Cruiser by Mildred A. Wirt
  9. A Pulitzer Prize-winning book: The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
  10. A book by or about someone you admire
  11. A book about religion or spirituality: Happy Lies: How a Movement You (Probably) Never Heard Of Shaped Our Self-Obsessed World by Melissa Dougherty
  12. A book of short stories: The Way I Heard It by Mike Rowe
  13. A book set in a country you would like to visit: Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery
  14. A guilty-pleasure beach book
  15. A book written the year you were born: The Three Investigators: The Mystery of the Whispering Mummy by Robert Arthur
  16. A mystery: The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree by Susan Whittig Albert
  17. A book about or narrated by a child: Ferris by Kate DiCamillo
  18. A ghost story or scary book
  19. A memoir or biography: Gay Girl, Good God by Jackie Hill Perry
  20. A book on politics
  21. A book about spies: Midnight on the Scottish Shore by Sarah Sundin
  22. A romance: Fate Is Remarkable by Betty Neels
  23. A fantasy: Moongarden by Michelle A. Barry
  24. A thriller

Goal #4. Scheduled Book Reviews

Last year, I posted 18 book reviews on my blog. I want to try to do at least one each month this year. Here’s what I have scheduled so far:

Goal #5. Read My Shelf

I have so many books I haven’t yet read or that I’d like to re-read. When I saw this reading challenge hosted by Chantel Reads All Day, I decided it would be fun to see what I have that fits each category. I’ll come back to add titles as I decide on them.

Goal #6. What the Dickens Book Club

I’ve been following the What the Dickens Book Club hosted by authors Katherine Reay, Sarah E. Ladd, and Kristy Cambron over on Facebook but I haven’t been keeping up with their reading. I like that their selections are classics and vintage books, so I’m going to try to participate this year. I found several of these titles on Project Gutenberg as well.

Goals Summary

Let’s see what I’ve ended up with to read each month.

  • Bible reading (approximately 1/12th each month)
  • Bible studies – 1 book
  • Book Journal reading challenge – 2 books
  • Book reviews – 1 book
  • Read My Shelf challenge – 1 book
  • What the Dickens Book Club – 1 book

I think that’s doable for me. Please jump in if you have any suggestions or want to join me for any of these challenges.

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