My reading goals for 2026

I never really made reading goals for myself in the past, but for some reason, this year I’m really feeling goal-oriented. I want to expand my reading into different areas and become really well-read, so I came up with a couple of goals to help me achieve that. 

Read at least 30 new books in 2026

I feel like last year, I didn’t really explore new books that much because I was just reading books I had already read. I mostly just reread my favorite books, which really prevented me from exploring new books. I’m also going to try to gradually stop relying on the internet for book recommendations. I usually use Goodreads to find my next read, and it does offer good recommendations, but this year, I want to do my own browsing and find books completely on my own.

Explore other genres 

I’ve noticed that I tend to usually stick to dark academia books or books that have a bit of an uncanny vibe. This year, I want to read other genres. I want to get more into horror and also romance. In the past, I never really liked reading romance books because I found them predictable, but I want to give romance another chance. Since I often read books that have heavy topics, I tend to feel a bit down afterwards, so I think reading a light-hearted romance book will help me feel more balanced.

Go to libraries more often

This year, I want to use my library card a lot. Sometimes I buy a book and end up not liking it, and it just stays on my shelf collecting dust, and then I end up feeling guilty for wasting my money. Borrowing books from the library will stop this. Another thing is that the deadline for returning the books will give me motivation to finish reading them. I also think that it’s very important to support public libraries because they are places for knowledge and information access. If you don’t have one yet, you should definitely go get a library card.

Buy only 1 book per month.

This goal kinda goes with my library goal. I am limiting myself to only buying one book a month. Although it has always been a dream of mine to have my own little personal library, I’m also trying to limit my spending and my over-consuming. 

I guess we’ll see if I can stick to these goals throughout the year. I can’t believe

Winter break is almost over, but I can’t wait to start the new semester.

(From Pinterest)