My 2025 reading goal is to read more like I did as a kid - without structure, category or particular purpose, just because I love to read. It resonates with your goal to read fewer and bigger books.
Can't recommend Pillars of the Earth enough! Despite KF books always being absolute doorstops you'll find yourself flying through it because it's so engaging. One of my all times favourites.
Hi Ben, I just stumbled upon your channel (and yes, don't worry, I clicked subscribe). Just a note of appreciation that you were able to articulate far more clearly what I've been doing for quite some time: STOP BUYING HARDBACKS, ONLY TO GET TO THEM A YEAR OR TWO LATER. I needed to hear this, as it truly resonated with me. Thank. you! Also, enjoyed your point about vulnerability- being vulnerable is not a bad thing. HAPPY READING!
Thank you for deciding to stick around! I think my rule on hardbacks this year is going to be: only buy them if I am going to read them right away. Or it’s a very, very special book for me and it’s signed (but tbh there aren’t too many of those I’m expecting in 2025 unless Donna Tartt gives us a surprise announcement).
We're on the same wavelength regarding classics. They stick around for a reason. Ellison's Invisible Man was a standout read for me in 2024. It became an instant Top-10 Novel for me. Ellison was a freakishly talented writer. I'd recommend pushing it up the TBR list for 2025. Happy New Reading Year!
That's great to know that Invisible Man was such a hit for you! I feel like I'm really going to like it - I love fiction from that era (usually 60s, but 50s stuff is great too). Happy new year!
Last year for the first time, I set goals, only part of which I achieved. This year I’m reading in terms of priorities - fewer numbers to accomplish, less pressure, and more adaptability. My priorities: *Keep up with my two church groups (chapters per weekly discussion) and monthly public library book club. *Read the books and plays my high school and middle school grandchildren are reading. This will include MacBeth, * Buddy read Anita Diamant’s The Red Tent with my best friend. * Read at least one book by a Puerto Rican author while on vacation there. * Read or listen to a poem or prayer, or read about poetry, each day. *As time allows, select books from my own shelves that compliment or contrast with my group reads. Good luck with your goals, Ben!
Honestly, it’s one of the best feelings in the world when i finish a book and go wow that was nice, no notes lol. And I can just say that in my wrap up and while i don’t do that too often, hopefully it still imparts a sense of the reading experience! I have no idea what the algorithm gods require - it genuinely feels like a lightning strike of luck. But I believe you’ll hit your next milestone! To a great 2025 💪🏼
Isn't it just!!! I have just got myself into a rut(? maybe not a rut) where I do a 5-7 minute review of *every* book I read, and would feel so weird to be like 'hey read this real good, next'. But maybe I just need to be more bold lol. Happy new year!
I clicked on this video because I was envious of the jumper, but I stuck around for the goals. I've seen a number of folk say that they wish to read fewer books in 2025. If it means you end up prioritising some of the bigger books on your shelves then maybe that's a good thing. I also have that edition of Anna Karenina, and aim to read it properly at some point - the last time I ended up skimming a lot of the middle section (Tolstoy's ruminating of farming was a bit drear to a Charlie in his early-twenties). I am certain that you will have no issue hitting the number of subscribers you're hoping for. Still, good luck with your goals for this year, I wish the all the best.
The jumper is my pride and joy (and in fact only purchase) from the Boxing Day sales. Maybe 2025 is the year for us to get into 19th century Russian farming 👀
Book news are some of my favourite videos I watch and actually I think set you apart from other book tubers. I also like the fact you're very succinct. It's a skill not many have!
Thank you for the feedback! And glad the succinctness works for you - a lot of it is down to me spending far too much time deciding what to say before I hit record 😅
Can you record yourself voice notes? Just in the interim if you can’t write lots down. Definitely being kinder to yourself is always a good idea. Happy reading Ben ❤
That’s a good suggestion Charlie, thanks! Although I am quite terrible at them 😂 It’s similar to my inability to just turn the camera on and start talking. I spend blinking ages planning out what to say! 2025 needs to be all about being kind to ourselves ♥️
Lofty goals - but I think they're attainable! I read 208 books this year, which is actually low for me - but over 50% of those are play scripts, since theatre is my field - and those tend to be under 100 pages. Like you, I'm contemplating slowing that down a bit in 2025 and reading more long books - starting with my BFF and I doing a buddy read of The Count of Monte Cristo, and that's nearly 1,300 pages. Every year I always try to get to Anna K. and War & Peace - this MIGHT be the year I succeed there too. I've read the entire Booker longlist for 11 years now (although I still have 2 to finish up on this year's list), so I'll do that again - and try to do some of the past winners also. I already have a Challenge with 24 prompts with my GR group. but might be able to join yours as well. Last year my best reading experience was doing a deep dive into all 32 novels of now rather obscure English author Francis King - what a joy to discover and read his entire canon. So THIS year I've chosen to do the same with equally obscure Simon Raven, who has 26 books to his name. That should keep me BZ ... Happy New Year and happy reading.
1300 pages seems very self-indulgent of Dumas 😂 But I do hear that one is very pacey, so maybe it’s okay. Let’s hope 2025 is the year we both finally get to Anna K! Love the idea of your author deep dives. Maybe I need to do one of my own at some point. Happy new year! 🥳
i do think its interesting that so many people are now taking a step back from reading goals (or maybe ive only recently found the people who discuss books like they are hobbies and not jobs) but think its really good and glad you feel able to discuss your desire to go slower and engage deeper so freely. like you, i often gravitate towards smaller books which is a habit that im hoping to change this year (will have a few months between finishing a-levels and starting uni with only a couple hours work a day so no better time than then to begin!). looking forward to seeing how you progress and enjoy books, really hope you are able to achieve your channel goals so that this remains fun for you and hope that you have an amazing 2025! :)
I do think the right answer is a mix - big books are fantastic, but they can be draining. Alternating between smaller and longer ones can feel like switching between sweet and salty flavours. Makes each of them that much more delightful! Hope 2025 goes brilliantly for you - sounds like you've got a lot going on!
I just discovered your channel. I was searching for people who talked about their favorite books of 2024 and enjoyed your summary video. My goal is to read 100 books. I am retired so I have more time to read than most. I also want to read more books that I really enjoy instead of sticking with books that are ok but not great. I liked your comment about reading longer books and I think I will try to get back into this.
So many of your reading goals resonate with me. In 2023, I read 100 books - so I understand the allure of that number when you somehow find yourself close to it. (This year I read 72, which was much more enjoyable.). Also, I have always loved being lost in the middle of a long book. I also have a special shelf for them and try to read 2-3 per year. For 2025, I’ve chosen The Power Broker (a book I have purchased & unhauled more than once), The Birthday Party, and The Magic Mountain (my interest having been renewed by The Empusium and Colm Toibin's The Magician. My other goal is to switch from Goodreads (which I have never liked) to StoryGraph and to participate in the Read Good Challenge!
Glad to hear going down from 100 to 72 was more enjoyable - hoping I can achieve the same sort of step back into comfort. Coming over to The Storygraph for the challenge is the perfect reason to make the hop. See you over there!
I don’t usually comment but feel compelled because I don’t think I have ever agreed with anyone more! Wow like your were actually in my head, I read 244 books this year and don’t want it to be anywhere near that again! I also wanted to read more of my own book and also more chunksters and series I have on my shelves too it’s also why I decided to join the challenge too ❤
I’m a new subscriber! So you are well on your way to 10,000! Really happy to have found you and looking forward to your content. I always set a fairly low goal and end up smashing it. I have enjoyed reading off my TBR shelves which have included many books that were prize winners, best sellers, widely recommended. Last year I started with books published in 2013 in Jan and ended with 2024 in Dec and will start with 2014 this year. Lots of others thrown in between of course
I don’t tend to set formal reading goals because, as you said, it can tend toward feeling like work. I am working on what I’m calling a “reading project” (which honestly sounds even more like work now that I’ve written it out 😂) which I kicked off on my birthday last year to re-read a list of 24 books (carefully curated by me) that have stuck with me over the years (or weeks in some cases). I read some of the books almost 40 years ago and am quite a different person now - I’m very curious to see how they speak to current me. (The Pillars of the Earth and The Poisonwood Bible, which I noticed on your tome shelf, are both on the list). Outside of that, I’m really just trying to be a more mindful reader- I tend to read a book slowly at the beginning and then speed up once I know who everyone is and what’s going on and by the end, I’m frequently so focused on finishing it that I don’t read it as closely as I might. So that’s a goal of sorts. Happy to have contributed to your subscriber goal!!
That sounds like a really fun project. And I'm always interested to think about how I might respond now to books I read years ago. Totally get your point about reading slowly to begin with - I'm the same! And it means I often remember how books start much more clearly than how they end.
I’m a new subscriber and I’m commenting both to encourage you and to boost the video! No specific goals for reading here. My goals are focused on finishing a first draft of my novel.
I agree in slowing my reading down in 2025. My goal last year was 104 and I read 114, but for this year I have set it at 52. I also want to read bigger books from my shelves and enjoy them, not rush through them! I would love to have the courage to start a book tube channel but doubt anyone else would want to hear my perspectives and afraid of rejection! I love these channel I watch and enjoy them feeling of community! Happy New Year!
I try to set my goal to 52 every year, but the last couple of years I’ve gotten carried away and blasted past that. Hoping not to go so mad with it this year! And on the BookTube side of things: I think you have to start with the intention just to do it for yourself. If other people are interested that is a bonus, but the creative side of it is rewarding in and of itself. And if you did do it and didn’t enjoy it, you can delete it any time. Which is all to say: if you’re curious, give it a go! Thank you for the kind words and happy new year to you too 😊
I also read 101 books in 2024 and that was way more than usual for me. It happened in a similar way... I read more just by chance and then I felt like that goal was attainable and so started reading shorter books faster and it was fun to get there but I wan't to read longer books and be more relaxed about it this year. My goal is only 50 this year. East of Eden was one of my top ones that I'd been meaning to get to...and that was the first book I finished in 2025. Other longer reads on my list are "The Bee Sting" and "Wolf Hall". I want to read one Fiction Pulitzer prize winner per month rather than Booker winners although I do try and do a Booker prize winner now and then! Thanks for your video!
It's funny how we fall into these traps of unstated goals 😅 But it's done now, and good to reflect on it! Funnily enough East of Eden is one I just saw as someone else's top book of the year, so I think the universe is trying to give me a nudge. The Bee Sting is fantastic so I hope you love it!
Gosh, I am in the same boat about videos taking forever to prepare. I don't do wrap-ups (or haven't) so every video is kind of trying to reinvent the wheel. I might start doing wrap ups once a month just to have something standard at least once every few weeks to do! Wonderful goals - happy new year!!!
Wrap ups are a useful staple bit of content for sure, and something people search for! But for me they have become among the highest-effort videos I do. I probably just need to let myself cut back on detail, but I can’t resist spending ages thinking of something insightful to talk about for each book… otherwise I end up questioning the point 😅
Thanks for all your great content Ben! Thoughts on the Book News- I like these videos, maybe make them seasonal? So it’s a spring book news, summer book news etc. Then you don’t have to do it so often. Just notable books released in that time, notable news, prizes etc. Just a thought. I’ve joined the prompts, looking forward to it! Hope you have a great 2025 😊
Thanks for watching, and for the suggestion! 🙌 I do think the actual 'news' part of the book news is less abundant and harder to find - not much wild stuff beyond prizes seems to happen in the publishing industry 😅 So maybe less frequent make sense. Will think on it. Happy 2025 to you too!
Happy New Year Ben. I agree there is something special about the experience of reading a big book over time. I have two in mind for this year, but we'll see. My reading goals are deliberately pretty loose and I only have two: 1) Buy fewer new books/ read more from my own bookshelves and 2) read more non-fiction. I am using your Read Good Challenge this year to make a dent in the (far too many) unread books on my shelves, but I'm not too fussed about how many I actually get to. I've added 5 Anne's for January and six blue-covered books for September! Most months have multiple options. I have accumulated so many books I am genuinely excited to read that have been sitting on my shelves for far too long. It's slightly ridiculous.
That's wonderful to know the challenge is helping you tackle your own shelves. I've heard a few other people say the same and I think it's such a cool way to tick off the prompts. And yeah being chilled about it is totally the way to go. I don't want the challenge to feel like work for anyone!
I like your goals for 2025. I, too, agree with several points. I don’t want to read a specific number of books for all the reasons you express. 2024 for me was reading authors I hadn’t yet read. Being a retired publishing professional, I enjoyed being free from the pressure of “reading for work”, which takes a lot of joy out of reading. I still have plenty of authors I have yet to read, so there will be more of that for me in 2025. I totally agree with your book review perspective. I think reviews are most effective when they are personal and evocative of your reading experience. Not all books evoke a need for me to express my thoughts, and for those I move along. 😉 I least enjoy a “plot review”. Those reviewers who rely on telling the plot lose me at the get go. I approached the Pulitzer Prize the way you spoke about the Booker. In 2024 I found some of my top reading experiences from selecting recent category winners from the Pulitzer Prize including runners up. I read some Booker winners, too. I also use this strategy to dive into backlist for enhancing my missing author selections. As for new publishing, I am well acquainted with creating hype and buzz and momentum, and some of my new book reading was tainted by hype over substance. Curiously, the end of year reading wrap ups had some previously under publicized (and some over publicized!) and I picked up a number of potential reads for 2025. Finally, thank you Ben, for responding to comments on your videos. For me, it’s pleasant to have conversations about reading. Taking the time to read and comment is keeping your channel distinctive. 😉❤️📚
That's so great you have lots of time to dedicate to reading, and it must be wonderfully freeing to read for pleasure after having read for work for so long! Agree with you on reviews. I do try to give a quick view of the premise but don't see much point in going through the plot step by step. A review only needs enough detail to ground the emotional and intellectual response to the work. New releases often do pull me in with their hype, but I need to make a conscious effort to resist until the dust has settled. I think a rule I might make for this year is not to buy any hardbacks unless I'm going to read them right away. And no problem when it comes to replying to comments - it's half the fun of having a channel!
Stumbled across your channel yesterday and love your reading goals! I just need to read the books I already own, and use the library more for books I’m not sure I’ll enjoy but want to give a go
Lost Children Archive is one of the most powerful and moving books I have ever read. It tends to divide opinion though! The first half is quite slow, very 'intellectual', I actually wasn't in the mood and put it down for a few months. Then I restarted it, and omg I was so glad. Try to avoid seeing spoilers about the second half! After finishing the book I actually struggled to sleep for a few nights as it was going round and round my head. I'd like to reread it this year.
Ah the struggle of reading short books because they give you so many good feelings. I have picked up so many short audiobooks last year, to have that listen in one go experience. Granted it is a reflection on my lack of focus on bigger books. Still would love to read longer books this year as well. I like reading goals to be informative of your reading and not just random ticking of lists goals. So love your goals.
I think sometimes you just need to read the right books at the right time, and often shorter books give you that little jolt you need. They're great for when you're feeling a bit demotivated or distracted. But definitely want to get into more longer books in 2025. Glad the goals chimed with you, and thanks for watching!
Anna Karenina is a joy to read! I hope you enjoy it, because I love how Tolstoy explores the relationships between different characters. There’s some sections about agriculture that I could have done without, but it didn’t detract from the story overall. Can’t wait to hear your verdict 😊 I also want to recommend The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte as a very readable and somewhat progressive classic.
Ooh thanks for the recommendation - I've seen a few people reading the Bronte lately, so maybe it will be a good one. It's always nice, especially with a widely-read book, to be able to read it and then dive into what other people think about it and compare reading experiences.
Those sound like great goals! I have a very busy year ahead, so I'm not going to set any specific goals, but i hope I'll get to 52 books and I want 90% of my reads to be by BIPOC, LGBTQ+, Neurodivergent and/or Disabled women.
Those classics sound like they’ll be your things for sure. I’ll honestly be shocked if you don’t like them. But what’s important is reading what we want to and not what we feel pressured to. You’re right that reading for joy is the goal. I hope your year will be as you intend 🥰 At least setting intentions is the right start! And it’s not so much about staying “true” to them but true to yourself and how you feel. And I’m right there with you when it comes to the part about feeling overly drawn by the new releases. Especially Instagram makes it hard for me to not feel slightly gluttonous (let’s be honest, that’s kind of my reaction to “new” books, lol)
I think often for me the barrier to the classics is the language and just the weight of expectation wanting to like them, be able to explain why or why not... and it's just intimidating when books are so beloved and widely studied. Little old me is just a hobbyist reader 😅 Here's to a year of older releases 🥂
Me too!!! Although I'm still waiting for it to start because I'm partway through a 5-novellas-in-5-days vlog for the new year and completely undermining my own goals 😂
I love the idea of slowing down my reading pace by focusing on fewer books in 2025 and savoring each one with a more intentional approach. I also enjoy the idea of diving into backlist books, as I too feel a certain pressure of always keeping up with the latest releases. I’d like to escape that and appreciate the great books that are already out there. ❤
Reading Booker winners sounds like a fun goal! I used to want to do that too, maybe I will again soon haha. There are many gems among the shortlists and longlists though. Reef by Romesh Gunesekera from 1994 comes to mind, Max Porter’s Lanny from 2019 too. Two books that I just loved and would likely reread again someday.
That's so funny - when I visited the 'Booker Library' a few weeks ago in London, Reef was one of the books that stood out to me. Had never heard of it before, but it caught my eye and I bought a copy!
I just discovered your channel & I’m overjoyed because I really like the books that you have recommended. Being late-not knowing until today about the “Annuary” challenge-I recommend “The Gathering,” by Anne Enright, 2007 Booker Prize winner. Like you, I aim to read more Booker winners and shortlisted books, 3 out of 10 thus far from 2024. Thanks for doing this!!🎉
@ Also, I’m now reading “Inventory,” Darran An[n]derson, a memoir about growing up during the “troubles” in N. Ireland, so well written from a boy’s memory recalled with a man’s wisdom, a unique format (chapters entitled after childhood’s common objects) that takes you right there with feeling as opposed to a news or an historical account.
Wishing you all the best to complete your reading and channel goals both in 2025. 100 books along with a full-time job, wow! Love the goal of reading less (don't get to hear that one often 😊) and enjoy the ride. My 2025 reading goals: 1. Total 28 books (this odd number being the number of books I finished in 2024) 2. Hopefully complete the Read Good Challenge with only the books in my physical TBR (almost found 11 of them for the prompts, will figure out the ann-uary issue later). Last time I was able to do 8. This also being an excellent way to shrink those unread books on the shelf. 3. Read more books for my books around the world challenge (12 lined up for this year but I might be more flexible on the numbers) 4. Read books by authors I have previously loved. For the past 2-3 yrs I have stayed away from repeating authors to experience a wider range of books. But this year I want to read more from them. 5. Read books that I already own (complementary with #2) There are a couple of more things I wanted to do such as read more non-fiction, but no commitments there. I love to have goals but I don't get too hung up on them. The goal creation process itself is a lot more fun for me. So I don't stress too much about the results. There is a lot of stress already in life, I can't have my hobby add more to it.
Love these goals. Especially like number 4 - I wonder sometimes why I don't read more from authors I know I have read and loved before. Knowing you're in good hands is such a treat! And absolutely agree on not getting hung up on goals. It's not like anyone is going to give you a performance evaluation 😂
I read a lot but refuse to have any numerical goals because I do think it can create a subconscious bias away from long books. I love a short book that packs a lot into a small space but we need room for the Anna Kareninas and Middlemarches. And please do keep booktube fun for yourself.
Yeah that's completely sensible - I wish I had the self-restraint to resist! But I am determined to make this year a year of bigger books, because I do always love them when I read them. I'm into my first 600-pager already (Cloud Cuckoo Land) and really enjoying it.
Happy New Year Ben! 'Pumping those chunksters ' nearly made me choke on my cava and my first hearty laugh of 2025 😂. I'm just setting an achievable page number goal so I can get through some of the large books on my shelves and stop me buying even more books to just sit there unread. I do enjoy your in-depth reviews .... just bought Glorious Exploits as a result. I'm sure you'll achieve 10K by year-end, and you come across as a complete natural.
Honestly as soon as that came out of my mouth I was like 'wtf have I just said' 😂 A page goal makes a lot of sense - I should think about that too. And yeah I do enjoy a good in-depth review (my reviews in wrap-ups only seem to be getting longer) but sometimes I just want to read something without thinking too hard about it 😅 Thank you for the kind words, and happy new year to you too!
Happy New Year, Ben! Those are some great goals. I am confident that you will also achieve your subscriber-goal, but good luck nonetheless! I joined the Read Good Challenge and signed up to be a Booktube judge, so 'completing' those are my reading goals for 2025. For the Read Good Challenge, I plan to read mostly from my shelves. I've picked two books that I don't own yet, but I hope to borrow those from the library.
I am about to make my goals video so watched this for inspiration!! I'd love to see more backlist books and some classics on your channel 😊 I've stopped doing wrap ups regularly and do more Friday Reads videos for exactly the reasons you gave - reviewing is much easier when a book is fresh, or you're talking about a current read. Just an idea in case it helps! I love book news but totally understand it's hard work. I love the kindle list you curate although you always add to my tbr haha. Happy New Year and good luck with the channel growth - at least I can say I was here from the start when you're mega famous 😉😉 x
Thanks for watching Sarah - looking forward to hearing your goals! The Friday Reads thing does sound great for freshness, but I do worry about the number of videos I'd end up making 😂 But maybe I should try it. Happy new year to you too! 🎉
Remember to add Lonesome Dove to your TBR list. And I saw Pillars of the Earth on your shelf. Happy reading in 2025! I’m reading Tom Lake by Ann Patchett now…so I’m all set for the January challenge.
It's on there! I actually tried to get a copy recently, but in 5 different bookshops I couldn't find one. The universe is conspiring to stop me buying books 😂 Great choice for January!
Some big books are really pacey, I think most of my favourites were more than 400 pages, but didn't seem that long because I was enjoying reading them so much. Happy Reading.
Some great goals Ben. I love the read less goal I think that’s important (although 101 books is a number i never get near) I actually set my reading goal at 1 book for this year just to stop myself from racing for numbers even though I try not to. 😊
Some brilliant books there. I really want to read from my shelves, I only read 12 on my shelves in 2024 and the rest were from the library. I've started buddy reading with friends to give me some structure, instead of picking up the next shinny new thing....that might actually not be that satisfying. I still like to read at least 100 pages a day to feel like I'm making progress and not doom scrolling. Happy Reading 😀
Doing lots of reading from the library is awesome too! Nice work! Reading is *definitely* so much better than doom scrolling. But it takes so much willpower, doesn’t it! I’m trying to leave my phone in another room more often, but need to take it slowly and wean myself off.
I almost passed out when you said you’d not read The Song of Achilles. Ooh you’ve a treat there! Interesting that you think it’s more of a risk picking a new book from a backlist one. I think it’s equal with every book, so I guess I’m saying just go with new or old and just enjoy either or both. Hahaha. Here’s to a fab year of reading in 2025.
I feel like a terrible gay for not having read it yet! 😅 And yeah that's interesting - I guess I just find that with backlist, there are more reviews to look at, more people who will have read it who can explain what they liked or didn't like. Even negative reviews can sometimes make me realise that I *will* like a book because I like the thing the reviewer doesn't. New books don't come with as much intel! But I know you're a fan of going into books blind so perhaps it's my excessive research that impacts my view on this 😂 Happy reading to you too!
Definitely a goal (non quantified at the moment) to read more of what I already own, to quit thinking I can read everything that catches my attention. I'm torn on the reading longer books - I enjoy a well written long book, but I read two long books at the beginning of 2023 (The Book of Jacob [992] & The High Sierra: A Love Story [560]). I've felt I've been playing catch-up since then. Sounds like you have a plan, hope it makes for an enjoyable reading year.
Yeah that thing of wanting to read everything that catches your attention really chimes with me. I hear about something and get excited straight away, and then it goes on the backlog never to be touched for a couple of years. It needs to stop 😅 Happy reading in 2025!
Sound goals Ben. Because I suffer terribly from FOMO I suddenly in the middle of 2024 stopped recording my reads on Goodreads and just read what I wanted to when I wanted to. I immediately felt better! I still read heaps every day but without the pressure I was feeling. Always have a classic on the go and I do listen to them often on audible. Currently listening to David Copperfield read by Richard Armitage. Marvellous!! All the best for 2025 and your goals and expectations. 🤗 p..s. I have joined your yearly challenge 😅💕
That's an interesting tip on just not tracking! Maybe I will have to give it a go one day, but a first step for me might be just tracking in one place... I'm currently on both Goodreads and The Storygraph 🫣 Happy new year, and fab to hear you're doing the challenge. Happy reading! 🎉
Happy new year, Ben! These are great goals. Good luck with these and I'm looking forward to all your upcoming videos! I've picked The Narrows by Ann Petry for the January prompt. That's also a big book that was sitting on my shelf.
Thank you so much! Appreciate the support... maybe I will even stick to these goals now that so many people have seen them 😂 Hope you're enjoying your Ann-uary pick!
Lots of good books for you coming this year! Having read most of the ones on your list, you are for in for some excellent reading time. I am also leaning towards reading some of the tomes that keep being pushed back. That was a goal for last year, however life threw that idea out the window. Thanks Ben, looking forward to keeping up with you in 2025.
The book news videos are really great. I had a look at previous videos but I'm not seeing anything obvious to cut out. Maybe the feel good story? More generally I would say don't put pressure on yourself. If you don't have time to search for bargains or a feel good story, don't worry about it. Book news is such a fun and truly interesting format of videos that I haven't come across in other UA-camrs. I feel like they're the ones that will contribute to your subscribers goal. It's certainly the first video I saw and subsequently hit subscribe and went back to previous book news videos!
Thank you for the feedback, and glad to hear you like them! Aiming for the return next month, and I’ll do some thinking on the format before then. Will bear your thoughts in mind 🙏
Yay for book news! I especially like it when you keep track of all the book awards for us. I can remember the dates for the major ones, but there's too many to keep up with and a monthly overview of what's going on is great.
Good luck with your goals! The big book one is definitely something I also need to do. I became too focused on finishing at least 2 books a week in my vlogs this year. I want to try and relax and not put the pressure on myself to read as much as possible
Yeah I think some of the self-imposed rules and deadlines and targets feel really important, but once you step back from them a bit you realise they're just a bit silly, especially if they're adding lots of pressure. More relaxing reading is what we need!
I juggle between classics and contemporary literary fiction. This works best for me, as they complement each other and adds variety to reading different writing styles.
New to your channel and find it very enjoyable. Some of my favorite big books are Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace, Seven Pillars of Wisdom by T.E. Lawrence, and Sometimes a Great Notion by Ken Kesey.
Thank you for being here! Infinite Jest is such an interesting... I don't want to say 'interesting book' because I haven't read it, but interesting cultural artefact? People have such strong reactions to it, and it intrigues me so much! And One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is an all-time favourite for me, so I really should read more Kesey.
I'm new to your channel and absolutely loving it! I would encourage you to read East of Eden. It is one of my all time favorites and based on the videos of yours that I've seen i think we like the same type of books. Happy New Year!
Ahhh thank you so much, that is so lovely to hear! And fab to have a recommendation for East of Eden. It's a little intimidating so I need all the encouragement I can get to pick it up 😅 Happy new year to you too 🎉
I agree about reading fewer books! I'm setting a much lower goal to focus on reading longer books and classics. I find listening to audiobooks can make reading classics easier.
That’s a good shout about classics on audio. I’m actually tempted to try out this app called Audrey that does classics on audio but with extra content and guided reading. Seems pretty cool.
I do hope you are able to get to Anna Karenina, and the Steinbecks, they are fantastic! I've read Grapes of Wrath 5 or 6 times and am probably ready for another rereading, it is just beautiful writing, and so poignant. Good luck with your goals!
I love to set goals for my reading for similar reasons to you. I can get sucked into reading a lot of books that I'm not too interested in or trying to burn through a huge number of books as fast as possible. So I also have the goal of reading less, reading slower, and being more intentional when I pick up a book (trying not to pick up a book just for the fomo of it all lol)
Yeah it's an easy thing to get pulled into isn't it! FOMO is often the worst reason to read something, especially when you just know something isn't likely to be your jam. Here's to more intentional reading in 2025!
Happy New Year! I don’t make many reading goals for myself though I do aim for completing 2 books a month. That being said I didn’t reach that goal in 2024. I’d suggest just doing reviews of whatever speaks to you when you have the time. I enjoy wrap ups, but I can see they can be a lot of work. Whatever you can manage is much appreciated!
I think it's definitely good to keep goals low stakes and not worry about not meeting them! The main thing is to enjoy your reading. And on a similar note, to enjoy reviewing. Thank you for the feedback 😊
Look forward to hearing your thoughts on Jesmyn Ward's Salvage the Bones. An amazing writer, and such a great book. It's no wonder she's won the National Book Award twice. I know you are going to love her.
Backlist Bookers are also on my goal list, as well as a few big books. East of Eden and Lonesome Dove, as well as read what I already own are also on my TBR and goals list. Thanks Ben for your insights. ❤
Thanks Ebony! It's nice to have a little milestone when the new year rolls around to think with some intention about reading, isn't it? Finger crossed for 10k for you soon as well 🤞
I feel the same way: I already have stressful performance goals at my job😂. I want fun no pressure goals for my reading. This year I’m doing my first prompts and chose yours. They seems like such an interesting well-though out and fun combination you’ve made 😃.
I know right! Reading needs to be the escape from that stuff 😅 So glad to hear you like the sound of the prompts. Hope you have lots of fun with them 🙏
Still developing my goals but I do know for sure I want to read more Translated fiction and more Non-fiction. I try not to go after the shiny new books but watching Booktube always excites me about something I need to pick up soon. I won't give up Booktube so I need to try to learn a little discipline. I want to get too more of the books on my shelf. And this is the year of War and Peace for me. I conquered The Count of Monte Cristo this year and War and Peace has been hanging out as a goal for many years (I've actually started it a few times but I am planning on useing audio and print editions together and I think this will help me to get into the meat of the book as I've gotten bogged down in the early pages previously. Please keep the Book news videos as I find them the most unique and special part of your channel. Have a great 2025 in reading and life. Thanks for making many of my early mornings more enjoyable.
Great goals! And hopefully if I stick to my own goals and read more backlist, this channel will at least not be as much of a source of temptation for new books 😂 But learning discipline is exactly the thing... I need to do the same! Book news will be back for sure - thank you for the feedback! Happy reading in 2025 🎉
Your videos are so good, Ben. They're really a cut above. As to classics, if you're going to read Anna Karenina, read the translation by Pevear and Volokhonsky. It's so good, I went on to read their translation of War and Peace, which I surely would not have done if I weren't so taken by their work. Happy new year and happy reading!
Ahh thank you so much, that is a very kind thing to say. I will check which translation of Anna Karenina the one I have is - I hadn't even thought about that! Happy new year to you too 😊
I found your channel a few days ago and have subscribed, and joined your 2025 challenge (a first for me - I guess the prompts seemed more compelling than others I've seen). Good luck with your goals! I've set a goal to get back into Robin Hobb's very long fantasy series (series of series, I should say) and hopefully complete at least two more triologies. Also to finish Infinite Jest which is both very long and very dense - I put it on pause a month or so after only about 200 pages, but hopefully I can finish it in the next few months. Otherwise, my main goal is to read from my shelves (overlapping goal with your challenge and the other goals I mentioned), and stay focused on reading for enjoyment and learning rather than compulsion. I've identified several specific books (25 for '25) that I see as top choices for the year, but if my priorities change as the year goes on, that's OK too.
Thanks so much for deciding to stick around! And I love that the prompts have inspired you to join in ❤️ Long fantasy series sound very rewarding, but there is something I find so intimidating about thousands of pages ahead of me before starting. Maybe one day! Best of luck with your goals, and love that you are being chilled about them. That's how it should be!
My reading goals for the year are at least one nonfiction a month and to read down my owned books. A reading adjacent goal is to face my social anxiety and join an in person book club this year.
Those are great goals! And I do love a good in-person book club. It's fun to chat in real time about what we thought (and also just catch up on non-book things!)
Happy New Year Ben! Great to hear about your goals for the year, I really appreciate the work that goes into your channel. I’m actually trying to be a bit more structured in my reading this year and like you want to read more of what’s already on my shelf.
Happy new year to you too, and thank you so much for the kind words! Adding a little structure to reading can definitely feel like a chore at first, but can add so much in terms of what you get out of it. Best of luck!
I think “Invisible Man” is a remarkable book. I’ve read it more than once, but not in a long while. “Battle Royal” is sometimes published as a short story.
One of my goals for 2025 is the same as one of yours and that's to read more big books! I have a bit of big book fear and I'm trying to get over it. Your Read Good Challenge is actually helping me with that already, for Ann-uary I'm reading Fayne by Ann-Marie MacDonald. It's 736 pages and once I finish it'll be the longest book I've ever read!
Happy New Year, Ben! 🎉 I do have a thought on reducing the pressure on reviews, if you wanted to continue reviewing at all, what about just reviewing the stand out book from the stack of books that you read during the timeframe. Or alternatively just give a brief, one sentence review on the top 3. Your reviews are excellent but agree it shouldn’t be a burden - that’s no fun. I have set a goal to read a specific list of books I keep meaning to read but setting aside because of events etc. only participating in the Reads Good Challenge, Historathon and then we shall see. Thanks for sharing your goals and thoughts about the channel. Hope you have a marvelous reading year!
Happy new year to you too! Thanks for the suggestion on reviews. I actually did try to reduce some reviews down to premise/liked/dislikes for each book, but I still managed to go on and on and on 😂 Perhaps I need to have another go at that and be more ruthless with keeping it succinct. Or as you say just having an 'and the rest' part of the video where I explicitly won't do detailed reviewing. Thrilled you're doing the Read Good Challenge! 🎉
Happy New Year. I hope it's a great one for you. I'm off to a crazy start. I joined Historathon2025, a philosophy-thon, a Proust read along, and a Dante read along. All that in addition to my usual reading interests. I'm currently on track for success. Sure, I didn't sleep at all last night, but that was only partly due to reading, and mostly due to not starting until well after midnight. I'd like to predict a more restful sleep in store for me tonight, but I'm currently missing a 40oz jar of peanut butter, and that's a little vexing. I don't miss it (yet); I just wonder where it is. (FTR: not in the oven, not in the microwave; I checked twice.)
I really like the book news videos but if you're looking for a section to drop, I never cared about the deals/discounts section because I don't live in the US or UK and buy most of my books second hand anyway😅 looking fwd to your videos as always! x
Thank you for the feedback! Yeah that could be a good shout really. It does take me a fair bit of time to curate the deals, and while I know people enjoy them it's bascially just a sub-list of what's already available. Happy new year 😊
Was tempted to write this about you in the third person but i cant be bothered 😂 I think with classics it's about the why - I'm trying to work out what types of classic book i actually like by treating them just like any other books - read some of the 'hyped' and see if i like them, read the ones most thematically similar to what i like in contemporary, and don't bother trying to get a broad sweep of 'everything' (if thats even possible) but read more from authors i like and their contemporaries/the works that inspired them. I say that like i read loads of classics, i don't, I'm in a similar boat to you! I'm starting the year with a balanced diet of Cranford and Lapvona, probably going to end in weird dreams... Hope you discover some new favourites in 2025 🎉🎉 i get that there must feel a real pressure (even if not explicit) to persue the new on booktube, but i find it interesting to see people picking from their shelves.
Ben is very grateful for your comment and... oh I can't be bothered with this third person schtick either haha. That's a good perspective on classics. I think for sure I just want to know why they've endured, and how they've informed what's being written today. But I sometimes just struggle with the language! Here's to a year of good reading (and weird dreams) in 2025 🍾
I encourage you to read more backlist as a lot of booktubers read all the nominated books.....and live to hear about older boojs i can by used. But, you can even go farther back than those you listed that are not that old. 😅
It’s definitely something I want to do this year! Although I have to warn you: I still love the Booker so I’ll be doing that longlist again this year. And absolutely want to read even older books, those were just some ones top of mind for me. Lots of my ‘classics’ picks are actually more ‘modern classics’ too 😊
I stopped reviewing and talking about every book and felt far less (admittedly self-imposed) pressure and much happier. I also felt like I was reading for me more than for the channel - I didn’t have the constant thought in the back of my mind while reading that I needed to have something to say about whatever I read. Now I only film review videos when I do have something to say!
My reading goals for 2025 would be to read what I have on my shelves as I do not need another book right now. I try to read books seasonally to dive right into the subject and feel the cold of winter for instance. I am proud that I am able to choose better books for myself. You have one book, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, that I also have to read. Give a heads up when you're going to read it, and I will follow along. If I were doing book news for a channel, I would focus on what news really interests me and may not be covered by others; tell why you care about the news too. Good luck, Ben, in reaching your goals in 2025.
Happy new year Ben! Like you I’m just going for intentions this year. I decided I didn’t want to read more books this year but love your idea of actively trying to read less. Manifesting that 10k for you! ♥️
Happy New Year Ben! A really thoughtful video with great goals both for reading and for the channel. I struggle a lot with the new book/backlist book issue and I use the reading prompts as a way to focus on backlisted books and books I already own. I do enjoy reading the entirety of the Booker and WP longlists as I value those prizes, but I am going to try not to read a book just because it’s buzz worthy and focus instead on whether or not it sounds like something I would really enjoy. Here’s to a great reading year!
It's a constant struggle isn't it! But I suppose in the grand scheme of things one of the nicer problems to have. I like the idea of using challenges to read backlist though - that's a good (and very doable!) constraint. I'll also be doing the entire Booker list this year, but I may just do the Women's Prize shortlist as the timelines are so tight, and half to fun of the longlist-to-shortlist phase is selecting my own shortlist.
@ That’s a good point about the Women’s Prize! I’m hoping that I will have read several of the longlisted titles by the time the list is announced, which will help!
Happy new year everyone! Whether you’re setting goals or not, may 2025 bring a year of great reading ❤
My 2025 reading goal is to read more like I did as a kid - without structure, category or particular purpose, just because I love to read. It resonates with your goal to read fewer and bigger books.
Love that! We should all read for the love of reading. ‘Read like a kid’ would be a great motto to live by.
Can't recommend Pillars of the Earth enough! Despite KF books always being absolute doorstops you'll find yourself flying through it because it's so engaging. One of my all times favourites.
I have heard this from so many people! I really need to tackle it, as I love when a big book just drags you along.
Hi Ben, I just stumbled upon your channel (and yes, don't worry, I clicked subscribe). Just a note of appreciation that you were able to articulate far more clearly what I've been doing for quite some time: STOP BUYING HARDBACKS, ONLY TO GET TO THEM A YEAR OR TWO LATER. I needed to hear this, as it truly resonated with me. Thank. you! Also, enjoyed your point about vulnerability- being vulnerable is not a bad thing. HAPPY READING!
Thank you for deciding to stick around! I think my rule on hardbacks this year is going to be: only buy them if I am going to read them right away. Or it’s a very, very special book for me and it’s signed (but tbh there aren’t too many of those I’m expecting in 2025 unless Donna Tartt gives us a surprise announcement).
We're on the same wavelength regarding classics. They stick around for a reason. Ellison's Invisible Man was a standout read for me in 2024. It became an instant Top-10 Novel for me. Ellison was a freakishly talented writer. I'd recommend pushing it up the TBR list for 2025. Happy New Reading Year!
That's great to know that Invisible Man was such a hit for you! I feel like I'm really going to like it - I love fiction from that era (usually 60s, but 50s stuff is great too). Happy new year!
Last year for the first time, I set goals, only part of which I achieved. This year I’m reading in terms of priorities - fewer numbers to accomplish, less pressure, and more adaptability.
My priorities:
*Keep up with my two church groups (chapters per weekly discussion) and monthly public library book club.
*Read the books and plays my high school and middle school grandchildren are reading. This will include MacBeth,
* Buddy read Anita Diamant’s The Red Tent with my best friend.
* Read at least one book by a Puerto Rican author while on vacation there.
* Read or listen to a poem or prayer, or read about poetry, each day.
*As time allows, select books from my own shelves that compliment or contrast with my group reads.
Good luck with your goals, Ben!
Thank you for sharing your goals! And those sound like very sensible priorities. Best of luck to you too 😊
Honestly, it’s one of the best feelings in the world when i finish a book and go wow that was nice, no notes lol. And I can just say that in my wrap up and while i don’t do that too often, hopefully it still imparts a sense of the reading experience! I have no idea what the algorithm gods require - it genuinely feels like a lightning strike of luck. But I believe you’ll hit your next milestone! To a great 2025 💪🏼
Isn't it just!!! I have just got myself into a rut(? maybe not a rut) where I do a 5-7 minute review of *every* book I read, and would feel so weird to be like 'hey read this real good, next'. But maybe I just need to be more bold lol. Happy new year!
Reading goals for this year: more non-fiction, more backlist, more DNFing. Happy new year Ben 🎉
Great goals! Happy new year to you too 🎉
I clicked on this video because I was envious of the jumper, but I stuck around for the goals.
I've seen a number of folk say that they wish to read fewer books in 2025. If it means you end up prioritising some of the bigger books on your shelves then maybe that's a good thing. I also have that edition of Anna Karenina, and aim to read it properly at some point - the last time I ended up skimming a lot of the middle section (Tolstoy's ruminating of farming was a bit drear to a Charlie in his early-twenties).
I am certain that you will have no issue hitting the number of subscribers you're hoping for. Still, good luck with your goals for this year, I wish the all the best.
The jumper is my pride and joy (and in fact only purchase) from the Boxing Day sales.
Maybe 2025 is the year for us to get into 19th century Russian farming 👀
Book news are some of my favourite videos I watch and actually I think set you apart from other book tubers. I also like the fact you're very succinct. It's a skill not many have!
Thank you for the feedback! And glad the succinctness works for you - a lot of it is down to me spending far too much time deciding what to say before I hit record 😅
Can you record yourself voice notes? Just in the interim if you can’t write lots down.
Definitely being kinder to yourself is always a good idea. Happy reading Ben ❤
That’s a good suggestion Charlie, thanks! Although I am quite terrible at them 😂 It’s similar to my inability to just turn the camera on and start talking. I spend blinking ages planning out what to say!
2025 needs to be all about being kind to ourselves ♥️
Lofty goals - but I think they're attainable! I read 208 books this year, which is actually low for me - but over 50% of those are play scripts, since theatre is my field - and those tend to be under 100 pages. Like you, I'm contemplating slowing that down a bit in 2025 and reading more long books - starting with my BFF and I doing a buddy read of The Count of Monte Cristo, and that's nearly 1,300 pages. Every year I always try to get to Anna K. and War & Peace - this MIGHT be the year I succeed there too. I've read the entire Booker longlist for 11 years now (although I still have 2 to finish up on this year's list), so I'll do that again - and try to do some of the past winners also. I already have a Challenge with 24 prompts with my GR group. but might be able to join yours as well. Last year my best reading experience was doing a deep dive into all 32 novels of now rather obscure English author Francis King - what a joy to discover and read his entire canon. So THIS year I've chosen to do the same with equally obscure Simon Raven, who has 26 books to his name. That should keep me BZ ... Happy New Year and happy reading.
1300 pages seems very self-indulgent of Dumas 😂 But I do hear that one is very pacey, so maybe it’s okay. Let’s hope 2025 is the year we both finally get to Anna K!
Love the idea of your author deep dives. Maybe I need to do one of my own at some point.
Happy new year! 🥳
i do think its interesting that so many people are now taking a step back from reading goals (or maybe ive only recently found the people who discuss books like they are hobbies and not jobs) but think its really good and glad you feel able to discuss your desire to go slower and engage deeper so freely. like you, i often gravitate towards smaller books which is a habit that im hoping to change this year (will have a few months between finishing a-levels and starting uni with only a couple hours work a day so no better time than then to begin!). looking forward to seeing how you progress and enjoy books, really hope you are able to achieve your channel goals so that this remains fun for you and hope that you have an amazing 2025! :)
I do think the right answer is a mix - big books are fantastic, but they can be draining. Alternating between smaller and longer ones can feel like switching between sweet and salty flavours. Makes each of them that much more delightful!
Hope 2025 goes brilliantly for you - sounds like you've got a lot going on!
I just discovered your channel. I was searching for people who talked about their favorite books of 2024 and enjoyed your summary video. My goal is to read 100 books. I am retired so I have more time to read than most. I also want to read more books that I really enjoy instead of sticking with books that are ok but not great. I liked your comment about reading longer books and I think I will try to get back into this.
Thank you for stopping by! What a treat to have extra time to read - hope you manage to get lots of enjoyment out of your 2025 reading 😊
Omg Invisible Man, Trumpet, Lost Children Archive, and Salvage the Bones are all excellent 🔥
I'm so excited for them!!!
Doing the Read Good Challenge with you-love that you can slot any of your own books into the prompts ,no need to buy anything new! Happy 2025!
Woohoo, excellent you are joining in, and love that you’re able to shop your shelves for it. Happy reading! 🎉
So many of your reading goals resonate with me. In 2023, I read 100 books - so I understand the allure of that number when you somehow find yourself close to it. (This year I read 72, which was much more enjoyable.).
Also, I have always loved being lost in the middle of a long book. I also have a special shelf for them and try to read 2-3 per year. For 2025, I’ve chosen The Power Broker (a book I have purchased & unhauled more than once), The Birthday Party, and The Magic Mountain (my interest having been renewed by The Empusium and Colm Toibin's The Magician.
My other goal is to switch from Goodreads (which I have never liked) to StoryGraph and to participate in the Read Good Challenge!
Glad to hear going down from 100 to 72 was more enjoyable - hoping I can achieve the same sort of step back into comfort.
Coming over to The Storygraph for the challenge is the perfect reason to make the hop. See you over there!
I don’t usually comment but feel compelled because I don’t think I have ever agreed with anyone more! Wow like your were actually in my head, I read 244 books this year and don’t want it to be anywhere near that again! I also wanted to read more of my own book and also more chunksters and series I have on my shelves too it’s also why I decided to join the challenge too ❤
Ahh thank you, I'm glad to hear this resonated with you! And fantastic that you've joined the challenge 🎉
I’m a new subscriber! So you are well on your way to 10,000! Really happy to have found you and looking forward to your content. I always set a fairly low goal and end up smashing it. I have enjoyed reading off my TBR shelves which have included many books that were prize winners, best sellers, widely recommended. Last year I started with books published in 2013 in Jan and ended with 2024 in Dec and will start with 2014 this year. Lots of others thrown in between of course
I don’t tend to set formal reading goals because, as you said, it can tend toward feeling like work. I am working on what I’m calling a “reading project” (which honestly sounds even more like work now that I’ve written it out 😂) which I kicked off on my birthday last year to re-read a list of 24 books (carefully curated by me) that have stuck with me over the years (or weeks in some cases). I read some of the books almost 40 years ago and am quite a different person now - I’m very curious to see how they speak to current me. (The Pillars of the Earth and The Poisonwood Bible, which I noticed on your tome shelf, are both on the list). Outside of that, I’m really just trying to be a more mindful reader- I tend to read a book slowly at the beginning and then speed up once I know who everyone is and what’s going on and by the end, I’m frequently so focused on finishing it that I don’t read it as closely as I might. So that’s a goal of sorts. Happy to have contributed to your subscriber goal!!
That sounds like a really fun project. And I'm always interested to think about how I might respond now to books I read years ago. Totally get your point about reading slowly to begin with - I'm the same! And it means I often remember how books start much more clearly than how they end.
And thank you for deciding to stick around 🎉
This sounds like a great idea, to reread books that stuck with me from my early years. I may borrow this idea. Thank you!
I’m a new subscriber and I’m commenting both to encourage you and to boost the video! No specific goals for reading here. My goals are focused on finishing a first draft of my novel.
Thank you so much! 🙌 And best of luck with the novel!
I agree in slowing my reading down in 2025. My goal last year was 104 and I read 114, but for this year I have set it at 52. I also want to read bigger books from my shelves and enjoy them, not rush through them! I would love to have the courage to start a book tube channel but doubt anyone else would want to hear my perspectives and afraid of rejection! I love these channel I watch and enjoy them feeling of community! Happy New Year!
I try to set my goal to 52 every year, but the last couple of years I’ve gotten carried away and blasted past that. Hoping not to go so mad with it this year!
And on the BookTube side of things: I think you have to start with the intention just to do it for yourself. If other people are interested that is a bonus, but the creative side of it is rewarding in and of itself. And if you did do it and didn’t enjoy it, you can delete it any time. Which is all to say: if you’re curious, give it a go!
Thank you for the kind words and happy new year to you too 😊
I also read 101 books in 2024 and that was way more than usual for me. It happened in a similar way... I read more just by chance and then I felt like that goal was attainable and so started reading shorter books faster and it was fun to get there but I wan't to read longer books and be more relaxed about it this year. My goal is only 50 this year. East of Eden was one of my top ones that I'd been meaning to get to...and that was the first book I finished in 2025. Other longer reads on my list are "The Bee Sting" and "Wolf Hall". I want to read one Fiction Pulitzer prize winner per month rather than Booker winners although I do try and do a Booker prize winner now and then! Thanks for your video!
It's funny how we fall into these traps of unstated goals 😅 But it's done now, and good to reflect on it! Funnily enough East of Eden is one I just saw as someone else's top book of the year, so I think the universe is trying to give me a nudge. The Bee Sting is fantastic so I hope you love it!
Gosh, I am in the same boat about videos taking forever to prepare. I don't do wrap-ups (or haven't) so every video is kind of trying to reinvent the wheel. I might start doing wrap ups once a month just to have something standard at least once every few weeks to do! Wonderful goals - happy new year!!!
Wrap ups are a useful staple bit of content for sure, and something people search for! But for me they have become among the highest-effort videos I do. I probably just need to let myself cut back on detail, but I can’t resist spending ages thinking of something insightful to talk about for each book… otherwise I end up questioning the point 😅
And happy new year to you too! 🎉
Thanks for all your great content Ben! Thoughts on the Book News- I like these videos, maybe make them seasonal? So it’s a spring book news, summer book news etc. Then you don’t have to do it so often. Just notable books released in that time, notable news, prizes etc. Just a thought. I’ve joined the prompts, looking forward to it! Hope you have a great 2025 😊
Thanks for watching, and for the suggestion! 🙌
I do think the actual 'news' part of the book news is less abundant and harder to find - not much wild stuff beyond prizes seems to happen in the publishing industry 😅 So maybe less frequent make sense. Will think on it.
Happy 2025 to you too!
Happy New Year Ben.
I agree there is something special about the experience of reading a big book over time. I have two in mind for this year, but we'll see.
My reading goals are deliberately pretty loose and I only have two: 1) Buy fewer new books/ read more from my own bookshelves and 2) read more non-fiction.
I am using your Read Good Challenge this year to make a dent in the (far too many) unread books on my shelves, but I'm not too fussed about how many I actually get to. I've added 5 Anne's for January and six blue-covered books for September! Most months have multiple options.
I have accumulated so many books I am genuinely excited to read that have been sitting on my shelves for far too long. It's slightly ridiculous.
That's wonderful to know the challenge is helping you tackle your own shelves. I've heard a few other people say the same and I think it's such a cool way to tick off the prompts. And yeah being chilled about it is totally the way to go. I don't want the challenge to feel like work for anyone!
I like your goals for 2025. I, too, agree with several points. I don’t want to read a specific number of books for all the reasons you express. 2024 for me was reading authors I hadn’t yet read. Being a retired publishing professional, I enjoyed being free from the pressure of “reading for work”, which takes a lot of joy out of reading. I still have plenty of authors I have yet to read, so there will be more of that for me in 2025. I totally agree with your book review perspective. I think reviews are most effective when they are personal and evocative of your reading experience. Not all books evoke a need for me to express my thoughts, and for those I move along. 😉 I least enjoy a “plot review”. Those reviewers who rely on telling the plot lose me at the get go. I approached the Pulitzer Prize the way you spoke about the Booker. In 2024 I found some of my top reading experiences from selecting recent category winners from the Pulitzer Prize including runners up. I read some Booker winners, too. I also use this strategy to dive into backlist for enhancing my missing author selections. As for new publishing, I am well acquainted with creating hype and buzz and momentum, and some of my new book reading was tainted by hype over substance. Curiously, the end of year reading wrap ups had some previously under publicized (and some over publicized!) and I picked up a number of potential reads for 2025. Finally, thank you Ben, for responding to comments on your videos. For me, it’s pleasant to have conversations about reading. Taking the time to read and comment is keeping your channel distinctive. 😉❤️📚
That's so great you have lots of time to dedicate to reading, and it must be wonderfully freeing to read for pleasure after having read for work for so long!
Agree with you on reviews. I do try to give a quick view of the premise but don't see much point in going through the plot step by step. A review only needs enough detail to ground the emotional and intellectual response to the work.
New releases often do pull me in with their hype, but I need to make a conscious effort to resist until the dust has settled. I think a rule I might make for this year is not to buy any hardbacks unless I'm going to read them right away.
And no problem when it comes to replying to comments - it's half the fun of having a channel!
Stumbled across your channel yesterday and love your reading goals!
I just need to read the books I already own, and use the library more for books I’m not sure I’ll enjoy but want to give a go
Lost Children Archive is one of the most powerful and moving books I have ever read. It tends to divide opinion though! The first half is quite slow, very 'intellectual', I actually wasn't in the mood and put it down for a few months. Then I restarted it, and omg I was so glad. Try to avoid seeing spoilers about the second half! After finishing the book I actually struggled to sleep for a few nights as it was going round and round my head. I'd like to reread it this year.
That sounds like my kind of jam, and 'most powerful and moving' is quite the superlative. Thank you for the recommendation!
I definitely think you can reach 10k this year. ❤
To be honest I can hardly believe it's in sight. So weird to me! 😅 Thank you!
Unrelated to the video talk but love your jersey ✨
Thank you! Managed to find it 60% off in the post-Christmas sales, so I was very pleased with it!
Ah the struggle of reading short books because they give you so many good feelings. I have picked up so many short audiobooks last year, to have that listen in one go experience. Granted it is a reflection on my lack of focus on bigger books. Still would love to read longer books this year as well. I like reading goals to be informative of your reading and not just random ticking of lists goals. So love your goals.
I think sometimes you just need to read the right books at the right time, and often shorter books give you that little jolt you need. They're great for when you're feeling a bit demotivated or distracted. But definitely want to get into more longer books in 2025. Glad the goals chimed with you, and thanks for watching!
Anna Karenina is a joy to read! I hope you enjoy it, because I love how Tolstoy explores the relationships between different characters. There’s some sections about agriculture that I could have done without, but it didn’t detract from the story overall. Can’t wait to hear your verdict 😊 I also want to recommend The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte as a very readable and somewhat progressive classic.
Ooh thanks for the recommendation - I've seen a few people reading the Bronte lately, so maybe it will be a good one. It's always nice, especially with a widely-read book, to be able to read it and then dive into what other people think about it and compare reading experiences.
Those sound like great goals! I have a very busy year ahead, so I'm not going to set any specific goals, but i hope I'll get to 52 books and I want 90% of my reads to be by BIPOC, LGBTQ+, Neurodivergent and/or Disabled women.
Sometimes not being specific is great - gives you a bit of freedom and less pressure! Hope you have a year of great reading ahead.
Those classics sound like they’ll be your things for sure. I’ll honestly be shocked if you don’t like them. But what’s important is reading what we want to and not what we feel pressured to. You’re right that reading for joy is the goal. I hope your year will be as you intend 🥰 At least setting intentions is the right start! And it’s not so much about staying “true” to them but true to yourself and how you feel. And I’m right there with you when it comes to the part about feeling overly drawn by the new releases. Especially Instagram makes it hard for me to not feel slightly gluttonous (let’s be honest, that’s kind of my reaction to “new” books, lol)
I think often for me the barrier to the classics is the language and just the weight of expectation wanting to like them, be able to explain why or why not... and it's just intimidating when books are so beloved and widely studied. Little old me is just a hobbyist reader 😅
Here's to a year of older releases 🥂
I’m so ready for your big book journey!!!
Me too!!! Although I'm still waiting for it to start because I'm partway through a 5-novellas-in-5-days vlog for the new year and completely undermining my own goals 😂
I love the idea of slowing down my reading pace by focusing on fewer books in 2025 and savoring each one with a more intentional approach. I also enjoy the idea of diving into backlist books, as I too feel a certain pressure of always keeping up with the latest releases. I’d like to escape that and appreciate the great books that are already out there. ❤
There are so many great books out there, aren't there! I think I just need to find the balance between old and new. Very excited to try!
❤ I can not lie. I like big books! 😂Happy 2025 🎉
Something you can't deny! Happy new year 🥳
Reading Booker winners sounds like a fun goal! I used to want to do that too, maybe I will again soon haha. There are many gems among the shortlists and longlists though. Reef by Romesh Gunesekera from 1994 comes to mind, Max Porter’s Lanny from 2019 too. Two books that I just loved and would likely reread again someday.
That's so funny - when I visited the 'Booker Library' a few weeks ago in London, Reef was one of the books that stood out to me. Had never heard of it before, but it caught my eye and I bought a copy!
@benreadsgood Cool! Well I hope you enjoy it as much as I did years ago. Happy reading!
I just discovered your channel & I’m overjoyed because I really like the books that you have recommended. Being late-not knowing until today about the “Annuary” challenge-I recommend “The Gathering,” by Anne Enright, 2007 Booker Prize winner. Like you, I aim to read more Booker winners and shortlisted books, 3 out of 10 thus far from 2024. Thanks for doing this!!🎉
Ahh that's so great - glad you have stopped by 😊 And you know what, by chance I'm currently planning on The Gathering being my Ann-uary pick!
@ that’s great.!! What does that mean-are they discussed or just recommended. I’ll find out soon I suppose!
@ Also, I’m now reading “Inventory,” Darran An[n]derson, a memoir about growing up during the “troubles” in N. Ireland, so well written from a boy’s memory recalled with a man’s wisdom, a unique format (chapters entitled after childhood’s common objects) that takes you right there with feeling as opposed to a news or an historical account.
Wishing you all the best to complete your reading and channel goals both in 2025. 100 books along with a full-time job, wow! Love the goal of reading less (don't get to hear that one often 😊) and enjoy the ride.
My 2025 reading goals:
1. Total 28 books (this odd number being the number of books I finished in 2024)
2. Hopefully complete the Read Good Challenge with only the books in my physical TBR (almost found 11 of them for the prompts, will figure out the ann-uary issue later). Last time I was able to do 8. This also being an excellent way to shrink those unread books on the shelf.
3. Read more books for my books around the world challenge (12 lined up for this year but I might be more flexible on the numbers)
4. Read books by authors I have previously loved. For the past 2-3 yrs I have stayed away from repeating authors to experience a wider range of books. But this year I want to read more from them.
5. Read books that I already own (complementary with #2)
There are a couple of more things I wanted to do such as read more non-fiction, but no commitments there.
I love to have goals but I don't get too hung up on them. The goal creation process itself is a lot more fun for me. So I don't stress too much about the results. There is a lot of stress already in life, I can't have my hobby add more to it.
Love these goals. Especially like number 4 - I wonder sometimes why I don't read more from authors I know I have read and loved before. Knowing you're in good hands is such a treat!
And absolutely agree on not getting hung up on goals. It's not like anyone is going to give you a performance evaluation 😂
I read a lot but refuse to have any numerical goals because I do think it can create a subconscious bias away from long books. I love a short book that packs a lot into a small space but we need room for the Anna Kareninas and Middlemarches. And please do keep booktube fun for yourself.
Yeah that's completely sensible - I wish I had the self-restraint to resist! But I am determined to make this year a year of bigger books, because I do always love them when I read them. I'm into my first 600-pager already (Cloud Cuckoo Land) and really enjoying it.
LOVE that sweater, Ben! ❤
Thank you so much - I'm so pleased with it that I need to stop myself wearing it for every video 😂
I loved Salvage the Bones, we read that one in one of my English classes in college.
Very excited to read that one - I've only heard glowing things.
Happy New Year Ben! 'Pumping those chunksters ' nearly made me choke on my cava and my first hearty laugh of 2025 😂. I'm just setting an achievable page number goal so I can get through some of the large books on my shelves and stop me buying even more books to just sit there unread. I do enjoy your in-depth reviews .... just bought Glorious Exploits as a result. I'm sure you'll achieve 10K by year-end, and you come across as a complete natural.
Honestly as soon as that came out of my mouth I was like 'wtf have I just said' 😂
A page goal makes a lot of sense - I should think about that too. And yeah I do enjoy a good in-depth review (my reviews in wrap-ups only seem to be getting longer) but sometimes I just want to read something without thinking too hard about it 😅
Thank you for the kind words, and happy new year to you too!
Happy New Year, Ben! Those are some great goals. I am confident that you will also achieve your subscriber-goal, but good luck nonetheless! I joined the Read Good Challenge and signed up to be a Booktube judge, so 'completing' those are my reading goals for 2025. For the Read Good Challenge, I plan to read mostly from my shelves. I've picked two books that I don't own yet, but I hope to borrow those from the library.
I am about to make my goals video so watched this for inspiration!!
I'd love to see more backlist books and some classics on your channel 😊
I've stopped doing wrap ups regularly and do more Friday Reads videos for exactly the reasons you gave - reviewing is much easier when a book is fresh, or you're talking about a current read. Just an idea in case it helps!
I love book news but totally understand it's hard work. I love the kindle list you curate although you always add to my tbr haha.
Happy New Year and good luck with the channel growth - at least I can say I was here from the start when you're mega famous 😉😉 x
Thanks for watching Sarah - looking forward to hearing your goals! The Friday Reads thing does sound great for freshness, but I do worry about the number of videos I'd end up making 😂 But maybe I should try it.
Happy new year to you too! 🎉
I don't do Friday reads every week, or I agree!! I struggle to film once per week 😂 whatever you do, we'll enjoy your content 💕
super random but absolutely love that jumper
Thank you! I got it the other week on sale and was so pleased with it 😅
Remember to add Lonesome Dove to your TBR list. And I saw Pillars of the Earth on your shelf. Happy reading in 2025! I’m reading Tom Lake by Ann Patchett now…so I’m all set for the January challenge.
It's on there! I actually tried to get a copy recently, but in 5 different bookshops I couldn't find one. The universe is conspiring to stop me buying books 😂
Great choice for January!
@ There is always Amazon! Also Centennial by James Michener. I had to reserve James at my public library…I’m #32!
Some big books are really pacey, I think most of my favourites were more than 400 pages, but didn't seem that long because I was enjoying reading them so much. Happy Reading.
That’s so true! When a book grips you it often doesn’t matter that it’s long.
Happy reading to you too!
Some great goals Ben. I love the read less goal I think that’s important (although 101 books is a number i never get near) I actually set my reading goal at 1 book for this year just to stop myself from racing for numbers even though I try not to. 😊
That's a good tactic to try and avoid the race against the goal number! I do normally set it to 52, but somehow still get swept along 😅
Loved Songs of Achilles! Anything by that author is excellent. East of Eden - great story.
Thanks for re-upping those two. Definitely ones I want to get to soon!
Happy New Year, Ben! Positive you will reach your goal! From a new follower from the DR 🇩🇴
Thank you for watching, and for deciding to stick around! 🙌
Some brilliant books there. I really want to read from my shelves, I only read 12 on my shelves in 2024 and the rest were from the library. I've started buddy reading with friends to give me some structure, instead of picking up the next shinny new thing....that might actually not be that satisfying. I still like to read at least 100 pages a day to feel like I'm making progress and not doom scrolling. Happy Reading 😀
Doing lots of reading from the library is awesome too! Nice work!
Reading is *definitely* so much better than doom scrolling. But it takes so much willpower, doesn’t it! I’m trying to leave my phone in another room more often, but need to take it slowly and wean myself off.
I almost passed out when you said you’d not read The Song of Achilles. Ooh you’ve a treat there! Interesting that you think it’s more of a risk picking a new book from a backlist one. I think it’s equal with every book, so I guess I’m saying just go with new or old and just enjoy either or both. Hahaha. Here’s to a fab year of reading in 2025.
I feel like a terrible gay for not having read it yet! 😅
And yeah that's interesting - I guess I just find that with backlist, there are more reviews to look at, more people who will have read it who can explain what they liked or didn't like. Even negative reviews can sometimes make me realise that I *will* like a book because I like the thing the reviewer doesn't. New books don't come with as much intel! But I know you're a fan of going into books blind so perhaps it's my excessive research that impacts my view on this 😂
Happy reading to you too!
Read Pillars of the Earth and World Without End ~ So worth it! Happy New Year and thanks for another great video!
Thanks for the nudge! I would like to tackle the Follett sometime this year if I can. Hopefully the big book drive will push me toward it.
Definitely a goal (non quantified at the moment) to read more of what I already own, to quit thinking I can read everything that catches my attention. I'm torn on the reading longer books - I enjoy a well written long book, but I read two long books at the beginning of 2023 (The Book of Jacob [992] & The High Sierra: A Love Story [560]). I've felt I've been playing catch-up since then. Sounds like you have a plan, hope it makes for an enjoyable reading year.
Yeah that thing of wanting to read everything that catches your attention really chimes with me. I hear about something and get excited straight away, and then it goes on the backlog never to be touched for a couple of years. It needs to stop 😅
Happy reading in 2025!
Omg not me reading an Annuary book completely on accident! Im so excited to be participating haha. (I’m reading Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid!) :)
We love an accidental Ann-uary! 👏
Sound goals Ben. Because I suffer terribly from FOMO I suddenly in the middle of 2024 stopped recording my reads on Goodreads and just read what I wanted to when I wanted to. I immediately felt better! I still read heaps every day but without the pressure I was feeling. Always have a classic on the go and I do listen to them often on audible. Currently listening to David Copperfield read by Richard Armitage. Marvellous!! All the best for 2025 and your goals and expectations. 🤗 p..s. I have joined your yearly challenge 😅💕
That's an interesting tip on just not tracking! Maybe I will have to give it a go one day, but a first step for me might be just tracking in one place... I'm currently on both Goodreads and The Storygraph 🫣
Happy new year, and fab to hear you're doing the challenge. Happy reading! 🎉
Happy new year, Ben! These are great goals. Good luck with these and I'm looking forward to all your upcoming videos!
I've picked The Narrows by Ann Petry for the January prompt. That's also a big book that was sitting on my shelf.
Thank you so much! Appreciate the support... maybe I will even stick to these goals now that so many people have seen them 😂
Hope you're enjoying your Ann-uary pick!
Lots of good books for you coming this year! Having read most of the ones on your list, you are for in for some excellent reading time. I am also leaning towards reading some of the tomes that keep being pushed back. That was a goal for last year, however life threw that idea out the window. Thanks Ben, looking forward to keeping up with you in 2025.
"You are in for some excellent reading time" ...that's exactly what I need to hear!
Thanks for watching, and happy reading 📖
The book news videos are really great. I had a look at previous videos but I'm not seeing anything obvious to cut out. Maybe the feel good story? More generally I would say don't put pressure on yourself. If you don't have time to search for bargains or a feel good story, don't worry about it. Book news is such a fun and truly interesting format of videos that I haven't come across in other UA-camrs. I feel like they're the ones that will contribute to your subscribers goal. It's certainly the first video I saw and subsequently hit subscribe and went back to previous book news videos!
Thank you for the feedback, and glad to hear you like them! Aiming for the return next month, and I’ll do some thinking on the format before then. Will bear your thoughts in mind 🙏
Yay for book news! I especially like it when you keep track of all the book awards for us. I can remember the dates for the major ones, but there's too many to keep up with and a monthly overview of what's going on is great.
I am a sucker for the awards calendar, so that bit will definitely be staying when book news returns. Thanks for the feedback!
Good luck with your goals! The big book one is definitely something I also need to do.
I became too focused on finishing at least 2 books a week in my vlogs this year. I want to try and relax and not put the pressure on myself to read as much as possible
Yeah I think some of the self-imposed rules and deadlines and targets feel really important, but once you step back from them a bit you realise they're just a bit silly, especially if they're adding lots of pressure. More relaxing reading is what we need!
I juggle between classics and contemporary literary fiction. This works best for me, as they complement each other and adds variety to reading different writing styles.
I like that - it's like alternating between savoury and sweet foods. You enjoy each even more that way!
New to your channel and find it very enjoyable. Some of my favorite big books are Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace, Seven Pillars of Wisdom by T.E. Lawrence, and Sometimes a Great Notion by Ken Kesey.
Thank you for being here! Infinite Jest is such an interesting... I don't want to say 'interesting book' because I haven't read it, but interesting cultural artefact? People have such strong reactions to it, and it intrigues me so much! And One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is an all-time favourite for me, so I really should read more Kesey.
Just discovered your channel yesterday! Greetings from Canada! I'm trying to get more into reading, but I'm v picky.
Yay, so glad you found it, and even happier you're choosing to stick around! 🙌
I'm new to your channel and absolutely loving it! I would encourage you to read East of Eden. It is one of my all time favorites and based on the videos of yours that I've seen i think we like the same type of books. Happy New Year!
Ahhh thank you so much, that is so lovely to hear! And fab to have a recommendation for East of Eden. It's a little intimidating so I need all the encouragement I can get to pick it up 😅
Happy new year to you too 🎉
I agree about reading fewer books! I'm setting a much lower goal to focus on reading longer books and classics. I find listening to audiobooks can make reading classics easier.
That’s a good shout about classics on audio. I’m actually tempted to try out this app called Audrey that does classics on audio but with extra content and guided reading. Seems pretty cool.
Happy new year! Good luck with your goals!!
Happy new year to you too! Hope you've had a good start to the year 🙏
I do hope you are able to get to Anna Karenina, and the Steinbecks, they are fantastic! I've read Grapes of Wrath 5 or 6 times and am probably ready for another rereading, it is just beautiful writing, and so poignant. Good luck with your goals!
Thank you for the encouragement! Hoping this is the year to prioritise them 😊
I love to set goals for my reading for similar reasons to you. I can get sucked into reading a lot of books that I'm not too interested in or trying to burn through a huge number of books as fast as possible. So I also have the goal of reading less, reading slower, and being more intentional when I pick up a book (trying not to pick up a book just for the fomo of it all lol)
Yeah it's an easy thing to get pulled into isn't it! FOMO is often the worst reason to read something, especially when you just know something isn't likely to be your jam. Here's to more intentional reading in 2025!
Happy New Year! I don’t make many reading goals for myself though I do aim for completing 2 books a month. That being said I didn’t reach that goal in 2024. I’d suggest just doing reviews of whatever speaks to you when you have the time. I enjoy wrap ups, but I can see they can be a lot of work. Whatever you can manage is much appreciated!
I think it's definitely good to keep goals low stakes and not worry about not meeting them! The main thing is to enjoy your reading. And on a similar note, to enjoy reviewing. Thank you for the feedback 😊
Look forward to hearing your thoughts on Jesmyn Ward's Salvage the Bones. An amazing writer, and such a great book. It's no wonder she's won the National Book Award twice. I know you are going to love her.
Hoping I'll love her stuff too! Very excited to finally get to it.
Backlist Bookers are also on my goal list, as well as a few big books. East of Eden and Lonesome Dove, as well as read what I already own are also on my TBR and goals list. Thanks Ben for your insights. ❤
Fun that we have some of the same goals! You'll have to tell me off if I fall out of step with you 😅
such great reading goals and reflections! best of luck in 2025 and you’ll definitely reach 10k!
Thanks Ebony! It's nice to have a little milestone when the new year rolls around to think with some intention about reading, isn't it? Finger crossed for 10k for you soon as well 🤞
I feel the same way: I already have stressful performance goals at my job😂. I want fun no pressure goals for my reading. This year I’m doing my first prompts and chose yours. They seems like such an interesting well-though out and fun combination you’ve made 😃.
I know right! Reading needs to be the escape from that stuff 😅
So glad to hear you like the sound of the prompts. Hope you have lots of fun with them 🙏
Still developing my goals but I do know for sure I want to read more Translated fiction and more Non-fiction. I try not to go after the shiny new books but watching Booktube always excites me about something I need to pick up soon. I won't give up Booktube so I need to try to learn a little discipline. I want to get too more of the books on my shelf. And this is the year of War and Peace for me. I conquered The Count of Monte Cristo this year and War and Peace has been hanging out as a goal for many years (I've actually started it a few times but I am planning on useing audio and print editions together and I think this will help me to get into the meat of the book as I've gotten bogged down in the early pages previously. Please keep the Book news videos as I find them the most unique and special part of your channel. Have a great 2025 in reading and life. Thanks for making many of my early mornings more enjoyable.
Great goals! And hopefully if I stick to my own goals and read more backlist, this channel will at least not be as much of a source of temptation for new books 😂 But learning discipline is exactly the thing... I need to do the same!
Book news will be back for sure - thank you for the feedback!
Happy reading in 2025 🎉
Make this the year that you read The Poisonwood Bible, and I also loved The Lost Children Archive
Very excited to read both!
Song of Achilles and East of Eden are on my list as well.
We gotta read them soon Shelly!
Your videos are so good, Ben. They're really a cut above. As to classics, if you're going to read Anna Karenina, read the translation by Pevear and Volokhonsky. It's so good, I went on to read their translation of War and Peace, which I surely would not have done if I weren't so taken by their work. Happy new year and happy reading!
Ahh thank you so much, that is a very kind thing to say. I will check which translation of Anna Karenina the one I have is - I hadn't even thought about that!
Happy new year to you too 😊
I found your channel a few days ago and have subscribed, and joined your 2025 challenge (a first for me - I guess the prompts seemed more compelling than others I've seen). Good luck with your goals!
I've set a goal to get back into Robin Hobb's very long fantasy series (series of series, I should say) and hopefully complete at least two more triologies. Also to finish Infinite Jest which is both very long and very dense - I put it on pause a month or so after only about 200 pages, but hopefully I can finish it in the next few months. Otherwise, my main goal is to read from my shelves (overlapping goal with your challenge and the other goals I mentioned), and stay focused on reading for enjoyment and learning rather than compulsion. I've identified several specific books (25 for '25) that I see as top choices for the year, but if my priorities change as the year goes on, that's OK too.
Thanks so much for deciding to stick around! And I love that the prompts have inspired you to join in ❤️
Long fantasy series sound very rewarding, but there is something I find so intimidating about thousands of pages ahead of me before starting. Maybe one day!
Best of luck with your goals, and love that you are being chilled about them. That's how it should be!
Love your book news especially the part about books to screen.
Thanks very much - useful to know you like that bit! 🎥
Wow, we are on the same wavelength with our reading goals including some of your TBR!
Great minds think alike! 🧠
Things fall apart and Trumpet are amazing books. Happy reading in 2025!
That's great to hear - I am so excited about both!
My reading goals for the year are at least one nonfiction a month and to read down my owned books. A reading adjacent goal is to face my social anxiety and join an in person book club this year.
Those are great goals! And I do love a good in-person book club. It's fun to chat in real time about what we thought (and also just catch up on non-book things!)
Happy New Year Ben! Great to hear about your goals for the year, I really appreciate the work that goes into your channel. I’m actually trying to be a bit more structured in my reading this year and like you want to read more of what’s already on my shelf.
Happy new year to you too, and thank you so much for the kind words! Adding a little structure to reading can definitely feel like a chore at first, but can add so much in terms of what you get out of it. Best of luck!
Ben, good luck with this goal! It foes look attainable for you! Happy New Year!❤
Thank you so much, and happy new year!
Happy New Year, Ben!
Happy new year to you too!
I think “Invisible Man” is a remarkable book. I’ve read it more than once, but not in a long while. “Battle Royal” is sometimes published as a short story.
Thanks for helping reinforce that one - I'm really looking forward to it!
One of my goals for 2025 is the same as one of yours and that's to read more big books! I have a bit of big book fear and I'm trying to get over it. Your Read Good Challenge is actually helping me with that already, for Ann-uary I'm reading Fayne by Ann-Marie MacDonald. It's 736 pages and once I finish it'll be the longest book I've ever read!
It's a deal - more big books 🤝 Starting off with a 700+ pager is impressive, and I'm so pleased to hear it fits the January prompt 🎉
Happy New Year, Ben! 🎉 I do have a thought on reducing the pressure on reviews, if you wanted to continue reviewing at all, what about just reviewing the stand out book from the stack of books that you read during the timeframe. Or alternatively just give a brief, one sentence review on the top 3. Your reviews are excellent but agree it shouldn’t be a burden - that’s no fun. I have set a goal to read a specific list of books I keep meaning to read but setting aside because of events etc. only participating in the Reads Good Challenge, Historathon and then we shall see. Thanks for sharing your goals and thoughts about the channel. Hope you have a marvelous reading year!
Happy new year to you too! Thanks for the suggestion on reviews. I actually did try to reduce some reviews down to premise/liked/dislikes for each book, but I still managed to go on and on and on 😂 Perhaps I need to have another go at that and be more ruthless with keeping it succinct. Or as you say just having an 'and the rest' part of the video where I explicitly won't do detailed reviewing.
Thrilled you're doing the Read Good Challenge! 🎉
Happy New Year. I hope it's a great one for you. I'm off to a crazy start. I joined Historathon2025, a philosophy-thon, a Proust read along, and a Dante read along. All that in addition to my usual reading interests. I'm currently on track for success. Sure, I didn't sleep at all last night, but that was only partly due to reading, and mostly due to not starting until well after midnight. I'd like to predict a more restful sleep in store for me tonight, but I'm currently missing a 40oz jar of peanut butter, and that's a little vexing. I don't miss it (yet); I just wonder where it is. (FTR: not in the oven, not in the microwave; I checked twice.)
Wow you've dived straight into the new year!!! Hope you manage to get some decent shuteye, and that the pesky PB jar turns up 👀
I really like the book news videos but if you're looking for a section to drop, I never cared about the deals/discounts section because I don't live in the US or UK and buy most of my books second hand anyway😅 looking fwd to your videos as always! x
Thank you for the feedback! Yeah that could be a good shout really. It does take me a fair bit of time to curate the deals, and while I know people enjoy them it's bascially just a sub-list of what's already available.
Happy new year 😊
Savage the Bones was fantastic
Really looking forward to that one! Can't believe I haven't read any Jesmyn Ward yet to be honest.
Was tempted to write this about you in the third person but i cant be bothered 😂
I think with classics it's about the why - I'm trying to work out what types of classic book i actually like by treating them just like any other books - read some of the 'hyped' and see if i like them, read the ones most thematically similar to what i like in contemporary, and don't bother trying to get a broad sweep of 'everything' (if thats even possible) but read more from authors i like and their contemporaries/the works that inspired them.
I say that like i read loads of classics, i don't, I'm in a similar boat to you! I'm starting the year with a balanced diet of Cranford and Lapvona, probably going to end in weird dreams...
Hope you discover some new favourites in 2025 🎉🎉 i get that there must feel a real pressure (even if not explicit) to persue the new on booktube, but i find it interesting to see people picking from their shelves.
Ben is very grateful for your comment and... oh I can't be bothered with this third person schtick either haha.
That's a good perspective on classics. I think for sure I just want to know why they've endured, and how they've informed what's being written today. But I sometimes just struggle with the language!
Here's to a year of good reading (and weird dreams) in 2025 🍾
happy new year, Ben!
Happy new year to you too! 🎉
I encourage you to read more backlist as a lot of booktubers read all the nominated books.....and live to hear about older boojs i can by used. But, you can even go farther back than those you listed that are not that old. 😅
It’s definitely something I want to do this year! Although I have to warn you: I still love the Booker so I’ll be doing that longlist again this year.
And absolutely want to read even older books, those were just some ones top of mind for me. Lots of my ‘classics’ picks are actually more ‘modern classics’ too 😊
I stopped reviewing and talking about every book and felt far less (admittedly self-imposed) pressure and much happier. I also felt like I was reading for me more than for the channel - I didn’t have the constant thought in the back of my mind while reading that I needed to have something to say about whatever I read. Now I only film review videos when I do have something to say!
I knew of all people you would have a completely practice, reasonable answer for the review pressure thing. You are the queen of sensible Booktubing!
My reading goals for 2025 would be to read what I have on my shelves as I do not need another book right now. I try to read books seasonally to dive right into the subject and feel the cold of winter for instance. I am proud that I am able to choose better books for myself. You have one book, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, that I also have to read. Give a heads up when you're going to read it, and I will follow along. If I were doing book news for a channel, I would focus on what news really interests me and may not be covered by others; tell why you care about the news too. Good luck, Ben, in reaching your goals in 2025.
Great goal! We should all do more reading from our shelves. And thank you for the news feedback, super helpful 🙏
Happy new year Ben! Like you I’m just going for intentions this year. I decided I didn’t want to read more books this year but love your idea of actively trying to read less. Manifesting that 10k for you! ♥️
Happy new year to you too! Yeah it's not really worth making things too hard on yourself is it? Reading is supposed to be fun! Thanks so much ❤️
Happy New Year Ben! A really thoughtful video with great goals both for reading and for the channel. I struggle a lot with the new book/backlist book issue and I use the reading prompts as a way to focus on backlisted books and books I already own. I do enjoy reading the entirety of the Booker and WP longlists as I value those prizes, but I am going to try not to read a book just because it’s buzz worthy and focus instead on whether or not it sounds like something I would really enjoy. Here’s to a great reading year!
It's a constant struggle isn't it! But I suppose in the grand scheme of things one of the nicer problems to have. I like the idea of using challenges to read backlist though - that's a good (and very doable!) constraint.
I'll also be doing the entire Booker list this year, but I may just do the Women's Prize shortlist as the timelines are so tight, and half to fun of the longlist-to-shortlist phase is selecting my own shortlist.
@ That’s a good point about the Women’s Prize! I’m hoping that I will have read several of the longlisted titles by the time the list is announced, which will help!