sooo here for the "reading my physical TBR", "keep trying authors I already read" and "doing more exercise" 2025 goals !!! they sound very more interesting than the "having my best reading year ever" flop
As for reading down your read TBR, I really love the 'read or unhaul' style of video so maybe you could try something like that to help you cycle through your owned books. You could even limit the options for the jar/spreadsheet to books you've owned for over a year or books you don't have the urge to pick up so that you are getting through the backlog for sure!
I am doing quarterly goals : Quarter 1 are 1. Slow down 2. Binge Series 3. Read my ARCs 4. Read 3 nonfiction 5. Make progress on 6 series 6. Write reviews for every novel I read
Something i found really useful for unhauling is seeing if my library, Scribd, or Spotify etc. has the book, so if i want to read it someday i can, but it doesn’t have to take up space on my shelf
It's refreshing to hear a booktuber prioritize quality over quantity of books read. I thought the Recs videos were cool and fun, its a nice way to hopefully find something that was not on your radar (like a librarian/bookseller rec). Hope you find more enjoyable books this year!
Good luck! I think these are all achievable 😊 I’ve made a rule that I only read book 2 in a series if the first book was 5 stars. Otherwise it’s just a crushingly long list of books I’m not excited to read. Series have to earn their place in my attention!
It’s not like you could help the ratings, you had to read the books to know how you felt. I think as long as you got them off of your shelves (reading or unhauling) it’s a win.
For non-fiction, I looove graphic novel memoirs-there is something so personal and engaging about them to me. Some I’ve read and enjoyed: Almost American Girl, El Deafo, Fun Home, Be Prepared, Sisters, Spinning
You could do a video on reading the books that have been on your tbr the longest, or just just randomly select a number and read the book on that position in your tbr list.
Aside from average rating (which is hard to control) I feel like you did so good actually! Last year I hit all my numerical goals (higher avg rating than the year before, number of books in certain genres) but this year I'm going to focus on more vague and qualitative goals like not overcommitting on readathons and taking time reread my favourites
I believe you can unhaul more than 10 books of the 311. I bet there are so many that you tell yourself you want to read someday but like… do you really? When you look at your whole tbr, is that book ever going to be your top choice? Honestly? (Okay, I’m just talking to myself at this point but I bet you can relate!)
I had the goal of reading more from authors I've read before last year and ended up with 51% and highest average rating I've ever had. So maybe you'll get to complete your best reading year goal a year late 😊 Good luck!
This year my attitude to physical books has changed massively - I tend to read the ebook or audiobook as a first port of call and if I love it, only then do I buy it physically. I know that’s controversial bc book collecting/owning is a very different hobby to actually reading!! But for me, moving house made me realise I was hoarding books that I didn’t actually like or that I knew I would never get round to reading. Now I have a more curated collection! It’s also helped with spending bc more often than not I can access ebooks for free or very cheap rather than investing £10-20 for every physical book
My goals are making progress on all the series I started in 2024, reading at least 30 books from authors I loved before, and reading 10 golden age mystery books by authors other than Christie
According to Storygraph, I had the same average of 3.74 in 2023 and 2024. That is unexpected. I thought both years were fine but the same? Now I feel pressure for 2025 to do it again.
I feel like because I rate things kinda generously, read what I'm excited about, and DNF with abandon, I always end up with a super high average rating. 2024's was 4.11. Next year my main goals are to diversify my genres. Like you, I love nonfiction but don't pick it up as often. Same with sci-fi and poetry.
Aside from reaching my numerical reading goal, I was unsuccessful completing the others!😅 Looking back I realize my 2024 goals were not realistic. Like you, my 2025 reading goals are manageable with room for growth.😊
I read 150 books in 2023 and also read around 130 books in 2024 (133), but I don’t see myself ever doing 150 again. 133 was much more comfortable for me
Live how every single booktuber I watched had a nit so good reading year in 2024, including me, makes me feel kinda better that this is a general thing😅
I prefer reading from new authors. Experiencing fresh writing styles is a big part of my overall enjoyment. I wonder what your experience will be. I’ll have to check back in 12 months to find out.
oh absolutely you're getting the win for non-fiction. As someone who really doesn't like non-fiction, I also really don't like memoirs for the same reasons, and therefore by this logic you win lol
My average in 2024 was 3.48 😭 thoughts and prayers to us having a better 2025. This year I want to be better about reading the books that I have high expectations for but keep putting off because I’m intimidated or worried they won’t live up to my expectations.
I think a lot of us ended up with a really bad reading year in 2024. My average ended up being 3.1 stars and I had ONE 5 star the entire year. Also, I think reading 50%+ of authors you've read before is completely doable especially with the series goal you have because a series is always going to be a repeat author. My goals are super easy this year: read 28 books (I want to be more careful about my book choice so it'll probs mean I read less) and no reading challenges (I did way too many challenges and read-a-thons the last two years and it ends up becoming quantity over quality in books for me).
i always thought the more books the better… and one year i read 300 books and 100 comics. at the end of the year my brain felt like a torn up rag. never again! now i have a max per category
Meg pls I’m begging you to read Dead & Gondola by Ann Claire, it’s a cozy murder mystery series & it’s perfect for you!!! I loved it & it’s snowy so now is the perfect time!
For non-fiction, allow me to recommend The House of my Mother by Shari Franke. I'm in the middle of the audiobook right now and it's really well-written!
As someone who is eternally nosy, and is toying with trying out booktubing at some point this year, I'd love to see what you spend on books! Also, idk about the tax laws in the UK, but you might be able to write many of those purchases off on your taxes as they are for work, so even if you don't share the figures, it might be worth keeping track!
I don't even know my average rating cause I pretty much only do 5 star or 1-2 star ratings. If it was an average book I don't bother rating it 🤷🏼♀️ seems like a flawed system now that I think about it 😅
Wait wait wait ...why are you not recording your book spending for self assessment taxes?! They should be a business expense! Just a thought halfway through the video with my book-keeper hat on 😂
How many of your 140 were audiobooks? Just curious because most creators don’t divulge that and I think that listening to audiobooks can provide the same understanding and a similar experience to reading the physical book, however, I don’t count an audiobook for a read list if you were listening to it at 2.5x speed while doing chores or other activities. The reason for this belief is try reading a physical book while you are washing the dishes or working out in the gym. For an audiobook to count you must give it the same time, focus, and effort you give to reading the words (imo)
I’m actually laughing at your reactions to the goals. So real for that😂 same with the money situation 🫣 I don’t need to know, but what I do know is my shelves are stocked ✨📚
I would absolutely EAT UP a big unhaul video from you where you get rid of books you have no interest in anymore 👀
Same!
sooo here for the "reading my physical TBR", "keep trying authors I already read" and "doing more exercise" 2025 goals !!! they sound very more interesting than the "having my best reading year ever" flop
I think you should let yourself stop reading Freida McFadden even if/when she makes the GR best books list.
As for reading down your read TBR, I really love the 'read or unhaul' style of video so maybe you could try something like that to help you cycle through your owned books. You could even limit the options for the jar/spreadsheet to books you've owned for over a year or books you don't have the urge to pick up so that you are getting through the backlog for sure!
"Little Women" is one of my favorite books EVER so I hope you do read and enjoy it this year!
I am doing quarterly goals :
Quarter 1 are
1. Slow down
2. Binge Series
3. Read my ARCs
4. Read 3 nonfiction
5. Make progress on 6 series
6. Write reviews for every novel I read
Everyone seems to have Slow Down as a goal this year which is super interesting.
@ It is a theme I have noticed this year. I know for me I just want to be able to retain what I read a little better
Something i found really useful for unhauling is seeing if my library, Scribd, or Spotify etc. has the book, so if i want to read it someday i can, but it doesn’t have to take up space on my shelf
this!! if I have access to the ebook or audiobook somewhere then the physical is gone.
It's refreshing to hear a booktuber prioritize quality over quantity of books read. I thought the Recs videos were cool and fun, its a nice way to hopefully find something that was not on your radar (like a librarian/bookseller rec). Hope you find more enjoyable books this year!
Good luck! I think these are all achievable 😊
I’ve made a rule that I only read book 2 in a series if the first book was 5 stars. Otherwise it’s just a crushingly long list of books I’m not excited to read. Series have to earn their place in my attention!
Having recently totted up all the series I am currently in the middle of, I think this is great advice!
It’s not like you could help the ratings, you had to read the books to know how you felt. I think as long as you got them off of your shelves (reading or unhauling) it’s a win.
For non-fiction, I looove graphic novel memoirs-there is something so personal and engaging about them to me. Some I’ve read and enjoyed: Almost American Girl, El Deafo, Fun Home, Be Prepared, Sisters, Spinning
You could do a video on reading the books that have been on your tbr the longest, or just just randomly select a number and read the book on that position in your tbr list.
Would love to see you so a video on your top 10 (or 15 or 20...) nonfiction books. I love nonfiction books!
3.7 is so high omg. My average is 3.3 according to goodreads and 3.5 according to fable😂
Aside from average rating (which is hard to control) I feel like you did so good actually!
Last year I hit all my numerical goals (higher avg rating than the year before, number of books in certain genres) but this year I'm going to focus on more vague and qualitative goals like not overcommitting on readathons and taking time reread my favourites
I believe you can unhaul more than 10 books of the 311. I bet there are so many that you tell yourself you want to read someday but like… do you really? When you look at your whole tbr, is that book ever going to be your top choice? Honestly? (Okay, I’m just talking to myself at this point but I bet you can relate!)
I had the goal of reading more from authors I've read before last year and ended up with 51% and highest average rating I've ever had. So maybe you'll get to complete your best reading year goal a year late 😊 Good luck!
Love memoirs and nonfiction! Can’t wait to see your recs!
That jean shirt is SOOOO CUTE!!!!!!!! YOU ARE SO DANG PRETTY AND STYLISH!!!!!!!
a big yes for reading books off your TBR! there's so much good and exciting stuff on there
Good luck 🤞🏻 🍀
I would love to see a read it or unhaul it series from you and/or another wrapped up series
My main goal for this year is conquer my big book fear. Going great so far, I already read 2 500+ page books 😊
Great goals 🙌 My big goal of the year is actually the same as yours! I have over 150 books on my tbr and this number needs to get down 😅
This year my attitude to physical books has changed massively - I tend to read the ebook or audiobook as a first port of call and if I love it, only then do I buy it physically. I know that’s controversial bc book collecting/owning is a very different hobby to actually reading!! But for me, moving house made me realise I was hoarding books that I didn’t actually like or that I knew I would never get round to reading. Now I have a more curated collection! It’s also helped with spending bc more often than not I can access ebooks for free or very cheap rather than investing £10-20 for every physical book
My goals are making progress on all the series I started in 2024, reading at least 30 books from authors I loved before, and reading 10 golden age mystery books by authors other than Christie
According to Storygraph, I had the same average of 3.74 in 2023 and 2024. That is unexpected. I thought both years were fine but the same? Now I feel pressure for 2025 to do it again.
I paused reading Daughter of No Worlds to be here....I must like you!
I don't understand why memoirs wouldn't count for non fiction? They are not Fiction.... so they definitely count!
I think you should do a super brutal unhaul, randomly select a number abd you have to unhaul that many books!
I feel like because I rate things kinda generously, read what I'm excited about, and DNF with abandon, I always end up with a super high average rating. 2024's was 4.11. Next year my main goals are to diversify my genres. Like you, I love nonfiction but don't pick it up as often. Same with sci-fi and poetry.
A moving year is a great year for this big goal. 🥰
Aside from reaching my numerical reading goal, I was unsuccessful completing the others!😅 Looking back I realize my 2024 goals were not realistic. Like you, my 2025 reading goals are manageable with room for growth.😊
You can use the averageif formula to get your average ratings for new to you/read before/debut authors
My 2025 read goals are: read 50 books in the year, make progress/finished series, only buy 15 new books this year and to bring down my physical TBR. 😊
I read 150 books in 2023 and also read around 130 books in 2024 (133), but I don’t see myself ever doing 150 again. 133 was much more comfortable for me
Live how every single booktuber I watched had a nit so good reading year in 2024, including me, makes me feel kinda better that this is a general thing😅
I prefer reading from new authors. Experiencing fresh writing styles is a big part of my overall enjoyment. I wonder what your experience will be. I’ll have to check back in 12 months to find out.
do you have a kindle? might help with the physical tbr goal if you can borrow from libraries or read digitally more!
Emily fox has done a one week one shelf challenge before. Random generate a shelf number then read from that shelf
Oh poor past Meg really with the most optimism. 🥹🥹 bless her.
I am not adding your tbr to mine as it's big enough as it is.
oh absolutely you're getting the win for non-fiction. As someone who really doesn't like non-fiction, I also really don't like memoirs for the same reasons, and therefore by this logic you win lol
I think you're the funniest youtuber im subscribed to. 😂
Yay for non-fic!!!
I definitely want more non fiction content!!
My average in 2024 was 3.48 😭 thoughts and prayers to us having a better 2025.
This year I want to be better about reading the books that I have high expectations for but keep putting off because I’m intimidated or worried they won’t live up to my expectations.
3.7-ish stars is the correct yearly average. Source: Me. 3.73 last year. 2023: 3.7. Reverse course.
I feel like you'd really like "Jane Austen at Home: a Biography" by Lucy Worsley
My goal is series, finish ones I’ve started, binge ones that are complete
I think a lot of us ended up with a really bad reading year in 2024. My average ended up being 3.1 stars and I had ONE 5 star the entire year. Also, I think reading 50%+ of authors you've read before is completely doable especially with the series goal you have because a series is always going to be a repeat author.
My goals are super easy this year: read 28 books (I want to be more careful about my book choice so it'll probs mean I read less) and no reading challenges (I did way too many challenges and read-a-thons the last two years and it ends up becoming quantity over quality in books for me).
i always thought the more books the better… and one year i read 300 books and 100 comics. at the end of the year my brain felt like a torn up rag. never again! now i have a max per category
Meg pls I’m begging you to read Dead & Gondola by Ann Claire, it’s a cozy murder mystery series & it’s perfect for you!!! I loved it & it’s snowy so now is the perfect time!
For non-fiction, allow me to recommend The House of my Mother by Shari Franke. I'm in the middle of the audiobook right now and it's really well-written!
With the tracking how much you spend on books, is that not part of your tax return? As you're spending money for work?
I thought the average was going to be 3.3 or 3.4, so I'm glad it wasn't as bad as that!
£282 in six months isn’t bad at all. In Canada a fricken hardcover is like $35-40 CAD 😭
As someone who is eternally nosy, and is toying with trying out booktubing at some point this year, I'd love to see what you spend on books! Also, idk about the tax laws in the UK, but you might be able to write many of those purchases off on your taxes as they are for work, so even if you don't share the figures, it might be worth keeping track!
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I don't even know my average rating cause I pretty much only do 5 star or 1-2 star ratings. If it was an average book I don't bother rating it 🤷🏼♀️ seems like a flawed system now that I think about it 😅
Did I complete any of my reading goals for last year? Short answer no 🙃
Wait wait wait ...why are you not recording your book spending for self assessment taxes?! They should be a business expense! Just a thought halfway through the video with my book-keeper hat on 😂
How many of your 140 were audiobooks? Just curious because most creators don’t divulge that and I think that listening to audiobooks can provide the same understanding and a similar experience to reading the physical book, however, I don’t count an audiobook for a read list if you were listening to it at 2.5x speed while doing chores or other activities. The reason for this belief is try reading a physical book while you are washing the dishes or working out in the gym. For an audiobook to count you must give it the same time, focus, and effort you give to reading the words (imo)
I’m actually laughing at your reactions to the goals. So real for that😂 same with the money situation 🫣 I don’t need to know, but what I do know is my shelves are stocked ✨📚