For those of you who didn’t have the opportunity to read my post in the fall of 2024, a quick synopsis is this: My goals each year since I started tracking how many books I read in that year finally reached a number (it was 172) that I knew I couldn’t make and admitted defeat that early. I was so far behind that reading had become a chore, rather than a pleasure. With advice from my dear friend, Marnette, I was able to understand that I was in competition with myself, not necessarily a healthy undertaking. Then and there, I set a new goal for 2025 and going forward… My goal was to read 101 books a year so that I could say I read over 100 books a year.
I finished that goal in 2025 on June 11th, and it was liberating to know that anything I read throughout the rest of the year was because I wanted to read. I kept counting, just out of curiosity, and finished 189 books for the year. I learned not to invest time in stories that didn’t capture me and my DNF (did not finish) count was higher than it’s ever been, but I am totally okay with that.
My favorite book for 2025 was Chasing Rabbits, written by Rodolfo Del Toro. A driven medical student’s perspective is challenged when assigned to a pediatric oncology unit, where he learns invaluable lessons from both his colleagues and the brave young patients on the unit. I finished the story with both tears in my eyes and a smile on my lips. I never re-read books, but this is a story I’d read again, knowing the ending and recognizing that I would get more from the story as it unfolds with that knowledge.
Another favorite book, a close runner-up, was A Fall of Marigolds. written by Susan Meissner. This is a story of two women in New York after two horrific events in history – 1911 and 2011 – and a single piece of material that binds their stories.
My reading goal for 2026 is, of course, 101 books and yes, I’ll probably keep track of exactly when I hit it and how much past it I’ll go. I’m just a girl who loves books!
Ramblings and Ruminations 