Today’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt is Bookish Goals for 2025, and I’m linking up with Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. Check out upcoming Top Ten themes on Jana’s blog!
This is going to be a repeat of last year’s challenges, simply because they worked pretty well for me. Except for one, which I’ll explain below. These are all low-key challenges where I can use the books I’m already planning to read and if they work, they work! Otherwise, no biggie. I like to keep the pressure low, but I do enjoy reading challenges. I’m linking each one to original creator, so if you’re interested you can also join in!
1. 2025 Goodreads goal:
For the past few years I’ve set my goal at 75 books, with the hope that I can actually read at least 100. Last year I missed it by a few books, I was pretty close. I’m doing the same this year. I love Goodreads telling me I’m ahead!
2. Bookforager’s Picture Prompt Bingo:
Oooh a fresh game board! I love this challenge, especially since I’m a visual person, it just makes sense. Last year I did a lot of “loose” interpretation of many of the prompts and I was able to complete the board. Do you want to join too? Check out Bookforager’s Picture Prompt Bingo post here!
3. Alphabet Reading Challenge:
This is a fun, colorful challenge, and last year I filled in all but five letters. I’m trying for more this year, we’ll see how it goes. This template is courtesy of @laurasloaninglibrary on Instagram, and you can download the template for free! (or just save this one)
4. TBR Jar Challenge:
Last year was my first attempt at a TBR jar challenge, and…it didn’t go that well, lol. But I learned some stuff: pick fewer books, and pick books that aren’t doorstoppers.
This year I’ve picked ten books that I really want to read, but for whatever reason I didn’t request review copies. Here are my TBR jar “rules”:
- All books are personal purchases
- All books were published prior to 2025
- None of the books are for review
- Only (2) of these are by authors I’ve read previously (Cackle and Rock Paper Scissors). The others are all new to me authors.
- Only one book was also on last year’s TBR Jar list (The Reformatory), the rest are all new.
- All of these were highly recommended by other bloggers and readers, which is why I want to read them:-)
I may start with Nightbitch, because I’d like to compare the book to the Netflix movie.
Also, I reserve the right to change this list at any time;-)
Good luck with these goals and challenges. I didn’t really get a chance to read much for the first week or so of January so I’m putting off setting my goal on Goodreads until I’ve got going a bit more (I don’t think I can face starting the year by being informed I’m behind). I’m attempting Bingo & Alphabet challenge this year too after becoming intrigued by when I saw them on your page last year. They look so fun. Good luck with the TBR jar this year. I’ve got a couple of your choices on my TBR and I’m going to look into The God Of The Woods as the title & cover are intriguing. Once again good luck.
Thanks Charlotte. I hope we both get the chance to read The God of the Woods.
As always I’m in awe of your goals for the year and I know you’ll do a great job at them as usual. I don’t have any worth mentioning because I suck at challenges. 😛
Ha ha. The key is to not put too much pressure on yourself:-)
One of these years I’m going to try that picture bingo. I hope you enjoy The Reformatory. Good luck!
Thanks Lauren! I can’t wait to find time for The Reformatory.
Love all your goals. I still need to get my challenge post up but doubt it will see the light of day until next week. Oh well, better late than never.
I just realized I didn’t post any blogging challenges, just reading. So I might do another post.
Migrations is just fabulous!
Good luck with your goals. Here are mine: https://wordsandpeace.com/2025/01/14/my-top-ten-bookish-goals-for-2025/
I’m so glad you loved it!
I have a strong preference for lowkey goals, too.
Lowkey is the key to happiness:-)
I love that you’re able to keep these challenges fun and not get stressed out by them. I’m doing the goodreads one like most years, though I’ve lowered my goal to 60. Regarding your TBR challenge, I’ve not read any but I’ve looked up Migrations several times, for what that’s worth. 🙂
I always hear good things about Migrations. I just have to locate my copy now, since it’s in a box somewhere (I’m about to start on M’s in my library cataloging project)
These seem great, and really doable. I try to avoid all but the most basic challenges, but doing challenges that let me count books I’d read anyway is key to any I do choose to do! I’m doing the Goodreads challenge (I do it every year), and have an alphabet-based one for my book group that’s pretty low key. For your TBR challenge, how many are you committing to reading? Or is the goal to read all at some point during the year? I’ve read Cackle and loved it (Rachel Harrison can do no wrong), and God of the Woods is on my TBR as well (and my library copy should be available in the next few weeks). Good luck!
I’m hoping to read all 10 TBR jar books, over the course of the year. Not sure I’ll get to all of them, but hopefully I’ll do better than last year:-)
Mostly doable, but that ‘X’ one is impossible!
Right? I guess you could use a word like “Extra” and that could count??
You have more goals than I do!
I hope I didn’t take on too much, lol.
I am participating in 5 reading challenges but now I’m seriously tempted to take part in that picture prompt bingo too, looks so fun! The Alphabet one also looks fun. I too am trying to keep the pressure low this year! Good luck with all of your challenges and goals!
Yes, low pressure challenges are best for me too!
Sounds good to me. I wish you good luck with these goals.
Thanks Anne:-)
Oooooh I love the TBR Jar! Since you asked, I really enjoyed God of the Woods! Hoping you pick it, and enjoy it too. Good luck with your goals!
I’m so glad you loved God of the Woods! I will definitely read it this year:-)
I’m intrigued by the picture prompt book bingo and the TBR jar! I’ve never tried either of those.
Good luck accomplishing your goals this year!
Thanks Lisa, I think both will be fun challenges:-)
I also set my GR reading challenge at 100 which I’ve done for the past decade. So far I’ve been meeting that goal each year, but the number of books have been steadily dropping. Last year I barely made it! Wondering if this is the year I’ll actually fail, lol.
Hopefully not! I know you read a lot more audio than I do (well, I never read audio, lol) and I know that helps a lot.
I’m all for low key book challenges. I’m not sure if I could get through the alphabet but it might be interesting to find out.
I think you have to search out and read books with the hard letters, and I don’t really want to do that, lol. So I doubt I’ll finish it.
Same. I love reading challenges, but I never take them too seriously. If I finish them, great; if I don’t, no big deal. I just enjoy them because they make my reading more fun. Good luck with all these!
Happy TTT (on a Wednesday)!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
You said it perfectly!
How many interesting challenges!! I wish you the best of luck with them all!!
Thanks Susy!
Good luck with all your challenges.
The Alphabet challenge is back! I was surprised how difficult I found that one last year, most of the book titles I read seemed to start with the same letter all the time, something I’d never really noticed before.
Hope you enjoy The Fog 😀
I noticed that too, certain letters are very popular as the start of book titles!
These are all great goals, Tammy! I love the idea of the TBR jar and that bingo game sounds fun. Good luck with your reading goals this year!
Thanks Wendy! The bingo is a lot of fun:-)
Good luck on your goals! Hope the TBR Jar works out this time.
Thanks! Me too, I’m determined:-)
I always think about the Alphabet challenges. But then stress myself out before I even start. Maybe I’ll try it out this year and see how far I get. Good luck on all your goals!
I haven’t read any of the books on your TBR jar list but my dad really enjoyed The God of the Woods, haha. The cover of CHLORINE has caught my eye!
Good luck with all of these. I would like to do the Picture Prompt – I’m behind already, of course, but I think I can catch up.
Lynn 😀