Happy New Year!
Every January, the reading world gets loud.
Numbers appear everywhere. Goals. Charts. Color-coded trackers. Streaks. Challenges that promise motivation but often end up feeling like homework. There is nothing wrong with goals if they genuinely excite you.
But this year, I am stepping back from the noise and asking a different question:
Not, how many books do I want to read?
But, how do I want my reading life to feel?
Because reading, at its core, is not a performance. It is not a productivity tool. It is not something that needs to be optimized or measured to be worthy. Reading is meant to be lived inside. It is meant to comfort, to delight, to distract, to soften the edges of real life. It is meant to meet us where we are.
This year, I want my reading life to feel like an invitation rather than an obligation.
I want it to feel gentle. Curious. Cozy. Restful. Alive.
I want reading to slip naturally into my days instead of sitting on my shoulders like a task I am failing to complete. I want books to be companions again, not commitments I feel guilty about breaking.
If you are craving a softer approach to reading this year, you are not alone. And you are absolutely allowed to choose feeling over numbers.
Letting Go of the Pressure to Perform
Somewhere along the way, many of us learned to treat reading like an achievement. We learned to equate worth with quantity. More books meant more success. Fewer books meant we were falling behind.
But reading is not a race. There is no finish line. No prize waiting at the end of the year for having read enough.
When reading becomes something we feel behind on, it stops being restorative. It starts to carry the same stress as everything else we are trying to keep up with.
This year, I am choosing to release the idea that my reading life needs to prove anything.
I am not reading to impress an app.
I am not reading to keep pace with anyone else.
I am not reading to justify my identity as a reader.
I am reading because I love stories. Because I love quiet moments. Because books make the world feel wider and softer at the same time.
If I read a lot, that is wonderful.
If I read a little, that is still enough.
Reading as Rest
One of the most important intentions I am setting this year is allowing reading to be rest.
Not productive rest.
Not rest that leads to growth or self-improvement.
Just rest.
Reading can be a place where our nervous system finally exhales. A place where our minds get to wander without being pulled in 10 directions. A place where we are allowed to pause without guilt.
This year, I want to choose books that feel like sinking into the couch with a warm drink. Stories that do not demand constant attention or emotional endurance. Stories that feel comforting simply to be inside.
Restful reading might look like rereading an old favorite.
It might look like choosing lighter books during heavy seasons.
It might look like stopping mid-chapter when your eyes are tired and trusting you will come back later.
Restful reading does not require finishing.
It only requires permission.
Reading as Curiosity
I also want my reading life to feel curious again.
Curiosity is playful. It asks questions. It explores without expectations. It allows us to follow interests rather than obligations.
Some years, we box ourselves into specific genres or themes because we think we should. We read what feels approved or is popular rather than what genuinely intrigues us.
This year, I want to wander.
I want to pick up books simply because something about them sparks interest. A cover. A sentence. A mood. A setting. A recommendation that lingers in my mind.
Curiosity gives us permission to abandon books that no longer hold us. It reminds us that it is okay to try something and decide it is not for us.
You do not owe a book your time simply because you started it.
You do not owe a genre loyalty.
You do not owe anyone an explanation.
Curious reading keeps things light. It keeps reading playful rather than rigid.
Reading as Companionship
One of the most beautiful roles reading can play in our lives is companionship.
Books can sit beside us during quiet mornings.
They can keep us company during lonely seasons.
They can make us feel understood when real life feels distant.
This year, I want to choose books that feel like friends rather than assignments.
Books that meet me emotionally where I am.
Books that feel familiar even when they are new.
Books that I miss when I put them down.
Companionship reading is not about intensity. It is about presence.
Sometimes it is a cozy mystery while the house is quiet.
Sometimes it is a romance that feels warm and reassuring.
Sometimes it is a cozy fantasy that makes the world feel a little more magical.
Reading does not have to challenge you to matter. Sometimes it just needs to sit with you.
Reading as Joy
At the heart of all of this is joy.
Pure, uncomplicated joy.
Reading should make us feel something good more often than it makes us feel pressured. It should feel like a treat, not a test.
This year, I am choosing joy over shoulds.
That means letting myself read for comfort.
Letting myself abandon books that feel heavy when I need light.
Letting myself read the same kind of book over and over if that is what makes me happy.
Joy does not need justification.
Joy does not need to be balanced.
Joy does not need to be earned.
If a book makes you smile, relax, laugh, or feel less alone, it is doing its job.
Easy and Practical Ways to Create a Softer Reading Life
Creating a reading life that feels good does not require a complete overhaul. Small shifts make a big difference.
Here are seven simple ways to invite more ease and enjoyment into your reading this year:
- Create a reading atmosphere you look forward to. Reading feels different when the environment supports it. A favorite chair. Soft lighting. A blanket. A warm drink. These cues tell your body it is time to slow down.
- Keep a short and flexible TBR (to be read) list. Instead of a towering list that feels overwhelming, keep a small selection of books that match your current mood. Let it change often.
- Give yourself permission to stop (or DNF). Not every book is meant to be finished. Letting go creates space for something better.
- Reread without guilt. Rereading is not wasted time. It is comfort, nostalgia, and emotional safety.
- Read in small pockets of time. Ten minutes count. A few pages count. Reading does not need long, uninterrupted stretches to be meaningful.
- Separate reading from productivity. Resist the urge to track everything. You do not need data to prove your love of books.
- Let seasons guide your choices. Your reading does not need to look the same all year. Heavy seasons may call for lighter books. Busy seasons may call for audiobooks or novellas.
Choosing Feeling Over Finish Lines
This year, I am choosing a reading life that feels kind.
Kind to my energy.
Kind to my attention.
Kind to my emotions.
Kind to the season of life that I’m in.
I am choosing books that feel like a soft place to land. Stories that make my days better rather than fuller. Moments with books that feel intentional, not rushed.
If you are standing at the beginning of a new year feeling tired of pressure, let this be your permission slip.
You do not need a challenge.
You do not need a number.
You do not need a plan that feels rigid.
You only need books that feel good to read.
Let your reading life be something you look forward to again. Let it be gentle. Let it be joyful. Let it belong to you.
Happy Restful Reading!
