In my reflections on my 2025 reading, I put together a challenge to help me keep on track with the goals I have for my reading.
I am not trying to be perfect with the challenge and just see it as a way to ensure I am focused on what I want to read! Each month, I will do a recap on the blog.
Here’s how I did in January! To read reviews of all of these books, check out my Goodreads!
All links are Amazon affiliate links. You can also purchase the books through my Bookshop.org shop (affiliate link).
For a fun trip to Iceland in January, I picked up this second chance romance. It had great descriptions of the Iceland attractions and was a good book to prepare for our trip. I also picked up a book while there – Woman at 1,000 Degrees – that might be a good choice for February.
I reread one of my favorite First Lady biographies by my friend Heath and added in a book written by a First Daughter in my Booking It Through History: First Ladies research on Pat Nixon. Be sure to read my post and pick up Heath’s book to learn more about this amazing yet unknown First Lady.
I was fascinated by this behind-the-scenes look at one of my favorite movies, Dirty Dancing. I had no idea about the rest of Grey’s life and career which was so interesting, a real who’s who of Hollywood. And listening to her read her writing added so much!
With the American 250th this year, I want to get through my backlog of American Revolution books. However, I started with this January release by one of my favorite Christian historical fiction authors. It was captivating!
I love time travel books and want to work through my backlog (over 35 books!). These are two new releases that both center around middle-aged women. Full of nostalgia, they are perfect for sentimental Gen X’ers!
This was one of my most anticipated books of 2025, and it was the first book I read in 2026. So moving and powerful!
I have been wanting to read Dana’s sage advice since this book came out last year, so I put it beside my bed and read for 10-15 minutes each night. It has great tips and is perfect for anyone looking to make a career change or start a career.
I am reading The Bible Is For You slowly along with The Bible Recap (see below).
I am keeping up with this daily reading/podcast which has taken me through Genesis, Job, and part of Exodus so far. It’s my third year doing it! Come and join me – it’s never too late to start!
This is one of the parts of the challenge that excites me the most. I am a sucker for Kindle deals but once I purchase a book, it usually falls down my Kindle library, never to be seen again. Now I am scrolling to the bottom of my library and finding the books that I purchased over six years ago when I first bought my Kindle! This was a lovely read about C.S. Lewis’ wife, Joy, who I knew nothing about! I loved the faith elements included.
I read this novel at least three times in my teens/early twenties, and since I always say it’s my favorite book of all time, I thought I’d like to read it again for my fiftieth birthday year. I started it just last week and am already immersed in the story although now I am almost more interested in Scarlett’s mother’s story than Scarlett!
Joy is one of my favorite authors, and I just had one more of her books to read. This is her debut, and it contains the rich historical details that I love in all of her books. Now I am a Joy Callaway completist!
Do you have any reading goals for 2026? I’d love to hear about them!
