Six months are down, and many books have been read. Let’s see how our midterm report looks and if we are meeting the goals we set out at the beginning of the year.
Am I meeting my goals?
Let’s revisit my goals for this year.
- Keep the number of books about the same.
- Track more diverse stats.
- Read more nonfiction.
- Read more outside my more popular genre.
- Complete more reviews.
- Read more pre-releases.
- Start making video content.
- Do author interviews.
- Understand my reading life.
Am I Meeting my Goals?
- Kinda. I am definitely going to exceed this goal, as I have currently read 103 books. (168 total in 2025) Audiobooks are helping this number, so I will have to see how this larger number feels at the end of the year.
- Yes! I track both author and book character diversity stats.
- Yes! I have read 14 NF books so far this year, which is 4 more than I read all last year.
- Kinda. My top genre is mystery, followed by contemporary fiction, literary fiction, and thriller. Something I should keep in mind going into the second half of the year.
- Yes! While they may not be posted to Goodreads immediately after I have completed a book, everything I have read this year has a review. I also share it on my Substack.
- Big YES! The majority of my books this year are pre-releases, which has been such a joy! I will be curious to see if at the end of the year I may find myself yearning for more backlist or if I am officially a new release girl!
- Kinda…I have started reels, but I am still camera-shy to get myself in front of an audience. Work in progress.
- No. My procrastination will be the death of me.
- Also a work in progress. This year has been a very different one, so I am curious what year-end looks like.
Fun Stats
The shortest book was 107 pages, while the longest was 1200.
The shortest audiobook was 2 hours, and the longest audiobook was 35 ½ hours.
I read 7 books in translation.
I read books set in 12 different countries.
Nine books were DNF’ed.
And finally, I prefer books with multiple points of view and an even mix of plot- and character-driven stories.
Top Three Fiction to Date
Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser (Advanced Listening Copy) Available Now
In this reimagined version of Cinderella, we get the perspective from the evil stepmother. But was she so evil? Or just a mother desperate to provide a life for her daughter and manage a relationship with a stepdaughter who is distant and misunderstood?
Enormous Wings by Laurie Frankel
Initially, 77-year-old Pepper wasn’t happy when her three children moved her into a retirement home. But she quickly made friends, developed a routine, and unexpectedly fell in love. But when her health begins to turn, the children are worried she may have cancer. However, the tests come back with a different result. She is pregnant.
While out with her husband, Daphne is reunited with a stepfather who was in her life for a short but incredibly impactful time. What happened that caused the separation? What was it that made their relationship so profound and worth fighting for a second time?
Top Three Nonfiction to Date
No One’s Company by Kevin Hazzard
Phoenix Air is an airline like no other. In fact, it is a band of eccentric, cowboy-esque pilots, engineers, and medical personnel who are willing to take on the jobs no one else will. Moreover, the more dangerous the task, the quicker they put up their hand to volunteer. However, when they are asked to rescue American medical volunteers who have contracted the deadly Ebola virus during their service in Liberia, they are tasked with, perhaps, the most impossible rescue yet.
A Hymn to Life by Gisèle Pelicot
Gisèle Pelicot has endured more than most. After discovering her husband had been drugging her and allowing over 50 men to sexually assault her over the course of their marriage, all she wanted to do was let justice take its course and move on. After realizing the need to change the narrative on victims’ shame, she decided to open up the trial to the public and soon became the courageous voice and hero of many. Through this memoir, she shares how past traumas for both her and her husband shaped who they were, what their relationship was, and she slowly pieces together the clues to begin her healing.
The Best Dog in the World by Alice Hoffman
This book of essays from 15 well-loved authors showcases why dogs are the best companions on earth. From puppyhood to the death of an old faithful, this is a love letter to our four-legged furry friends.
Am I Adding or Removing any goals?
This year has been a very different reading experience as I get more into the book-reviewer stage, and therefore I am quite comfortable keeping things as they are to see how I feel at the end of the year.