I joined Pagebound to fall back in love with reading and so desperately would love to achieve my 2026 reading goal. I (like many others) have struggled to maintain the habit, even though I love reading!

So, what have you done differently in 2025 that helped you increase your reading?

Some books are easier to read aloud — plot, pacing, and pronunciation all seem to be factors. Do you have any faves you’ve read to adults (regardless of intended age group) that have worked well? Personally, I tend to go more for middle grades/YA with faster pacing for this purpose. And I read aloud at bedtime, so not scary is helpful. Also, I’m totally in my head about “out loud” vs “aloud” — is one more right?

Read books I genuinely want to read.

Re-read at least 3 favorite books that once meant a lot to me.

Read more translated fiction.

Pick one classic per month, even if it’s a short one.

Explore at least one genre I usually avoid.

DNF books guilt-free if they don’t work for me.

Keep a realistic TBR instead of an intimidating one.

Prioritise long-standing TBR books before shiny new releases.

Allow reading slumps without panic.

These are my bookish new year resolutions. What are yours?

Okay, so I have to ask. Does anyone have any book recs for specific songs on the new album? I'm planning on doing a few recs for each song, but I know there will be a bunch of books that I haven't read/ thought of, so I thought I would ask for book recs here, which I'm sure will make my tbr explode lol

Now that it’s officially fall (my favorite season) I naturally want to pick up every cozy witchy romance book possible. Tell me your favorite ones so I can pick them up! 🍁🐈‍⬛☕️

Do you guys feel guilty over DNFing a book? I feel so horrible when I do 😭 I will literally finish the book but not the series (if it’s a series) just so that I don’t have a DNF Graveyard 🪦 🥲 thoughts anyone? Maybe y’all can help me not feel so damn guilty hahaha

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8SoKELr/

What do people think of the TikTok above!

I agree with everything. I sometimes find recommendations on booktok/gram a left to be desired (and undercounting of bipoc literature )?

Would love to know your opinion ?

Why do you read ? Is it just an escape or something else for you

Hi friends! I'm doing some shelf reorganizing, and with that always comes reassessing what gets to stay and what gets given away! My metric so far this year has been keeping what I will most likely reread, and that's worked well for a lot of the newer books I have impulse bought. But how do you determine when it's time to let a childhood book go? I know sentimental value kind of factors into it, but part of me is also like...while I cherish the memories some of these books have given me, I'm pretty certain I won't want to reread them. Is there something more that I should consider before adding them to my give-away pile?

Edit: thank you all for your insightful comments! Today i did end up putting most of them in a box that was already holding some other childhood books. I dont think any of them went in my giveaway pile, so i'll hold onto them for now!

Are you one of those people who only reads one book at a time or do you have a bunch on the go at once?

I think of myself as a polyreader (and I blame it on my ADHD). I have 14 on the go at the moment, although one of those is a reread. If you do read more than one book at a time - do you ever have problems picking up from where you left off?

I have occasionally seen people say that rereading a book shouldn't/doesn't count towards your reading goal and I was wondering what people on here thought about that?

Personally, I think that you're still reading a book, doesn't matter if you know the story by heart, It counts as reading and should go towards your reading goal

Curious - are you able to read from anywhere?

I feel like I can read in most places, but if the environment gets too overstimulating, it definitely becomes harder to focus. I know some people can’t read in public places like coffee shops because it’s too loud or distracting, but for me, I can usually zone in on my book pretty easily. Sometimes I’ll put in noise-canceling headphones to help, but honestly, I don’t always need them.

Reading while traveling is usually fine for me - I can read in a car, on a bus, or on a plane. But if the ride gets too bumpy, it kind of throws me off. It’s like the words won’t sit still, and that makes it hard to stay focused. I know some people get headaches or feel sick when they try to read in motion, so I’m glad that’s not really an issue for me… unless the ride gets really rough—then I’m definitely putting the book down for a bit.

Also, I'm curious what format you prefer. Do you read on your Kindle, phone, or another device? Or are you more into physical books? I use both, but there’s something nice about actually holding a book, especially when I’m trying to unplug for a bit.

Would love to hear how others feel about reading on the go and in different environments!