December is usually the month I start planning my Reading List for the upcoming year, while frantically trying to finish all the books in my Currently Reading stack.

This year is of course no different.

I have my reading list 2024 here, and if you scroll down, you can see all the books I had hoped to read this year, and those I actually completed marked in Blue with the date completed. I will add, that this is a core reading list, and does not account for impulse reads that I often download from Kindle Unlimited. Sometimes when I get overwhelmed with life, I struggle to focus on one of the non-fiction titles I am working through, and read easier, quick reads more as an escape. Technically these contribute to my reading count for the year, but they aren’t subject specific titles I have planned out as a reading goal.

A couple things to mention:

I am a big fan of the phrase “failing to plan is planning to fail.” I like having a plan for my reading, because it gives me a sense of direction. It’s not that I won’t read a book if I don’t have a detailed reading plan, but I know that if I sit down, and plan out what I would like to read in the upcoming year, I am a lot more likely to make the effort to get to several of these titles.

I’m a box checker, and having a list to refer to helps guide my decisions during the year, and helps me feel like I am progressing in my personal scholarship goals.

With that being said, my Reading Plans are like an ambitious wish list. I would love to get through every book on my list, but I am realistic and know that is unlikely. However, I will get through some of them, and that’s an accomplishment.

So how do I build my list?

I have a list of topics I always target – areas of interest I want to focus on each year. And I usually have several books I am reading at the same time – typically I’ll have three to five books in my Current Reads stack, one from each area of interest. And I try to read a little each day, slowly working through several books over a period of time.

I did not get to as many books on my 2024 reading plan as I would have liked. And that’s okay! I did manage to finish several titles, including a few audible selections and KU titles as well. I have gone through and updated my original 2024 list, adding a few others that I hope to get to in the new year and removing several I am just not excited to read anymore.

I have also gone through my reading topics to see where I really lagged. I am including my focus areas below – this list I have generally worked from for years, and my 2024 reading plan included titles in each area. For the sake of personal self-assessment I am including an asterisk * beside each focus area that I really didn’t get to in 2024 – this might be because I found over the course of the year I wasn’t really as interested in my chosen titles as when I first planned my list. I’m hoping that the new titles I have selected in these neglected reading topics keep me from skipping over those areas when scheduling my reading each month.

These are the areas I am focusing on these days in my reading:

• Parenting – general parenting topics
• Special Needs Parenting – autism, ADHD, and now Type 1 Diabetes
• Education/Learning/Metacognition (this used to be Education Philosophy but I’m focusing more on personal learning styles and metacognition these days)
• Literature*
• Spirituality/Religious Topics/Mindfulness
• Science/Natural History/Math
• History/Geography/Social Sciences/Alternate History
• Biography*
• Current Issues/Cultural Topics*
• Homesteading/Self Sufficiency/Permaculture*
• Natural Living/Wellness
• Great Books/Classics/Philosophy
• Fiction * even though I often grab fiction titles from Kindle or the library as they catch my eye, I also have a list of Fiction Titles that I want to read *

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So for those who are interested, here is my 2025 Reading Plan.
Note: I’ve added Month Completed and Currently Reading tags on individual titles below to track my reading progress over the year.

Parenting – general parenting topics

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Special Needs Parenting – autism, ADHD, and Type 1 Diabetes

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Education/Learning/Metacognition

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Literature

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Spirituality/Religious Topics/Mindfulness

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Science/Natural History/Math

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History/Geography/Social Sciences

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Biography

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Current Issues/Cultural Topics

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Homesteading/Self Sufficiency/Permaculture

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Natural Living/Wellness/Self-Help

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Great Books/Classics/Philosophy/Literature

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Fiction

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I’m working to wrap up my current reads so I can get started on some of my new books. As always, I’m looking forward to the new year’s books!

*Because I just can’t help myself, I’ll probably add to my Reading Plan periodically if I find a book I just have to read in 2025. I’ll also link my Reading Plan post throughout the year with reading progress updates.

One final note – while I already have several of these titles on my TBR shelf in paperback or hardback form, there are several that I will be reading on Kindle (Read more here about using Kindle books for personal scholarship) or listening to on Audible. I’ve included links for all titles to either hardback or paperback versions as a default, but certainly encourage readers to consider Kindle or Audible if it works better for space or budget.

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