not resolutions. Not pressure. just small promises to myself and the stories i love.
January always arrives loud, with goals.
Read more. Be better. Catch up.
This year, I’m choosing something quieter.
Instead of a reading challenge, or strict targets, I’m making a Book-et List. Intentions rather than expectations. Some months involve finishing a book. Some don’t. All of them make space for a reading life that fits around real days, real energy and real joy.
January – Begin Quietly
Book-et: Read without tracking pages, minutes or numbers.
January is about remembering that reading is allowed to be slow. Finishing a book is lovely, but showing up without pressure counts just as much.
February – Romanticise the ritual
Book-et: Create one cosy reading ritual I return to all month
The same drink. The same chair. A small moment that says: this is reading time. This month is about falling back in love with how I read.
March – leave a mark
Book-et: Annotate freely in at least one book without worrying about “ruining” it.
Ink is allowed. Margins are meant to be lived in. This is a reminder that books can hold conversations, not just words.
April – Read outside
Book-et: Take a book somewhere new, a park, cafe, bench or open window.
Let stories breathe with fresh air. Let reading feel less like a habit and more like a small escape.
mAY – a BOOKISH dAY out
Book-et: Plan a small book adjacent outing.
A bookshop trip. A library visit. A museum cafe with a novel in my bag. Stories exist beyond the page.
jUNE – READ FOR joY
Book-et: Choose a book purely because it looks fun.
No “shoulds”. No improving myself reading. Just curiosity and pleasure – exactly as reading is meant to be.
jUly – ReRead a favourite
Book-et: Return to a book I already love and read it as who I am now.
The book hasn’t changed. I have. Rereading is a conversation across time.
August – Browse without buying (or… intentionally buy one)
Book-et: Spend time browsing books slowly. Covers, blurbs, first pages
This month is about wandering without rushing. Let interest lead, not algorithms.
September – Read Seasonally
Book-et: Choose books that feel like autumn, before autumn officially arrives.
Lean into mood. Let the year begin to turn softly.
October – Create a Reading Night
Book-et: Plan one intentional reading evening.
An early night. Low lights. No distractions. Make reading an event, not an afterthought.
November – Reflect in the Margins
Book-et: Look back through annotations, notes and highlights from the year.
Notice patterns. Favourite themes. The quiet ways books have spoken back.
December – Read for comfort
Book-et: Choose comfort reads without guilt
Familiar stories. Soft Endings. Nostalgia. End the year wrapped in books that feel like home.
Final Note
This Book-et List isn’t about how many books I read. It’t about how reading fits into my life.
Slowly. Kindly. Intentionally.
If you’re making your own Book-et List, I’d love to know:
What’s one bookish intention you’re carrying into this year?
The Book Goddess Reads 
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