Five bookish New Year’s resolutions I might actually keep

Here’s a post-holiday hot take: You don’t need to optimize reading.

No judgment towards folks who track the number of books they read each year; goal setting is a personal endeavor—but what if you’re looking to consume worlds, not just words? I’ve found that rushing through books or staying wholly in my reading lane (witty modern romcom, anyone?) just to tick a box makes that resolution feel less like...

and more like...

To boost my inspiration, here are five fun and—importantly—achievable bookish resolutions I’m considering in the New Year.

1. “I’ll use my public library X times this year.”

I mean, of course I’m starting at the library. My origin story. My happy place. Libraries are for everyone, and they do better when they’re used more, so I plan to resist the ease of a one-click purchase and chase the goal of using my public library as much as I can to show them some love.

✨ Bonus: Using Libby helps your library, too, so if I’m snowed in or if I need a book after hours, I can find ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, or streaming video 24/7!

2. “I’ll try reading (or listening) in a language other than my heritage language.”

Parlez-vous français? ¿Hablas español? 你会说中文吗? I speak a language other than English, but not very well. I broke up with Duolingo after a few recurring nightmares about that owl and ever since, I’ve been looking for a way back into that multilingual life. Something that could strengthen those fledgling skills is reading a non-English title but as a relative newbie, I need a bit of a confidence-booster. Enter read-alongs: full-color, fully narrated ebook/audiobook combos, specifically designed for newer readers.

✨ Bonus: In many cases, I can tap and hold on a word or character to get translations of new-to-me words, plus professional narrators can help me refine my pronunciation skills!

3. “I’ll expand my reading horizons.”

There are only so many hours in the day and my TBR is endless, so something has to give. Does applying weird reading rules (like, only non-historical, non-first-person romance titles in February) give me a sense of control over my reading list? Yes. Does that leave me in a reading rut sometimes? Also extremely yes. To help me dig myself out of the hole I created, I plan to do a little genre-hopping in the New Year. At last look, my digital library has 125 subjects in Libby, so I plan to choose one new book in one new genre a month for 12 months.

✨ Bonus: The last time I tried this tip, I discovered Upright Women Wanted, Sarah Gailey’s queer pulp western, and my little reading galaxy exploded into a multiverse.

4. “I’ll break a long-held reading superstition.”

Remember those reading rules I mentioned above? One of my strictest is: “Fiction is for ebooks, nonfiction is for audiobooks, and never the twain shall meet.” I’ve told myself that the printed word allows me to immerse myself fully in a made-up world, whereas I can listen to nonfiction on a walk, while doing dishes, while commuting, etc., with no issue. But that’s a reading superstition I built with little to no real evidence and keeps me from enjoying the look, the feel, the sound, the overall experience of certain books. I plan to listen to The God of the Woods on a winter walk in early 2026 (and probably creep myself out!) and plan to sit still in a chair and read How to Do Nothing until I actually learn something!

✨ Bonus: Libby will show me whether an ebook is available as an audiobook at my library and vice versa!

5. “I’ll make a visible dent in my TBR.”

I’m going to hold your hand when I say this: You probably have more books on your TBR than you can read. No, not just in 2026; like, forever.

So, what’s stopping that pile from going down instead of up? Could be lack of time, difficulty focusing, the overwhelming task of picking what’s next, you’ve watched too many of our Libby librarians’ top picks webinars. Whatever your reason, it’s valid but not impossible to overcome.

Here are a few strategies that may help:

• Get inspired. Libby’s Inspire Me feature offers a fun new way to discover titles through filters or tags. 
• By the numbers. Number your TBR and then use a number picker, pick a title out of a hat, make a paper fortune teller. Any randomizer you choose can cut down on that decision fatigue—so why not leave it up to fate?
• DNF the TBR. It’s not a failure to give up on a book that’s just not working for you. I’m sure some folks would disagree and call me a quitter, but I stand behind the “do not finish” mentality when it comes to my time and energy. Maybe your commitment ethics won’t let this be a long-term strategy, but it could be worth a try!

Whew! It was so hard to narrow this down to just five resolutions, but I want you to have time to reach your goals, not just set them. What bookish resolutions are you planning for 2026?

Happy New Year—and happy reading!