Reading Task Update for 2025
Wow, the end of the year is coming!
Hi everyone,
As we get closer to the end of the year, it’s time to look back at the tasks I set myself and to see how I’ve done.
I’m also planning on taking the last two weeks of this year ‘off’ so you’re getting this update earlier than I normally would.
Lucky you.
So, as a reminder, below are the tasks I set myself for my reading in 2025.
Read more widely from authors in my favourite genres (fantasy, some romance, and cosy mystery) and read from genres I wouldn’t normally read from (aka horror)
Read 10 non-fiction books on writing.
Read 5 non-fiction books on other subjects
Find a favourite book.
Four simple tasks, and I accomplished three of them. Unfortunately I cannot say I’ve completed the tasks across the board, as I firmly got sucked into the romance genre and for the best part of this year, I’ve only read romance. Don’t get me wrong, they’re great, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading more of this genre (currently stuck in the ice hockey romance sub-genre like the majority of romance readers at the moment) but I haven’t pushed myself into reading other genres as such. Or, I guess, within the romance genre, I have read from more authors, and found several new auto-buy authors, so I guess I could give myself half a point for that!
Yeah, I think I’m going to do that. That puts me up to three and a half tasks accomplished this year!
Moving on, let’s focus on the three tasks that I did full, fully, fully, complete.
Read 10 non-fiction books on writing
The 75-Hard Writing challenge I did in the summer certainly helped with this, but this ended up being somewhat easy to accomplish.
Something I did, was to read writing help books on different topics. So, from the actual plotting, to writing amazing first lines, to the whole ‘show don’t tell’ scenario, to editing, to writing emotions into your draft. It’s safe to say I read across a wide array of writing topics and I can see that they’ve helped me to see the areas I need to improve on. And I’ll let you into a little secret, it’s all of them.
Having said that, there are a couple of those books which have helped me more than the others, and I’m returning to them now. As I take a step back from writing, and focus on the joy of the storytelling, I find myself pouring over those books again. You see, when I write now, I’m writing with more thought behind those words. Instead of needlessly getting the words down on the document, I’m aiming for pages that will have less time in editing. Future me, is probably shaking my head at that, but I like the thought of having it there now.
Earlier in the year, after the challenge, I did decide to stop reading writing help books, and I still stand by that. The ones I have now will see me through for the next several years (if not longer), and for anything else, I can find out that information online.
Here are the 10 writing helps books I read this year:
In Writing by Hattie Crisell
Self-Editing For Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King
Have you eaten Grandma? by Gyles Brandreth
The Fantasy Fiction Formula by Deborah Chester
Romancing The Beat by Gwen Hayes
Write Great Beginnings by Sandra Gerth
Show Don’t Tell by Sandra Gerth
Fiction Plotting Formula by Deborah Chester
The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Mecca Puglisi
Your Story Matters by Nikesh Shukla
Read 5 other non-fiction books
Easy peasy. I think I might have accomplished this within the first several months of the year. And it was great as I’d hoarded quite a few non-fiction books that I simply wasn’t getting through. And it’s become a habit of mine to read 10 pages of a non-fiction book per day.
10 pages, I’ve found, is my sweet spot for non-fiction. Anymore and I lose interest, the words blur on the page and I stop reading. So, 10 pages a day it is! It may mean it takes me several weeks (if not a month or more to get through a book), but I’m never in any rush to finish it, mainly because I only pick non-fiction books on topic I know I’ll like.
Here are the first 5 non-fiction books I read this year:
Everyday Folklore by Liza Frank
Treasury of Folklore Stars and Skies by Willow Winsham
Witchfinders by Malcolm Gaskill
The Dark Queens by Shelley Puhak
Catherine De’Medici by Mary Hollingsworth
Find a favourite book
I was surprised but how long this took me, but I didn't eventually find a favourite book. And you can read all about it here
Surprise, surprise, it’s a romance book, and I still haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. I guess that really goes to show just how much I enjoyed it!
So, there you have it. All 4 reading tasks done, dusted and reviewed. I did rather well, especially on the non-fiction front.
2026 is going to be an interesting year reading wise. With me starting a couple of book accounts on Instagram and TikTok, I’m shifting my focus to being more considerate with my reading choices. And as I work out what I’d hope to one day be known for on those platforms, I know my reading tastes, will no doubt be changing too.
I hope you all have a wonderful week.
Bye for now.
Chloe.