I love goals. I love ideas. I love the ideas of goals. Making plans, lists, spreadsheets, tools, and routines to (in an ideal world) achieve all of the goals I have my heart set on. An adjacent love I have is crossing goals off of my lists. Unfortunately, however, that part is a lot harder to achieve than actually making the plans in the first place.
I am always extremely motivated and sincere in my intentions when I make a goal. But then the reality of life hits, and it feels like I'm treading through water, racing against the current to even touch the thing I fully intended to set out to do. And to adjust any of those goals makes me feel like a failure.
Is there even a point to making a post like this when I feel eternally doomed to return with another report of disappointment? I don't know. But here I am once again, at the beginning of a new year, hopeful and enthusiastic to challenge myself to take another step to doing the things I've always dreamed of.
This time, though, I am being way more generic. No SMART goals with specifics and huge goal posts to measure success. Instead I am focusing on one achievement, and working every other area of my life to fit around that one goal with the hopes that I can set myself up to actually complete it.
This year I want to focus on creating, not consuming. I want to do this in all areas of my life, but more specifically:
I want to finish writing a book.
I have always loved writing, and have attempted many story ideas throughout my life. I've written substantial sections of books, but I have yet to finish one. At this point it is something that feels almost insurmountable. Impossible. Even admitting this desire is a huge thing to commit to out loud. But I have to admit it to myself before I can ever hope to actually doing it. And if not this year, then when?
The timing will never be perfect or convenient, so I just have to do it. But when thinking about how to make it actually happen, I had to be honest about what has been keeping me from writing a book in the first place. What I need to radically change to make this dream a reality.
Writing. First, in order to prioritize writing, I need to actually write. I want to crave writing like I crave reading and other hobbies. I want it to be as natural to pick up my writing as it is to pick up my phone. So I want to work on forcing myself to write, even if the circumstances aren't perfect. To grab those spare moments to put words on a page, whether it's 5 minutes or an hour. When I get specific, though, I want to finish the year with the bare minimum of 100,000 words in a manuscript (though ideally I would have a completed manuscript). This will be a challenge, but one I think is attainable in a full year.
Reading. If I want to write more I have to be honest with myself that my reading will have to be put more on the back burner. This is not the year to attempt to read 100 books. It's just not going to happen. And I'm okay with that. But reading is still an important part of the writing process and I can't physically give it up completely. My simple goal with reading is to just read 52 books, one a week. I also want to put an emphasis on reading good books and be selective with what I read so that I stay inspired in my own writing and storytelling.
Podcast. I have loved producing my little book podcast, and I don't have plans to stop doing it any time soon. However, like with reading, I just can't prioritize it this year. Instead I am going to focus on quality over quantity, with the goal to put out some kind of episode every other week. I also want to really hone in on a recording and posting schedule to add some kind of consistency. To figure out what works best for me with the podcast so I can do it to the best of my ability, experiment, and maybe even focus on growth in the upcoming years.
Social media. This is the hard one because I honestly don't know where social media fits in with my life. I see the pros and cons of it and can't get myself to fully give it up. This year will be an experiment to see if I can use it in a way that is beneficial to my personal and professional life. I'm not going to have a set posting schedule. I'm not going to try to go viral. I just want to post what I want to post, and avoid it when I don't have something to post. I need to eliminate the time suck of scrolling because it adds next to nothing to my life. It is only a distraction to the things I actually want to do. Deleting the apps when I don't have anything to say or share will be the biggest test, but is the thing I think will hinder or help my writing the most.
With these vague guidelines in place, I truly hope I will be ending the year with a stack of finished chapters in my hands ready for editing. I don't know how updated I will keep you through this journey, because it is a personal one. But I'm excited to see where I will be in a few months and to eventually share all the details of my book with you.
I wish you all the best reading and writing this year! We all need it.
This morning I share some reading stats and my best books of 2025.
Links mentioned:
2025 Goals (episode)
Best Books of 2024 (episode)
Re-reading Watership Down (episode)
Books mentioned:
Watership Down by Richard Adams
Watership Down: The Graphic Novel adapted by James Sturm and Joe Sutphin
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
The Kitchen Boy: A Novel of the Last Tsar by Robert Alexander
The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa
Knowing God by J.I. Packer
More Than a Carpenter by Josh McDowell
Victoria the Queen by Julia Baird
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower (series)
Episode 039 | Reader's Log: Read a Giant Russian Classic with Me | The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
19 December 2025
.jpg)
.jpg)
This morning I'm taking you along with me as I read through The Brothers Karamazov for the first time.
Links mentioned:
How to Read The Brothers Karamazov (video)
The Grand Inquisitor Analysis (video)
Books mentioned:
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
This morning I wrap up all the books I read in October.
Links mentioned:
Fall TBR (episode)
Books mentioned:
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop
Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham
Lost Man's Lane by Scott Carson
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
This morning I reflect on libraries and how I want to use my library.
Books mentioned:
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman
Endling by Maria Reva
Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn
Life, and Death, and Giants by Ron Rindo
The Book of Magic by Alice Hoffman
Ghost Story by Peter Straub
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
This morning I go through the End of the Year Book Tag and talk about my plans to wrap up my 2025 reading.
Links mentioned:
Midyear Book Freak Out Tag (episode)
Books Unbound (podcast)
My Fall TBR (episode)
My 2025 Reading Goals (episode)
Books mentioned:
The Skull by Jon Klassen
The Stand by Stephen King
The Will of the Many by James Islington
The Strength of the Few by James Islington
Boy's Life by Robert McCammon
The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante
IT by Stephen King
This morning I wrap up all the books I read in September.
Links mentioned:
Fall TBR (episode)
Books mentioned:
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher
Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher
The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion Vol. 6 by Beth Brower
This morning I swap book recommendations with my sister, Emma.
Links mentioned:
Interview with Chauncea (episode)
August wrap up (episode)
Follow Emma (Instagram)
Books mentioned:
Fancy Nancy by Jane O'Connor (series)
Ivy and Bean by Annie Barrows
Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger (series)
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black (series)
The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower (series)
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah
Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak
Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter
Show notes
This morning I wrap up all the books I read in August.
Links mentioned:
A Gentleman in Moscow review (blog post)
Books mentioned:
Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter
The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
The Skull by Jon Klassen
I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen
This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen
Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks
This morning I talk about all the books I want to read this fall.
Links mentioned:
2025 Goals (episode)
Books mentioned:
The Stand by Stephen King
Boy's Life by Robert McCammon
The Book of Magic by Alice Hoffman
Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
Dracula by Bram Stoker
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
This morning I break down why I love biographies and what makes a good one.
Books mentioned:
All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot
I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
Being Elisabeth Elliot by Ellen Vaughn
The Watchmaker's Daughter by Larry Loftis
The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas
Victoria the Queen by Julia Baird
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
Nicholas and Alexandra by Robert K. Massie
The Fellowship: The Literary Lives of the Inklings by Philip and Carol Zaleski
Becoming Elisabeth Elliot by Ellen Vaughn
This morning I share some recommendations based on the song August by Taylor Swift.
Books mentioned:
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak
The Complete Stories by Flannery O'Connor
A Room with a View by E.M. Forrester
Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
Atonement by Ian McEwan
This morning I wrap up all the books I read in July.
Books mentioned:
The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion Vol. 4 by Beth Brower
The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion Vol. 5 by Beth Brower
The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion Vol. 3 by Beth Brower
The Will of the Many by James Islington
Three Wild Dogs and the Truth by Markus Zusak
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak
I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
Being Elisabeth Elliot by Ellen Vaughn
Becoming Elisabeth Elliot Ellen Vaughn
The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny
Social Icons