The Ultimate Bookworm Essentials: Crafting Your Reading List

I’ve always loved reading. Last year I read 36 books; this year my goal is 42. I keep a book with me everywhere I go, so when I’m sitting in the school pickup line or waiting on an appointment, I can read instead of mindlessly scrolling.

Keeping my reading list full is half the fun. Here’s how I do it — and what I’m actually recommending right now.

How I find my next book

Most of my list comes from Goodreads. I follow friends there and watch what keeps popping up — last year Age of Vice and Project Hail Mary kept showing up on my feed. Neither was something I’d have picked on my own, and I loved both.

Then I let the library do the work. I go through my Goodreads list, place holds on the titles I want at my local library, and they email me when one’s ready to pick up. It’s the low-commitment way to try a book before deciding if it’s a buy. Between that, my Audible membership, and book swaps with friends, I never run out.

My one rule: give it 50-75 pages

If a book hasn’t grabbed me by page 75, I return it. Life’s too short and the list’s too long. I also try to read authors whose lives and perspectives are different from mine — those are always the more interesting ones. (Bonus: it sets a good example for my daughters, who will hopefully one day actually use the reading nook I built them.)

A mix across genres, because that’s how I read:

• Mystery: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Arthur Conan Doyle) for a classic, Mother Daughter Murder Night for something newer.
• Romance: Pride and Prejudice when you want the timeless one, Book Lovers by Emily Henry when you want fun.
• Fantasy/sci-fi: Fourth Wing for pure escapism.
• Historical fiction: Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See, and honestly anything by Kristin Hannah.
• Nonfiction: Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari, and Grit by Angela Duckworth if you want the self-help kind.

Make it a game

Reading challenges keep me going. I do the Goodreads reading challenge every year, and in the summer, my kids and I do the BeanStalk challenge through our library. Nothing fancy — just enough of a nudge to keep the pages turning.