Reading Tracking & Setting Goals | Stephanie, Briana, & Cate

It’s officially 2025! Many of us have already thought about eating better and exercising more, but have you considered your reading resolutions? In today’s episode, Stephanie, Briana, and Cate talk about the various ways they approach reading. Whether your reading style involves casually browsing the shelves or crafting carefully curated spreadsheets, this episode will offer tips and tools for starting your 2025 reading journey. The team dives into the pros and cons of using sites like Goodreads and Storygraph and they’ll even share a behind-the-scenes glimpse at Stephanie’s expertly-designed reading spreadsheet. We hope this light-hearted chat inspires you to find joy and satisfaction in all your reads this year!

Book Recommendations

Everything We Never Had by Randy Ribay
We Do This 'Til We Free Us by Mariame Kaba
The Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire
Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear by Seanan McGuire
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
Fourth Wing and Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
The Lantern of Lost Memories by Sanaka Hiiragi
What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama
The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki


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Transcript

Interview: 0:08

Hello and welcome to Middletown Strong, looking up with the Russell Library. I'm Stephanie Rush and I'm here today with my two friends, Kate Sallis and Brianna Gavin. Hi. I said your name, right? Right. Okay. All right. We are doing a full takeover today to talk about goals and what that might look like for 2025. And we're just going to get into it. I think Brad and I were talking I can't remember how this topic came up. It was kind of you were spitballing ideas about topics and then I kept telling everybody who would listen about my reading spreadsheet. So we decided to do a whole episode about reading goals, and that's going to include discussion about tracking your reading. If you track your reading, what the options are, and if you set reading goals, if you don't, what what that kind of looks like. And we are going to give you a couple of recommendations as I lose word because we're going to talk about some books worth decided to read next year that we have not read, but consider them recommendations because I have a feeling they're going to be books that speak to our reading tastes. So I have a feeling we're probably going to like them already. I think we yeah. So we're going to talk about reading goals and reading tracking today. Brianna, do you want to start you have your journal in front of you. So I kind of track my reading in two different ways. So in 2024, I started with a reading journal that I got from this Instagram account called Novel Yours. They sell candles, but they also sell these reading trucker journal things. Q And so the first page is where you can kind of set different kinds of goals. So it could be like the amount of books you want to read. So I wanted to read 180 at this point, over 290. Stop. That's a huge number. And why one? Why 180? What we did last year, my goal was like 117. I got to like 173 or something. Oh yeah. I usually thought that I was like, I'll up it by like ten. So I was like, maybe I can hit 200 by the end of the year. I don't think it's going to happen because I'm in a bit of a lull right now, but one night is pretty darn good. I know completely. I remember everybody's reading is different. Yeah. Please do not feel pressured. If you hear us talking about big numbers and big goals, because that's not the point. No. And then I also have different kinds of goals, like reading a series. So I thought I was going to finish the Court of Thorns and Rose series by Sarah J. Moss. Yet instead I read the Housemaid series by three. I'm excited and unintentionally realizing it's a series, so you kind of swapped it out, but you still fair? Yeah, and I had like I have a bookstore. Graham So posting once a week because I was really hitting a wall at the end of 2023 and I was mostly consistent this year, but I didn't pressure myself because there sometimes you just don't want to do anything on the Internet. You just want to like dissociate or, you know, I don't know. That's why I can never be an influencer. It's you have to do it all the time. So I'm in this Connecticut based bookstore Grammar group, and some of these people will post like a once a day, sometimes twice a day. And I'm like, What do you do for work that you have time for this? So they're actually scheduling it. I don't know, but it's wild. We talked about this on our books together. That was that. We were just like, What do you do for work? Not that work is everything, but I want to know what these people do for work. People think we're sitting around reading all day, but not. Maybe they don't. Maybe. Or maybe they don't work. Or maybe, honestly, some of them are. This is their job. Yeah, because they're getting sponsorships or they're getting whatever. So, you know, kudos to them. I can do it. Yeah, I like being a librarian and sometimes it takes some of the joy out of it is when you're when you're having, when there's that pressure to share it, sometimes you just want to read for you, just like sometimes you just want to take a photo for you, not for the entire world to weigh in. Absolutely. Yeah. So I like to kind of have a mix of goals that aren't necessarily like numerical. We were talking about that on we were talking about this on the way over. It's like not putting the pressure on yourself to read like three audiobooks a month. Maybe just try reading an audiobook and see if that's for you. Yeah, we've been it's not been, you know, Yeah, we've been seeing this rise lately. There's this conversation in these book spaces about how to set non numerical goals or how to set. Sometimes people are calling them like anti goals, so like we did 80 resolutions. So it's like making the reading process and the reading experience part of the goal and not just making it about hitting data points. Yeah. So maybe one of your goals is to use the library more and use our electronic resources. Or maybe one of your goals is to shop at independent bookstores more often. Or maybe your goal is to be in a book club with someone like there's lots of different ways that you can set goals that don't have to be. I want to read X number of books, 190 books, really big number, and I'm really impressed that you almost got there. I know. That is amazing. I knew you read a lot, but I didn't realize you read quite that. There are some people that I follow that are two and three hundreds and I literally don't understand, I think to be reading. No, because you we know you work full time. You can we can attest to that that and I know people who sometimes do have higher numbers like that listen to books on like two or three point speed, which I don't do. I can't. But that's how a lot of people get books. And I'm like, it's all. I mean, if I counted the picture books I read, plus all the single issue comics I read, I'd be at 200. But I. So talking about how I track, I only track the books I read. So that's going to include novels and non-fiction, but I only track those because I have a separate way to track. Like when I read picture books, which is for work. Yeah. And when I read comic books, which is really just for me and I have a hard time reading comic books, so I stopped tracking them in my mean reading log because I felt really weird about reading them because it's a very different experience. Yeah, And I started actually counting my graphic novels now in my comic book number. Yeah. Previously I counted my graphic novels, my book number. So my book number is a little bit different this year, but I also started feeling like I can't rate graphic novels in the way that I used to because it's such a subjective thing. And with single issue comic books, there's they're always part of a series, almost always. And it's really hard to just write one part of the series. Yeah. So I, I have a separate I have an app called Reading List, which I use the free version. And so I have all these different lists. So I have a list for books, I have lists for comics and graphic novels, and I have a list for picture books so that I can go back and see what the breakdown is by that. But then my main tracking on my story graph is just my books. So this year my goal was 125. I'm at 101 right now and I'm fine with that. I'm not going to hit 125 this year and that's fine unless you just don't come to work for that. Yeah, really Like a week out. I don't. I can't. I mean, 24 books in the next might be rough. Even even if you weren't at work that be, that would be pretty impressive. And I change that goal every year. So last year I think my goal was 115 and I maxed and I went over in this year, I was like, I did 25 and then I'm now at 101 and I'm like, that's I've stopped. I've actually started to care less about the number than the quality. Yeah. So for me, the big thing is am I having a good reading year and am I having a better reading year than the previous year? In the past couple of years, the answer's been yes. And so for me, that's successful. Yeah, yeah, yeah. If my goal is to have continuing continuously a better reading life, then I am succeeding. And if that's the one goal and I keep meeting it, then I'm good. Yeah, that's kind of where I'm at. Kate, you are not a book tracker. No. Nor a book goal Center. No. Okay. Tell us about like you heard from us. Yeah, So? So that's. Yeah, so that's part of why I'm on this episode. So I have aspirations to be a book tracker. So I have a good reads account. And basically the way it goes is I read a bunch of books, don't track anything. Then I'm like, Oh, I should go on Goodreads. And then I try to remember what I read. So say I read 15 books. Maybe I remember six or five or yeah. And then I put those in there and then that's pretty much where it ends. And then the only so I generally use good reads to give me recommendations because I feel like if I put enough of the things that I like in there, then they'll recommend other things. That's what the algorithm is for, right? And so for that, you're doing the work. I'm I'm doing the work, but I yeah, I don't. Your spreadsheet is a thing of beauty. You get to really get to a lot of me. But I don't, I don't I'm not that I'm very structured in many ways in my life that I kind of I look, you know, because we work in a library, I can scan the shelves. I know the types of things I like. I look for those, I read them and then that's it. But the problem is that they fly out of my head and I forget I read them and then I'll pick them up again and be like, This looks good. Let's let's read this. Have you read this? Pictures of the covers? I could do that. So I feel like if you took a picture of every book, it's like this is unsolicited. But no, since we're talking it on because my mom has the same problem. Yeah, she'll be like, I read this 20 pages in and I read this so taking pictures of the cover might help you so that when you look back, you're like, Oh, I did read that. And then when you go to input them in good reads, you have the titles and they're true. Yeah, that could that could work. But then of course I have to clear out space on my phone. That's a whole separate make room for the photos. But it is yes it is a good like visual reminder because I just I love the idea of it, but I could maybe use a little some pointers on how to how to be diligent about putting your information in. So I'm curious as to if you have a specific time of day or time of week or I'm sure you do. So that's so. Yes. So I am sort of the anti I book plan. I think that's good because there's probably a lot of listeners that are in the same boat as you. They're just like, I just like to read, I just like to read. I have very little. I give myself a lot of room for Grace in my reading. So like, I don't put a ton of pressure and I also don't. If I start something and it's just I'm not feeling it, I put it down and I start again. So I always have a pile of books on my nightstand and depending on how I'm feeling, I might cast them aside. Yeah. Start again. You're a big mood reader. I'm a super big mood reader. Yes. Yeah. Yeah, true. All right, well, we're ready to talk about this, Reggie. Let's talk about the spreadsheet. Yes. Okay, so the spreadsheet I want to say this came from me listening to another podcast, which is probably accurate. I can't remember exactly, but Reading Glasses podcast is one of my favorite book podcasts, and they've talked about reading trackers and reading spreadsheets before they've done whole episodes about it. So I have a feeling that's why I started this, but I can't recall for sure. I've lots of people on podcast have talked about like how they track their reading, and a couple of years ago I just decided I'm just going to write it all down because I was doing the physical journal and I could not keep up with it. It's just that for me, that just wasn't the medium. Mm hmm. So I would like, jot down and then I forget to come back to it. So I was finding that I couldn't keep it consistent. And for me, for some reason, doing it on the computer keeps me more up to date because I'm in front of my laptop every day at work. Yeah, I think that's the thing for me is that the physical one, unless I have my journal with me all the time, but I always have my phone where I can jotted down and then I can come back to my computer and fill it in and I can access my Google sheets from anywhere. Yeah, I think that's the key for me personally, is having constant access to the place where I put my notes is helpful because I know what I will forget and I won't keep up with it. So when I first started the spreadsheet, I was just putting like title author rating and a couple of notes just so I remembered I don't even have the old version of the spreadsheet anymore. But right now I have the 2022 tab, the 20.3 tab 24 tab, and the 28.5 for my husband. Oh, well, because he asked me to start talking heads. So his this more basic, if you are interested in the spreadsheet and you just want to start for my husband, I track title, author, genre subgenre and publication year. Because for me, I'm just curious. Like I read a lot of books that come out in the year we're in. Yeah. He reads from whatever. He doesn't really care as long as that sounds interesting. So his is five little categories and organize them however you want. And the thing for me at least is the spreadsheet is helpful because it stores this data and I can go back at any time and be like, What did I like about that book? And do I want to read something else like it? Yeah, and that's what helps me be a better reader every year because I get to know my tastes and I get to know what I want out of a book and what I don't want out of a book. So I keep picking up better books. So for me, the spreadsheet is going back to that goal. Always having a better reading year than the year before. Yeah, the spreadsheet is what does that for me? That and quitting books that aren't working for me. But again, the spreadsheet helps them with that too. Yeah, I'm reading a book and I'm like, Sorry about this is not hitting for me. Oh, it's because the book I read that was similar to this I didn't like. So it's really just about using that data to really create the reading experience that you want. So in 22 and 23, the spreadsheet was mostly title author rating. I have a section for three things I liked. Mm hmm. Just. Just get them down. I could write more than that. But three things I like so that when I go back, I'm not like, What was that book about? Here are the things I liked. And that could be like, for example, this one size. It was a five star book, Lovable characters, queer joy and alternating narration. Boom, boom, boom. Easy, perfect. But sometimes I go back and it's more complex. So there's another one here that just says fun in all caps, all the tropes, exclamation point, information point, exclamation point on characters to love and root for swoony scenes, unexpected banter. Like, sometimes I just expand on it a little bit so I know exactly what I like. Like, yes, I love the queer joy, but I also love this and this and this so I can go back and pick books that have these themes. And then when I kind of categorize it, I can see all the five star books have these things in common. So I know that those are books that I want to keep picking up. Yeah, it's it. So she shared her spreadsheet with me, I think, like, All right, stand up. And it's color coded. I'm a sucker for any color coded. Yeah, but I did notice that. I mean, you have a very distinct style of what you like, correct? For your books. And that really comes through and that it's helpful to see that because sometimes I'm like, I love this book. Can't tell you why. That's the thing. I don't remember exactly what three things I like forces me to to. Take what I liked and put it into words because otherwise I'll just be like, I loved it. But yeah. And then somebody is like, Why? Tell me about it? I can't tell you. Just if I don't know it, you know, I just feel like I loved it. So that's why I'm like at least three things that you like it. There are three things that you liked about it. Then why did you like it? Right? Maybe it wasn't actually a five star. And so then I have a section for anything I didn't like, and that can be whatever can be my five star reads. Most of them are blank on what you didn't like. Yeah. And then I have notes where I can denote what type of author. So if it was a queer author or if it was a black author, if it was a repeat author, it was a female author that all goes in there, or if it was a debut book. So like little things that I want to remember. Then I started adding a reference source, which is really helpful for me. So or reference overall source. So I know that this one was a repeat author and I got the referral from Meghan a bookstore grandma that I bar that I follow because her book recommendations are always really good hits for me, right? So I know that after her, Meghan recommended it and I've already read this author. It's probably going to be a hit. Yeah, yeah. Then I do the genre, the sub genre and the publication year because at the end of the year I just like to be like, how many books from 2024? Did I read this? Yeah, So that's how it used to be. And then last year I added the publisher an imprint column, which is like very meta data. But this is another way for me to pick up more books that I like, because if I know that all of my five and 4.75 star books were by these publishers, I'm going to pick up more of them. But I would never be leaving. This came from Reading Glasses podcast. They're so smart. Valerie Improved. I mean, it makes perfect sense. Why wouldn't we think that? But it's just never really occurred. So, like Dial Press a couple of years ago came out with a romance imprint and a bunch of the books I loved this year were from Dial, and I was like, That's why. Same with Berkley. When Berkley started doing romance in print, I read more Berkley books, and so now going into 25, I can look out. I can either follow them on social media or like look out for the publishers. Like, I know I want to read more books from Dutton. I want to read more books from Berkley. I want to read more books from like Abrams. I never used to think about it. I was just like, I don't care about the publisher, but now I do care about the publisher. Yeah, that's really cool. I do care about the publisher. So that's the spreadsheet, that's the basics of the spreadsheet. But the nice thing is that because it has tabs and you can organize it, I can. I can search through four terms. So if somebody says, Hey, do you have a memoir that you recommend I can search for memoir? Or if somebody is like, I love romance, do you have any recommendations that are enemies to lovers? I can search enemies to lovers because I put that in the things I've liked notes so I can pull it up and be like, Here are some books you might like in Enemies Two Lovers. Because that's the truth that I haven't categorized under. Yes. Yeah. Yes. And so and so you're a you kind of update this while you're at work because it really is not only is it a personal tool, but it is a work tool. Yeah. Because then if someone asks to read it is a reader's advisor. So yes, going back to your previous question, so when I finish a book, I do three things. When I finish a book, I, I check it off on my phone in my reading list app just to get the number in the category. I review it and my story graph and then I post a mini review on my Instagram in my stories, which is basically what I put in the spreadsheet, but just like blocked out so people can see it. And then I save that to my Instagram. Then when I get into the office, like if I finish a book at home, I'll wait till I get in. But if I finish a book on my lunch break, I will immediately go to my laptop and input it. I have this tab open all day long in case I need to reference it or in case I finish a book while I'm here. So I have it up, right? It's a it's a reader's advisory tool, but it's also just more like how can Stephanie read more Stephanie Books. Yeah. Mm. Yes. So that was a lot of me talking. If anyone else wants to talk, that'd be great. Well, I have a question, please. Questions is really for both of you. So because I'm a half hearted good reads user, I know a little bit about good reads, but I had never heard of story graph. And so you both use story graph. Yes. As a story graph, Brianna. Oh good. Okay. You only use good reads. I thought use them both. Okay. So I would like to understand because what's the point of having to have this very complex spreadsheet if you also use story graph, what does that give you that the spreadsheet doesn't and vice versa. One of the things about story graph is at the end of the year they give you these beautiful graphs to show all of your data, which they now started doing monthly. So now I have a monthly graphic that represents each month's reading, which is beautiful, and I don't have the skills to do that on my own. Okay? And the reason I switched over to story graph was because it's not owned by Amazon, which good readers I'm not no shame and a good reason. Story graph is an independently owned company that is run by a black woman solely by herself. She's like a one woman team and. Story graph has these extra features that I like, which has actually I have it open right now. Story Graph has for example. So this book I just finished yesterday called Everything We Never Had by Randy Ruby. If you go to the book page, it tells you how many pages when it's published, it has the tags up top, like on Goodreads. But the thing about good reasons, they have the, the reading on the top story graph is at the bottom. So you have to scroll down. So you might not be distracted by reading or read on that happen. Yeah. Sometimes all the good reads and be like nope. Story graph because you work for it, you have to scroll all the way down and then they have this beautiful feature. You can pick books based on mood, based on pace, based on whether it's plot or character driven. And these are all by people who reviewed them based on the character development, how loveable the characters are, how diverse the character cast is, the flaws of the characters and the content warnings. So this is really, really key for me as a reader. So when you review a book on story graph, you can check all these things off. Like what were the moods, Was it emotional, Was it dark, Was it relaxing? How was the pacing? So that we it's a community based thing, like good reads is like it's community based, but it adds in all these layers, you can really pick the right book. Yeah. And the content warnings for me are huge. So for this one that I just read, it organizes it by graphic, moderate or minor for every single content warning that they have on the site, they don't have everything. But so it has like graphic racism and xenophobia. So, you know, upfront moderate pandemic and violence content and minor racial slurs. So, you know what you're getting into. And it's not it's not it's not perfect because it's all community based. But you can see all that before you even pick the book up. So I want to read a book and it sounds really great, but I scroll down and it says that the character driven like 100% I make up because I'm more plot of a plot reader, but I might take a chance on it. But if I see that the mood is hopeful and emotional, I'm like, Yeah, I want to read that book. And then when I look at my stats, I can see these beautiful pie charts of how many books I've read. The average time to finish the moods, the pacing of everything I've read by month or by year. I just think the visuals on the story graph are really a step above. MM Yeah. If Goodreads had graphs like this, one thing, but I don't have graphs. I am very visual, so I think I would appreciate that. I mean, you can see it now because it's in front of you, but like visually, yeah, the graph data is so cool. Yeah, I like really what sold me. I also like because I do read by Mood and I actually I'm very character driven. I've never really looked for books being given that information up front. I just kind of hope for the best. Yeah, Yeah. And that's the thing. Yeah. Like you could pick up a book that sounds good, but kind of is middling. Or you can pick up a good book that sounds good and matches exactly what you're looking for. Yeah. Yeah. So I find that it's a has a better rate of success for me. I don't get book recommendations through story graph, but you also can like friend people on it, like on Goodreads. So I can see what my friends are reading and if they have similar tastes to me, I kind of know where to where to go from there. So you just don't use the recommendations or they don't offer it. They offer them. So the plot, the if you play for the plus, you get personalized recommendations. I have the free version, so I don't get recommendations from it. But that's just not where I go to for recommendations. I typically go to people and podcasts. Those are my two big ones and my spreadsheet. Yeah, because I go, okay, what am I in the mood for? I'm in the mood for a book, a middle grade book about a queer awakening. And the main character is Asian-American. So I'll seek out a book like that. Yeah, based on what I know I already like. And that book exists. Yeah, I read it, but yeah, he probably only read it. Oh, all right. I feel like I'm so different. I know, I know. You like your vibes. Yeah, I'm very vibes. Like good reads. Like I use exclusively, like, just to put, like, what I'm reading, right? But I'm not looking for anything further. Maybe, like, every month they'll send out what they're like. Top picks are going to be for the month. Yeah, So you kind of know what's coming out. And usually I look at that and I'm like, okay, like I can add this to my want to like, want to read, but I get a lot of my recommendations like on Instagram occasionally from people, but really for the most part, I'm really on Instagram or I'm on like net galley, like searching for what's going to be coming out. So I kind of know like, Oh, this looks like my Bible and just request it. I've never used something like story graphs, like really look for something that would fit. And one of the nice thing is you don't have to use it for all that extra information, but it's there if you do need it. Yeah, I like it, but I, but I don't go there for recommendations I don't use. I still go to two good reads if I want a similar book to something I loved because the good reads algorithm is good about similar reads. Yeah, they're good. They're very good about similar reads. And sometimes I will not have heard of a book, but it's in the recommended. I'm like, okay, I'll, I'll try that. But that's pretty much what I use Goodreads for, is does this book have a decent general rating and is it similar for something I read? Mm. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well I so I usually will get my nonfiction recommendations from podcasts. Yeah. So if there's, there's speaking to, usually I'm just interested in the content they're talking about and then I find out, oh, they've just written a book and then I want to read that book. But fiction is totally different and is very much the feel of it that I'm going for. But then good reads. I'm kind of, you know, don't judge a book by its cover. I always judge books by their covers. I do too, all the reading. But, um, the summary for a book. And I was like, Wow, that sounds so good. Why haven't I read it? And then I clicked on it and the alternate cover I had seen and I was like, Oh, I didn't like the cover. Yeah, but the, the cover I saw today was so like, enticing. And then I clicked on it. I was like, Oh, I didn't read because I didn't like the cover. Yeah, this is such a bummer. I know, but. But it does. I mean, it's, it's doesn't, it's eye catching or not and that's how, that's why I browse the shelves and look at it that way. But there is, I mean, if you could make an argument for why to be a little bit more intentional about about sort of planning out your reading, what would either of you say, you know, to someone that is just very haphazard and chaotic about how she chooses her books? I mean, I feel like I've I'm just a broken record at this point, but like, being intentional makes me enjoy my reading life better. It makes me have a more fulfilling and satisfying reading life because I'm picking up books that I know we're going to work for. Me. Yeah. Although I will say I'm not stepping out of my comfort zone as much as I used to, but I read better books every year. Yeah, with intent to make sense. I would say that because I'm so like vibes based like just if that feels like it's going to work for you, you just go for it. And if you feel like it's not working for you, dump it and you just dump it. There's plenty of other things that will work out for you out there in the world, and I tend to try to plan my TBR, usually monthly, but I also will move read like if I see something that I really want to read, I'm going to read that even though I've planned out like 20 books that I want to read this month, TBR meaning to read. Yes. Yes. Yeah. For anyone who's not, you're not in the book. I am not in the bookish community. So because I just I just I live as little of my life online as possible, not because there's not so much interesting stuff out there. It's just by the time I get home and after being on the computer all day, I just don't want to be engaging in that. When I am chronically online to the detriment of my mental health sometimes. But I would probably read even more if I was not on the internet as much. Yeah, although I do get a lot of book engagement on there. I probably read maybe 10 to 12 more books that year if I was on the internet. Less. Yeah, fully, fully going to own that. And just jumping back to something that you said. Steph Yeah, so because I feel this way and I think you can make an argument for whether it's positive or negative, but you said that a lot of your books are very sort of geared toward your interest and that sometimes you're not kind of pushing that boundary and reading outside your comfort zone. I read a lot. That's within my comfort zone, too. But for me, I feel like that is reading is my is my time. Yeah, it's my escape time. It's my like, it's like a moment of pleasure to be reading. So is it wrong to purely read within your company? You don't have to read outside your comfort zone. That's the thing. Yeah, that's how I feel. Because what you said is I read for this reason. And if that does include reading outside your comfort zone, that's fine. There's no wrong way to read. I feel like. Yeah, I feel like when I want to expand and read a little bit outside my comfort zone, what I'll do is I'll find an in in a book that maybe not wouldn't be for me. Generally, like if it's a literary fiction book that I don't really read a lot of literary fiction anymore. But if someone tells me, Oh, it's a literary fiction, it's historical, and it has like a character or coming into their queer identity in the eighties, I'm like, I'm in because you've got little pieces of stuff you find in my spreadsheet combined with a different genre. Like that is when I start to expand a little bit. I'm like, I might not have picked that book up on its own, but it has elements of things that I like. So it's just a little bit outside my comfort zone, but still firmly rooted in stuff that I enjoy. So I'm still getting that enjoyment out of it, but I'm expanding a little bit, so I'm expanding that. And maybe at the end of this year I realize, Oh wow, I read a couple more science fiction books than I have recently, and they had elements that I liked. Maybe I'll start reading more science fiction in 2025 or whatever. So that's why, again, the spreadsheet is helpful to me because I take notes on that stuff and I'll go back and be like, There were some things that I did this year that I hadn't done in the past, or I'd been I had come back to after a couple of years of not doing that. Like I stopped reading science fiction and fantasy almost full stop in 2020. But I've started to bring it back in smaller increments. So like I was reading a horror book that had fantasy elements. So I came back to fantasy, but in my lane of middle grade horror, or I started reading memoirs again. But that's because they were like celebrity adjacent and I like that. So if you are wanting to get outside your comfort zone for any reason, I say like, get that like a Jason zone. Yeah, like I'm not just going to drop everything and read War and Peace. Shannon I've already talked about that like that's so far outside my comfort zone that it's not even interesting to me it when it wouldn't catch your attention at all. But like if you're reading purely for pleasure, read what you want. Like, I feel like people need to hear that. Yeah. Because I think that there's a lot of pressure to read what's on the bestseller list, to read, you know, something that is that is very political or current events. Buzzy Yeah, and sometimes it's just that is they're, you're already inundated with that just by virtue of being alive at this moment that to read purely for your own enjoyment is something that I think I think a lot of people don't like reading because they they feel boxed in, that they have to read these certain things. I've never actually read a Stephen King novel, which I know is crazy, 25 of them. But and it's not because I have anything against Stephen King. I just haven't had a burning desire to pick up a Stephen King novel, although I have read on writing, which is a Stephen King nonfiction. Right? Exactly. So. So here we are. Yeah. But yeah, and I think the other thing is, if if you want to be reading a book that is a little bit more intense or cerebral, like you don't have to be reading it all the time. Yeah, like I just picked up. We do this till we free us, which is a book about abolitionist work, which I am really interested in, but I can't read it all the time because it makes my brain hurt. But I'm interested in learning. So what I'm doing is I'm reading it between my fiction books or I'm reading it one chapter at a time because it's essays that's smart. And so I'm reading three or four pages at a time. I'm taking in the information, but I can't be taking it in all at once because it's one of those books that's like heavy and important. But it's not pleasure reading. It is in a way that like I'm taking in information that I want to learn about topic, but if I read too many chapters of it at once, it starts to feel like I'm bogged down. Yeah. So it's like also okay to like read more important or heavier or like buzzy or political books, but like, you don't have to read them all the time. No, because you get saturated. Yeah. And then you just, you can't take in any more information so that. All right. Yeah, I like it. Yeah. Well, I feel, I feel inspired. I feel like I have to at least look at story graph because if for no other reason than to just keep better track of it, because I have a terrible because I read a lot, I have a terrible memory when it comes to remembering titles, remembering authors. And even remembering what happened that day. If I don't take notes like I was looking at my list of five star books in this year and I looked at one and I go, I loved that, but I don't know why. And I literally couldn't remember the plot. Yes. And then I looked at my at and I was like, oh, that's why I liked it, but couldn't remember the plot at all. I remembered the feelings that I felt reading it. Couldn't rember the plot. What? My husband is not a fast reader and he doesn't. He doesn't. He's a huge comic book guy, but he doesn't read novels very frequently because he says he is. It takes him too long. But whatever he does read, he remembers every single detail. Like when when we I know when we were reading the Harry Potter series, when the you know, the 100 years ago now. But when the books when the newest books were coming out and they were getting bigger and bigger and bigger, I flew through it and I was like, that was amazing. And he was taking his time. But if we were to talk about them now, he still remembers all these years later, every character's name, every single thing that happened. And I'm like, I remember none of that. So it is. You have to also know the type of reader you are and what your retention is. And that, I think, could help you plan your your goals better too. Yeah. So I've been thinking a lot more about these non numerical goals. And it's interesting because you can really do whatever you want with them. You can follow. So a couple of places have like challenges, like book Riot has a Read Harder challenge every year, which I find too intimidating because it really wants to force you out your comfort zone. And I'm like, Oh good. Yeah. Like some of like I'm not going to do all those props because some of them are really challenging. It'll be like a book with the with the word blue in the title. Okay, you can probably find that in any genre, but then sometimes they get harder than that. I'm like, I can't. A book with it got like an odd number of pages under 200. I'm like, That's too much work. Yeah. Let's go to the Read Harder Challenge. But me personally, I'm like, I'm good. I like things, but life's hard enough. I need to make my reader. I want to challenge myself. I can be like, Yeah, I want to read more indigenous authors this year. But like we talked about before, I'm not putting a number on it. I don't have to read one a month. Yeah, more Indigenous authors this year means more than I did this year, which is I think too. So next year I'll try to read three or maybe I'll just read two again and I'll be and I'll have the, the satisfaction of having read good books. Right. So yeah, these like non numerical goals are really interesting to me because they really do that additive expansive thing. Yeah. Without feeling suffocating. Yeah. Like I don't feel pressured when I set a goal, like, I don't know, read more nonfiction that can literally mean anything. Yeah. Like if you want to set goals, make them really nebulous and really flexible because then there's not there to stress you out. Yeah, Yeah, that's so true. Because I was looking back at my goals for 2024 and I had read two audiobooks a month and I was looking at some points if I was able to get one in because they take me so long to get through because I have to listen to them slowly. Well then when you don't hit that goal, you get frustrated. So frustrated because I'm like, I didn't listen to anything. Like, why couldn't I just do this? It should be so easy and you beat yourself up over. So that's not exactly like, that's trivial. Yeah, that's why I'm like, this year. I'm like, if I just read more audiobooks. Yeah. If, you know, if I read too. Cool. And this is also like a personality type thing. I know those personalities out there that like if I set a goal, I have to meet it. I'm like, That's great. Maybe set a goal that is a little softer to meet, so it's not hard for you to meet. It's okay to set an easier goal to meet it and feel accomplished. You don't have to set lofty goals to feel like you're struggling all the time. Like it's hard to give up. It's hard enough out there being a human right now. Don't make it any harder by making dictating your reading life in a way that is not serving you. Yeah, and I think that a lot of people in just setting resolutions and things, that's why come February 2nd, they've given up all they've all fallen off because there isn't that feeling of accomplishment. And if the goal is really to either make your reading practice more pleasurable or to grow as a reader in some way and you infuse a little bit more of that pleasure into it, then not only are you going to be growing as a person, but you're going to be enjoying the process, which I feel is important. Yeah, maybe your goal is just have a great reading year in 2025. That's a great goal. Yeah, because you can make that what you want it to be. And if you meet it, amazing. And if you don't, you know, I'm sure you still had a reading year. You still read something right? All right. Are we ready to talk about books? We are looking forward to reading next year. I think so. We're almost in January right now and this episode is going to drop in January. Yes, it is. So people will be thinking about goals and resolutions. All right. Who wants to talk about their book first? It's going to go. So this is actually not a new book. That's okay. I think it was written in 2019, but it's called The Lantern of Lost Memories. This by I'll probably not get this right. Tanaka Hiroshi translated by Jesse Kirkwood and it says, What if you could revisit the one moment when everything changed? So one of the sort of the the types of books that I've been interested in lately are books that have been translated from Japanese. I was just going to say books in translation. Also, a great nonmedical goal is to have more of them into your reading life. Yes. So the ones I read recently are the comic hour food detectives. What you are and that's great. What you are looking for is in the library before the coffee gets, which there's five. There's several. Yeah. In that. At least five in that series. Most recently, I read the Full Moon Coffee shop. And so I'm on Goodreads and all those books are on this adjusted. That's about it. That's a good reason for that. It's good for you. Good for that. But so this one, I'll just read like the one little bit of the intro. So it's so from this author. So Naka hee hee hee. Gari. I hate when I say names wrong. H i g r I is a heartwarming, life affirming novel about a magical photo studio where people go after they die to view key moments from their life and relive one precious memory before they pass into the afterlife. Yeah. And so what I've loved about these novels is they're they're short. They're usually right around 200 pages, maybe even a little less. They're just very poignant. They kind of they make you think, they make you pause. And there's just this beautiful simplicity to the way that they're written that makes you stop and think and just about about life and about how you're living it. And just different crossroads. And like this, the Full Moon cafe, the full moon coffee shop book was basically the premise was people were were on a trajectory in life that they were feeling that they were off off their path somehow. And this coffee shop would appear out of nowhere. And and these giant talking cats appeared and they read them their star charts. So there was this, like, astrology component. Yeah. And these and these, these, you know, giant cats. And they're basically helping them to kind of get back on the path. So there's this very magical quality. There's this sort of you have to suspend reality quality, but it's it always comes to the characters finding, finding their way. But in this just very it's they're not wordy. They're just they kind of get right to the point and I love that about it so. So this one seemed so at the title or read again Clarity forgot it. See this is what happens the lantern the lantern of lost memories. Something about that idea of just that snapshot of a moment that you want to go back to before you pass on. I don't know. That caught me so you read the Midnight library by now? It did, and I loved that it vibes of that right now and I feel like that's a good match for you. Yeah. Yeah. That was actually one of my favorite books I read last year. And it was so funny because my one of my friends read, she's like, Oh, I hated that book. And I was like, You did. And I was like, I loved like, it really stated you loved it. I liked it, but it's more character driven. So yeah, that makes sense to me. Yeah. That you liked it more than I did. I like books that make you reflect on life. That's sort of the way I'm like, Really? Get me? Yes. Yeah. So that is my pick. Oh, that's such a great book. Yeah. Yeah. All right, Brianna, what are you excited about reading in 2025? So excited for. Onyx Storm by Rebecca Rose. I was going to say, is this another Yarrow? It's another Yarrow. If you have red fourth wing in Iron Flame Onyx Storm is the third book in the Imperial series comes out January 21st. I already pre-ordered it on Amazon. I'm just going to be waiting by the door every day. The cover is stunning, gorgeous. And what I actually saw on a tick tock recently was that if you look at all of the covers of these three books together, they're literally just kind of melding into each other. I think the first one is very golden and the second one's got this fire, but then it's like black towards the bottom. And now the third cover is just like black. It's like silver and black silver. The fourth wing was the first, fourth, the first one. Iron Flame is a second book and Onyx Storms the third. I won't say anything about what it's about because if you haven't read it yet, I'm not going to spoil anything. Really. You have to read the other two books in order to read this one. It's not one of the one of those series. Just jump right in too. You have to know everything. So what type of person? Maybe that's not fair to say. Type of what type of reader would be drawn to this book? Fantasy reader could probably be drawn to this. There's dragons, there's battles. It's a military like college, if you will, with all these, like, scribes. Oh, so it's got like, dark academia guys vibes, but like, good enough. The dragons are everything we love the dragons. I do love the dragons. You do? I do love dragons. Yeah, I do. And a very, very strong female lead. That too, to Violet, who is lovingly called Violence throughout the book. And you'll find out why if you read it. How spicy is this just for readers? I would say like, it takes a bit for there to be spice in the first book, but once it hits, it hits. So this is for sure, an adult for sure. And I know that there are some young people out there reading it, but this is firmly in adult fantasy. Yeah, just. Just love, you know, that's what I so I thought that it was more of a Y.A. book. And this is for adults. It really blew up on book talk. So a lot of younger people are reaching for it, but it's definitely an adult series. So readers know, I mean, read whatever you want, but just beware. The content is a little more adult, but like it's and I am not someone who ever really read Romantic Z but I picked that up because of book talk. Yeah, I was going to say you were. I don't really you weren't really reading fantasy at all. That's why I was surprised because I thought this was more of a fantasy. But I know you like romance, so that makes sense. Yeah, I just. I picked it up because everybody else in the world was like, I love it so much. I'm like, I need to see what this is about. And I loved it. And that kind of paved the way for me to start reading The Court of Thorns and Rose, a series that has been my friends have tried to get me to read it for years, and I finally got through most of it and love it to okay, so the Court of Thorns Roses is like Fay and all that lovely stuff. And then the period series is all like dragons and like warfare. And these are pretty hefty books. Okay, So this third book that's coming out is actually the shortest of the two. It's only 540 pages, only Justice for Justice or another great non numerical goal is read a book that is longer than a certain amount pages. Yeah. Yeah. Or I guess real long book. What about means to you? I know Shannon and I talked about long books being like 500 or more, but long book can mean whatever to you. If you, if you read a lot of novellas along, what could be three pages. So yeah, and to be contrarian for a second, if people need to stop recommending poor thing to me, I'm not going to read it. I really if you know my taste on this show, you know, Fourth Way is not a me book. Please stop asking if I've read fourth week. I have not and I will not. If you want to know who's read fourth one, you can come find me. Yeah. Brianna, lots to talk about. Fourth having all the time. I do not. Please stop asking me. I don't know where I fall because I do like a fantasy. Kate reporting. And then tell us how you feel. I know we're gonna have to make some. Please stop telling me to read it. I'm not going to. So if you're, like, looking for your friends, that love for you will not talk to them for probably. Oh, yeah, because everyone's going k. That's exciting. I'm excited for you. I'm so excited. Yeah. I'm going to probably reread the first two books. Yes. So I've been watching like summaries talk to try to remember and I literally I can't. What, when does this one come out again? January 21st. Oh, okay. So you better get on it. Yeah. One of these days. Yeah. Yeah. So that's my book. So stuff I want to hear about you. Okay. So when at the last minute, I was like, Oh, no, a book that I'm excited for. I went to my library holds list and thought, What am I waiting on right now? I'm the New Wayward Children book comes out in January because shot in McGuire puts the We Were Children book out every January and every December. I forgot and I'm like, Oh, we got I got to put on hold. So this is the 10th book in the Were Children series. I've talked about this series before, but this is actually a series you can come in and just read one if you want to. They're novellas. This one is only 160 pages. But the We Were Children series, if you don't know, is a fantasy sometimes horror series that tows the line between wire and adult, and it's the series is based around a school for children to go to after they come back from being in a magical world. So like, think somebody who went to Narnia or someone who went through the looking glass, they come back to the real world and do not know how to function, or some of their families do not want them anymore. So they go to the wayward children's school and it's about their lives and how they intersect in every book is about a different set of characters. Sometimes they intersect, sometimes they kind of meet each other, and every story is about one of these worlds. So sometimes one of the stories is and one of it is like the upside down candy world. One of them is in really dark world, but lots of towers and lots of monsters. Sometimes they go back and forth between the real world. This one is called adrift in currents, clean and clear. And this is a series that I don't care what the books are about. I read them anyways because they're all excellent. But this one says Giant turtles and possible ships and tidal rivers written by a drowned girl in search of a family. In the latest in the bestselling Hugo Nebula Award winning We Were Children series from Shannon Maguire. That's all I have to know, that it's a drowned girl. Those those pop up in the series, a drowned girl, and something about turtles and ships. And there's a turtle on the cover. And that's all you need. I'm good. There was one that was about a horse. Like a horse girl loved that one dinosaur. There was the last one had a dinosaur on the cover. I don't know what you're talking. Yeah, that was cool. Covers. Yes. And that one was about a shop where you could find lost things. And that one was called Things Lost and Found something like that. There was one about a mermaid and a mermaid world. They're all different, but they're all like fantasy sci fi. So like, like I said, I haven't read a lot of fantasy sci fi, but I will always read these because I'm already in the world. I don't have to go to the worldbuilding because it's already there and these do sometimes brought up against horror. So just know that before handing this like your 12 year old, they do sometimes have some content that's a little higher, but the series is fantastic. I watch and I'm a to write them forever. Oh, but this is book ten. It comes out on January 7th. That's very exciting. So exciting. Really excited. Yeah. Yeah. I wanted to choose a book that was coming out now, but that's all right. But, but I didn't because now I want I want there's plenty of things that I have on my TBR to read in 2025, but I never got to because you can't read all the books that come out later here. And sometimes they don't come on your radar either, where it's it'll be you've read something and then you get a recommendation based on that. But you wouldn't have gotten that recommendation. I heard of that book. Yeah, exactly. So many books come out every year. Yes. Even if you keep up only reading books that are in your wheelhouse, you're still not going to read them all. I was never going to read every white romance that came out this year. I know that, like I read is very like, good. But I did just start. My husband got it for me because we did the Icelandic book Flood Treaty and so Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Clune Nice. So yeah I am yeah. I'm only a few chapters in, but so far it's got the same kind of feel as house in this early in C so yeah it's, I mean it's it's a continuation of the story so of course but, but it's Yeah, it's good. Yeah. This is so much fun so it's really great. Any other final thoughts about tracking and going forward to see what you do and beat you? No pressure. I'm excited for you. We're excited. I'm excited to see too. I do feel like sort of my my personal goal moving forward this year is to to sort of sink into the things that I really enjoy and love. Because a lot of times we forget to do that and life happens and it gets busy and we don't spend enough time on the things that we actually enjoy. And since reading is something that I value, I think being a little bit more intentional about it will just mean that the things that are sitting next to my bed are things I actually am excited to pick up. So. So for that, I have one final plug for you. Yeah, please. Because not talking about this, I'm like, okay, you like reading books about reflections about the human interaction and like, and like, living your life. Reflecting on your reading is, I think, going to make for an even better, more pleasurable year for you, like digging into what you actually like and seeking out more of it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just to turn it back on you. I know. And I'm going to. And as I do that, I will let you know. And then because I look to the two of you as people who do have so many great recommendations because you obviously were, but you know what you like, but you're very plugged into, Oh, I wouldn't like this, but I know somebody who would. And so the more you it's totally self-serving, the more you know about what I like, the better you'll be able to guide me. When books come up, that's the motto. So is knowing yourself as a reader, whether it's what you like or what you don't like. And starting to know other people as readers is so special. It is. It's fun. It's fun, and it makes this work that much more fulfilling. Well, thank you. Hey, thanks, guys. This is so fun. Amazing. Yeah. And listening. Everything I we we need to follow up like the end of 25. Yeah, Yeah, yeah. And just see what our our tracking our goals look like in December. Yeah. Why should I become a super type a book tracker? And Steph is like, I threw out my spreadsheet. It's all funny because I'm really organized at this. Yeah, but if you've seen my workspace, you would never know that this spreadsheet belongs to the same brain. Right. And then? And then I don't like a lot of fuss around my desk and my is like a disaster zone thing. Yeah, but my spreadsheet is not. It's beautiful. It is beautiful. Yeah. I don't have anything to add to it this year, but we'll see. We'll see if I want to check extra stuff. Oh, well, happy reading to everybody. 2025. Yeah. We hope you dig into some good books on the chilly weather. And thank you so much for listening to Middletown Strong. Looking up with Russell Library and stay tuned we're turn that up by. Hello and welcome to the segment we're calling. Turn that up. Projects at Russell Library that are too good to keep quiet. It's a new year and the library is starting some exciting new projects. We're learning about the environment, dancing away stress and helping people with their homework. Joining me, as always, is Shannon Barry. Larry. Hey, Kim. What's going on? I'm doing pretty well, Harry. How is the new Year treating you? It's treating me well. Yeah. You know, resolutions I know we had an episode on anti resolutions. Yeah, but more of mine is like kicking bad habits and replacing them with better habits. That's good. Yeah. Do you have any new things this year? I always have goals that I'm following, but this year I'm actually instead of having a resolution, I'm having a word. Oh, my God. Kristi thought about that, too. She was talking to me about her, and she's like, Yeah, I have a word for this year. And I'm like, Wait, that's awesome. So wait, what is your word? My word, actually, this year is focus. That's a good one. So just, you know, driving out the noise, focusing on what's important and being in the moment to being present. That's awesome. Yeah, that's. New. I just thought about this. I think mine is blue. Oh, that's a good one. Yeah, because I'm ready to. In other parts of my life, to bloom in areas that I haven't bloomed before, so. Oh, nice. Yeah, I just thought about them like, that's a good word. That's an awesome word. So awesome. Well, so, yeah, we are planning to focus and bloom throughout 2025. How humble I Oh, So as far as the library goes, on Saturday, February 1st at 2 p.m.. Middletown Environmental Film Festival will continue at Russell Library with the movie Farming While Black. This feature film about the rising generation of young black farmers, highlights the work of Leah Penniman, author of the book Farming. While Black, Leah and her colleagues help propel a rising generation of black farmers finding strength in the deep historical knowledge of African agrarian ism and its potential to save the planet. See Marin Farmsteads Héctor Gerardo and Luis Carrera will lead a discussion after the film and see Marin Farmstead is based in Danbury, so they're going to give the local perspective of what the film is, is exploring. Oh, this is awesome, right? Yeah. So glad that we're doing this again this year. Last year we had a really nice group come in, did and the discussion was really thoughtful for people who are still in scholarly mode. The library's drop in program homework help will continue through the winter on Wednesdays from 5 to 7 p.m.. Experienced tutors will be available to help in a variety of subjects and will work in small groups to assist students on their homework assignments. Homework Help Center is intended for middle and high school students, but elementary school students are welcome to attend. If a student attending is under the age of 12, a caregiver must remain in the building for the duration of the session. These sessions will take place in the space, which is the teen area of the library, and this program is sponsored by the Teen Violence Prevention Grant, courtesy of the YMCA. So thank you, YMCA. Thank you, YMCA. Yeah. So do your little ones have an extra energy this winter? I don't know. I hope kids do. Okay. I'm so tired all the time. Bring them to the library to dance it out

on Friday, February 7th at 10: 55:18

30 a.m.. Join us to move, Groove and get our Wiggles out. Our librarian will lead the young dancers through some steps, use props and have plenty of time for free dance and imagination. We will use a variety of dance styles. No experience is required. Clues for movement are recommended and dance wear is encouraged but not required. It was funny. We had the. What was it? The ball drop. Yeah, I was there that Saturday and all the kids. It was so much fun. The deejay was wonderful. He is amazing. Amazing. Iwa and danced for a little bit to get the film of the ball dropping, but oh, my God, the kids were so funny, cause then I was working the desk like, it's too loud. It was too much for me. I had to walk out and I don't blame them. I was overstimulated at some point, so. But. So come dance with us. Dancing is really fun here at the library. I love it. And on Tuesday, February 11th, at 6 p.m., Middletown Pride in the Circle Care Center will host the first of four sessions about sexual health education. Additional classes will be held in the library's Hubbard Room on Tuesday, February 18th and 25th, as well as Tuesday, March six, all starting at 6 p.m.. That's awesome. I didn't realize what that program was. Yeah, I got the tech assistance for it and I was like, Oh, it's real help. Yes, exactly. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it will be. And I'm looking forward to seeing what they what they have to present. Exactly. And on Tuesday, February 18th at 6 p.m., come learn the basics of crochet in the library's teen area, a.k.a. the space. All levels are welcome, but the focus will be on beginners and those new to crochet. This activity will take place monthly and participants are welcome to jump in at any time in this activity is best for the ages of 8 to 14 years old. Go. Fair enough. There. We hope that you've heard something that interests you. Russell Library appreciates all of the support that we received from the community. Thank you for tuning in and please feel free to share what you've learned with others. Wrestle Library has too many exciting things going on.