Welcome to another TTT! Are you getting back into the swing of things now that we’re into the second week of 2025? I still want to write 2024 all the time, and it’s going to be a fun month trying to get used to this. LOL. Looking ahead, what are you hoping to accomplish in your bookish life this year? I try not to put undue pressure on myself and just come up with some fun hopes and wishes to help guide my reading when I’m in a slump or not sure what to read. I’m excited to lurk on some blogs this week and see what you inspire me to do!

1. Read 52 (or more) books. 
Back when I read YA, I was reading 70+ books each year but the books were shorter than the adult novels I read now! One book a week seems like a sustainable goal for me. Last year I read 53 pretty easily, so I’m going to stick with that goal and not push myself to read too quickly. I also want time to do other things!

2. Work on that Netgalley ratio!!
Friends, I am struggling with this. I know I’ve said this before, but back in the olden days this ratio didn’t exist and, as a baby blogger who was excited to review books, I requested everything I thought I might like (not expecting to be approved for them all). But I was. lol. I dug myself into a huge hole that I’ve been spending years trying to climb out of. I’m hoping this is the year I hit the recommended 80% (although, if I’m being realistic maybe 60% would be enough to make me feel better this year).

3. Request and accept fewer books for review.
This kind of goes hand in hand with #2. I don’t want to fill my plate so full that I can’t enjoy my Kindle Unlimited and Audible memberships, my library, and the books I already have on my shelves or receive as gifts. For years, I exclusively read review copies and missed out on a lot of other titles I was super excited about.

4. Read more backlist titles.
Being a slower reader means I don’t get to all the books I want to read the year they come out. And then I get bogged down in all the shiny new books the next year and forget about the ones that I was dying for before their releases.

5. Write more reviews, even if they’re tiny. 
I put a lot of pressure on myself to write long, detailed reviews, but sometimes I’m not in the right head space for that! But even just a short paragraph would be worth blogging, right? Would you be happy to read a to-the-point, paragraph-long review or would you skip past it and look for a longer one from someone else?

6. Read more physical books from my shelves.
I’ve got a lot of books on my shelves that get ignored because a Kindle is easier. I want to read my physical books, see if I love them, and donate them if I don’t so I have room for more!

7. Embrace whatever mood I’m in.
This goes for books as well as how I choose to spend my time. If I’m in the mood for a month of thrillers, I need to do it. If I’m reading a book and find I’m not in the mood for it, I need to set it aside or DNF it and find a book I am in the mood for. And if I;m not in the mood to read because I want to binge watch Friends or play a game on my Nintendo Switch, that’s ok too!

8. Re-read more. 
I never used to re-read, but I’ve started doing it more lately and I didn’t realize how much I’d still love my favorite books the second time around! I always worried that I’d get tired of them or decide I don’t like them, but so far re-reading has only brought more joy. And I need all the joy.

9. Prioritize the books I’m most excited about no matter when they come/came out.
Being a mood reader means grabbing what I want when I want it. Reading is not my job. It’s not school. I’m in charge and nobody else. If I want to start a book tonight that has a release date in October, I’m starting it tonight anyway! And if I’m super excited to start a book that came out 50 years ago, that’s fine too. I don’t always have to be reading the latest trending books.

10. Be ruthless with the DNF. 
I own or have access to more books that I will be able to read in my lifetime. So I need to DNF more and find the very best of the best. Life is too short for books I’m not enjoying!

What are some of your reading goals this year?
How many books are you hoping to read in 2025?

Welcome to another TTT! This week is Thanksgiving in the USA, so I thought a thankful freebie would be fun. This year has been hard for me, so I thought it would be therapeutic to set all that aside for a few minutes and reflect on what’s gone right for me and what I’m thankful for.

1. I am thankful for my mom and my sister. They are my biggest cheerleaders, my confidants, and my best friends. My mom and I laugh together, cry together, and are pretty much the same person. She also takes care of me and is always looking out for what I need.

2. I am thankful for all the other people in my life who pull for me. I’ve been getting some very small health answers and going through many medical tests that I hope will lead to larger answers that will improve my quality of life. I’ve found a couple of those rare people in the medical field who actually care and are trying to help me.

3. I am thankful that I get to live in such a beautiful place! Looking for hints that the seasons are changing is one of my favorite things to do, and we have had great seasons this year!

4. I am thankful for animals, whether they are mine, a friend’s, or a stranger’s on Instagram. They never cease to make me smile.

5. I am thankful for books. I love reading and escaping to new worlds and meeting new people. I have always loved historical romance, but I love it even more now. Social media has become a toxic storm, and I love going back to a simpler time of house parties and balls. I also love fantasy, which always provides the most amazing distraction.

6. I am thankful that I don’t have to worry about where my next meal will come from or where I will sleep tonight. I am so fortunate to have the things I really need.

7. I’m thankful for my education.

8. I’m thankful for music, and the ability I have to connect with it on such a deep level.

9. I’m thankful for my talents of creativity and singing.

10. I’m thankful for my Heavenly Father.

What’s the biggest thing you’re thankful for this year?

Happy Thanksgiving this week to all who celebrate!
And if this is a hard time of year for you, I’m sending you hugs!

Welcome to another TTT! Can you believe Halloween is this week?? I sure can’t! This week’s topic is a freebie, and I’ve chosen to think back to when I was a kid and loved the magic of Halloween. I loved coming up with costumes, school parties, and trick-or-treating so much. I still love many aspects of Halloween like atmospheric/spooky reads, candy, pumpkins, black cats, ghosts, and cute kids in costumes, but Halloween is now a cozy night in watching Arsenic and Old Lace under my fall-themed Snoopy blanket with a bag of my favorite candy next to me instead of going out and being a part of the festivities. So here are the Halloween books I loved as a kid, some of which I also loved reading my classes when I taught elementary school.

1. Popcorn by Frank Asch
2. Trick or Treat, Little Critter by Gina Mayer and Mercer Mayer
3. The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams
4. It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown by Charles M. Schulz and Kara McMahon (Adapter)
5. The Berenstain Bears Trick or Treat by Stan Berenstain and Jan Berenstain

6. Clifford’s Halloween by Norman Bridwell
7. Franklin’s Halloween by Paulette Bourgeois
8. Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman
9. Clifford’s First Halloween by Norman Bridwell (I really loved Clifford!)
10. Sherlock Chick and the Case of the Night Noises by Robert M. Quackenbush (This is not Halloween-themed, but it was spooky for little Jana!)

It was so much fun strolling down memory lane and coming up with this list today. I always feel so nostalgic this time of year!
Did you love any of these as a kid?

I hope you have a happy Halloween!

Welcome to another TTT! This week’s topic was submitted by Lydia @ lydiaschoch.com and is “How My Reading Habits Have Changed Over Time”. I love this topic! It’s always fun to look back and see how we’ve grown and changed. I decided to think all the way back to the year I started blogging: 2011–two years after I graduated college. My reading habits and tastes have changed a lot since that time, but here are the ten biggest changes!

1. I used to read YA exclusively, but not anymore! I read maybe one YA title a year now.

2. I could not make audiobooks work for me back then. I tried, but I could not pay attention and I really didn’t like most of the narrators. Now I’ve found my audiobook niche and my favorite narrators, so I listen to them all the time now!

3. I DNF more. Not finishing a book wasn’t even a thing I thought about, most likely because I was still fresh off my years of required reading from high school and college and DNFing meant getting a bad grade. I’ve embraced the DNF and my reading life is better for it.

4. I prioritize the books I want to read, rather than saving them for the opportune moment. I’m a mood reader, and I’ve accepted that! I no longer read from a schedule, and I no longer save books as incentives for getting things done or for specific trips. I read when I want, because I never know when I’ll want to read that book again anyway. lol.

5. I read WAY more historical romance and historical fiction than I used to! I’ve always liked it, but now it’s my favorite. Maybe the turmoil in today’s world has me wanting to escape to the past?

6. I read a lot of indie titles now! I used to go for the big publishers only, but I love seeking out lesser-known titles and authors now.

7. Maybe the market is just more saturated, but closed-door romances are in abundance right now and I love them! I love all romance, but sometimes I’m not in the mood for spice.

8. I rarely read physical copies anymore. My eyes just aren’t what they used to be, and after two surgeries I’m no longer in danger of losing my vision but a lot of damage was done from my degenerative eye disease. So I exclusively read on a Kindle! I love owning physical copies of my favorite books, though. I call it my “apocalypse collection” in case my Kindle ever dies. LOL. I have a magnifying glass, too! Just in case!

9. I don’t read as many books as I used to. I have a lot of new hobbies that I didn’t have back then, namely crochet and cross stitch and Switch games, so I don’t have as much time.

10. I re-read now! I always thought there wasn’t enough time to get my TBR under control if I re-read any books, but now I love re-visiting favorites!

How have your reading habits changed over the years?
Can you identify with any of my changes?