On Reading Deeply, Not Widely
Resisting the Temptation of Book Gluttony and My 2025 Reading Plan
With the rise of Bookstagram and BookTok, there seems to be a mounting pressure for readers to read as many books as possible per year. From what I’ve observed, I believe this is so that they can either push out regular content or keep up with popular discussions. I understand both temptations. In fact, sometimes I find I enjoy discussing a book far more than I like reading it. I will joyfully read something outside of what I would normally pick just for the sake of discussing that book with someone I like or admire. At one point this year, I was in five book clubs!
The year before I had my first daughter I read 56 books. All I did was read every night before bed. It was glorious. I found myself sometimes staying up all night under the light of my clamp-on book-light. My husband was sleeping soundly next to me. He was a healthy person: he would read a page or two, maybe even a chapter, and then conk out. But I was devouring books. I felt like I was twelve again - hiding away in the night, reading under my comforter with a flashlight.
I did not think anything could disrupt my reinvigorated love for reading. Even in the newborn days, my husband and I continued our tradition of reading by book-light, together in bed, before going to sleep. Imagine my utter horror when one night, at around four months old, my baby woke up the moment I turned the book-light on. And then it happened again the next night! Commence screaming - my baby externally, me internally - and crisis. That year, my “Read List” dwindled to 31 books, and the year following it fell to 18 books ( I had two babies under two so life was crazy). This year I am on track to have read a few more than 30. So next year, I should be able to read even more, right?
Well, actually, I think I don’t want to. Earlier this year, I hit a reading slump. I was still reading plenty, but I had a string of three or four consecutive books I did not enjoy. I even put one in the recycling, deciding no one else should read it either. I was discussing this with my husband when I realized that three of my top five favorite books of all time are close to, if not more than, 500 pages. What I enjoy most is a completely immersive story. I want to be shown and not told what to think or feel. I want to dive deep into a world, and when I finish I want to feel the pang of loss for a world that could never be fully mine. Long books are often, though of course not always, a mark of an author fully immersed. They are inviting us into their world. These stories tend to be character-driven as opposed to plot-driven, and therefore you find yourself rooting for the kind of people you would never come to know in “real” life.
I’ve now pondered this for several months, and I’ve decided that next year I want to pick one “big” book a month and just stick to that. I am qualifying big as at least 500 pages, preferably closer to 1000. I am still in two book clubs and I will still read for those - but one typically spreads a book out over a few months, and the other only reads one book per month. So I think I will end up reading somewhere between 20 and 30 books in 2025. Maybe less! And I am okay with that. This will be an exercise in resisting “book gluttony1” which is the temptation to essentially read for the wrong reasons. I want to focus on reading wonderful books that I think I will truly love and learn from, instead of just trying to read widely for the sake of conversation or pride. I do think my list is still diverse in genre, and there will be books I read that are not on this list. But this list will be my anchor throughout the year.
Here is my tentative list for this endeavor. Be warned, I like to go into books blind - I pick them based on perhaps liking another book by that author, or they come recommended by someone who knows me well, or some other random metric. Click on each title to be taken to a proper synopsis.
Free Food for Millionaires, Min Jin Lee … 576 pages
I’ve chosen this book because Lee’s other book, Pachinko, is in my top five books of all time. I don’t know what Free Food for Millionaires is about but I’m sure it will be great! If this does not take me very long, I may reread Pachinko that month as well.
Kristin Lavransdatter, Sigrid Undset … 1146 pages
This will actually be a reread! Kristin Lavransdatter is a major reason why I’ve decided to take up this challenge. I finished it in a month about two or three years ago by just reading a little before bed each night. In 2025, I hope to read it in March, during Lent. Pachinko and Kristin are quite similar, and if you enjoyed one I think you will enjoy the other. They are both in my top five favorites of all time. They are both historical fiction family sagas centered on matriarchs. Kristin is set in 14th-century Norway, while Pachinko is in 20th-century Korea and Japan. They are steeped in suffering and the hard questions about God.
It, Stephen King … 1120 pages
Sometimes people are surprised to find out that I love Stephen King - but I do! I think he is an awesome writer and I especially love how he writes children. His stories simply come alive and breathe. It has been sitting on my shelf for a long time. This will probably be the book I read first, in January, because if I happen to get pregnant I likely won’t be able to stomach it and may have to switch it out for one of the books on my “considering” list, which I’ve also included below.
The Father’s Tale, Michael O’Brien … 1076 pages
This is actually on the list for one of my book clubs (IFYKYK) and it is”due” in February. I enjoyed O’Brien’s Father Elijah, so I am sure I will like this one as well. I know nothing about the contents!
Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy … 838 pages
You just have to include a Russian classic in a challenge like this. I’ve already read The Brother’s Karamazov, so now it’s time to give Tolstoy a turn.
Wildwood, Colin Meloy … 560 pages
This is a middle-grade fantasy novel I picked up a few years ago because the cover was pretty and a friend said I would enjoy it. I am hoping to make a practice of reading middle-grade novels more frequently so that I can vet and recommend solid books to my children when they reach that skill level. This is part of a series, so if it doesn’t take me the whole month I may read the sequel as well.
Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurty … 960 pages
Another book I know nothing about - this has been on my list for a while because I read that it is Stephen King’s favorite book. It is a Western and I love a good Western.
The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt … 784 pages
In 2024 I read The Secret History and while it was technically a good book (well-written, immersive, etc.) I felt I could not recommend it to anyone because it is full of darkness and evil that does not point beyond itself. At many points it almost did, and then didn’t. I, however, have enjoyed some of Tartt’s essays and interviews and I know she converted to Catholicism, so I am curious to see if her later writing does what I hope! I am not at all opposed to darkness, but it needs to point beyond itself.
City of Saints and Madmen (Ambergris #1) Jeff Vandermeer … 704 pages
Another book I know nothing about. I picked this one because I enjoyed the Annihilation/Area X series by Vandermeer. He tends to write something called “Weird Fiction” which is somewhere between speculative fiction and science fiction.
East of Eden, John Steinbeck … 601 pages
I’ve been told this is a family saga with religious elements. That’s all I need to know to pick a book up. I have not read any other Steinbeck.
The Priory of the Orange Tree, Samantha Shannon … 830 pages
All I know is that this is a sort of historical fantasy novel maybe set in Asia or another world with Asian elements. That’s all I know about it! It was very popular on social media a few years ago. I hope I enjoy it more than Babel, which received similar hype.
Shogun, James Clavell … 1152 pages
I think this is the one I am most excited about. It is historical fiction set in feudal Japan. I love learning about Japan and I think this will easily make it into my top favorites of all time.
Other books I’m considering:
Dune, Frank Herbert - 896 pages
All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr - 531 pages
The Stand, Stephen King - 1153 pages
11/22/63, Stephen King - 849 pages
If you have other books that you think I should consider then please let me know! I tried to compile a list that included a variety of genres, though I think the list of authors could afford to be more diverse. If you would like to do a buddy read with me on any of these, please say so! I would also love to hear if you are taking up any reading challenges in 2025.
A term sort of coined by Autumn Kern of The Common Place - a wonderful YouTube channel and podcast about home educating the Charlotte Mason “way.”
I am one who stays up late to read too, alongside my snoring husband. I see you have some books on your TBR that I've really enjoyed. The Father's Tale by Michael O'Brien, East of Eden by John Steinbeck and All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doer are all books I truly loved! I don't know why I didn't 'discover' East of Eden until this past summer, but when I was holding it in my hand, another woman was telling me she has a friend who reads it every year. When I heard that, I knew there had to be some compelling reason why, so it sounded worth a read. I was not disappointed! I like to copy down quotes that resonate with me while I'm reading, and that one had me writing down quite a few. Lots of depth and wisdom in that book. I'm also a huge fan of anything Michael O'Brien writes, but his Island of the World is likely my favorite.