As one of those kids who grew up devouring books, the librarian at my tiny local library should have had me on speed-dial to make book hold notifications easier.
Of course, the activities I loved were soon replaced by “bigger” responsibilities than enjoying my next fantasy novel. Once I got a taste of the real world in high school — getting off of work multiple nights a week in time to reheat dinner, say goodnight to my folks, and start on homework — I fell out of the reading habit. College came and went; I hardly had time to enjoy that glorious library outside of its 24-hour computer lab.
And now, I’m writing to you partway through January of the new year. A season of fresh starts, something encouraged at Garden, because healthy resolutions (like reading more) can be a great way to establish new, positive rituals that improve your work life.
Stats don’t lie. We’ve all dropped a resolution or two (or ten…who’s counting?) According to a Forbes Health survey published in 2024, 8% of those surveyed said their resolution lasted one month, 21.9% said their resolution lasted 2 months, and 22.2% lasted 3 months.
Only 6% reported sticking to their resolution and bringing it into the next year.
Surprisingly, I am one of that small percentage that’s bringing my 2025 resolution with me into 2026 as a near-daily ritual. While it does feel good to finally succeed at keeping a resolution, I promise I’m not here to brag. I want to share how I accomplished it so you can give it a try too!
Making it joyful. As we entered January of last year, I realized that a lot of resolutions involve making changes that make you unhappy or uncomfortable in the hard period where the habit is new and not cemented. While many resolutions that make you uncomfortable in the process are in the hopes of having a net positive, I thought I’d give a go at making a goal that made me happy throughout all stages. My suggestion: think about a goal for 2026 that will make you full of joy! Maybe there’s a hobby you’ve been wanting to try, social media recipes piling up, places you’ve been wanting to roadtrip to, or an ever growing bucket-list. The goal I set for myself in 2025? Tracking my reading!
Tracking progress with pride. Sometime in 2021-22, I gave audiobooks a shot and haven’t looked back. The problem? I couldn’t recall half of their titles or authors after a few months due to the volume of books I was going through. I’m horrible with names and birthdays too, so this didn’t entirely surprise me.
Finding an app that works for you. More and more of my peers were also getting back into reading (thanks BookTok), but I had a hard time sharing recommendations with anyone. Mid-January, I decided my goal would be to vet an app and consistently track it. I was interested in using something other than the most popular option, Goodreads. Goodreads felt dated during the YA book boom of the 00s-10s, and I still feel it’s a little behind in the looks department. Another negative for me – the lurking emphasis on ads and commerce (in case you were unaware, our friends at Amazon own both Goodreads & Audible). No shade if you enjoy Goodreads of course, use what brings you joy!
Two more “indie” app options kept appearing during my research — Storygraph and Fable. I decided to give them both a go for a few weeks. What can I say, working in startups for years has made me partial to an underdog from time to time! Both let you track your reading habits, feature social aspects, allow you to set goals for yourself, offer fun data and graphs, and more.
The big winner. Ultimately, I preferred Fable’s user interface (UI) over Storygraph’s and committed. UI is fancy developer speak for what you see and interact with while using a website or app – the page layouts, colors, fonts, interactive bits. The vibe, if you will. (Note: See below for a few of my Fable graphs from 2025)
Flash forward to now: I finished 43 books over the course of 2025 and have a way to look back and reflect on them. Best of all, I’m continuing the practice because I had so much fun doing it! I highly recommend you try setting a joyful resolution this year – you might just stick with it.
A Garden Variety of Recommended Books
– Brought to you by Garden Communications Co.
We at Garden read a bushel of books in 2025. Take a gander, you’re sure to find one to add to your To Be Read (TBR) list! If you go to nab any of these, remember to support local bookstores & utilize your local library!
- The Mighty Red by Louise Erdich- Coming-of-age, ecofiction, set in Red River Valley
- Sounds like Me by Sara Bareilles – Memoir
- The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix – Horror, thriller, historical fiction
- The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls – Memoir
- Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler – Dystopian, science fiction
- China Dolls by Lisa See – Historical fiction
- My Next Breath by Jeremy Renner – Memoir
- Boudicca’s Daughter by Elodie Harper – Historical fiction
- The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern – Fantasy, mystery, romance
- All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffal – Dystopian, science fiction, thriller
- The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley – Science fiction, romance
- James by Percival Everett – Historical fiction, reimagining of Huckleberry Finn
- A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher – Fantasy, reimagining of The Goose Girl
- Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune – Fantasy, found family
Sampling of some of my Fable Charts from 2025
