After nearly doubling my 2025 reading goal of 40 books, I decided not to set a goal for 2026 as far as a number of books or pages. I'd rather focus on quality (or at least enjoyment) over quantity.
That being said, I am going to try to read every day and to finish at least one non-fiction book per month. You know, to grow or whatever.
Read so far in 2026, as of March 1st:
22 books totaling 10,526 pages
Average time to finish: 5 days
I finished 14 books in January 2026, which was more than I usually get through in a month. I did a 30-day digital detox, so I was avoiding social media and not watching anything aside from exercise videos and new episodes of Drag Race.
January's non-fiction selection paired perfectly with my digital detox. I *highly* recommend that everyone read Cory Doctorow's Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It. (Hi, @pluralistic!)
Where I previously typically would only read one book at a time, this is when I got into the habit of having an audiobook or two in progress along with an ebook on my Kobo. I like that I can listen to a book while doing chores or preparing dinner, but I prefer an ebook and white noise at bedtime.
Finished reading 8 books in February 2026. I think that's still pretty good, especially given the length of the month and the absolute deluge of transcripts I receive to proofread every February. (I figure attorneys start "circling back" in January to schedule the depositions they put off in December.)
Anyway, after DNF'ing a couple of audiobooks I just wasn't into, my non-fiction book for February was Trixie and Katya's Guide to Modern Womanhood by #DragRace alums Trixie Mattel and Katya, read by the authors. It was humorous, though they did seem to throw an awful lot of shade at one of my favorite queens. Leave Ginger Minj alone!
I'm reading two series that I'm thoroughly enjoying: Spellmonger by Terry Mancour and Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman. They're different but have some things in common, including frequently making me guffaw. I think Minalan and Carl would get along really well. They're both creative problem solvers who are damn good at killing monsters.
The fourth floor of the dungeon is kinda nuts!
Ah, yes. Definitely some crazy stuff.
DJ Toebeans
Jens Zalzala