Friday Mood Recs: 25 ideas to start your 2025 reading year strong

Ideas for kicking off your year in books with (mostly) what you already own

My original idea for today’s Mood Recs was to share a list of book recommendations to start your reading year strong. But you know what? I think as much as we love and adore book recommendations, we’re all feeling just a tad overwhelmed. Sometimes it feels like I’m on a reading treadmill and there is no way I can keep apace with all of the books hitting shelves and coming into my consciousness. It’s too much! (Says the person about to drop a 35+ page reading recommendation project on Sunday…yes, A Mood Reader’s Almanac is dropping this Sunday!!)

So while I love a book rec, I thought I’d try something a little different. Today, I’m sharing 25 prompts and ideas you can use to help select your next book, prioritize your TBR, and make all around great decisions in your reading life as we jump into 2025¹. The intention is NOT that you do all of these. My hope is that one or two things on this list makes you think, oh yes, I’m going to read that right now, or serves as a jumping off point to reflect on what will make this a meaningful reading year for you. If just one idea in here helps you focus in on your own taste and get excited about your reading year to come, I’ll be thrilled!

25 ideas to start your reading year strong

1. Read a book (new or old) that was on your 2024 TBR that you just didn’t get to.

2. Read the shortest unread book that you own.

3. Join a reading group for a book you’ve been wanting to read. We’ll be reading Emma together in our final season of Novel Pairings starting in March.

   Simon Haisell
   is conducting a slow readalong of Hilary Mantel’s Cromwell trilogy.
   Henry Eliot
   is hosting an Anna Karenina readalong over the course of the year. And there are many, many more.

4. Read the book that’s been sitting on your unread shelf the longest.

5. Read the last book you purchased that remains unread.

6. Look back on your 2024 reading and consider any patterns that emerge from your favorite books. Try to think beyond genre and tropes, or even publishing details like imprint and pub date. Consider the tone, style, and structure of your favorites. Do the same thing with the books you did not like. What commonalities do these have? Noticing these might help you determine what books to devote your time to (and which ones to avoid) moving forward. Write your observations down somewhere.

7. Reread the opening chapter of a book you read and loved recently. This is a great way to engage in close reading without committing to a full reread. Plus it can help you discern specifically what you loved about that book.