2025 Reads
- Monica Odom
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
Consider me the lover that ghosted you and then sends a 'hey big head' text months (maybe a year, my bad) later like nothing happened. We will eventually have a discussion about why I did what I did, but until then 'we good, right?' 😏
As a child and college kid, reading and writing fueled my creativity like no other. I wrote books in my gifted classes and poems and whatnot in the thousands of journals I collected over time. Read a countless number of books including the entire Flowers in the Attic Series by VC Andrews at least 4 times before I turned 21.
Adulthood came carrying a sledgehammer, and my time got wrecked. Reading didn't get pushed to the backburner. I took the pot off the damn stove. Somewhere along the way I forgot that my hobbies are just as important as my other responsibilities. In 2022, I started reading again. Self-help initially because who wouldn't want to improve in some area of their life. In 2024, however, I remembered that I am not a project to be continually tinkered with. Perfection is not a real destination and, damn it, I like romance. I need to swoon, giggle, kick my feet, blush, and grin with all my teeth. Where was that Mon?
So, I joined some Facebook groups and started following people on #bookstagram. That place is both a heaven and hell. Heaven because that's how tall my to be read list is, and hell because every book canNOT be a KindleUnlimited loan, Spotify is stingy with their included listening hours and Audible only gives me so many credits. While this can be an expensive habit, don't forget that the library is right there both in person and online.
Then I found spicy romance, and there was no turning back
It's a good time over here. 🫦
My 2025 goal started out at 30 which was met in April, so I bumped it to 100. 2026's goal will be flexible as well because that is the direction I'm heading in for my life overall. That's a post for another time though.
Maybe I'll sprinkle in some different genres, but if I'm being honest, I read for the delulu of it all. It's an escape from day-to-day churn.
I get enough reality without even looking for it.
If you want to read more in 2026, pick a book you know you will enjoy. Don't feel pressured to download the latest booktok obsession or an autobiography someone else hyped up if it's not your jam. If you prefer listening, audiobooks are a thing as well.
And for the love of all things holy: don't be afraid to DNF a book. One narrator's voice was doing too much, so the audiobook had to go. I may try to find it on my Kindle this year.
Everything isn't meant for you to consume at this moment in time, and that's ok. You can always come back to it.
Anywho, I've missed this space. Reina (the soon to be 16 year old) just walked up, and when she realized what I was doing, gave me a hug. We've had a few conversations about why I disappeared.
Add me on The StoryGraph app and/or Spotify. I'm always looking for something new to read, and you browse through what I've already devoured.
Happy Reading and Happy New Year!
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