Soft Reading Resolutions For 2026

Susan
Jan 4
3 min read

January has a way of arriving with a clipboard.

New habits. New goals. New versions of ourselves—sleeker, faster, more “on track.” Even our hobbies can start to feel like assignments. And if you’re anything like me, reading is one of the first places that pressure can sneak in.

So this year, I’m choosing something quieter. Not a reading challenge. Not a number to hit. Not a stack that proves I kept up.

Just a return.

Below are a few Fern & Fiction–style New Year resolutions—soft, bookish, and actually livable. The kind that make space for rest, attention, and a slower rhythm with stories.

1) Read for rest, not results

If reading helps you come back to yourself, it’s already doing its job. You don’t need to optimize it. You don’t need to quantify it. You’re allowed to let a book be a place you go to exhale.

2) Choose one gentle genre to return to

Sometimes the easiest way back into reading is through familiarity. Pick one genre that feels like a warm room—rom-coms, historical fiction, cozy mysteries, nature writing, whatever softens you—and let that be your starting point. One small doorway is enough.

3) Keep a “small moments” reading log

Not a tracker. Not a review archive. Just a few lines. A quote you loved. A scene that made you laugh. A sentence you underlined and carried around for a day. It’s less about documenting the book and more about noticing what it gave you.

4) Create a 20-minute chapter habit

Twenty minutes is tiny—and that’s the point. This isn’t a “new routine” built for perfection. It’s a way to make reading easy to begin. Try it at night, in the morning, or in the middle of the day when you’re tempted to scroll. One chapter. One scene. One little return.

5) Make a reading nook you actually use

You don’t need a Pinterest corner. You just need a place that whispers, you can land here. A lamp you like. A blanket within reach. A basket for your current reads. The goal isn’t aesthetic; it’s accessibility.

6) DNF without guilt

Not finishing a book is not a moral failure. It’s information. You can release books that don’t fit you right now. You can set them down without explanation. You can move on with zero guilt—because your reading life is yours.

7) Borrow before you buy

There’s something so gentle about a library hold—the anticipation, the patience, the little notification that says your story is ready. Borrowing also gives you permission to explore without committing to a purchase every time curiosity sparks.

8) Match books to seasons

Instead of forcing yourself through a book because you “should,” choose stories that match the weather of your life.