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📚 Read Slowly - Take Notes - Apply the Ideas​

How to Set Reading Goals for 2025

Hello Reader,

I love this time of year. Things are winding down, families are coming together, and the world seems to get a little more introspective.

I always take a week off between Christmas and New Year's to work on my goals, yes I'm one of those people, and I've picked up a few strategies over the years that have made my reading goals more helpful.

5 Tips for Setting Your 2025 Reading Goals:

1. I like to choose three of the best books I've read this year and determine why they were my favorites. I do this to help guide my choices for the coming year.
2. Identify three books I've been wanting to read but have been putting off. Those are getting read in 2025, no matter what! By committing to three books, I leave the field open for other options that I'll discover through the year. I don't like setting up the full year's TBR (To Be Read) list because my interests change. What can I say? I'm human and I'm curious about this goofy world.
3. Then I go through my book collection to donate books I'm not interested in and will never read. This creates a clearer reading environment which is good for my focus and makes more room for new books I'm excited about.😅
4. Next is to decide if I'll set goals based on number of pages per day or amount of time per day. I always go with time per day because it seems more conducive to slowing down and reading well. Trying to achieve a certain number of pages a day stresses me out. But many of you love this approach, and I say go for it!
5. This is my favorite tip! Go beyond the books. Commit to something this year that takes you deeper than reading. My suggestion would be to join a book club or take a class on a topic you're interested in. I just signed up for a college course on Shakespeare's works! I'll be immersed in five of his dramas with a group of students and a teacher for four months. I can't wait!

📺 I'll be publishing a YouTube video on these ideas next week. If you're interested in setting up some reading goals, that video should help.

🎉🙏 Oh, and if you've never been to my channel, please consider subscribing and liking a few videos. If you're feeling extra kind, leave me a comment on the video. I would love to hear from you.

Get Some Reading Inspiration on YouTube

Until next week, read slowly - take notes - apply the ideas.

-Eddy

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New This Week: ​

Book Recommendation At The Existentialist Café by Sarah Bakewell Listen to the Podcast What to Do When Reading Feels Like a Chore | EP 76 What's New at Edgewater Bookstore Gearing Up for Christmas

Book Recommendation

At The Existentialist Café by Sarah Bakewell

I love Sarah's writing on so many levels. She's a master at blending the biographies of history's most interesting people with an easy-to-understand view of their ideas or accomplishments.

At The Existentialist Café takes you to Paris after World War II to meet some of modern philosophy's most interesting thinkers including Jean-Paul Satre, Simone de Beauvoir, Albert Camus, Martin Heidegger, and more.

This book sings to my soul because I'm a philosophy guy. I wish more books made this field of study easy and fun to learn about.

If you read this week's recommendation, you'll get a decent idea of Sarte's concept of contingency and freedom, what existentialism means, and even Heideggers concept of Being.

Enjoy! I know I did. I don't have this one at my bookstore, so the best I can do is send you to Amazon. See the link below.

Get Your Copy on Amazon →

View Previous Week's Recommendations

Listen to The Podcast

What to Do When Reading Feels Like a Chore | EP 76

We all have days when reading feels like a struggle. In this video, I’m sharing my go-to strategies for those low-motivation days and introducing three practical tools that keep me reading even when I don’t feel like it. Plus, I’ll recommend a book that’s been a game-changer for reading more intentionally.

Listen Here →

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Love The Deep Read Coffee! It's bold and flavorful, but not overpowering. Have used it for pour over & espresso shots and is perfect! My new favorite coffee! - Steven baker ​ Get "The Deep Read" Coffee Here

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It is rare that you receive something that is better than you expected. The included tools are well thought out. I love it. I can see why Eddy said he did not go anywhere without it. Thank you. -David Cupps ​ Learn About the Reading Kit

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See What Books are New at Edgewater Bookstore. There are 17 titles in the curated list, with more to come each month. ​ View the Curated List

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​ ​ Got Questions? ​

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