Dear Friend,

Does anyone else feel a little burned out by the pressure to get books read? Not to read. To get books read. So you can rate and review them. So you can post about them online. So you can get the invisible merit badge of ‘actual bookworm’ and feel good about what a great reader you are.

I’m fortunate enough to not be super involved on BookTok, so most of this has skirted me. I watch the occasional review, enjoy book hauls (especially of classics or fantasy reads), and update my own To-Be-Read pile when I run across something that piques my interest.

But even I haven’t been able to escape the clutches of internet comparison.

Why am I not a faster reader? Why don’t I have 50 books a year on my Goodreads profile? Why can’t I share constantly about all the books I’m finishing up and show stacks of recent reads? Is something wrong with me?

Last year, I tried to read more by setting a goal every week to read x number of chapters (it changed weekly). I quickly found, though, that reading for a checklist didn’t make me enjoy the story more. It didn’t always work, either, because my motivation was just to get the book read. It wasn’t to enjoy the story or to indulge in such a lovely habit. It was the be-done-so-I-could-get-to-the-next-one pressure.

That experiment only lasted a few months before I decided nope, that was not for me. And this year, I’ve decided to focus on reading whenever I get the chance purely to EXPERIENCE a story. To get back to getting lost in the world and falling in love with characters. It doesn’t matter WHEN the book gets finished. It doesn’t matter HOW MANY books get read.

And…I’ve actually been reading more already than I’ve read consistently in years.

I still have “Read!” on my weekly goals, but I refuse to set a specific number of pages or chapters. And, hard as it was, I opted to NOT make an official TBR goal for 2026. I have my pile. (I’ve shared it on Instagram.) But there is zero pressure to hit a certain amount every month or quarter. I no longer track how many pages I’m consuming. And it feels SO much better.

I’ve got some easy reads on the pile. (I’m currently in a YA fantasy that requires almost no brain work, and it’s delightful.) I’ve also got some slower, simmer-type reads; the kind you read a chapter here and there, relishing the poetic descriptions, musing over the random deposits of world lore. There are some spiritual growth books, some autobiographical reads, and some poetry. All fill a different need. But all were picked with the intention of feeding my soul. Which I can’t do if I’m pushing through them so fast I can’t even pause to nibble.

If you’ve ever felt burned out by the pressure to read ALL the books, please take this as your official permission to let go of those BookTok expectations and let yourself experience stories again. Consume them. Get lost in them. Whatever that page count looks like. However many you manage to read in any set amount of time.

(This is also your official permission to DNF books that you don’t like. Even if you spent money on them. It’s your time, your effort. You don’t have to waste it on something you hate just because.)

Ya’ll, it happened. It’s done! I finally sent Beneath the Curse of Six (Book 1 in my Young Adult fairy tale retelling miniseries, Swan Song) to Beta Readers! Can we take a minute and celebrate that win?!

I’ll be getting feedback from beta readers over the next month and a half. And at the end of that process, I’ll be doing a final edit before sending the book off to the professional editor – the next-to-last step before publishing. WHAT?! I am SO excited!

While Book 1 is off with betas, I am diving headfirst into a readthrough of Book 2 (already started with my color-coordinated highlighters and pretty notebook) and beginning the outline for Book 3.

The readthrough is pretty simple. I printed off a copy of the manuscript, assign each color highlighter an area of editing (characters, setting, plot consistency, or – the most often used – condensing). Then I read through it looking for anything that might possibly be bettered, from changing scenes or plotlines to little details like shortening a paragraph or removing a sentence. The first draft of Book 2 was an absolute mess, so I’m hoping that this second draft will be a bit easier to clean up.

Book 3 is going to be interesting. This is the part of the story that, when it was all one long novel, was the weakest part of the story. I had a lot of reveals planned for the end of the book. But instead of spreading breadcrumbs throughout this part of the story, I dumped it at all at the end. And this part was relegated to random life happenings that didn’t mean much. Needless to say, this version will be vastly different! I won’t even be using the original manuscript if I can get away without it.

There are several updated plot threads introduced in Books 1 and 2 that are already improving where things are headed. My job this month with outlining Book 3 will be to build on those plot threads, weaving in new elements, fleshing out new villains, and raising stakes to an exhilarating climax…and a bit of a cliffhanger ending! (Don’t worry; there IS a Book 4:)

We survived the Big Freeze here in Texas, and honestly had so much fun with it. It was that curious blend that freezes over the ground so that it looks like snow but feels like gritty ice. It made for the best sliding! Fortunately, since we do live in a stupidly-hot part of the country, it didn’t last longer than a few days. And we were able to get back to normal life pretty quickly. (Although the mud was thick; good grief!)

Sadly, during the end of the month, we also had a visit from a nasty virus that has been circulating through the kids one at a time. So school and co-op have been delayed. But we were able to get a little done before sickness struck. And I’m so proud of the kids. We spent the month of January illustrating and binding their own picture books. It was hard. They persevered, though. And we ended up with such beautiful picture books. They’re excited to do it again this summer.

Thank you for being here, friend. Looking forward to catching up with you in the next one. (And to some fun surprises coming in the month of February! Be on the lookout:)

Goodbye for Now,

Joanna

Want to continue the conversation? Feel free to email me at holdenwriter1992@gmail.com or DM me on social media (@authorjoannagholden).

Clean, wholesome Christian fantasy for preteen girls.

Want to read what’s already out?

Click Below to learn about my Middle Grade Fairy Tale Retellings.

https://www.joannaholden.com/middle-grade