25 Books for 2025 and Other Reading Goals

Reading goals are tightly connected to language learning goals for me. Because through learning languages I eventually can read more books in their original language and find books that are not yet translated. So it’s no surprise that I want to read some books in every language I am already fluent in and also the languages I am learning. Last year, I planned to read three books in Japanese and Spanish, I started reading in these languages but unfortunately, I was not able to finish the books. So for 2025, I try to make a more realistic plan.

• Reading 50 books in total
• Prioritize the 25 planned books and book club books
• Read five philosophical works
• Read one book in Japanese and one book in Spanish
• Read three books in Russian
• To end the year with no more than three currently reading books, so I don’t start 2026 with too many half-read works.

Since I still find reading in Japanese very challenging and I’m a beginner in Spanish, it would be better to try to read at least one book in both languages. Three full books is just too much. I will focus on finishing the ones I have already started.

Last year, I compiled a list of 24 books for 2024. I haven’t read them all, but it was nice to work through it while also reading other (unplanned or planned book club) books. In total, I have read six of the 24 books and I’m still in the middle of a couple of them. I decided to do the same for 2025, however, I will also make a kind of game out of it. All the books which I haven’t finished during 2024, will automatically be added to the list for 2025. Because I’ve read six books I have now eighteen empty spaces to put in new works (not counting the ones I’m currently reading). Let’s discuss all the books I plan to read this year.

Reading Russian classics in Russian is important to me because it helps maintain my mother tongue and learn more about my country’s history and culture. There are three classics that I would love to read; War and Peace & Anna Karenina by Lev Tolstoy, and Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. I don’t know if I can read all three of them in one year, but I can try. Master and Margarita, and War and Peace have the priority. I feel like War and Peace is the kind of book that everyone should read at least once in a lifetime. I’m not a big fan of books about war but sometimes exceptions have to be made for great classics. I’m mostly excited about reading Master and Margarita because I love to read weird books, and judging by my last experience with Bulgakov (The Heart of a Dog), I’m confident in stating that his fiction is indeed weird, in a good way of course.

The year cannot be complete without reading some Stephen King. I will probably read more of his work, however, one book that I really want to get around to is The Stand. It is considered his masterpiece and I have put off reading this book, because of its length, for too long now.

One philosopher who I would like to explore is Friedrich Nietzsche. I plan to read Beyond Good and Evil by him and accompany this experience by reading a biography about him and his works, Hiking with Nietzsche by John Kaag.

I have some specific books (mostly classics) that I have not read yet and I feel a bit ashamed because of this. How can I call myself a horror fan without having read Frankenstein by Mary Shelley or American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis? So both books are on the list for this year. I probably should feel bad for not having read Dracula too… maybe next year.

Another great classic that I plan to read is The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. So far, I have never read a book by Mark Twain but he is considered one of the greats of American literature.

After having read Roadside Picknick and absolutely loved that story, I wanted to read more by the Strugatsky brothers but years have gone by and I still have only read that one book. So this year will be the year that I pick their work up again by reading Monday Starts on Saturday.

I have a couple of other books by authors who I love and admire and want to read more from. First and foremost, Shirley Jackson! I have read multiple books by her and loved them all. This year I plan to read a biography about her, Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life by Ruth Franklin, together with a short story collection called Dark Tales.

Haruki Murakami is also an author with whose work I’m a bit familiar and I would like to read his newest book The City and Its Uncertain Walls. In 2024 I read 1Q84 and it was an interesting experience. Previously I have read some of his other famous works. He never disappoints.

The same applies to another Japanese author, Sayaka Murata. Her work is very strange but totally up my alley. I have read two novels by her, Convenience Store Woman and Earthlings, and now I would like to read her short story collection called Life Ceremony.

Lastly, I want to read the second most famous novel by Hermann Hesse, Steppenwolf, after having read his perfect novel, Siddhartha.

The year would of course not be exciting without reading more books by authors who are still new to me. So let’s continue with books from authors who are still a mystery to me.

In the genres of horror, thriller, and just plainly the weird, I have planned the following books:

• Ghost Story by Peter Straub
• The Talented Ms. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
• Slaughterhouse-five by Kurt Vonnegut
• Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk

Another well-enjoyed genre by me is dystopia, a sort of subgenre of sci-fi. Two books made the list for this year: We by Yevgeny Zamyatin (I will read this one also in Russian) and Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.

And lastly, some well-known classics and modern works of literary fiction of which I know almost nothing but would like to explore this year:

• A Rebours by Karl Joris Huysmans
• Snow by Orhan Pamuk
• The Awakening by Kate Chopin
• One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

I have also mentioned that I like to participate in book clubs. These are online book clubs, focused on classics, philosophy, and literary fiction, hosted mainly on two platforms (YouTube & Substack). Book clubs and read-alongs are great for reading challenging books and exploring complex themes and historical events with other people. The ones that I like to participate in this year are:

• Commonplace Philosophy, philosophy-focused book club on Substack (hosted by Jared Henderson).
• Game of Tomes on YouTube (hosted by Emmie and CarolynMarieReads) focused on classics
• A read-along of Dante’s Divine Comedy on Substack (hosted by Vashik Armenikus)
• Pewdiepie (YouTube) has also announced his book club for 2025, focused on reading philosophy and classics. It sounds promising so I decided to follow his schedule too.

It’s a long and exciting reading list I have planned for 2025. I’m really looking forward to reading these books! Let me know in the comments what your reading plans are.

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