Subsidiary: Emotional (unwind, way to manage stress), Physical (built in rest; except when listening to an audiobook while running 🏃🏻♀️🤣), Occupational (when/if read industry applicable books), Social (talk books with others)
The Nuts & Bolts:
The starting truth is that I am a self-proclaimed irregular reader with the genre of each book being as erratic as my reading of books in the first place. This is evidenced by the last 5 books that I finished in Audible (in the last TWO YEARS):
The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins
Beartown by Fredrik Backman
What I Know For Sure by Oprah Winfrey
American Buffalo by Steven Rinella
Beyond Possible by Nims Purja
(and I listened to a couple Peter Heller books before that)
You might even call my reading habits, both that which I choose to read and how many few books I read annually, a bit random!
random – made, done, happening, or chosen without method
Perhaps because I am not, and much like runners, regular readers (especially well-read regular readers) leave me in awe:
awe – a feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder
I definitely have more wonder than fear for the well-read, and admit to being magnetically attracted to those who are. No joke, my husband is sitting next to me at this very second reading, and has fired through 8 of the David Baldacci series (multiple books within each) in the last two months. And that’s not to mention his knowledge, from reading, of religions, cultures, history, politics, literature, sports, etc.
I can relate to a well-read individual in the sense that I too, have a love of learning. I cannot relate to their ability to sit still, amongst other more scholarly, deeply versed, literary specific, sorts of things.
And thus, it was about a year ago now that I made a soft, unwritten, unspoken goal to be more like my well-read friends.
Surround yourself with 5 readers and you will become the 6th!
– Eric, Nan, Shannon… (seeking company here)
The pat myself on the back part is that I have been reading again semi-regularly, BUT certainly not enough to qualify as a reader nor do I feel any more well-read OR more like my well-read friends.
It seems that my version of well-read looks more like this (with a much smaller chest):
And this is not just me being self-critical. I took a writing class last Fall and the professor asked us, in the first Zoom session, to name the last 3 books that we read. Everyone rattled off Titles and Authors that left the professor quite obviously tickled ink. Conversely, to say the least, she was not impressed by my answer – Appaloosa by Robert B. Parker, Endure by Cameron Hanes and The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel. In fact, her facial expression made me want to be The Stranger in the Woods.
Apparently, not all books are created sequel.
And thus, I am now setting a hard, written, blog posted, public (to the small public that I have here) goal to PICK IT UP; each book and my performance!
The goal is to read one book weekly before 2026.
25 Books!
And based on Professor Thinks I’m a Parasite and more so, my own assessment because I really don’t put that much stock in hers, I’m thinking that some of these books need to fall under books that make one well-read. I asked ChatGPT for help here.
ChatGPT Ask
Assume that I have never read a single book. Please provide me a plan if I want to be a well-read individual one year from now.
ChatGPT’s entire response is posted below. Surprisingly, I have read 3 of the Classics 101 books (albeit by mandate in high school), Romeo & Juliet (also by mandate in high school) and 1 of the other listed books, Educated, of which I am clearly not. It should also be noted that Educated was recommended and leant to me by my well-read friend Shannon. #nosurprisethere
I will say that we have 6 more of the books on our bookshelves (credit husband) if that awards me any props? It shouldn’t. #allhim
You’ve Gatsby kidding me! The books have been at your fingertips all along.
Apparently, I don’t like big books and I cannot lie.
Once again, I’m sure you’ve had enough of my rambling, puns or both, and I have plans that I need to tend to; I’m pretty booked up actually.
Here’s to my goal of becoming weller read NOT ending up a tall tale!
Wellness Spreadsheet:
I will track the books that I read here if you’d like to follow along.
Update On:
December 31st
ChatGPT Answer:
That’s a fantastic goal—and absolutely achievable in a year with the right plan, even if you’re starting from scratch. Being “well-read” doesn’t mean reading every classic or bestseller. It means being broadly familiar with important works across genres, cultures, and time periods—enough to engage in thoughtful conversation and draw from a rich intellectual and emotional toolkit.
Here’s a 1-year plan to get you there, broken down into monthly themes, with manageable reading goals (about 3–4 books per month, roughly 1 per week), and a mix of classic literature, modern works, nonfiction, and global voices. You’ll be reading about 50 books total.
📚 Year-Long Reading Plan to Become Well-Read
MONTH 1: Foundations – Classics 101
To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald
Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck
Animal Farm – George Orwell (short and punchy)
Why: These are short, accessible American/British classics that explore justice, dreams, and power. They’re frequently referenced and open the door to deeper literature.
Kristine Joy, Writer 
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