This spring, we’re finding book joy! That means not meeting anyone else’s expectations (or even your own) as you find the fun in fiction again. As a literary creator and passionate reader of hundreds of books, I wanted to share three ways I am prioritizing intentional reading this spring.

If your feed looked anything like mine, January was packed with readers announcing their book goals: 20 books! 50! 200! I’ll be honest; I love a book goal. I don’t know if it’s my competitive soccer player side coming out, but an opportunity to gamify my life? I’m in. However, this year I am focusing on book goals that aren’t just numeric. If you’re also tired of number-based goals and want to ditch them (or just implement some more thoughtful ones), here’s how I’ve made my reading feel way more intentional.

Shop Your TBR First

I have limited my reading to my physical TBR stack and library loans. I counted my TBR back in December and realized I had 36 unread books on it, a number that made me deeply uncomfortable. As someone who frequents my local library, it is not necessary for me to own this many unread books.

If you’re feeling weighed down by your physical TBR, I suggest reading what you already own. I read so many amazing books over the past three months that I likely would have overlooked had I been buying new ones. Books like Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O’Neill, Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, and Second Place by Rachel Cusk. I would never have found these new favorites if I kept pushing off reading my TBR. Once I have only five unread books on my TBR, I’ll let myself buy more. I can’t wait to hit the bookstores again, but for now I am content with what I have.

Big Books are Beautiful

I am a (not so proud) member of the Big Book Fear Club. In other words, I avoid long books like they’re my taxes. If you do not understand this literary fear, I envy you. I think my fear of big books stemmed from tracking the number of books read, instead of pages. Shorter reads to keep my numbers up.

This year, I decided to stop limiting my reading and just read what I want. So what if a book takes me four weeks to get through? If I am enjoying reading, then that is all that really matters. I recently committed some time to reading The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. This sat on my bookshelf for over a year collecting dust because I knew it would be a long read. I was right, it did take me a long time (three weeks to be exact) but I LOVED it. I found a new favorite book that I haven’t stopped talking about since.

My advice to you is: read the big books. Nothing bad is going to happen if you read one 600 page book instead of three 200 page books. It will be okay!

Don’t Fear the DNF

For those unfamiliar with the term, DNF means you “Did Not Finish” a book. This sounds simple until you understand that I used to trudge through a book I HATED because I had already spent two hours on it. However, those two hours you sunk into reading a book does not justify sinking in five more hours just to mark it completed! Be okay with a book not being for you and walk away from it. You deserve to spend your free time reading something you enjoy!

These three bookish goals have made a huge difference in my relationship with reading. I’m picking up books I love regardless of length, DNF-ing what doesn’t work for me, and resisting the urge to buy books I don’t need. Don’t get me wrong, I can’t wait for the day I get to buy new books again. But for now, watching my physical TBR shrink is so satisfying.

Here’s to a spring full of great reads and intentional habits!