My Reading Strategy for 2026: A Four-Book Rule
Over the years, I’ve learned something important about my reading life: when it’s left to chance, it gets crowded out. When it’s intentional, it becomes one of the most formative rhythms of my day. So for 2026, I’m adopting a simple but structured approach—a four-book reading strategy designed to fit real life, limited time, and changing energy levels.
At any given moment, I’ll be reading four books simultaneously, each with a clear purpose.
1. One Non-Fiction / Professional Development Book
This is my morning book. It will usually be theology, leadership, professional development, or something connected to learning a new skill or thinking more clearly about work, faith, or life. I’ve noticed that my best thinking happens early in the day, before the noise sets in, so this is where I want to invest my freshest attention.
These books shape how I see the world—and, by extension, how I write about it. Clarity of thought, moral seriousness, and intellectual discipline all have a way of showing up on the page, whether you intend them to or not.
2. One Literary Classic / “Great Book”
Alongside that, I’ll always have one literary classic on the go. This is the slower, richer reading—the kind that stretches language, imagination, and moral vision. These books demand patience. They reward close attention. They remind me what is possible with words when time, care, and ambition are taken seriously.
As a writer, this is where I’m schooled in voice, depth, and restraint—how much can be said indirectly, and how often the most powerful moments are the quiet ones.
3. One Crime / Fiction / Pulp Novel
This is where momentum lives. Crime, fiction, or pulp—books written to be read, not studied. These are often page-turners, and they remind me that reading should also be fun. Story matters. Plot matters. Pace matters.
This category is also deliberate because it’s the kind of book I write. Reading widely and attentively in this space keeps me grounded in the mechanics of storytelling—how scenes move, how tension is sustained, how dialogue works, and how clarity can carry weight. These books are craft lessons in disguise, and I want to stay immersed in the tradition I’m actively working within.
4. One Wild Card (Kindle Book)
Finally, there’s the wild card: a book installed on my Kindle that goes everywhere with me. This is my “stolen moments” book—the one I read while waiting, travelling, or filling small gaps in the day. It could be fiction, non-fiction, experimental, odd, or unexpected.
This category leaves room for surprise and curiosity—two things every writer needs. Not everything has to be purposeful to be useful.
To make this work, I’ve planned three primary reading blocks each day:
Morning – Non-fiction / theology / professional development
Lunch – According to mood
Before bed – According to mood
I’ll also be carrying my Kindle with me wherever I go. To support that choice, I’ve deleted all scrolling apps from my phone. No doomscrolling, no accidental time loss—just the hope that when I reach for distraction, I’ll reach for a book instead.
This strategy isn’t about reading more for the sake of numbers. It’s about reading better—with intention, balance, and realism. Different books serve different purposes, and together they shape how I think, how I pay attention, and how I write.
Time will tell how well it works. But for now, it feels like a sustainable way to keep reading—and learning—at the centre of my life in 2026.
If you’re interested in the books I’m reading this year, I share all my reading activity on Goodreads. I’ll be updating it regularly throughout 2026, and you’re very welcome to follow along. https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/29640087.Jodie_Gaston