Reading goals
What's a good reading goal for a year?
A short, honest answer — plus how to pick the right number for you.
Quick answer
The short answer
For most adults, 12–24 books a year is a good reading goal — about 10–20 pages a day. 12 is firmly above-average (the typical adult reads 4–5/yr). 24 is the most popular "committed reader" goal. Anything higher should be a stretch, not the default.
| Goal | Pages/day | Minutes/day | Honest take |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 books | 5 | ~5 min | Re-entry mode |
| 12 books | 10 | ~10 min | Solid above-average |
| 24 books | 20 | ~20 min | The sweet spot |
| 36 books | 30 | ~30 min | Strong reader |
| 50 books | 41 | ~40 min | Real time commitment |
| 100 books | 82 | ~80 min | Lifestyle |
How to pick your number
The right goal is the one you'd still want in November. Three tests:
- Time test. Can you protect the daily minutes? (10 / 20 / 40 / 80)
- Book-list test. Could you name 12 books you actually want to read this year?
- November test. If October went badly, would you still want to hit the goal in November — or would you quit?
If any test fails, drop the number. A 12-book year you finish beats a 50-book year you abandon in March.
Convert your goal into a daily page count
Page Pace handles the math and recalculates when life happens.
Frequently asked
- What's a good reading goal for a year?
- 12–24 books for most adults — about 10–20 pages a day. 12 is above-average and sustainable; 24 is the most popular 'committed reader' goal. Choose based on how many minutes you can protect daily, not how many you wish you could.
- Is 50 books a year a good goal?
- Good but demanding. 50 books = ~41 pages/day = ~40 minutes. Realistic if you commute-read or count audiobooks, optimistic otherwise. Most people who try 50 finish 30–35 and feel like they failed — try 24 first.
- Is 100 books a year possible?
- Yes, but it's a lifestyle. ~82 pages/day, ~80 minutes — closer to a part-time hobby than a habit. Common for retirees, freelancers, or people who genuinely prefer reading to most leisure activities.
- What's the average for a reading goal?
- On apps like Goodreads, the most common reading goal is 20–25 books per year. The average American adult actually finishes 4–5, so any goal above 5 is above-average.