Is Your Reading Resolution Realistic? (Mine Wasn’t.)

Hello,

I hope 2026 has started with peace and safety for you and yours. I am just starting my next round of classes and reading 200+ pages of very serious reading every week. How am I managing that and reading fiction plus writing my own fiction? Read on, I’m sharing today.

The Ph.D. Reality & Reading Hacks

Happy New Year! Like many of you, I start the year with big reading goals. But let me be honest: right now, my reading list is dominated by academic textsโ€”think depth psychology, feminist theory, and hundreds of pages of dense research for my Ph.D. I stay focused on the dense research by knitting scarves while I read. If I am feeling sleepy and have to finish, I get on my treadmill and walk while I read.

Reading for work/study is mentally exhausting. If I relied on that kind of reading to satisfy my pleasure goal, Iโ€™d burn out by February! My secret to keeping my resolution is simple: Balance.

Hereโ€™s how I manage to fit both worlds in:

  • The 30-Minute Rule: I reserve the last 30 minutes before bed only for fiction. It trains my brain to relax and rewards me for a long day of academic study.
  • The Escapist Fix: I choose books that are 100% pure escapismโ€”stories that let me turn off the critical-thinking part of my brain and just enjoy the heat, the magic, and the adventure.

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When I Need A Bigger Break From Academia, I Write My Own Escape!

This is where my own books come in. When I need to switch off from analyzing Freud and Lacan, I need a dark, consuming story that prioritizes passion and power dynamics.

Writing isn’t just my jobโ€”itโ€™s my mental vacation. It’s the guaranteed escape I need to recharge my reading batteries.

If your resolution is to read more for pleasure this year, you need stories that compel you to keep turning the page.

Your 2026 Reading Resolution Starts Here!

This year, make your reading goal achievable by filling your library with stories that are impossible to put down.

To celebrate the New Year and encourage your own “Escapist Fix,” I’m giving you a special discount to explore my entire backlist of over 30 dark and compelling romance books!

โ€‹Use Code ESCAPE at checkout for 30% OFF your entire purchase.โ€‹

This is the perfect time to binge-read any of my series, finally explore that omnibus you’ve been eyeing, or discover your next obsession.

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Happy Reading and Stay Safe!

Rhiannon