Eight months ago, I had a fantastic idea. I would use my reading life to assist me with my 2026 goals and read one book a month that focused on my main intention: to improve my overall health, both physical and mental. The concept of personal curriculum—a self-directed learning plan centered around one’s hobbies, interests, and skills—has been circling the interwebs for the past few years. While I didn’t consider my project to be as formal as a personal curriculum, doing a deep-dive into three subjects that interest me would scratch that itch and help me be more intentional about my reading selections.
My first topic, healing trauma through lifting, was inspired by last year’s read of Anne’s 2025 Summer Reading Guide selection A Physical Education by Casey Johnston. The second topic was food. I love a great food memoir but wanted to improve my own cooking skills. Finally, I intended to start reading more poetry after loving Andrea Gibson’s You Better Be Lightning last year.
What’s the saying: man makes plans and God laughs? Over the past seven months, things have not gone according to my original plan. My angst over stuff that was out of my control caused me to hit a wall. In one of my therapy sessions, I mentioned my inability to make meaningful progress on my intentions that I had made for the year. My therapist encouraged me to be kind and gentle with myself and to look for and acknowledge the strides I had been able to make, even if they were not exactly what I’d envisioned. Recognizing and acknowledging my progress and adapting a strategy when the original one falls through are news tactic for me. I tend to feel like a failure if I have not followed my big beautiful plan as I planned it.
I wanted to complete at least four books this year that were in conversation with A Physical Education. I am slowly working my way through one, Lifting Heavy Things: Healing Trauma One Rep at a Time by Laura Khoudari. Have I finished it yet? No. But I am still focusing on my overall intention. Thanks to a What Should I Read Next? Patreon community member, I discovered the work of Julia Turshen and her podcast Keep Calm and Cook On. Even though the podcast focuses on cooking, she also lifts and interviewed both Casey Johnston and Laura Khoudari. I’m listening through her remaining episodes now.
I know my way around most recipes but my understanding of the cooking fundamentals is lacking and cooking without a recipe never happens. So, I purchased Salt Fat Acid Heat by Samin Nostrat, expecting to focus on one fundamental per quarter. I confess that I have not made it past “salt.” But I now own and use two kinds of salt per her recommendation: an inexpensive, all-purpose salt for cooking and a premium, textured, flaky salt for finishing dishes. I was incredulous about her assertion that these two types of salt would enhance my cooking but I can confirm that she was right. With Sohla El-Waylly’s video on eggs from the New York Times Cooking 101 playlist, my own light and fluffy scrambled eggs and my fried eggs have become my favorite kinds of eggs. The key is to—you guessed it—salt before cooking and finish lightly with additional salt. My overall intention is being met and maybe I will get to “fat” before the end of the year.
My success with reading poetry has been the most enjoyable aspect of my project, which has surprised me. I hosted the Starter Guide: Poetry bonus episode, where Leigh shared tips on how to get started with reading it. That bonus gave me direction for my poetry journey. I read the 2026 Summer Reading Guide selection Against Breaking: On the Power of Poetry by Ada Limón, which explores the healing power of poetry. Now I’m deep into David Gate’s A Rebellion of Care. By the time you read this, Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World will have premiered nationwide on PBS. All of these resources discuss mental health which is apropos.
I have additional reads on my TBR as I continue my project: Lift: How Women Can Reclaim Their Physical Power and Transform Their Lives by Anne Marie Chaker, Start Here by Sohla El-Waylly, and A Poetry Handbook by Mary Oliver.
While I may not have read as many books as I originally intended, I am reading. Additionally, I have adapted and included other media in my loose project. My intentions continue to be top of mind and I am making slow but steady progress. At the very least, I’m establishing habits that will serve me well going forward. I have consistently lifted at least once per week for 2026. And I am no longer timebound to the end of the year; I will continue to use my reading to further my intentions.
Have you ever used your reading life to complement your real-life goals? Tell me all about it in the comments and if you have any recommendation for my project, please share those too.
P.S. 5 tricks to help you read when reading feels hard, How asking one question helps me set reading intentions for the new year, and Revitalize your To Be Read list with this simple method.
About the author
Shannan Malone is our MMD Cohost and What Should I Read Next? Patreon Community Manager. Her go-to genre depends on her mood! You can find Shannan on Instagram @shannanenjoyslife.
