Reading goal calculator

Set a books-per-year goal, enter how many you have finished, and see where you stand today and what it takes from here.

On Wed 1 Jul 2026

4.2 books ahead

An even pace to 52 books would have finished 25.8 by now. To read the other 22 in the 184 days left: one book every 8.4 days, or about 36 pages (45 min) a day. At your pace so far you would finish the year on about 60.

Books left: 22
Books a month: 3.6
Books a week: 0.84
Pages a day: 36

How the calculation works

The calculator compares where you are with where a perfectly even pace would have you, then works out the pace needed from here. Today is counted as a day still to read, not one already gone.

on-pace books = goal × days already passed ÷ days in the year
ahead or behind = books finished − on-pace books
days per book = days left ÷ books left
pages per day = books left × pages per book ÷ days left
minutes per day = pages per day × words per page ÷ reading speed

Leap years are handled: 2028 has 366 days, so each day is a slightly smaller share of the year. The projection extends your pace so far, books finished × days in year ÷ days passed, and is shown only once two weeks of the year have gone, because before then it swings too much to mean anything.

A worked example

It is 1 July 2026. You set a goal of 52 books, one a week, and you have finished 30.

181 of the year's 365 days have passed, so an even pace would have you at 52 × 181 ÷ 365 = 25.8 books.
You are 30 − 25.8 = 4.2 books ahead.
22 books remain in 184 days: one every 184 ÷ 22 = 8.4 days.
At 300 pages a book, that is 22 × 300 ÷ 184 = 35.9, so about 36 pages a day, or 45 minutes at 238 words per minute.
If you keep reading at your pace so far, 30 × 365 ÷ 181 = 60.5, so you finish the year on about 60.

That is the default shown when this page loads without JavaScript. In your browser, the date changes to today.

What common goals ask of you

The daily commitment behind some popular goals, for 300-page books read at an even pace through a 365-day year. Change the pages per book above and the calculator adjusts; this table stays fixed as a reference.

Goal	A book every	Books a month	Pages a day	Minutes a day
12 books	30.4 days	1.0	10	12 min
24 books	15.2 days	2.0	20	25 min
36 books	10.1 days	3.0	30	37 min
52 books	7.0 days	4.3	43	54 min
75 books	4.9 days	6.3	62	1 h 18 min
100 books	3.6 days	8.3	83	1 h 44 min

Choosing a goal you will keep

The column that matters most is minutes a day. A goal of 52 books sounds like a book a week; framed as close to an hour of reading every single day, it is easier to judge against the life you actually have. Twelve books a year, one a month, needs only about 12 minutes a day at an average pace.

Many readers find it helps to set the goal slightly below what they think they can manage, then raise it once they are ahead. A goal you are always behind on tends to turn reading into a chore, and it pushes you towards short books when you might have preferred a long one.

Where this falls short

Books are not all the same length. The pages-per-day figure assumes every remaining book is your typical length. One 900-page epic on the list changes the picture more than any setting here can show.
Finished books only. A book you are halfway through counts as zero until you finish it, so you may be closer to your goal than the ahead/behind figure suggests.
Reading speed. The minutes assume a steady pace at the speed you choose. See the reading time calculator for how the preset speeds were chosen and how to measure your own.

Common questions

How many books a year is realistic?

It depends almost entirely on how much time you read each day and how long your books are. Twenty minutes a day at an average reading speed covers roughly 5,000 words, which is about a 300-page novel every 19 days, or around 19 books a year. The table on this page shows what common goals demand in pages per day; pick the goal whose daily figure fits the time you actually have.

Do audiobooks, re-reads and short books count?

That is your call; the calculator only counts what you tell it. Many readers count audiobooks as books, since the story is the same. If your goal is really about reading time rather than a number, consider setting a pages or minutes goal instead, which is not distorted by a run of very short or very long books.

What does "ahead of pace" mean here?

It compares your finished books with a perfectly even pace through the year. By the start of 1 July, 181 days of a 365-day year have passed, so an even pace to 52 books would have finished 52 × 181 ÷ 365 = 25.8. If you have finished 30, you are 4.2 books ahead. It is a guide, not a verdict: one long book in progress can make you look behind when you are not.

Why does the projection not appear in early January?

Because two weeks of data says very little about a whole year. The projection simply extends your pace so far to 31 December, and in the first fortnight a single book finished or not finished swings it wildly. It appears once 14 days of the year have passed.

I have already met my goal. Now what?

The calculator will say so. Raising the goal mid-year is common and the pacing will recalculate from today. Or keep the goal and use the rest of the year for the long books you have been putting off, since the pressure is off.