What Does DNF Mean in Books?
DNF stands for "did not finish." Here's what it means, when it's okay to put a book down, and how to keep track of the books you didn't finish.
Published Nov 13, 2026

The end of the year is ripe for reading metaphors. Time to close the chapter on the old year. To turn the page. Rewrite the plot.
No matter how you phrase it, the start of a new year is a great time for reflection and intention-setting. As always, when we reflect here at Bookclubs, our thoughts turn to books and reading. We're looking back at all the wonderful reading we completed in 2025, and looking ahead with excitement and anticipation to the books we'll read in 2026. We're thinking about all the ways that reading is good for our mental health and well-being, and making resolutions to do even more reading this year.
In this post, we'll walk you through how you can set and track your reading intentions on the Bookclubs app or website, and then share some of our favorite New Year's reading resolutions.
If, like us, you're setting some new intentions for your reading in the new year, we have good news.
You can set and track your annual reading resolutions on the Bookclubs app or website with a Bookworm Pulitzer membership. Just navigate to your profile, and then to your 2026 Reading Goals. Set a goal for the number of books you'll read throughout the year, and the number of book club meetings you'll attend (this is the year to prioritize book club!) or take a second to jot down and memorialize any other reading-related intentions you might have.

If you check back over the course of the year, you'll be able to remind yourself of those early intentions, as well as see how many books and meetings ahead of or behind track you are. And, if you so choose, we'll send you reminders if you're falling behind.
Need some ideas for additional reading intentions to set? We've got you covered below!
Whatever your starting point, you can set aside a little more time for reading as an investment in yourself. Set a goal of number of books or pages to read, or set a goal around the amount of time you'll spend reading each day or week.
Tips and tricks: How to read more books in the new year
Organize your book club in one place.
Start your club freeOur suite of tools saves readers and book clubbers time so you spend less time organizing and more time reading and discussing. Our organizational tools have saved club leaders and club members countless hours by streamlining communication and planning. Consider setting your club up for success in 2026 by upgrading to one of our Premium, Pro, and Pro Plus plans, which supports Bookclubs’ financial sustainability and has allowed us to develop great new tools for both free and paid users.
Set intention to not just read more this year, but to read more deeply. Take the time to step back and reflect on what you've read. Engage more actively with the text by taking notes in a reading journal or underlining or highlighting passages as a way to organize your reading reflections. You can also make a new practice to rate or write a community review of what you've read. And of course, joining a book club is an excellent way to deepen your experience of the book through discussion.
Have a stack of unread books piling up on your nightstand or on a bookshelf? Make this the year that you put a dent in the stack. Commit yourself to reading at least one book from your To Be Read list. Not a book hoarder? Take a look through your list of Books I Want to Read and pick a few titles to make the cut this year!
Make a plan to read more books by underrepresented authors. This could include reading books by women or an array of own voices literature, including books by Black, Latinx, Native American, and Asian authors.
Diverse author reading inspiration:
Find a public book clubs focusing on books by diverse authors:
Read some non-fiction in the new year, whether to learn more about the world or learn more about and develop yourself.
Non-fiction reading inspiration: Check out our Read to Learn hub, where you can see the latest book picks across a range of non-fiction categories, including financial health, parenting & family, business & leadership, and personal development.
Public book clubs focusing on non-fiction books:
If you don't yet have a Bookclubs account, it's easy and free to set one up. When you join Bookclubs, you can easily track your lists of books you've read or want to read, get personalized book recommendations, and of course, start or join a book club! Plus so much more, including setting and monitoring your progress against reading goals. Join today!
DNF stands for "did not finish." Here's what it means, when it's okay to put a book down, and how to keep track of the books you didn't finish.
Published Nov 13, 2026
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