Did you know the men and women who guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier space their uniform medals at 1/64th of an inch? I didn’t either. Of course, I didn’t know a lot of things before reading 600 books with Sloan in 2024.

Sloan holds “Twenty-One Steps,” the 600th book she read in 2024. She read this book to Beau and me at the Spokane Public Library – Central.

On December 27, 2024, Sloan read her brother and me Twenty-One Steps at the Spokane Public Library – Central to reach her goal. The book, which explained the origin and significance of the Tomb of the Unknown Solider, was the culminating story in a year dominated by reading.

Beau reads to Beau her 600th book at the Spokane Public Library – Central

After reading 500 books in 2022 and 500 books in 2023, Sloan became a little brazen at the beginning of 2024. Caught up in the excitement of New Year’s resolutions, Sloan wrote a goal at school to read 600 books during the year. Okay girl, I said, I am going to hold you to it.

And I did 😂.

Sloan made the New Year’s resolution to read 600 books early on in 2024.

What is just an additional 100 books in a year, you ask? Believe it or not, it does increase the nightly reading output more than you think. A few times throughout the course of the year, Sloan had bouts with reading fatigue but for the most part she was committed to reaching the big 6-0-0.

Sloan holds up a couple books she read at Spokane Valley County Library in February 2024.

The lofty goal helped cover her nightly reading homework, scored her Silverwood passes, and continued to improve her reading skills. It also taught her (and me) a lot. In 2024, we transitioned to books that fit her level better. Mature themes (death, divorce, disease, etc.), biographies, historical events, relationships, processes, nature, religion, and culture were all subject matter we consumed over the year. But don’t worry, we had Curious George and Pete the Cat thrown in there as well 😉.

Sloan points to a book she read at the Argonne County Library during the summer of 2024.

We managed the goal like we had in the past. Most of our reading material came from Spokane County Library locations where we would make bi-weekly visits to stock up. We read mostly at night during our infamous Books and Prayers period. We logged the books in the Notes app on my phone. At this point in Sloan’s reading odyssey, everything was pretty routine. However, despite the solid structure, the reading itself still needed to be done. And let me tell you in no uncertain terms: Sloan did the reading.

We logged our books in the Notes app of my phone.

However, things will change in 2025. Sloan and I won’t have a standing nightly date to read books shoulder-to-shoulder together anymore. Instead, she will be released to read independently on her own. She already does this but not with the consistency and structure that will guide the activity this year. My daughter enjoys chapter books—especially the Diary Of A Wimpy Kid series—and it is time to allow her to grow with more challenging literature.

The books Sloan is holding here in a photo from early 2024 at Spokane Valley County Library, are now being replaced with books that more accurately reflect Sloan’s reading level.

But don’t worry, ol’ dad won’t be shedding any tears as he is left on the couch without his daughter. Beau will be taking his sister’s spot. In fact, he already has. Well, not her physical spot, but he has joined us for books over the past couple years. However, his undivided attention will be emphasized a bit more this year. I am excited to see the same growth from him that Sloan exhibited during the early years of our reading program.

Keep reading in 2025, friends! If you ever have any book suggestions for Sloan or Beau, please don’t hesitate to send them my way. Don’t Blink.