The dreaded question: “How many books have you read this year?” evokes fear in many book lovers. Suddenly you feel the need to spout out some impressive number to avoid feeling embarrassed if they have read more than you. Chances are they feel the exact same way.
So, you both feel the pressure to read as many books as you can, to the point you no longer enjoy what you’re reading. At what point does reading become more about how much you have read instead of how much you enjoyed reading those books? Does the reading goal you set yourself at the start of the year truly matter?
Reading Apps
Reading apps such as Goodreads or Fable allow people to pick a number of books they want to have read within the year. Often, they tell you whether you’re on track or not. This can sometimes make it feel like you’re “failing” at reading if you’re behind on your desired goal.
Which is ridiculous because how can you fail at something that is meant to be an enjoyable and fun hobby? Reading should be fun for people. However, due to it’s increasing popularity, especially on social media platforms, such as TikTok’s BookTok community, this has created an environment where people feel ashamed to have read less books than the person on their screen.
Everyone is Different
Everyone has different lives and different priorities throughout the day. The majority of people will have responsibilities and cannot afford to be sitting down reading a book for hours on end. Therefore, reading goals are tailored to each person as only they know how much time they actually have on their hands.
Final Verdict
Read as much or as little as you want, when you want. Stop letting other people’s achievements belittle your own. Reading goals can be a fun idea to track your achievements throughout the year but they aren’t the be all and end all. You haven’t failed at reading because you read one book less this month compared to last.
Reading is supposed to be a hobby, don’t let reading goals consume you.
Featured image credits: Kerry Lloyd
