Are We Reading Too Much Too Fast?

The Pressures of Reading Challenges – A Deep Dive into Book Culture

In 2021, I tasked myself with reading a book a day. I was successful until about May, then I got burnt out and proceeded to read about 5 books till the end of the year. That was my worst-ever reading slump, and it continued well into 2022 when I only read 20 books (that I remember recording anyway). I realized putting pressure on myself made reading harder. Last year I was back in the groove – reading for fun, discovering new authors, joining a book club and loving books again. I set myself a demure target of 50 books, realised I could reach that quite easily, and kept increasing the goal throughout the year. By October, I thought, hmm I can get to a 100. I proceeded to read absolutely rubbish books that were easier to digest and weren’t compelling or worthwhile just so I could reach the 100-book goal. 

Reading challenges are a big thing in the book world right now. Whether you’re a GoodReads or a Storygraph girl, how you choose to record your books is a point of discussion. BookTokers have taken over these apps, ranking their 30+ books a month, speed rolling through books all to an audience who can’t believe someone can read so much so quickly.

I consider myself a fast reader and when I’m really into a book, I can finish it very quickly. However, I am also guilty of skim reading, I’m not sure if I always read every single word that’s on the page. This means that I have to go back and reread when I’ve missed something important, or if you ask me about certain moments in the book, I have zero clue what you’re talking about. Oftentimes, it also means I’m not always absorbing what I read and coming out of a story feeling unaffected. 

I’ve had so many conversations with my friends and my book club about reading culture, the number of books we read and what it means to be a bookworm. One of my friends is very much like me and consumes books. While the other takes her time as she wants to be 100% into and absorb what she’s reading. She has never felt pressured to read quickly as it takes the experience from her. However, I do know loads of people who have said they often feel like people read so much, and they’re simply trying to catch up. It often gets to a point where reading itself is no longer the goal, now completing the challenge is. Creating goals is most definitely a positive thing and a win for personal development.  However, setting a specific target for the number of books to be read within a specific time frame can transform what should be a healthy challenge into a competitive pursuit.

These can cause several issues:

1. A loss of enjoyment: Eventually, reading starts to feel like a chore when you focus more on completing the book rather than the reading experience itself. It also means reading books you don’t want to or even enjoy just for the sake of the number of books you can complete. 
2. Comparison to others: When you start comparing your reading progress to others, this can exacerbate feelings of inadequacy if you are not reading as much. This means you’re being overly critical of your abilities and strips away the joy of experiencing the world an author has created.

I do want to stress that this is not to say people aren’t capable of reading many books. I think it’s funny when people don’t believe someone can and does read large numbers of books. A friend of mine was recently dragged on social media because she read her first book of the year on the first day and people couldn’t grasp that not only do fast readers exist but that they are willing and able to read large numbers of books. 

While researching for this post I came across a refinery article that discusses the pressures of reading and how reading has become a form of social currency. She believes that there has been a shift towards an inherent commodification of the act of reading. The author says,

‘In a capitalist system, are reading goals just another clever way to make us rush to Amazon to buy the next big book, trading our time (and our money) in exchange for the social currency of being able to say we read 50 books last year?’

I won’t explore this perspective in this post, but it’s an angle many might overlook. That said, I find this article highly thought-provoking and strongly encourage you to give it a read.

While I absolutely will not be letting go of my GoodReads Challenge (I am currently ahead of schedule haha), it might be time for me to check myself. That is part of what this blog is for me. I can’t responsibly review and recommend a book that I’m not even sure what happened in. I think it’s time we ask ourselves, why are we reading this book? Are we genuinely enjoying what we’re reading, or are we just trying to finish it to tick another number off our list? Are we taking the time to appreciate the prose on the page, or are we just rushing through to get it done? Do we even want to read right now? Are we forcing ourselves to get through this? It’s important to remember that we read because we want to – we aren’t in school!

I guess this really all comes down to you personally and what your reasons are for reading and always remember comparison is the thief of joy. Reading is a personal hobby. This isn’t a competition. So, as much as I love having a book club and talking about the books I read and the community that has provided for me, it is important that reading stays personal. You’re reading for your enjoyment and your experience, no one else’s, don’t feel pressured to read constantly. Burnout is the worst, it’s so important to take breaks even from your favourite hobbies. Also, be realistic with your goals, or even don’t bother setting yourself a goal. Sometimes attaching a number to something stops it from being fun. 

So I ask, what are your reasons for reading? Do you feel pressured to conform to unattainable reading targets? Or are you largely unaffected? I would love to hear your thoughts. 

Until next time,

Signed,

A Mo-tivated Reader ☺️

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