Online book communities have made a huge impact on many readers, mostly in a positive way. However, sometimes it seems that taking reading too seriously can take the fun out of it altogether. When I first started to really love reading, I didn’t have the access to social media that I do now. Looking back, that meant that I read in a different way. It was like a ritual for me.
First, I’d pick out my next most anticipated book off of the shelf. Then, I picked which bookmark I thought was most appropriate to match that book’s theme. Finally, I could read my book.
Quick, I know, except that wasn’t the last step.
After I had read the very last page, I opened my favorite Mod Podged notebook and wrote down the title I had just completed. Going back over that ever-growing list of books was almost as rewarding as the novels themselves. Today, I have a similar ritual. I finish a book, scrounge through my drawers until I find a newer but just as decorated notebook, and I copy down the title. Occasionally I even add some flair with glitter pens, but that’s besides the point.
There’s one major change in this process that many readers are probably aware of, and it’s not just affecting the way we keep track of our reading progress.
Social media has made it trendy to catalog books as a way to reach reading goals. I often see posts about which books certain creators had read that month, and how much closer they now are to reaching their yearly goal. This is so popular that there are even apps for it. Digital platforms like Goodreads and StoryGraph allow readers to log their finished books and leave reviews. While it’s a huge positive that these spaces encourage more reading and help recognize authors, the rigid structure of this way of tracking can actually be more harmful. For a long time, the final step in my reading ritual was to open Goodreads, make a new entry and refresh my profile to see how many more books I needed to read before I reached my goal. During this time, I had the most trouble reading than I ever had, even during finals week.
This trend, often supported by the book community, has been the most destructive factor in terms of my enjoyment of books, and I don’t seem to be alone.
I’m sure there are plenty of people who are actually propelled by self-made reading goals, of which I am jealous, but lately I have seen an influx of readers feeling set back. Readers who set higher goals may feel daunted by their progression while lower goals are often held at lower standards.
By attaching our reading to these goals, we are forgetting the main point of this activity:to read! It’s supposed to be simple, fun and fulfilling.
If you’ve set a goal to read 100 books in one year but have only reached 60% by November, you have still made an enormous accomplishment in that effort. If your goal is 20 books and you’ve read half of that, those 10 books are just as worthy as someone else’s 60. At the end of the day, readers shouldn’t be worried about any numbers (unless it’s the percentages of a book sale, of course).
Just a couple years ago I would set aside an interesting novel just so I could start a shorter one and make it to my goal by the end of the year. I’d speed through books instead of enjoying them so that I could tack another title onto my list. Reading like this, with a rigid and pressured structure, made me forget why I ever loved to read in the first place. If I hadn’t realized this and forced myself to lessen my load, I would have been in danger of losing one of my favorite pastimes.
To anyone with reading goals that are weighing them down, let them go and learn to be thankful for reading again.
Sadie Self is a sophomore at UT this year studying journalism and media. She can be reached at [email protected].
Columns and letters of The Daily Beacon are the views of the individual and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Beacon or the Beacon’s editorial staff.
