Does anyone else feel conflicted about their Goodreads reading challenge? I’ve been thinking about how this well-intentioned feature might be changing the way we read. Sure, there’s something satisfying about watching that progress bar fill up and hitting that yearly goal. But lately, I’ve noticed myself reaching for shorter books over chunky classics, skimming rather than savoring, and feeling guilty about DNFing books that aren’t working for me.
Last month, I caught myself putting aside a book I’d been excited to read in favor of a quick novella just to stay “on track” with my challenge. That was my wake-up call. Since when did reading become about quantity over quality?
What’s your experience with reading challenges – do they motivate you to read more, or do they turn your reading life into a numbers game?
