When I love a book I like taking my time so I can appreciate it fully and stay with the characters a little longer. But I keep seeing those insta reels or TikTok with people bragging about reading more than 100 books per years. I know you can read a book fast and appreciate it but I m reluctant to leave it so I like to take my time. Especially when I just came through a major event and another big event is to come, I like to pause so I can “digest” it.
by yggdrasill345
10 Comments
This is about the 10000000th time someone asks this same question.
Dude, a bunch of us are not forcing ourselves to read (relatively) many books.
I usually put 52/year, not to push myself, but that’s a pretty comfortable and doable for me. I just like seeing how I’m doing compared to my usual self. I can avoid being in a slump if I can compare to my normal.
Some of us don’t like “digesting” or we do it differently. That doesn’t mean we don’t read PROPERLY.
To me 1 book per week is not fast. Like you talk like your speed is the norm, and we are too fast. But what if I said I am the norm and you are too slow? I’m not saying that, but it wouldn’t be less legitimate (both directions are kind of bullshit).
Different things for different people. Some people like to be competitive and read lots of books and others like to savor each book.
Gamification from Social Media.
Good Reads and BookTubers or BookTok kind of drive the habit of quantity over quality. There was a period in my youth where I was routinely reading twenty to thirty books a month. Then my course work increased, I got a job, got married, became a parent… I’m lucky if I manage twenty books a year, and occasionally resent the two or three books I need to choke down for work.
I now select for quality, or enjoyment. I suspect these 100+ books per year folks will flame out and land on a slower pace.
sometimes its a milestone i want to reach. like “i want to read 50 new books this year” kind of thing. but my reading habits are completely random. ill go a year where i only read 2-3, then the next its 40-50
Because most people are phony and stupid. Especially on this sub.
Popular social media book lovers often get popular by reading popular books. To get the most out of their popularity, they read lots & lots of books.
The average reader is NOT reading 100 books a year or bragging about it. You just hear about it because you’re in the types of reading spaces where that kind of behaviour is expected.
Some people want to set themselves goals like in every other hobby. And book counting is one way to do it.
Who are you talking about? I’ve never seen people with that focus. I usually see people who read many books a year at a normal pace. Just because you read slowly and pause often doesn’t make their experience less valid than yours. Your experience sounds much stranger tbh. It sounds like your experience is less about appreciation and more about anxiety.
So many books, so little time.
I get wanting to fully digest the book, but between that and getting through my TBR? I’m gonna read as much as I can.
Because they like to read? I also like to take my time reading a book but if it’s a book I’m really enjoying I’m probably going to just rush right through it. That’s what rereads are for. Why does it matter how someone else reads books? They’re not making you read that way so just let it be.