It’s that time of year again on the bookish internet: the time when we all gather together to talk about our favorite books of the year, our least favorites, and how we did on our reading goals. This should be a moment to trade book recommendations, celebrate our fellow readers’ wins, and look forward to all the excellent books coming out in the upcoming year.
Instead, book influencers on every platform can look forward to an influx of comments that say something like, “Some of us can’t read that much because we have full-time jobs. And children.” Some will ask, “How do you read so much?” while others will subtly — or not-so-subtly — imply that the creator didn’t really read 50 or 100 or 400 books this year.
Commenters rush in to litigate those numbers: audiobooks don’t count. And graphic novels don’t count. And romance doesn’t really count. Neither does YA. Or novellas.
Some people even make their own TikToks to reassure others that no one is reading hundreds of books by any definition: they’re all lying about it. They’re making up those numbers to brag.
If you’ve been on the bookish internet for long, you’ll realize the truth: there’s always someone reading more than you. I read about 100 books a year. By normal standards, that’s a huge amount of books. But I personally know multiple readers who get through 500+ books a year. (Yes, really.)
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There is always going to be someone out there who reads more pages per minute, who is able to set aside more time in their day, who can listen to audiobooks faster than you.
I’m always puzzled by people who think that 100 books in a year is an impossible number because I simply do not read very much. I read 30 minutes to an hour every day, sometimes more on the weekends, with a few reading marathon days throughout the year. It doesn’t require being unemployed or not having any other responsibilities in my life to achieve that number. If I truly prioritized reading, if I read anywhere near as much as I scroll on my phone or watch TV or zone out watching YouTube, that number would probably triple.
For those commenters who claim that anyone online who talks about reading more books than them must be lying, I implore you to sit with that feeling for a while. Would you think someone talking about seeing a large number of movies in a year is lying? Would you feel insecure about not watching the same number of movies? What makes reading different?
Most importantly: why do you care how much a stranger is reading? This is a hobby. We’re doing it for fun. I’m not saying that no one on BookTok has ever lied about how much they read, but is it more likely that there’s a conspiracy of bookish influencers faking their Goodreads accounts through the entire year, or that there are some people who just like reading a lot?
So this year, as you hear about other people’s reading totals for the year, remember that the rules are made up and the numbers don’t matter. It’s impossible to compare two people’s reading, between the different formats, styles, reading speeds, and more — and besides, there’s no competition here. One person reading more doesn’t mean there are fewer books for you.
If you’re one of the people who feels compelled to question others’ reading totals in monthly or yearly wrap-ups, maybe it’s time to step away from social media for a while. Try a new hobby. Might I suggest picking up a book?
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