just hell ya to all of this. you’re spot on! obviously some people read super fast and that’s great but you really have to wonder who it’s for when people are gamifying their reading like that. is it fun? are they getting anything out of it? I saw a tiktok the other day that was a girl out with her friends and she was like “wish I was home with my book” — ok, sure, it’s fun to be introverted, but you read 200 books a year, have u considered being present for a second :) anyway here’s to illiteracy in 2025 I guess
I loved this! The reading less revolution going on rn is interesting and I think just a general lethargy about life? Probs a combination of post covid & being fed up of the gamification of reading online. I think the moralising about numerical goals is dumb and I’m glad that people are (generally) holding less weight on them. I read loads but my life is in a particular season rn and when it changes I’m sure I’ll read a lot less and that’s fine.
Short books get such a bad rap!!! What do you MEAN it’s not a ‘real’ book?! I think it’s even more impressive to move me in 100 pages rather than 600.
I love your line about how no one cares. It’s true tho - truly no one else cares about how much you’ve read, instead it’s just about what you read !!!! You’re a reading less inspiration Ezra xox
Omg Martha this means so much coming from you!! I totally agree with you re: the post-covid of it all--I don't think we'll ever truly understand covid/long covid/the general pandemic's impact on our broken brains--and I think your assessment of the exhaustion of gamification in general is totally on point. I'm also curious about the link between performative isolation x digital community, whether the "reading less revolution" is a whiplash response to this very intense need to catalog our lives in order to connect with others...
The moralizing of it all is so funny because everyone I talk to feels so guilty about reading/not reading/DNF'ing a book--or lying about finishing a book when they only got 75% through--but it's such a prison of our own creation. Truly no one cares or even knows how much you are or aren't reading unless you are explicitly messaging that out into the universe!! Anyways, ty for your thoughts as always xx
I also don't think we'll every truly understand covid/pandemic impact until many many decades time when it's too late for all of us lol!
I am intrigued by your take that the 'reading less revolution' is a whiplash response to the need to catalog our lives in order to connect with others - I say I agree. The prison of our own creation line is gold and correct - people are so silly we forget that we have the keys to said prison we've locked ourselves in? and can get out? I think the performative nature of reading feeds into the moralising and visa versa. Maybe thats why people want to read less, because they feel like they can't perform it in the 'right' way, so are feeling apathetic? What's the point in reading if I can't gameify it narrative, which is so sad but maybe has legs? Maybe an extreme take - time will tell. A pleasure to give thoughts as always xx
Yes!!! Resonated with this so much. I’ve been telling my friends next year I’m setting my Goodreads goal to 1 (I still love tracking) but I don’t want to feel any pressures or even be remotely concerned about the amount I’m reading anymore. Unless they start giving out medals (or vouchers) it literally doesn’t mean anything and it’s so silly! We’re in a prison of our own making.
Also agree with the paradox of choice sentiment. I want to read more backlist titles next year but I am someone who primarily reads new releases so it is quite overwhelming with the amount published. I did a count for the amount of galleys/e-arcs I already have for next year in my possession and it’s already over 65 🥲 and I already know there’s no way I’m reading them all (my reading goal for this year was 70 and thats all time high) so that’s its own weird anxiety as well as I don’t want to miss out on great stories I could love / I enjoy supporting authors during their early days of pub as it’s such an exciting time for them.
So navigating my own reading fluctuations and desires with the timing of pubs will be interesting…
Okay, love the idea of setting Goodreads goal to 1!! And I have such a weird relationship with backlist from working in publishing, because such a big part of my job is knowing what has/hasn't worked in the past 3-5 years, so diving deeper into backlist feels even MORE like a refutation of reading for work...but maybe that's just what I need?
I totally feel you re: debut--it feels so exciting to read something right when it's out (or even before it's out), but then it feels like you are constantly juggling TBRs with the endless conveyer belt of new options...
I think desires/impulse is a huge part of it; allowing yourself to have reading "seasons" without judgement. Like intuitive eating but with reading? IDK, it's such a weird guilt trap we've created for ourselves!
Ahhh that’s so interesting about backlist!!! I never thought of it that way from the publishing side. I feel like reading backlist titles is the ultimate protest so kind of a slay??
Hit the nail on the head w. Debuts 🎯🎯🎯
And shamelessly will be stealing the “reading seasons” that just clicked something in my brain for me wow
I love how we have no answers but just mutual vibes lol I think experimenting this year will be telling for us all and we’ll see if we end 2025 with more peace and some direction😂
just hell ya to all of this. you’re spot on! obviously some people read super fast and that’s great but you really have to wonder who it’s for when people are gamifying their reading like that. is it fun? are they getting anything out of it? I saw a tiktok the other day that was a girl out with her friends and she was like “wish I was home with my book” — ok, sure, it’s fun to be introverted, but you read 200 books a year, have u considered being present for a second :) anyway here’s to illiteracy in 2025 I guess
I loved this! The reading less revolution going on rn is interesting and I think just a general lethargy about life? Probs a combination of post covid & being fed up of the gamification of reading online. I think the moralising about numerical goals is dumb and I’m glad that people are (generally) holding less weight on them. I read loads but my life is in a particular season rn and when it changes I’m sure I’ll read a lot less and that’s fine.
Short books get such a bad rap!!! What do you MEAN it’s not a ‘real’ book?! I think it’s even more impressive to move me in 100 pages rather than 600.
I love your line about how no one cares. It’s true tho - truly no one else cares about how much you’ve read, instead it’s just about what you read !!!! You’re a reading less inspiration Ezra xox
Omg Martha this means so much coming from you!! I totally agree with you re: the post-covid of it all--I don't think we'll ever truly understand covid/long covid/the general pandemic's impact on our broken brains--and I think your assessment of the exhaustion of gamification in general is totally on point. I'm also curious about the link between performative isolation x digital community, whether the "reading less revolution" is a whiplash response to this very intense need to catalog our lives in order to connect with others...
The moralizing of it all is so funny because everyone I talk to feels so guilty about reading/not reading/DNF'ing a book--or lying about finishing a book when they only got 75% through--but it's such a prison of our own creation. Truly no one cares or even knows how much you are or aren't reading unless you are explicitly messaging that out into the universe!! Anyways, ty for your thoughts as always xx
I also don't think we'll every truly understand covid/pandemic impact until many many decades time when it's too late for all of us lol!
I am intrigued by your take that the 'reading less revolution' is a whiplash response to the need to catalog our lives in order to connect with others - I say I agree. The prison of our own creation line is gold and correct - people are so silly we forget that we have the keys to said prison we've locked ourselves in? and can get out? I think the performative nature of reading feeds into the moralising and visa versa. Maybe thats why people want to read less, because they feel like they can't perform it in the 'right' way, so are feeling apathetic? What's the point in reading if I can't gameify it narrative, which is so sad but maybe has legs? Maybe an extreme take - time will tell. A pleasure to give thoughts as always xx
Yes!!! Resonated with this so much. I’ve been telling my friends next year I’m setting my Goodreads goal to 1 (I still love tracking) but I don’t want to feel any pressures or even be remotely concerned about the amount I’m reading anymore. Unless they start giving out medals (or vouchers) it literally doesn’t mean anything and it’s so silly! We’re in a prison of our own making.
Also agree with the paradox of choice sentiment. I want to read more backlist titles next year but I am someone who primarily reads new releases so it is quite overwhelming with the amount published. I did a count for the amount of galleys/e-arcs I already have for next year in my possession and it’s already over 65 🥲 and I already know there’s no way I’m reading them all (my reading goal for this year was 70 and thats all time high) so that’s its own weird anxiety as well as I don’t want to miss out on great stories I could love / I enjoy supporting authors during their early days of pub as it’s such an exciting time for them.
So navigating my own reading fluctuations and desires with the timing of pubs will be interesting…
cue the worlds smallest violin… 🎻
Okay, love the idea of setting Goodreads goal to 1!! And I have such a weird relationship with backlist from working in publishing, because such a big part of my job is knowing what has/hasn't worked in the past 3-5 years, so diving deeper into backlist feels even MORE like a refutation of reading for work...but maybe that's just what I need?
I totally feel you re: debut--it feels so exciting to read something right when it's out (or even before it's out), but then it feels like you are constantly juggling TBRs with the endless conveyer belt of new options...
I think desires/impulse is a huge part of it; allowing yourself to have reading "seasons" without judgement. Like intuitive eating but with reading? IDK, it's such a weird guilt trap we've created for ourselves!
Ahhh that’s so interesting about backlist!!! I never thought of it that way from the publishing side. I feel like reading backlist titles is the ultimate protest so kind of a slay??
Hit the nail on the head w. Debuts 🎯🎯🎯
And shamelessly will be stealing the “reading seasons” that just clicked something in my brain for me wow
I love how we have no answers but just mutual vibes lol I think experimenting this year will be telling for us all and we’ll see if we end 2025 with more peace and some direction😂