When I signed up for theStoryGraph back in January, I knew I would love the process of tracking my reading. I also knew that I would especially love the monthly/yearly graphs and visuals they offer up at the end of each cycle.
I really am a sucker for data made pretty 🙂
Since I began intentionally reading for fun again in 2020, I’ve wanted to keep everything as low pressure as possible. The point of reading for fun is that it’s fun, not that it’s a race against myself or anyone else.
So, I didn’t set a goal, I just read and wound up up reading nine books that year.
In 2021, I set a goal of 12 books, one per month, just to up my game a bit. In the end I read 13!
So, I decided to stick with a goal of 12 books every year for the next few years and it broke down like this:
2022 = 21 books, including the first nine Outlander books.
2023 = 19 books.
2024 = 27 books.
And every year I felt good about what I’d read because I was enjoying each book and didn’t have any pressure from anyone but myself.
But also, as every year progressed, I started seeing more and more book-stagrammers, book-tokkers, and book “girlies” posting about the hundreds of books they were reading every year. I asked one woman how she reads so fast and she told me she has trained herself to listen to audio books at 3.5x speed! Holy wow!
Good for them but… Luckily, I left my Keeping Up with the Jones’ back in the 90s because I could never 😉
Alas, when 2025 rolled around and I migrated over to theStoryGraph and set up my profile, one of the prompts asked if I had a reading goal for the year so I got brave and put one in: 25 books in 2025.
It sounded like a friendly number and seemed achievable given my 2024 numbers.
I was also asked about a page number goal, to which I had no clue, so just picked 12,500 pages.
Welp, guess what?! I’ve just hit my reading goal for the year! I’ve only completed 62% of my pages goal, but as of yesterday I have read 26 books so far in 2025. And most importantly, I’ve enjoyed every.single.one at a pace that feels good for my brain and my life.
This is not to say that speed readers are not enjoying their reading, it’s only to say that I am so glad I’ve made peace with my own pace. I can only hope everyone does.
So, how about you? Do set reading goals for yourself? Do you consider yourself a speed reader? Please tell me all about it in the comments or point me to a post you’ve already written about such things.
And, if you’re on theStoryGraph and we haven’t connected there yet, please hit me up or share your handle down below. I’m melissa_505.
Cheers to all the happy reading vibes 🙂
Onward,
Melissa
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I don’t set reading goals – just pick up what I fancy from the library or bookshop or what is relevant for the two book clubs I am part of. I think listening to books at 3.5 speed is cheating a bit 🙂
I am such a mood reader, which is why my TBR is never-ending. I love picking up random books when I’m out and about, too. Then, when I get home, my bookshelf gives me a solid side eye 😉 I could never do 3.5x speed, nor would I want to. But it’s a choice for some, I guess. Hope your week is shaping up well!
I switched to StoryGraph late last year. I’ve been meeting a goal of 40 books a year on Goodreads. I’m behind on my goal this year, but I may catch up. I don’t take it very seriously.
Thanks for the prompt — I just went to look at my pretty graphics for so far this year!
I feel like the graphs are the like the star stickers my teacher used to give us for some random assignment we did well on 🙂 Glad I prompted you to go check! 40 books is a solid goal! Glad you keep it flexible, though!
No goals for me. I just read. Usually 50 or 60 books per year. Plus I have my New Yorkers to keep up with. 😉 I am a pretty fast reader, but I think those who read slower often get more out of what they read. And that, to me, is the reason for reading—not how many books you can speed through but rather what you get out of your reading.
I completely agree, Laurie! I really enjoy reading at my own pace (or at the narrators pace) and really soaking in the story I’m diving into. 50-60 books a year is awesome! Especially if you enjoy them!
I don’t like it about myself, but when I was young I was a very competitive person. I do still read too many books and I read most of them too fast, but I’m not doing it any more to compete against others—I just want to read everything before I die. lol. Sigh.
Oh how I feel this, Deb. If only I could read all.the.books ever. Alas… 🙁
I do set reading goals, not for competitive reasons, but I find it does motivate me. In MA our libraries create this reading challenge: https://www.massbook.org/readingchallenge and suggest books to meet the prompts, which are usually displayed in our local libraries. I like it because it helps me read really diverse books throughout the year, and I never get bored or stuck in a rut. (not like I don’t have a huge pile of unread books I got at books swaps and library books sales and used book stores all over my house!). I am reading a surprising amount of non-fiction this year (for me) and kind of enjoying it.
And I don’t know why you would want to listen to a book at 3.5 times the speed. I would feel totally stressed out! Taking it nice and slow, and really diving into the ones I love, taking notes, and thinking about my favorite quotes makes the process of reading feel so much more fun and indulgent!
I love that your local libraries offer reading challenges! How fun! I’ve gotten better about reading books I normally wouldn’t have before and I think the online community has been super helpful in that. Just seeing what others are reading and enjoying is such a balm for my soul in a world where my IRL people don’t read often at all.
The idea of 3.5x speed boggles my mind. She said she worked her way up and obviously she really wanted to do this, but I could never. I have, a couple of times, bumped up the reading speed to 1.1 or 1.2 but only if the narrator was especially slow and it fit the story. Sometimes the slowness of one’s narration is part of the story. Ah, to each their own, I guess.
Brave of you to be reading 1984 right now.
I don’t set any goals. I don’t even keep track until the end of the year and I am always surprised by the number.
Being surprised by the number at the end of the year is a wonderful approach!
Yes, 1984 was a trip. I’d read it decades ago so it was very interesting to read it again now. It was alarming how almost normal it all felt because we’ve come so far in the worst of ways. It made me want to kill my TV again 😉
Hey your comment : I am so glad I’ve made peace with my own pace.
Your post made me pause for thought.
How can people enjoy a book..the story and savour the plot when they read soooo many books?
I read at the pace of a snalil. If I read and enjoy one book a month I am happy.
My latest book was by Jodi picolat titled Keeping Faith.
Exactly this. I guess it takes all kinds, but as you said, how can you thoroughly savor that magic of a story if you simply wolf it down? I don’t know. I also tend to need a little space between books to process them a bit. Maybe only a day or two, but some books just needs to simmer a bit more for me to be ready to say goodbye to them.
I have not read Keeping Faith yet, did you enjoy it?