How Goodreads affects my degree: The reality behind reading goals

We’re just over one month into 2024 and I am already behind on my Goodreads goal. The four books I should have read this month sit untouched on my bookshelf and unless I read frantically this February, my chances of getting back on track are slight.

But should I feel guilty for not reading ‘enough’ when ultimately reading should be an enjoyable pass-time? With deadlines, exams, lectures and reading for the new semester, it is no surprise that casual reading has taken a back seat in my priority list this month.

Rather than encourage sustainable reading habits, I’ve found that Goodreads can become something to fixate on. With the thought of reading goals always in the background, sometimes I’ll find myself skim-reading pages to finish the book quicker just so I can click the ‘I’ve finished this book!’ button and add another one to the read-list. I begin to associate reading with the dopamine hit I get through the app; rather than the real accomplishment of turning the final page of a good book.

Even when I read, I am still in this sense wired and online. Books become objects to be completed and digitally tracked, not actual stories to be enjoyed. Reading for escapism and relaxation therefore becomes harder, as I can never fully separate it from Goodreads.  My phone often lies by my side as I read, my reading status always ready to be updated.

This incessant tracking means that even when university is done for the day, I still feel I have ‘work’ to do. This in turn devalues the reading that I do as part of my degree.

Poems, book chapters, articles etc., all go untracked and the time I have dedicated to reading these texts subsequently becomes meaningless when not quantifiably recorded on Goodreads. When I look at my account, all I see is that I am behind on my reading goal and I subsequently forget the reading I have done as part of my studying. The knowledge I have gained through reading un-trackable texts as part of my degree is, after all, more valuable than reading three mediocre books for Goodread’s sake.

It begs the question of why I feel the need to track everything I read. As with apps for studying like Forest or as with running apps like Strava, we all seem to want digital evidence of real events. It seems that reading is not immune to this digital culture. Why should it matter that some of my reading goes un-tracked? Who am I trying to impress by using Goodreads: myself or others?

The competitive nature of Goodreads (particularly for someone who loves to read) means that the app will never lead to complete satisfaction. There will always be a new book, genre, and author to discover but that does not mean that I must read them all.

Are my books varied enough, ‘classic’ enough or are they too ‘easy’? Book trends on Goodreads and social media, whilst exposing us to and encouraging us to read new books, can become distractions from what really matters in reading: the positive effects of enjoyment, relaxation and escapism. In comparison to others online and in real life, it can be easy to forget that spare time at university does not need to be conquered or spent being ‘productive’ like the perception of others around you.

Whilst it is nice to have an online bookshelf and bookmark on Goodreads, it is not the be-all and end-all if reading goals are not met, or not all your reading is displayed in this singular app. Goodreads shouldn’t be used to affirm and validate that you have in fact read.

I have decided to relax my reading goal this year and remind myself that just because my studying, learning, and reading as part of my degree cannot always be measured and tracked like a book on Goodreads, it does not mean it is not legitimate. Reading should first and foremost be enjoyable and as students, it is important to enjoy the spare time we have!