I Didn’t Read a Book Last Month - And I’m Not Worse Off For It

As a lover of literature, I am so pleased to be seeing a rise in conversations around current events in the book world and publishing industry - and further so within community’s and fandoms of specific tales and authors.

Amongst the busyness and the overwhelming scale of content the digital age outputs, there is a great serenity in engaging with conversations and likened loves of books, despite the many modern beliefs that long form content is on its way out.

However, I feel as though I am observing a turning point within these conversations.

With popular social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, acting as pedestals for small, yet opinionated voices to push out short form content of bias on, there seems to be a stain bleeding out and tainting the joys of reading for the sake of reading.

From observing ‘book influencers’ bragging about unattainable and potentially disputable numbers of books read yearly, to the mass of faceless accounts readers use to blacklist artists for illustrating their favourite character incorrectly or authors for completing a series in an unpopular fashion; it seems that the entitlement and the ‘if it doesn’t align with my feelings or goals, it’s an issue’ mindset that social media has bestowed upon the world, has finally hit the joy of reading.

As with any opinion, or point of perspective anyone has, there are so many things to touch on and so little time to do so.

So instead I am going to take a shallow dive into the pools that I particularly take issue with, and the first is what I like to call ‘The Good Reads Conundrum’.

The Good Reads Conundrum

If you don’t know what Good Reads is, it is essentially a place for you to track your reading, leave and find reviews, follow likeminded readers and join book clubs.

Personally, I love Good Reads - I just don’t love what people are using it to do via social media…

Each year, Good Reads launches their yearly reading challenge, where you can set a number of books you would like to read, and the app helps you track where you are en route to your goal. The concept is great, the execution is great - as someone that loves do read yet finds themselves in random ruts and opposing reading blocks, the in app challenges are a godsend for getting back into the groove.

And I can only assume that many feel the same way.

Yet since joining good reads, setting my own yearly reading challenges and engaging more with reading content on socials, I have noticed the feeling of competition amongst readers arise.

I remember towards the end of last year, seeing people convey that they had hit their reading goals of upwards of 300. And I was baffled.

I love reading as much as the next person, however I wholeheartedly disagree with people using social media to gloat about their reading practice, and in doing so setting :

Unrealistic Reading Standards

Because realistically, getting through a book or more a day would take a lot of time and effort, and unless you work in a publishing house where you have to spend your days reading - how on Earth are people with full time jobs getting through this number of books?

And if, for example, to get through this number of books in so little time, people are skimming the pages to get a book under their belt rather than taking the plot, emotions, characters and atmosphere in -

- can we truly consider this reading - or reading for the joy of it?

From another perspective, we can look at these standards set as the 21st century way of maintaining the exclusivity of reading, which is a problem that has existed since the beginning of written word.

Throughout history, reading has been portrayed as a symbol for many things. Be it intellect, privilege, superiority and status - exclusivity is something that runs through them all. And somehow, reading influencers and booktok - be it intentional or not, have managed to reintroduce a barrier to the joy of reading via these unrealistic reading standards within a period where inclusivity and open arms is all the rage.

And though the way people have twisted what could’ve been utilised as a fun and inclusive thing, into yet another tool to show off, isn’t the end of the world - it is certainly a bit of a downer and deterrent within the community.

Another pool one could dip their toe into, to complain about how social platforms are causing brainrot and negativity within the reading community, is that of the entitlement of many online, who tend to follow the motto :

I Am Offended : Blacklist Them

This motto I feel will be the death of free speech. But that’s a bigger hill to climb and on a blog that is not mine…

But on this very blog of mine, I will happily discuss why culty fandoms and cancel culture are contributing to the ruin of reading.

And in keeping this short and sweet, here is a singular example:

As briefly mentioned at the forefront of this post, I and many others were witness to the baffling situation that is the cancellation of a illustrator (a WONDERFUL one, might I add) for a particular collection of artwork that was created for a limited edition set of books (One of the most popular fantasy series of the present day).

Despite being valued and approved by the author and publishing house, the artist was met with a cold and threatening online reception by long-time fans of the series.

Due to the obscene comments and anger directed at her, for essentially not immaculately capturing and conveying what some fans had envisioned - she informed her followers that she would no longer be sharing her art for the specific series moving forward…

This message was tucked amongst feelings of utter tiredness and references towards the mass hate toward her art.

And from this I wonder two things :

• One - why does everybody nowadays feel the need to comment / or voice their opinions on things that do not harm or effect them?

• Two - what do people get out of harbouring and voicing resentment towards people enjoying and applying their art practice to shared interests?

Both of the above can be questioned to many of the present day discussions that take place within the reading community - and personally, I think it is quite strange that people feel a need to be asking those things.

And by no means is this unique to the reading world - but it is definitely new and damaging to the enjoyment of it.

And so, this is me trying, to round this all up…

In true Ella fashion, I haven’t really gotten to deep.

Instead just a bit irritable and ranty.

But I am rounding this up, after reading my final words through, intrigued as to whether other readers, or long form content lovers, have noticed the same things as I -and also wondering where perhaps, they see the relationship between the reading of books and social media heading…