Beyond the Blurb | Why Goodreads Reading Challenge Doesn’t Work for Me

Morning, readers!

Ever since I started blogging full-time, I always pledged fifty books to my annual Goodreads Reading Challenge. For two years straight, I countlessly set my challenge high. Sure, reading fifty books a year isn’t a lot to some people who read more than a hundred. But since I signed up for Goodreads, I completed each annual challenge.

But last year, I realized something. I don’t want to pledge fifty books anymore. Instead, I want to pledge lower. Yes, you read that right. Even though I’m a full-time blogger and reader, I cannot set my challenge high. For my next discussion post, I want to talk about the reasons why I’ve decided to set my Goodreads challenge at thirty, not fifty.

I Read for the Challenge, not for the Thrill of Reading

I fell out of love of reading because I was reading for the challenge, not for me. I hated how I wasn’t reading for the thrill of it. I started to hate going from one book to the next because I had to, not because I wanted to. Was I reading for myself? No. I was reading for the challenge.

 

The Pressure Got too High

I hated the pressure. Reading a minimum of four books a month isn’t difficult. In fact, it’s rather easy for me. But a timeline for each book was always in my mind. And it dictated what I read, when I read it, and how long I had to read. So you can see why I hated the pressure of reading for the challenge.

 

I Nose Dived Into a Difficult Reading Slump, Which I’m Just Getting Out of

In December, I completed my 2019 reading challenge, then I fell into a month-long reading slump. I’m just getting out of it. But now, I’m reading slower, and the only books interesting to me is rereads, not new titles. I’ve never been in this kind of slump before. Nothing helped. Nothing worked. And nothing got me out of it, but time.

 

I Hated How I Evolved as a Reader

My reading habits have changed over the years. But I noticed how the challenge evolved me as a reader. I was interested in only new releases, not older titles I’ve been wanting to read. I wanted to read only the hotly anticipated books, not the lesser-known titles. I hated how I turned out. I became superficial as a reader. But no more. I’ll read what I want to read, whether or not my followers are intrigued by what I finish.

 

Are you planning on reading fifty books this year? Do you think the Goodreads Reading Challenge helps or hinders you as a reader? Do you feel pressured when you’re behind?