![]() ![]() From now on, my reading habits are staying between me and my book. It feels just like it did when I was a child, with no awareness of what others think about what I’m reading, how quickly I’m reading it, or what I haven’t read. But right now I am reading my first book Goodreads-free since I installed the app. Maybe it’s just a few of us who aren’t compatible with it, and end up developing a toxic relationship that distracts from the magic of getting lost in a book. If Goodreads provides a sense of community, good recommendations and doesn’t make you obsess over what you’re reading or how much, then great. I won’t be self-conscious if I read yet another thriller bought in a supermarket deal, instead of something others would consider as smarter or better. But, without Goodreads, it won’t matter if I give up on a book I’m not bothered about halfway through, because no one will know or care – as if they did anyway. It’s human nature to get a sense of satisfaction from seeing something through to the end. Even if I were to switch to another book app without the social aspect, I know that I would remain obsessed with finishing books over enjoying them. It’s not just that I don’t need a pie chart detailing my reading habits, the chart has poisoned the whole experience. Reading is something I do to relax, learn and enjoy. While some people’s qualms with Goodreads are rooted in its clunky interface, or the fact that it is owned by Amazon, mine lie in its very concept. The link in the URL bar will change after the profile appears. ![]() Click the circle with your profile picture in the top right corner of the screen and select Profile. This is why tracking my reading activity on Goodreads is far more performative than I have previously admitted to myself: I love reading, but I also love the feeling of people thinking I’m well read. To find your Instagram URL on a computer, follow these steps: 1. But with reading come the associations of intelligence and work that are not granted to our habitual consumption of other art forms if I documented the amount of television I watch, I would feel more embarrassed than triumphant. From our runs on Strava to the films we’ve watched on Letterboxd, there’s now a popular app to quantify all our hobbies. It’s not just our reading habits that have been gamified. Even when absorbed in the climax of a story, one eye is always on my proximity to the end, when I’ll be able to post it all to Goodreads. I compare the thickness of the read pages I hold in my left hand to the unread ones in my right. I find myself glancing towards the corner of the page to see how much I’ve read. Quantifying, dissecting and broadcasting our most-loved hobbies sucks the joy out of them. Goodreads is far more performative than I have previously admitted to myself: I love the feeling of people thinking I’m well readīut that’s exactly what’s wrong with Goodreads: it turns reading into an achievement. I feel a sense of accomplishment every time I update my “progress” with a book. I get a buzz from increasing my reading goal every 12 months, and from comparing how many pages I’ve turned or hours of audiobooks I’ve listened to with other people’s numbers. Since joining Goodreads a few years ago, the annual roundup I receive tallying up the books I have finished that year has become the clinching point of my reading experience.
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