Goodreads Reading Challenge Review

Hey LQ readers! If you’re new here, we are a conglomerate of 20 & 30-somethings women who love to write about books. But while we definitely love to provide our thoughts on reviewing books you should read, or ones we’d like to read, we also do have other thoughts – we call it “Living Life Bookishly”. So today, I have decided to write on a topic I think is gaining momentum in the reading world: The Goodreads Reading Challenge.

What is the Goodreads Reading Challenge?

Backing up, I should say, What Is Goodreads? Goodreads is a phenomenal resource for book lovers to keep track of what they’ve read, what they want to read, and in general just FIND BOOKS. Initially, it may sound like a niche thing, but it’s incredibly helpful. Whether you read 50+ books a year, or just are looking to make a good pick for this month’s Book Club, Goodreads can help you.

So what’s the Goodreads Reading Challenge? Well, in January, you set a goal with Goodreads of how many books you plan to read through the year. It might be one every month, it might be one every week (or by God if you’re Samantha Zimecki, you might be on book 145 this year!! #bookclubfriends #insane) My goal this year is one per week, or 52 books per year. Then as you finish books and mark them down, Goodreads updates your goal to see if you will be successful. For completionary folks like myself, this is kind of a dream come true. 

Goodreads Reading Challenge – Why It’s Not Make or Break for Me – And Shouldn’t Be for You

So here’s the thing – obviously, as above, I love the Goodreads Reading Challenge. It literally makes me gleeful in December when I’ve outdone my goal, which has consistently happened so far. Great right? Do I get fantastic new bragging rights? Well… no. See, the challenge is personal. And that means that it’s possible that life WILL inevitably step right in the way and make reaching your goal difficult or unachievable.

But presenting this information to everyone on the site means that it’s easy to find yourself comparing yourself. The reality is that some people read REALLY fast. And some people put a lot more time into reading, or experiment with different methodologies (cough, audiobooks) to reach the goal. Does that make them a better reader than you? Not by a long shot.

So if you haven’t checked out Goodreads, we at LQ definitely encourage you to – and bonus if you find us and add us as your friend so we can share books with you (scroll to find some links)! But if you don’t, or if you don’t set a goal, or you miss your goal… we’re not judging.

Happy National Literacy Month everyone!!

Follow the LQers on Goodreads:

• Allison
• Amber
• Becky
• Caleigh
• Jessica
• Joli
• Megan
• Rachel
• Rebecca

Caleigh

Based out of Kingston, ON Canada, I am a young professional working at St.Lawrence College. When not reading or working, I spend a lot of my time with my young dressage horse Roo.

See Full Bio