Discussions Other

Pros and Cons of the Goodreads Reading Challenge.

Are you guys feeling the pressure yet? I sure am.

Technically, I’m not in a reading slump. It’s more like a reading stump. It’s not that I don’t want to read, it’s that I can’t. School is swamping me and it’s been very hard to balance blogging, reading, school work and all the other things I have to do. In spite of that, so far I’m doing good in my reading challenge. I was just hoping I would be able to read more books than I wanted.

On that note, most of us participate in the Goodreads Reading Challenge every year. It is a good way to record the books you’ve read and keep up your reading rhythm. However, as good as it sounds, it also can be a little daunting.

๐ŸŒบ Pros ๐ŸŒบ

Keep track of your reading.

One of the things I like the most about the challenge is the fact that it helps me keep track of the books I’ve read each year. I love going back and looking at the type of books I was reading in different times of my life. Also, I’m not gonna lie, it is very convenient and quick if I need to look up which specific books I’ve read or reread.

Statistics on your reading year.

I love the fact that, at the end of the year, they tell us the longest book/the shortest, the most popular/least popular… Those are the type of things that I LOVE. I am not the type of person that keep tracks of that on my own, so I look forward to finding out those type of things once the year is about to end.

Make time for reading.

When we’re busy, it’s pretty hard to make the time to read a book. I think that the fact that we want to accomplish our goal, help us make the time for reading.

More recommendations.

Wanting to complete the challenge means that I’m constantly looking for things to read and add to my TBR. To do so, I look at what other people have been reading, which helps me be more present in the community, meet knew people, and find new, amazing books to read!

๐ŸŒบ Cons ๐ŸŒบ

More pressure.

It can be daunting to have that number looming over your head. When we commit to a number of books we want to read a year, we usually don’t want to let ourselves down. This means that we might feel more pressure to read as much as possible.

As encouraging as it is, it is also discouraging.

I’m the type of person that sometimes, when I have to do something, I immediately don’t want to do it. For some reason, having the obligation to complete a task makes me resent it. We always have lots of responsibilities, and adding more things to the list just makes us feel overwhelmed and defeated. I mean, reading was supposed to be our break, not our homework, right? It can be discouraging when we see that we haven’t read as much as we had hoped.

Comparing yourself to others.

We constantly compare ourselves to others… On everything, all of the time. Social media, the internet and even the blogging community… Whenever we see someone who’s having an amazing reading year, we think: “why isn’t that me?” This makes us feel even worse about our reading slumps and as if we won’t be able to complete the challenge at all.

Comparing yourself to… You.

Having our past reading challenges available to us is generally a good thing. However, sometimes when we look at how good we did on previous years, we might feel… Incompetent. What are we doing wrong? Why aren’t we reading as much as we used to?

We are our toughest critics. The pressure we put on ourselves and how we handle it either makes us or breaks us.


We all have to remember that life is tough. This year, especially, hasn’t been a piece of cake. We have to be bit easier on ourselves. The Reading Challenge is here to help us keep track of one of the things we like to do most and share it with our friends. It’s not meant to make us feel worse about ourselves and our reading habits. If you think you overestimated yourself, then lower it! No one is holding you accountable but yourself. No one knows exactly what you’ve been through and how that makes you feel. So do what is best for YOU. The important thing is that you continue to do the things that you love. Reading makes us happy and it shouldn’t become and obligation or a chore that we resent.

Be easy on yourself.

I hope you guys are all doing ok. This year has been so short, but so long. Hopefully, soon enough, things will get better. Hang in there!