People always seem to resolve to do more in the new year: exercise more, eat more salads, read more – the list goes on. While some of these goals can be encouraged by apps that track and log progress, such a program pertaining to reading is relatively new on the scene. Some people may prefer the written reading list, whether that be in the Notes app or a restaurant napkin, or perhaps the reading list that stares at you from your bookshelf, the stacks of books bought but never opened. While all wonderful examples of the to-be-read list, an app called Goodreads may have the most comprehensive one yet. Not simply limited to crafting a TBR, the platform has popularised the “reading challenge” by offering a more social way to set reading goals and track yearly progress.
Goodreads has existed on the internet for many years already. Founded in 2006, the platform began online before being developed into an app, finding popularity first with the inaugural online reader and reviewer community, then with the younger generation of book Youtubers and BookTok. Goodreads boasts a number of resources for readers to catalog, rate, and review their reads, with features to add friends or follow popular users. Essentially, it is a digitised personal library, which appeals to casual and more committed readers alike.
The Reading Challenge is arguably one of the app’s most popular features. Started in 2011, the more recent three years of the challenge have consistently reached over four million users. At any point during the year, users can log the number of books they hope to read, and their list automatically updates their progress as they log and rate books in the app. Beyond a small statistic of letting you know how many books you are ahead or behind in your challenge, the app does not alert or encourage you in any other way — it is merely a stat, a reminder on your page. I find this to be a particular strength of this style of challenge; not a fan of constant or aggressive reminders of my lack of progress (looking at you, Duolingo), it becomes more of a way to casually track my goal. It is also slightly addicting to watch my percentage of books completed climb upwards.
Goodreads is also unique for its social aspect. The ability to add friends means that their updates (the books they’ve started and finished, reviews and ratings etc) appear in the timeline, which adds a different twist to the Reading Challenge. While you would have to visit a friend’s page to view their Reading Challenge stats, the fact remains that there is a slight pressure behind the program. After all, peer pressure and social trends have always been prevalent in the creation of “resolution culture,” and the Reading Challenge is no exception. On one hand, many find that being held accountable by their friends is motivational. Others, however, find that publishing their goals for all to see is stressful, especially when comparing goals. While there is no prize for reaching your goal, or punishment for failing it, your Challenge remains accessible to anyone with an account.
Clearly there are two sides to the debate, both valid, but there is no doubt that the popularity of the Goodreads Challenge is on the rise.
Personally, I believe that its growing popularity, especially amongst younger people, is a positive outcome of social media and a proof of the hold that New Year’s resolutions have over the society. Reading challenges have always been popular — from YouTube challenges to lists from popular TV like the Rory Gilmore reading list. Being able to track this, however, as well as being able to share it with friends, is relatively new. While Goodreads is not the only platform for such things, it remains the most popular, and for good reason — recent updates to the interface and app pull it further and further from its original browser-only experience and push it out into popular culture, moving away from exclusive use by professional reviewers and promoters.
The idea of a reading challenge is, to me, one that feels productive, a resolution in form but a positive lifestyle change in practice. You don’t have to achieve or surpass your goal for it to be considered a success — the beauty in challenges and goals is the act of forming them, keeping that new idea in the back of your mind as you move through the year. Whether it’s your goal to read one book a month or one a week, speeding through a romance or picking your way through a classic, or choosing to share your progress with the world or just a friend, the reading challenge exists for you. Whatever your tastes, Goodreads is evolving how we read and discover new content, and may just become your new favourite form of social media.