The idea behind the annual Goodwill Reading Challenge is that every January readers set a goal of how many books they want to read that year, and we help them keep track of it. This year more than 4 million readers have joined the Challenge, pledging to read a total of 218 million books.
Reading challenges work on the principle that the more students practice reading, the more likely they are to reach national benchmarks and incentivizing students makes it all the more likely. It helps in raising the profile of reading and literacy in schools, gives students a focus for their reading, encourages students to enjoy reading and read more books, encourages students to participate by being challenged and offers incentives for reluctant readers.
The disadvantages of reading challenges are that reading is for enjoyment and not creating our hobbies into competition. Failure to complete the challenge causes disappointment and feeling disappointed about something you love and enjoy is not an ideal situation. Reading challenges makes one feel pressured. A demanding situation may be a fun competition, however, you could feel compelled to read a variety of books and a wide variety of genres too. Occasionally we need to stick to our favourite genres or we need to reread so that we will revel in our favourite books once more.
In this article, we will discuss some of the most frequently asked questions such as why should one avoid the Goodreads reading challenge? What the advantages and disadvantages of reading challenges? And what can one do to improve their reading skills if not participate in reading challenges?
Reasons To Avoid Goodreads Reading Challenge
1. Reading Longer Books & Savoring Them
Reading challenges compells us to read more and more books which in turn doesn’t allow us to enjoy them. While reading a book we should be able to read and understand and appreciate what author has come out with. Personally, I will never take on any reading challenge rather I would take my time to read and delve into the story and let my imagination match with the imagination of an author.
Reading is not only about completing a book rather it is about the experience you felt while reading it. You can never feel complete after reading a book if you have skipped or fast read some of the chapters just for the show. As someone said, “Do it right or don’t do it at all.”
2. Dedicating Time to Keep a Thoughtful Reading Diary
I have a rule to jot down everything that I learn from a book which it easy for me to understand and not forget easily. If I follow goodread challenge, it doesn’t allow me enough time to read and examine everything I read thoroughly. It is important for me to preserve a file of everything I am studying, and avoiding that feels like a waste of time. Books are a part of my life and not reading them the right way feels like cheating to me. By following challenges, I can surely read a lot but it won’t be effective.
3- Exploring Other Ways to Read
Reading doesn’t necessarily mean taking a novel and start reading. There are a lot of magazines or blogs with so much information, that are considered as reading as well. However, goodreads reading challenge doesn’t count them as reading. Audiobooks are another way to read as you can listen to the narrator while doing chores and read a book. I can listen to audiobooks while driving, working on my blog, eating, walking, etc.
There are a lot to explore in the world, but for the sake of goodreads, I cannot. Hence, I keep myself away from such reading challenges.
5. Leaving Time For Productivity to Focus on Other Projects
Reading is not a task that you should be bound to complete no matter what. I have been reading books for several years now and never have I regretted reading them, however, I would have regretted doing that if it was just for a task. Reading is my daily need, even if it means reading for mere 20 minutes a day because I feel like exploring every other thing I can while I am still alive in this world and following certain task for several days/months would bound me to it and stop me from exploring further.
6. Feeling Pressure
Goodreads reading challenge asks you to read almost every minute of the day since you participated it to win and you want to do it at any cost you can. Due to this you feel pressured/stressed to read a huge number of books and wide range of genres which are not your area of read. This challenge will take you away from your aim i.e., to read for fun and knowledge since you are solely focused on completing the book and are far from learning.
7. Reading Is For Enjoyment
Reading is a wonderful source of enjoyment. It allows us to escape into captivating stories, explore diverse perspectives, and expand our knowledge. Whether it’s a thrilling novel, a thought-provoking essay, or a heartwarming poem, the act of reading brings joy and enrichment to our lives. Taking on some task for the sake of completing a novel defers our aim of learning and enjoying a good book.
Final Words
In this article, we discussed why one should avoid the Goodreads Reading Challenge. There cannot be a certain answer as to whether being a part of reading challenges is good or bad as they both have their own pros and cons and that depends on individual’s views and perspective. However, I would suggest not to participate in the Goodreads Reading challenge as it puts a lot of pressure and I believe that reading is a hobby for fun which should not be turned into a competition.
It’s not that I am against Goodreads reading challenge, it my personal opinion.
Also Checkout our other articles mentioned below as well:
