DON’T COMPARE YOURSELF TO BOOKTUBERS

I hope this video helped some of you feel a little better. Don't stress about the amount you read--if reading is what you love, do it at the speed and amount that you're able to :)

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#booktubers #readingspeed

[BeccaCarman]

I read a lot. But as I said to someone the other day, it doesn't matter how much or how fast you read. What matters is if you're enjoying it. You can read 50 books a month but if you're not enjoying it you're missing the point. If you read 1 book a month and are loving it, then you're reading the perfect amount.

[SK]

“I’m a slow reader, I read from 5 to 7 books a month.”

If I finish one book a month I’m proud.

[SF]

My reading is so irregular. Some months I read nothing and some months I read like 40 books. 😂

[N.Traveler]

In an interview with the fastest reader in the world (Howard Berg) he himself said he saw it more as a curse than a blessing. He gets through a book like Wheel of Time in maybe less than an hour and can fully recite all of the details and storylines, etc. But he admits that his experience of the world and emotions really suffer from it. So, when he was asked reading advice, as the fastest reader in the world, he said: "Read slowly". (He explained: "Say you're a Harry Potter fan and waited years for the next book, would you want to finish it in 3 minutes? That's like looking at the Mona Lisa on a skateboard.")
It really made me feel better about being only able to read like 12 books a year and reading less than 200 words a minute. :)

[annahill]

Maybe I’m too new to booktube but I kinda got the impression that some booktubers have such a high volume of reads per month because some of them don’t work or only work part time...

[randomlytalented]

I feel like mentioning that I would get through a lot of physical books if I wasn't super addicted to really long fanfiction.

[ThePurpleBookwyrm]

Exactly, that's the thing: even if you have lots of free time, well... some of use are interested in doing other things as well/have other passions. With my free time, I could probably increase my reading amount by 50% easy, but I also play music and take drawing classes for example. So reading is, 90% of the time, reserved for the morning and before-bed-time. We all manage our time differently, and choose to devote it to reading accordingly. There's nothing wrong with that. ;)

[seannboy]

I can keep up with the Booktubers if it's manga and graphic novels

[CWARrated]

I just set my own goals. If I can read two books a month, I'm happy with that. 30 mins to an hour a day adds up, eventually the book gets done.

[Maren]

Another important point: when reading literature (and not non-fiction) then your reading experience may really suffer if you read too fast. Literature can feature beautiful prose, language rhythm, beautiful descriptions, creation of immersive atmosphere, etc. that may not work if you speed-read the way many people do. You may know the overall story afterwards, but you won't have enjoyed the atmosphere, you won't have visualized the landscapes, you won't have enjoyed the banter and jokes as much, you won't have enjoyed the prose and language artistry, and you won't have truly had time to consider the philosophical points raised. Sometimes, reading more slowly means reading more deeply, enjoying it more, and getting more out of it in the end.

[miiananashah]

I don't want to read as many books as possible. I want to enjoy reading them.

[Simmi_]

I've stopped comparing myself to anyone at this point and started focussing on enjoying what I'm reading. I'm a student anyway, so I don't have a lot of time every month, sometimes there are exams, other months I'm completely free as far as school is concerned.

As long as I'm enjoying it, any number is enough. I remember last year I'd read 7 books by the end of January and this year I've barely finished 4 so far, but I've loved the experience just as much.

[StarspangledHeart]

This got me really curious to see how many books a month I average. I ended up with an average of 9 books per month in 2018 and 10.75 books per month in 2019. I do read really, really fast and I can listen to audiobooks at work (I can easily clock in 25-30 hrs of audiobooks a week even at 1x speed) so that helps me get through loads of books. Plus it's not unusual for me to spend 3-4 hours on a Saturday reading while my husband plays video games. The genre of a book can really affect reading time too. Middle grade vs YA vs adult, fiction vs nonfiction (always take me forever!), novel vs novella vs graphic novel and manga all really affect how many books I can get through in a month. I'm also a big rereader and I usually get through rereads faster than a book I'm reading for the first time.


My husband, on the other hand, was not a big reader growing up and has only recently discovered that books are awesome. He reads very slowly and is easily distracted while reading books physically. He reads mostly audiobooks (which take way longer) and splits his reading time with video games. He averages 1-2 books per month. But that doesn't stop us from having great conversations about books especially since I got him hooked on Sanderson. So you can definitely be part of the online book community and have great conversations about books without reading tons of books every month.

[steampoweredpixel]

The amount of times I get so frustrated and let down when everyone online is like "IT's been a really bad reading month for me, I have only read 6 books!" and you're just like "HOW?! :O"

[emilywheeler]

I used to average 5-7 books a month (sometimes more) but now I’m a senior in college with a 4.0 and I can’t manage to finish more than 2 a month because I’m stuck reading all these boring historical texts 😢 I’ve been feeling bad lately but thanks for this

[bjorneriksson]

So I'm a bit late to the party, but anyway:

I'm a really slow reader, perhaps about "audiobook speed" tops. I want to visualize the settings, "hear" the tone of voice used in the conversations, and I can go back and re-read passages until I get hold of the correct emotion that I think the character feels in that moment. Sometimes, I stop reading and try to imagine how a scene will continue to play out, or how I would have acted or reacted if I'd been there in their place. If I start reading too fast, I also feel the need to go back and make sure I didn't miss anything, including the emotional states of the characters.

I tend to get so immersed in the book that I don't want to start reading unless I know I can spare a few days where I don't need to do a lot of other stuff. This means that I don't read that many books each year, but every book I do read gives me that much more.

[MerrilyKristin]

It's so easy to feel down when comparing yourself to other people in the book community. Compared to my best friends, I'm the slowest reader ever but then I'll get comments asking how I read so much and I remember that compared to the general public, I'm probably considered a fast reader. But I do spend A LOT of my free time reading and I've been reading a bit less lately since I've been focusing on larger books and other interests like video games!

[saathvika]

thank you for this video! I really feel bad seeing booktubers reading 10 to 15 books a month and on the other end, there is me who just about finishes 1 or 2 books. The only time I get to read is my commute to work or right before I sleep. So that's 1 hour a day max. So if I finish 1 book a month, I'm proud

[robpaul]

The main thing is, don't compare yourself with other people to make you feel better than them - or especially to feel worse about yourself.
If you like reading, read as much as you can while still enjoying it - and leave time for other obligations, hobbies and loved ones.
Don't stress about wordcount, books per month or per year.

Anything and everything you read IS enough - but for people who love reading, no amount will ever feel enough. There is always more to read. I consider that a blessing.

[ToriTalks]

I’m a really fast reader, 450-550 words per minute. I read between 12-18 books per month, and I’ve honestly struggled with putting that number out on the channel because I don’t want anyone to feel like I’m showboating. I’m a stay at home mom and reading is my self-care time. I also have insomnia and reading helps me feel more tired.

I also spent years without reading hardly anything after college and having babies, so now I’m enjoying that I can!

Comparison is such a frustrating thing. Read what you can, when you can, when you enjoy it! ❤️