Caught myself speed reading the last 50 pages of a book just to hit my monthly goal

So last week in our club meeting for 'The Vanishing Half' by Brit Bennett, I realized I forgot half the plot details because I was rushing through chapters. One member pointed out I kept saying 'that part with the sisters' instead of using their names, and it hit me that I'd been skimming for weeks just to look good on our tracking app. Does your club care more about the number of books finished or actually digging into each one?

2 comments

2 Comments

gavinwood10d ago

Ngl, I'm gonna push back on this a little. Speed reading is a skill, not a sin. I mean, if you're hitting your goal and still getting the gist, that's better than not reading at all. Honestly, my club sets a number for a reason - it forces us to actually finish books instead of dropping them halfway. Some books have 50 pages of filler anyway, you're not missing much by skimming the last stretch. Tbh, the whole point of a goal is to build a habit, and if rushing helps you keep the momentum, then who cares if you forget a few character names? You can always circle back and reread the good ones later.

reeseanderson13d ago

Honestly, I relate to this so much. Last month I powered through a 400 page thriller in two days just to keep my streak on Goodreads, and by the end I couldn't even name the killer. It's like we're trading real reading for checking boxes, and it takes the fun right out of it. Your club catching you on the sister thing is a solid wake-up call though. I've started telling my group I'm going to read at my own pace now, even if my monthly number drops.