To clear it up for the confused in the comments: what this means is that, because it’s short, you can quickly tick off another “book finished” towards your Goodreads challenge or whatever. The girls set a number and orient their entire reading habit around it.
My public library sometimes has a summer event that encourages people to read for 40 minutes a day. The app tracks pages and number of books, but the 40 minutes of reading is all that matters for the badges (and it can be in more than one sitting). That’s a healthier goal
I’m not sure why you think participating *at will* to read is hell. The library is trying to promote the habit of reading by gamifying it for about 8 weeks.
But notice it’s about spending time reading each day. It could be lots of 160-page books or all from War and Peace
Turning reading into a group activity with goals defeats the purpose of reading which is properly private hedonism.
This program by the library is essentially private. It’s not a competition to win. And if reading is a private joy for you, why are you talking about it on social media?
Hmm, is having a goal bad? (Why mock them for something good?) Is trying to achieve that goal worse?
Do you think someone who would like to read more shouldn’t bother trying?
Have you considered a goal of reading more rather than shooting your mouth off and mocking people?
Oct 30, 2025 · 1:17 PM UTC
