To Track Books or Not to Track Books

Posted October 1, 2026 by Elizabeth Breen

January is only a few months away. This means that I find myself once again quantifying the number of books I’ve read this year and calculating how much time I have left to cram more into my self-inflicted quota. This year’s evaluation is even more devastating because I actually tried to implement a strict reading goal: One hundred books in 12 months. 

Why one hundred? Probably because in January 2026 that felt like a very impressive number to throw around as I started my Library and Information Science degree. Imagine this: I would be combining two pillars of the field: books and data collection. And I would be optimizing the efficiency of one of my favorite hobbies. What sounds better than taking a relaxing hobby than making it incredibly stressful and a massive problem every week? 

I wrote down my plan optimistically. Two books a week, eight to nine books a month. One hundred books a year. But within the inaugural month, I began to fall behind. The first book I read was about 700 pages (Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb). I couldn’t stop glancing at the calendar as I sweated through the novel. Why hadn’t I chosen a shorter book? I pivoted and picked up Nightwood by Djuna Barnes next. It’s a novella, so it would help me make up for lost time… I only read 5 books in the first month. 

It took about 3 months of this before I decided to quit on my goal. I had been prioritizing shorter books over longer ones, and I thought more about how many books I was reading than actually enjoying them. I had to let go of the number to release some of the pressure. 

And yet, as I write this post, I should say that my inability to thrive under these conditions or set realistic goals doesn’t mean book tracking doesn’t work. Tracking books works very well for many of my friends and several book reviewers I follow online. It takes a competitive nature and a massive amount of time to hit one hundred books, but it is possible for many and is reportedly enjoyable for some. Even I reaped some of the benefits in those 3 months. I’m a picky reader and an out-of-control book buyer and borrower. That means I usually have a shelf’s worth of books sitting in my apartment that I haven’t read and likely won’t for a very long time. But my reading goal caused enough panic that I found myself picking up books almost at random in order to reach my monthly goals. Creating challenges like this can help you branch out of your comfort zone. My two favorite genres to read are history and high fantasy. Unfortunately, these genres usually have the highest page counts. So my goal forced me to reach for some shorter books outside my usual interests. 

Now, at the end of September, I’ve read about 40 books, which means that unless I suddenly acquire a substantial amount of free time in my week (perhaps by losing my job and all my friends), I most likely will not be hitting one hundred by 2027. But who’s counting?