why do people hate readers?
on reading hundreds of books a year and the corresponding rage
My Substack, like all of my social media platforms, is called “emmareadstoomuch.”
This has been the username I’ve gone with since I first joined bookstagram 10 (yuck) years ago, but I could not have imagined the prescience displayed by this dumb throwaway joke.
Every year since I started tracking (also around 10 years ago), I have read over 100 books. Usually much more. On one occasion, in 2022, I averaged a book every day.
Throughout this same time, I have been at some points “known” (inasmuch as anyone who spends time every single day on the borderline defunct website referred to as Goodreads can be perceived) for my unpopular opinions.
I am critical of books, because I think they are art and deserve it, and this brings many people and their ire into my various comment sections. Several of these dissenting reviews have gone somewhat viral, resulting in hundreds of people disagreeing with me, dozens calling me dumb, and a scant few saying I deserve death. (Would it surprise you to know the threats of violence mostly come from Harry Potter fans?)
And yet, no book I’ve ever loved or romantasy release I’ve ever hated or hot take I’ve released into the universe has made people as mad as the simple number of books I read.
Look anywhere on the internet and you’ll likely see claims that people who read more than some arbitrary number of books — 30, or 50, or 100 — are lying. And if not lying, skimming. And if not skimming, DNFing. And if not DNFing, then insert some sort of value judgment about what constitutes “real” reading.
This is where these angry, unprompted diatribes always go: the reveal that their originators have some mean (cough, bigoted) belief that audiobooks or BookTok recommendations or graphic novels or novellas don’t qualify as some sort of elusive definition of true reading. And yes, these targeted categories are often being read primarily by marginalized groups.
What I find most fascinating about it all is that these conversations are one-sided. Those of us who manage to read stacks of books every year are not doing it with our nose in the air and a live-tweeting phone in hand. I personally do not consider myself superior to anyone who reads less than me, nor do I even think I’m more of a reader.
And I think that’s what these debates come down to — some sort of insecurity. It’s the lashing out at audiobooks or at certain genres that’s the tell. Those who are fishing for viral posts (using outlandish claims from left field that everyone with a reading challenge in three figures has made a deal with the devil) secretly believe that they could do it too, if they wanted it — they’re just too morally sound.
The books they do read are objectively better, lengthy works of philosophy or else classics or else dense literary fiction that brushes nowhere near the term “upmarket,” and until Goodreads makes a QUALITY OVER QUANTITY badge, they’ll have to find alternate strategies to make sure each and every one of us knows it.
The fact of the matter is that there is actually one concrete way you can ensure your reading grows exponentially, immediately. There is a get-rich-quick trick to it. Here it is:
Put your phone down.
Sorry! Nobody wants to hear this. I have a lot of tips for reading more, and I’ll share them below, but the biggest thing is reducing your screen time.
I am lucky to be a naturally fast reader — about 100 pages per hour when focused — but I also spend anywhere between two and six hours in a day reading.
The average adult reads 220 to 350 words per minute1, and the average novel is around 70,000 to 100,000 words2. Even a less pacey reader then, in most cases, can read a typical book of fiction in just over eight hours.
All of that is to say: if you read for a little less than 45 minutes every day, you would read more than 30 books per year.
I know we’re all busy, but everyone has a bedtime or a lunch break. I know life is chaos, but there’s not a person on earth in 2026 with a screen time below 45 minutes. You can have a flip phone and find yourself putting an hour a day in on Snake.
When people attack readers, it’s a failure of imagination. Anyone can be a bookworm. It just takes deciding to do it.
How to read more
Okay, now that I’ve given you the lame answer you don’t want to hear (but it really is the big one), here are all of the ways I ensure I prioritize books in my life.
Brick your phone. I already had a pretty low screen time for my age group and personality type, but buying a Brick cured me of the time wasted mindlessly opening apps. (I hate spending money and will rarely recommend it, but there it is.) Alternatively, you can set up screen time limits, or not have control issues.
Always have a book with you. It’s a big one. You don’t have to carry a hardcover in your tote bag (although that’s my personal favorite), but try reading books in a variety of formats. If you mix up physical books, ebooks, even files on your phone or laptop, you will be able to get a few pages in whenever you have a spare few minutes. You have more spare minutes than you think.
Multiple current reads. I know not everyone enjoys this, but I would say I’ve had between 6 and 10 books going at a time for the last several years. It ensures I’m never bored. I vary the genres, I read diversely, I balance new releases with backlist novels and classics, so whatever interests me at any moment I can pick up. It’s taking mood reading to the next level. Try two or three to start.
Reframe your time. I read while I brush my teeth, while I make smoothies, while I tidy my apartment. You don’t have to do that. What you should do is, when you’re about to begin a pastime that doesn’t make you feel good (doom scrolling, TV bingeing, whatever it may be), challenge yourself to read 10 or 20 pages first. You will be surprised how often you don’t want to do the mindless thing anymore.
Give yourself permission. You should read absolutely whatever you want. If you want to pick up only nostalgic childhood favorites, do that. If you feel the need to reread a book you’ve read 10 times before, run with it. Whatever genre or age range appeals, indulge your instincts. There are no guilty pleasures in reading. You’re feeding your brain. Don’t plan a TBR. Read whatever sounds good.
Try a project. I like reading a short story a day, or a classic a chapter at a time, or a poem every morning. It’s a low-pressure way to finish intimidating books, and to make finding time to read less stressful.
Have a tracker. I have a reading spreadsheet I use to track genres, authors, pages read…all the analytics that spark joy for me. If this sounds like homework to you, skip it, but I love seeing my stats stack up.
DNF. To be honest, I don’t do this. But I like to think that’s part of what makes me such a trustworthy advisor. Abandoning books makes time and space for books that make you excited about reading, and that’s the best way to read more.
I’d love to hear what you think about all this.
I’ve never written a post like this before. So. Tell me if you hate it.
I think that antipathy towards audiobooks is mostly unjustified. While I appreciate the satisfaction felt holding a physical book, audiobooks have their uses and advantages. Listening to the oral interpretation of a character’s voice can provide greater information than may be gained by our personal imagination. I am in my seventies and, unfortunately, have cataracts. Many other people also have problems with their eyes which can make reading difficult. Overall, everyone obviously should read as few, or as many books as they want , or of which they are capable. It’s entirely the individual’s choice. Anyway, audiobooks are really useful and also enjoyable.
Hard hard HARD agree. It always makes me chuckle when I see people online complaining about the amount of reading some people do. I think the increase in complaints is because reading is kind of a trendy hobby that exploded after the pandemic. Of course, there have always been readers, but a surge in people posting what they read online increased and those people that would have avoided book related online content 10 years ago were bombarded with it from a ton of different people - it was no longer nerds and academic people that were reading (said affectionately) it was also the popular fashion influencer and the beauty guru and the jocks. It truly has become the new trendy hobby to partake in. (Probably in part because of capitalism - being a trendy Booktoker might earn you some money!) So I think a lot of people as a result tried to take up reading as a hobby (either from pressure or genuine curiosity), but it's just not clicking naturally to them, so instead of being honest with themselves (that they aren't a voracious reader, or maybe even a reader at all) they instead bash those that are. It's kind of like if someone's favorite thing to do is running - they are going to try and run as much as possible. It's going to be their priority hobby because they LIKE it. Like, just admit you don't like reading! It's not that hard! I seriously don't understand that concept. I LOVE reading, it's my favorite thing to do, above ANYTHING else (even hanging with my boyfriend or my friends or playing Candy Crush) so you best believe I'm going to try and read any chance I can! You will NOT see me have the same enthusiasm for running, or doing puzzles, or hiking because I don't LIKE those things!