Chad Comello

Life’s too short to read books you don’t like

Back in June, I took an early morning walk with my 1 year old and had the sudden inspiration to whip up an Instagram Reel on a topic I care deeply about: telling people that it’s OK to stop reading books you don’t like:

This might sound familiar because I’ve done a similar one before. But in this new one I called upon my authority as a librarian to issue absolutions to struggling readers:

  • You’re not being graded.
  • No one cares if you don’t finish a book.
  • The author isn’t going to find out.

Apparently this message resonates, because in the last few days the reel has jumped to (as of this writing) 16k views, over 1k likes, and 350 shares—all by far the biggest responses I’ve ever gotten on a social post. The shares metric is most rewarding to me, because it shows how many people felt compelled to forward it to others through DMs or Stories.

Back in my bookfluencer era, baby!

[8/27/24 update: 417k views, 25.5k likes, and 8.3k shares. Wowza!]

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3 responses to “Life’s too short to read books you don’t like”

  1. Always Reading Avatar
    Always Reading

    I used to have a close friend who insisted on finishing every started book. Said friend was at that time enrolled in college as a Psychology Major and had been taught it was unhealthy for the brain not to engage in “closure.”

    Reply
    1. Chad Avatar
      Chad

      Sounds to me like an excuse to engage in obsessive-compulsive behavior, but maybe that’s just me. Hope they are actually enjoying what they read!

      Reply
  2. Avatar
    Anonymous

    Nope, that was the problem –he even finished books he wasn’t enjoying. [I solved it by finding someone new.]

    Reply

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