Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
I spent a lot of my 20s outsourcing my reading life.
I trusted high Goodreads ratings a little too much. I treated curated lists like they were sacred texts. And somewhere along the way, I stopped trusting my own reading instincts.
In this video, I’m sharing 3 things I wish I had known earlier:
– why high ratings don’t always mean you will love a book
– how I learned to trust my own reading discernment
– and why finding a reading community changed everything
This is less about reading more, and more about reading well—in a way that actually fits your taste, your season of life, and your curiosity.
If you’ve ever felt like your reading life was being shaped by everyone else, I think you’ll relate.
0:00
0:57 background
2:09 Regret 1
5:19 Regret 2
8:40 Regret 3
12:31 final thoughts
World salad:
reading habits, Goodreads ratings, book lists, reading taste, reading community, booktube, reading in your 20s
Makeup used:
Hannah Louise Poston X Salt New York saltnewyork.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoph11sTSWTtHEC29jmbZOj9FJRr_zNY9j-lwPrR4n_qhlAS5BR3
Amuse me in my inbox - rachelle.e.swearingen (at) gmail.com
Befriend me on Goodreads -goodreads.com/user/show/139310469-shelly-swearingen
Drop by on Instagram - Shellyish
I spent a lot of my 20s outsourcing my reading life.
I trusted high Goodreads ratings a little too much. I treated curated lists like they were sacred texts. And somewhere along the way, I stopped trusting my own reading instincts.
In this video, I’m sharing 3 things I wish I had known earlier:
– why high ratings don’t always mean you will love a book
– how I learned to trust my own reading discernment
– and why finding a reading community changed everything
This is less about reading more, and more about reading well—in a way that actually fits your taste, your season of life, and your curiosity.
If you’ve ever felt like your reading life was being shaped by everyone else, I think you’ll relate.
0:00
0:57 background
2:09 Regret 1
5:19 Regret 2
8:40 Regret 3
12:31 final thoughts
World salad:
reading habits, Goodreads ratings, book lists, reading taste, reading community, booktube, reading in your 20s
Makeup used:
Hannah Louise Poston X Salt New York saltnewyork.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoph11sTSWTtHEC29jmbZOj9FJRr_zNY9j-lwPrR4n_qhlAS5BR3
Amuse me in my inbox - rachelle.e.swearingen (at) gmail.com
Befriend me on Goodreads -goodreads.com/user/show/139310469-shelly-swearingen
Drop by on Instagram - Shellyish
