2022 reading challenges should count audiobooks

2022 Christmas shopping and reading challenges should include audiobooks. They do count as reading, on Goodreads and elsewhere.

This year, I joined nearly 6.5 million other people and set a reading challenge via Goodreads. I gave myself a goal of 50 books to finish by the end of 2022 (Goodreads reports 49 was the average this year). To be honest, I wasn’t sure I could do it. I love to read, but these days by evening — the time of day I’ve always allotted for reading — I’m falling asleep.

To my surprise, I finished the challenge just before Thanksgiving — because I found a way to experience books during other stretches of my day, such as while running, gardening, driving, tidying up or sitting in bleachers.

Not only is this argument insufferable, made — and I’m just guessing — by insufferable people, it’s also the worst kind of ableism.

The secret to my success: audiobooks. 

Except for some reason, there are people out there who think I haven’t succeeded at all, because audiobooks don’t “count.”