What does it mean to be 'well-read?'

And is this something worth striving for?

Hello, I’m Molly, a full time creator based in the Scottish Highlands. Subscribers can enjoy weekly posts around the themes of slow living, thriving in a creative career, books & nature. Members get access to ALL my content, including video tea times, slow letters and seasonal book reviews.

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When I consider someone as being ‘well-read’, the same image springs to mind.

I envision someone dressed in elegantly styled academia clothing, who lives in libraries, can name obscure authors and has seemingly read all the most highly revered classics by the age of 14. Essentially, I imagine Rory Gilmore (if you know, you know - and if you don’t then you need to watch Gilmore Girls ASAP..).

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, being well-read can be defined as -

Someone who has learned a lot of information on different subjects by reading.

This concept has always held a certain level of allure for me. And it turns out, I’m not alone. Surveys demonstrate that over 60% of us lie about reading books that we haven’t, with psychologist’s suggesting that this is in response to wanting to appear more intelligent.

In my mind, and from a bit of research, there seems to be 3 common traits of someone that is considered well-read, so I thought we could dig into them a bit today and uncover whether this is a goal that’s really worth striving for.

Number of books you read

I’ll start with the most obvious consideration as, in order to be well-read, you need to at least read some books. But does the total number matter?

The number of books people read annually is surprisingly difficult to pin down. Numbers vary in regard to whether we only consider books finished rather than books started in a year. And of course, as we’ve already seen, people tend to bend the truth when it comes to reporting their reading habits.

One well-reported study suggested that, in America, people read 12 books annually, but this figure was considerably skewed by more veracious readers, with the most commonly reported figure being 4 books. Here in the UK, a 2019 survey reported that 51% of respondents had read a book in the last year, but only 34% had read 10 or more books.

So, we may not have an exact number but can roughly presume that an average annual figure is likely under 10 books.

Types of books you read

Next, we need to consider the types of books we are reading and whether some genres should be valued higher than others.

Surveys indicate that we feel most compelled to lie about reading certain types of books, i.e., those that are defined as ‘classics’, with notable examples including 1984 (George Orwell), Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen), Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte) and War and Peace (Leo Tolstoy).

In terms of contemporary novels, ‘literary’ fiction (character driven stories) tend to be considered more ‘high-brow’ compared to ‘genre’ fiction (plot focused stories, often with specific troupes). Romance books often get the most stigma, despite the fact that it has been the highest selling genre in recent years.

Finally, in this modern age we also have a choice of different reading formats, with the likes of e-books and audiobooks only gaining in popularity. Despite the fact that these formats often lead to people consuming more books, there is still an argument that these formats don’t provide the same quality of experience as physical books.

Variety of books you read

Lastly, we need to consider the variety of books we are reading.

The above definition suggests that to be considered as ‘well-read’, we need to read lots of different books that fall into a variety of genres and cover different topics.

It can be very easy to stay within your comfort zone, especially if you are new to reading, and stick to reading genres you know you will enjoy. I’ve fallen into this habit myself from time to time and often witness this from people in my own life e.g., one friend that prefers to read romance and another YA fantasy.

There are a number of different factors that can influence our reading preferences, both internal and external, and it’s common for these to change over time. The propagation of certain titles on social media plays an increasing role (ahem BookTok), but that’s an entirely different post!

So, am I ‘well-read’? (And do I care?)

Personally, since 2022 my annual reading figure has ranged between 50-70 books. I exclusively read physical books and, although I do have some preferred genres (with gothic mysteries remaining a favourite of mine), I often consume a range of different topics across multiple authors, including a sample of the above-mentioned classics.

Your own experience may be similar or very different. But if I’ve learnt one thing from years of being a self-proclaimed bookworm is that our reading habits are immensely personal.

There is no one right way to read, just like there is no clear blueprint for being ‘well-read’. In the end, it’s all subjective.

What I aim for instead

Although I like to set myself reading intentions from time to time, I never put pressure on myself to meet reading goals. Over the years, I’ve learnt that the two things that matter most to me are -

1. That my reading brings me joy

2. That I allow myself to remain curious

This is enough to steer my reading whilst giving me the freedom to explore (which coincidently happens to be my word of the year for 2025) and ensures that reading never feels like a chore.

I don’t know if that makes me ‘well-read’ but, frankly, I don’t care.

Now I’m off to read a few more pages of my un-literary, contemporary, non-classic novel that makes my heart sing…

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Note - If you would like more bookish content from me (including what I am reading now!), then you can join my slow membership to get seasonal review videos of everything I’m reading & previews on what I’m planning to read next!

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Until next week,

Molly xx

Some more delights from my reading nook…

A love letter to libraries

How I rate my reading

My top 10 books of 2024