Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme hosted by Rukky @ Eternity Books and Dani @ Literary Lion. This week’s topic was suggested by Jillian @ Jillian the Bookish Butterfly and is Why Do People Lie About Reading Books?
Some people will say they have read books when they really haven’t; why do you think that is?
To be honest, I think it’s more likely for people to lie about not reading a book than to lie about reading one. By this I mean that I think some readers feel the need to hide what they read such as darker genres or “problematic” authors. The book community is a great place most of the time but many won’t hesitate to shun readers who like to read authors or genres they think are problematic or choose not to personally support, a consequence of “cancel culture.” Regardless, I think that those who do lie about reading a book that they actually haven’t is probably born out of insecurity. They want to fit in, they want to appear well-read or intelligent, they want to join a new fandom but haven’t caught up to stan level yet. Maybe they’re someone who has seen the film and therefore think that compares to reading the book so they say they have. Maybe they’re afraid of cancel culture coming for them so they say they’ve read something just to avoid conflict. I’ve definitely seen some NetGalley reviews that sound as if the person didn’t even read the book which I think can be chalked up to people wanting to either maintain their ratio on the site or want to maintain their auto-approval status with a publisher. I think there could be many reasons for someone to lie about reading a book.
Have you ever personally lied about reading a book? How do you feel about people who lie about reading books? Do you think there’s a certain type of book people are more likely to lie about reading?
I haven’t ever lied about reading a book. I rarely lie in general unless it’s to preserve someone’s feelings from being hurt. For instance, I may read someone’s favorite book and choose to highlight the better points I enjoyed rather than the things I disliked but this is more omission than anything. But I’ve never lied about actually reading a book. I think I feel pretty neutral about people who lie about reading books. As long as they’re not running a book blog or a book social media account, I don’t think they’re doing much harm besides probably instilling mistrust in their family and friends. If they are running a book review account of some form, I think it’s disgraceful. Much of the book community is built on trust for things such as honest reviews and advance reader’s copies. You can’t honestly review a book you’ve never read. And I’ve seen countless ARC copies of books for sale on third party sites such as Mercari and Depop when all ARCs explicitly state they are not for resell on their covers. You can trade ARCs or give them away but you are not supposed to sell them. I’ve even seen prominent book reviewers before charge exorbitant costs for ordinary books and then “throw in” the ARC as a bonus in order to create a loophole which is pretty disappointing behavior. Lastly, I don’t think there is a certain type of book people that are more likely to lie about reading. I think there is good and bad in every sector of life and I’m sure this applies to every genre of reader too. As far as I know, I’ve never personally encountered someone who has lied about reading a book but I’d be curious to hear their reasoning if I ever came across one.
What do you think about this topic? Do you agree with my suggested reasons for why someone might lie about reading a book? Let me know in the comments and happy reading!
wings and fables 
Nicely written. Though I feel, I would never lie about not reading a book!
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We need more readers like you then. Having confidence and not caring what others think is definitely something I admire and try to be more like each day. 😊💕
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😃
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I like the direction that you took the question! I agree it’s more difficult to lie about reading a book especially if you’re having one on one conversations. What would you do if they asked you questions about it? On the other hand, it’s easy enough to say you haven’t read a book when you have because there won’t be follow-up questions. My best example is when I recently started reading romances. While I wouldn’t directly lie, it was more about an omitting that I read romance novels because of the stigma that surrounds it. Now, I could care less because romance novels are more than what naysayers say they are. I’m comfortable and more than willing to shout that I love romance novels. 😀
I enjoyed reading your response to the question. Great job!
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Thanks so much! It stinks that sometimes we feel the need to omit things we read because of the stigma. I don’t know why people feel the need to belittle any kind of genre just because it’s not their cup of tea. 😔 But it’s amazing when you get to find like-minded readers and can be more open about your enjoyment. I think certain genres are becoming less stigmatized over time which I’m really glad for. 😊
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I haven’t lied about what I have/haven’t read and I wouldn’t really hold it against someone who did. It’s weird to think about someone writing a review on a book they’ve never read though, props for the creativity I guess 😂 But also, I don’t like the idea of a book being given a false rating, whether it’s high or low. Great discussion, Wren!
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Props for the creativity! 😂😂 Honestly, you’re right. They probably skim a few other legitimate reviews and piece something together. 😂 The rating thing doesn’t sit that well with me either. I also prefer if someone DNFs a book to just leave a review saying why and not give it a rating since it can’t really be that accurate without reading the full story. Thanks so much, Ariel! 💕
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I totally agree, if I don’t finish a book my rating IS dnf. I’m not going to give it a 1 star or rate it based on what I did manage to read!
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Great answers! I totally agree about lying about NOT reading books. Amongst like minded online friends I will happily discuss dark reads with content that horrifies some readers. I don’t specifically lie, more lie by omission, when discussing books with those I fear might be judgemental about my dark/taboo/smutty reading choices.
I tend to feel sorry for anyone who lies about having read a book to make themselves feel/appear better, it’s quite sad that they feel the need to do that.
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I completely understand the omission of certain books! Some readers are extremely outspoken about certain themes and topics and can be so aggressive if you like to read them. It’s just not worth the hassle. 😅
I also agree on feeling bad about readers who lie about reading something they haven’t. That’s why I tend not to mind, especially if they’re not a blogger, because I do think it’s mostly out of insecurity and I don’t want to punish them for that. 😔
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Really well said, Wren, I love how you discussed this issue! I also tend to not mention a few books that I’ve read, but I don’t lie about having read a book. There’s just too much at stake to do that, especially as a book blogger, which you highlighted. It would be horrible to find out that a blogger I liked and looked up to had been lying about books because the trust would be broken and it would end up just hurting them more than anything. “Much of the book community is built on trust” so true! And once that trust is broken, the community can be really unforgiving, so it’s just not worth it. Wonderful post 🙂
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