Personal recommendations continue to drive book discovery more than algorithms, social media, and other digital tools, according to the 2026 State of Reading Report released today by Everand and Fable, the online reading and book club platforms owned by Scribd.
The report, based on user activity data from both platforms and a survey of more than 1,600 U.S. adults using the platforms, found that "people I know personally" ranks as the top source of book discovery, holding its position even as AI-driven recommendation tools proliferated in 2025. That human connection extends to sharing a book with a friend or family member, which proved more popular then "saving to a shelf" as the most common action readers take after finishing a book.
"Despite rapid technological progress and a year defined by AI experimentation, readers are choosing relationships over recommendations," said Tony Grimminck, CEO of Scribd. "While word of mouth isn't novel, this shift is happening within digital reading, as people find new spaces—like Everand and Fable—where sharing can scale."
The report draws on user activity data from Everand between Jan. 1–Oct. 31, 2025, and from Fable users between Jan. 1—November 5, 2025.
Fable was acquired by Everand earlier this year and the company reports than 820,000 people joined a new book club on Fable the platform year. The sociability of clubs is proving popular, with 37% of all surveyed readers participating in at least one and the most active readers belonging to three or more clubs on average. In-person clubs are the most popular, followed by fully virtual and then hybrid clubs.
The report also documents format shifts in digital reading. Audiobooks edged ahead of e-books as the most common way people read digitally, though more than half of readers report using both formats. Smartphones have become the top reading device, driven by convenience and portability, though 25% of readers still prefer print.
More than half of surveyed readers say they're reading more than last year, with the fastest growth among 18–24-year-olds. Fable users finished an average of 20 books in 2025, while the remaining half completed between 6–15 books per year. Average reading streaks hit 29 days, up 300% year-over-year, with nearly a quarter million readers maintaining 30-day streaks.
Those surveyed cited stress relief as a primary motivation, with 54% pointing to it as their reason for reading more this year and 83% reporting they feel relaxed when reading. Half of readers reread three or more books this year, mainly for comfort and escapism.
Romance; mystery, thriller and crime; and science fiction and fantasy remained the most-read genres in 2025. However, 80% of readers tried a new genre this year. Rebecca Yarros's Empyrean series dominated the most-read titles, with the three books in the series taking the top three spots. Yarros's books garnered one million hours read on Everand this year.
