Teacher reads 156 books in a year and holds 24-hour readathons on TikTok where she only stops reading to sleep

A teacher who read 156 books last year has shared her hobby on TikTok and completes “24-hour readathons” where she only stops reading to sleep.

Filippa Soderstrom, a 28-year-old English teacher who lives in Halmstad, southern Sweden, could read by the age of four – two years before she started school – and the hobby helped get her through being bullied.

Over time she developed speed-reading skills, but it wasn’t until she joined BookTok – TikTok’s book community – that she realised how fast she was compared with others, possessing the ability to read around 50 pages in 20 minutes.

Now, she shares book reviews and readathons on her TikTok under the handle @filippasreads, and asserts that despite her speed, she always prioritises enjoying and understanding each story.

Her favourite book to date is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte but she also enjoyed TikTok viral books such as Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood and The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez.

Filippa, who lives with her fiance, Jonathan, 30, told PA Real Life: “Reading has been an escape for me – I think because I was bullied when I was younger I tended to gravitate towards doing things that I could do on my own.

“I wanted to chat about the books that were popular with other people who had also read them, so I started to connect with people on TikTok.

“Now I have friends in the US, Denmark, Greece and the UK, as well as my friends at home.”

Filippa started reading books at the age of four and “just fell in love with stories” – she could read independently by age five and at school was “always challenged” with reading books for people a few years older than her.

Filippa’s passion for reading continued throughout her childhood and teenage years, helping her through difficult times.

At university, where she trained to be an English and Swedish teacher, she had to read around 20 books a month but remained “still in love” with reading.

Over time, she developed the ability to read quickly, but it wasn’t until she discovered BookTok – TikTok’s book community – that she realised how fast she was compared with others.

Filippa estimates that in 20 minutes, she can read around 50 pages, but she always makes sure she can fully absorb the story.

She added: “I wouldn’t compromise with my retention, because, after all, I do want to remember the stories.

“If my eyes move too fast, I’ll go back and re-read a page. I want to enjoy and understand the story, that’s why I read.”

Last year alone she read 156 books and can finish a novel in a few hours.

On an average day, she reads anywhere from 20 minutes to five hours, depending on her work schedule.

“My fiance loves watching football and movies, and he also games, so our hobbies go hand in hand because we can spend time together while also doing separate things,” she said.

“I usually read on the sofa while he watches a film or a game – that way, it’s really a perfect match between the two of us.

“And when it comes to my other hobbies, I can, for example, listen to an audiobook while crocheting, working out, or building a house in The Sims.”

In 2023 she began posting on TikTok under @filippasreads, sharing book reviews and speed-reading videos with her 6,000 followers.

“I wanted to start posting because I have a couple of friends who read in real life, but they don’t read the same books as me,” Filippa explained.

Since then, she has made friends across the world and completed 24-hour readathons, where she sets a timer for 24 hours and reads as much as possible, only pausing for sleep.

To date, her record is reading eight books, and listening to one audio book, in 24 hours – this consisted of short, 100 to 200 page books such as Breakfast At Tiffany’s by Truman Capote.

She added: “I am quite determined – when I set my mind to do something, I just do it.

“If I started recording a challenge and suddenly didn’t feel like it, I would just cut it off.

“But that hasn’t happened yet because, for me, reading is relaxing and I just enjoy myself.”

In her most recent readathon, she read seven books, comprised of a total of more than 2,000 pages, including Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood, The Devouring Gray by Charlie Lynn Herman and The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes.

She selects books for her challenges by pulling themes from a jar, such as “read a book by an author you have never read before”.

“I pick some shorter ones, but I choose more books than I know I can read and usually just go with what I feel like after finishing each book,” she said.

“If I read a romance, I might not pick up another romance straight away.”

One of her most-viewed videos, with more than 520,600 views, shows her reading a whopping 145 pages per hour.

Since joining the BookTok community, she has found herself reading more romance novels, as they often go viral.

One of her recent favourites has been The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez, but her all-time favourite remains Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.

However, not all TikTok-famous books have impressed her.

She explained: “The Housemaid by Freida McFadden was still a good read, but I thought it was so predictable – I didn’t get why everyone was so shocked at the ending!”

Looking ahead, she said: “I want to branch out to other genres even more, and go back to the classics – there are still so many books I haven’t read!”