The Leaf Mission
An argument for a reading life
Reading should not become something we used to do.
Leaf helps you find people to read with and keep a record of your reading life. We are building it because starting a book is one thing. Having a reason to return is another.
Our belief is simple: a reading habit is easier to keep when it has a place in your everyday life. A friend's recommendation, a club to come back to, or a few pages after work can make that place.
01 Fewer adults are picking up books.
48.5%
of U.S. adults read at least one book in 2022, 6.1 percentage points lower than in 2012. The National Endowment for the Arts described the decade as a sharp decline in adult reading. [1]
A number can tell us reading is slipping. It cannot make someone want to return tomorrow.
The survey describes participation, not reading ability. For Leaf, the question is practical: what makes someone pick up a book again?
02 The future of reading is together.
Reading may be quiet, but a reading life has never had to be lonely. People have always traded recommendations, argued over endings, passed books across tables, and found language for experiences they could not explain alone.
Modern research is beginning to map what readers already know. A 2025 review of shared-reading programs found that the group community was consistently valued by participants. The researchers also cautioned that much of the quantitative evidence still comes from small studies. The signal is promising; the science should stay honest. [2]
2,000+
Silent Book Club chapters, across more than 60 countries, all built around the simple pleasure of reading in company without homework or pressure. People do not only want more books. They want more ways to be readers together. [3]
Our answer
A place full of readers.
We are building around two things: the people you read with and the progress that keeps you coming back.
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Read with people.
Join one book, one club, or one friend. Public, private, online, or in person.
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See your reading life grow.
Log your sessions and keep your finished books in one place. See how small returns add up over time.
Interviews with young readers suggest challenges can help change a reading routine, but can also make some people rush. Leaf's numbers are here to show that you returned, not to grade the way you read. [4]
Make reading fun again.
Find your next reading companion. Keep going at your own pace.