Reading is a multidimensional phenomenon, being not only a tool for receiving information about the world, but also an instrument of ethical and aesthetic education, a way of spending leisure time. The volume of reading characterizes the personality, indicates erudition, interests, and behavioral features. In ancient times books were available to the few, and the attitude towards them was serious. In antiquity it was recommended to confine oneself to a few selected authors and re-read them. After the invention of book printing, reading gradually losst its elitist character, the book became the most important source of information. In modern society the spread of the Internet and digital technologies has led to a decline in the popularity of traditional reading. The opportunity to obtain compressed information from the Internet and the feeling of accessibility of any information without the need to comprehend and memorize it change the structure of cognitive processes, tune the brain to assimilate ready-made forms, resulting in a loss of interest in reading and an increase in functional illiteracy. It is all the more important to maintain interest in reading, to form the need for it, to draw attention to the best classical and contemporary works. This is the goal of various ratings that are regularly published in print and online publications. They come in two varieties: sales ratings and stimulant ratings. The former reflect the requests of readers, the latter model these requests. Sales ratings record the emergence of interest in a particular book, which can be caused by various factors, for example, the appearance of a film adaptation or the occurrence of situations in real life similar to those described in the book. Stimulant ratings aim to introduce the reader to the type of serious, focused and complicated reading with the help of modern tools: catchy titles resembling advertising slogans, appeals to prestige, the use of debitive and imperative modality. Stimulant ratings are published in quality press and other responsible media, and their influence on the formation of readers’ preferences is undoubtedly great. They perform informative, advertising, educational functions. Introduction to the culture of reading is a socially significant problem. To a certain extent ratings help to solve it. Their role in the modern digital society focusing on the rapid acquisition of compressed information is to form the need for reading, to promote books worthy of attention and to model the reading space.