The 2013 Annual Reading Challenge - Discussion Thread!

[fantasyfan]

Originally Posted by Stephjk

I agree, and also for challenging me. Maybe next year I'll join in with the Literary Club, I think one is enough for now!

You'll enjoy it!

[Rev. Bob]

Now I get to wrangle with a question of accounting...

I picked up three 500-page books as Ent-corpses, the fourth in the set as an ebook, and then an e-omnibus of the first three books. When I finish reading that content, should I count it as two books (omnibus and fourth), four (as originally written/published), or five (counting the omnibus as a separate "bonus" volume)? Does it matter if I've sold off the original physical volumes yet?

In previous cases, where I've only had one version of the content, it hasn't been an issue; I've counted the number of volumes...so an omnibus collecting four novels has been one "book" - but this time, applying that standard means that it matters whether I read them electronically or as pixels.* The question is going to rear its head again with a different series where I followed much the same pattern - except there are six books in that omnibus.

This is mainly a question due to how I ought to track my progress on Goodreads. It's completely possible there to read the omnibus and track my percentage-read there, while simultaneously reading the individual volumes and marking them as "done" at the proper times.

* Actually, I've also split the omnibus up on my laptop, so I could read it either way - but I've only got the "3-book bundle" version on the reader just now.

[DrNefario]

I count the individual parts of an omnibus separately. I'm very unlikely to read it through in one go, so it makes more sense to me that way.

(I also have a separate entry for the omnibus itself in my database, but I don't count that as either read or TBR.)

[Soldim]

I bit past the middle of the year, I have managed to have read a bit more than half the books for the goal. I did fear that when the number would get tight I'd read some flimsy books to keep the numbers up -- but I guess I choose the goal realistically and won't have to reside to tricks to manage it.

I actually do enjoy keeping track of what I have read, and looking back through the list

[CWatkinsNash]

Originally Posted by Rev. Bob

Now I get to wrangle with a question of accounting...

I count them separately. I usually split them up into separate books, too. Makes it easier to keep them organized in calibre, especially when part of a series.

[DrNefario]

I've just acquired my 100th book of the year, which puts me on schedule for just under 200 for the whole year. Oh dear.

56 of those 100 cost money. I've read 28, which is exactly half as many as I've bought. If I don't buy another book for the rest of the year, I might just break even with the commercial part of my TBR. That's not going to happen, so I guess I'm just counting the damage from now on.

[Dazrin]

Originally Posted by Rev. Bob

Now I get to wrangle with a question of accounting...

I normally count them separately, but there are some exceptions. Just don't double up and choose something that makes sense to you, it isn't like we are graded on this.

It is one reason why I have a page goal and base all page counts off the mass market paperback edition (when available) that way the pages are the same no matter how you count the books.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by DrNefario

I've just acquired my 100th book of the year, which puts me on schedule for just under 200 for the whole year. Oh dear.

56 of those 100 cost money. I've read 28, which is exactly half as many as I've bought. If I don't buy another book for the rest of the year, I might just break even with the commercial part of my TBR. That's not going to happen, so I guess I'm just counting the damage from now on.

But it's a good problem to have. I've just bought my 96th book for the year. I'm clearly not going to come in under my target of 120 for the year. Perhaps I ought to try setting a budget for next year's challenge, rather than a number.

On the plus side, I have read (or abandoned) 96 paid-for ebooks from my TBR pile, and another 12 freebies.

[jbcohen]

My trouble is that I tend get so many free that I simply can not read them all, however there are always books in those free packages that I would like to read. Seems that I keep biting off a lot more than I can chew.

[Xanthe]

This past month I've been listening to audiobooks (when I'm not playing games on my Nook ) which has slowed down the additions to my list, simply because it takes longer to listen to a book than to read it, but I've got 59 done on it so far, so I'm doing better than last year.

[DrNefario]

I've just totally scuppered my TBR by belatedly signing up to vote in the Hugo awards. I downloaded the voter packets last night, and ended up with 25 new entries in Calibre. On the plus side, a lot of them are shorter works. Which are probably the only ones I will have time to read before the voting deadline.

[Stephjk]

I'm catching up! At the halfway point I was down on my goal by six books, now I've got it down to three below target so I may make it yet!

[jbcohen]

I'm up to 18K pages for the year, going great as far as number of pages are concerned.

[HomeInMyShoes]

Well, July has been a bit of a write-off. Only 1,018 pages on the books this month which is way off the 1,900 pages per month average so far. I am closing in on finishing another book though and will only have 4 years left to finish up my challenge.

[Yapyap]

Goodreads tells me this:

You have read 84 books toward your goal of 120 books.

84 of 120 (70%)
Awesome, you're 15 books (12%) ahead of schedule!

So that's pretty good, considering there were several days in July where I didn't have time/mental energy to read at all. I have also read a number of fairly short books (the entire Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events in June & July), so that certainly helps, but I've tried to balance those out with including normal-sized and longer books.