The 2026 Annual Reading Challenge Discussion Thread

[astrangerhere]

Originally Posted by astrangerhere

March Thoughts - I have been inhabiting the massive Complete Illustrated Earthsea volume for most of the month. All of my other reads are happening side-by-side with that one. With one other 800+ page book on the go, March was a slower month, but only in terms of total books, not pages.

I'm posting a day early because I won't finish another book before Wednesday.

Cumulative Totals Through End of March:

• Total Books: 30 - 60% of goal, 40% of stretch goal - ON TARGET
• Total Pages: 8689 - 34 % of goal - ON TARGET
• Gender Goal: 55 % Female, 0 % Nonbindary, 45% Male - ON TARGET
• Country of Origin Goal: 54% USA, 46% out of US - slightly OFF TARGET
• Read from Print TBR: 19 - 95% of goal - ON TARGET
• Short Stories: 10 - 20% of goal - slightly OFF TARGET but should be caught up by end of April.
• Poems 18 - 34% of goal - ON TARGET
• Books Recommended by my wife: 13 - 108% of goal GOAL MET, adding a new stretch of 24

April Thoughts:
Finally finished all of Earthsea and the attendant front and back matter in the Complete Illustrated Edition! I finished 12 books in April, which is my second highest month of the year. All of them, save Earthsea were on the shorter side an I only had 3200 pages. Either way, my wife's increased reading time has enabled me to read more overall this year and I'm loving it.

• Total Books: 41 - 82% of goal, 54% of stretch goal - ON TARGET
• Total Pages: 13,536 - 54 % of goal - ON TARGET
• Gender Goal: 58 % Female, 0 % Nonbindary, 42% Male - ON TARGET
• Country of Origin Goal: 50% USA, 50% out of US - ON TARGET
• Read from Print TBR: 26 - 130% of goal - GOAL MET, adding a new stretch of 40
• Short Stories: 17 - 32% of goal - B]ON TARGET[/B]
• Poems 21 - 40% of goal - ON TARGET
• Books Recommended by my wife: 15 - 150% of goal GOAL MET, 62% of new stretch goal (of 24)

(posting a day early because I'll be away from my computer tomorrow and will not finish another title today)

[Tarana]

April went better. Much reading and listening went on. Bought no audiobooks and only 2 ebooks. Need to work on some magazines this month as that grouping has been static for way too long.

60 books: 26
20,000 pages: 7,380
4 books over 600 pages: 0

TBR Down 10 for each category:
Ebooks: 10
Audiobooks: -16
Magazines: 0