How many books will you read this year? (MULTIPLE CHOICE)

[Chi Cygni]

Originally Posted by CWatkinsNash

This should help (attached).

Ahhh thank you. I will only use a tiny bit as I'm a blonde

[CWatkinsNash]

Originally Posted by Chi Cygni

Ahhh thank you. I will only use a tiny bit as I'm a blonde

[lemurfist]

I don't set goals or keep count. Reading is one of the few things all-but guaranteed to help me get into a good headspace. Turning it into some sort of competition, even against myself circa 2010, seems silly. Besides that, my kitten has certain opinions about this whole "me using a perfectly good petting hand for holding a book" thing.

[Joykins]

I keep count because I used to keep a book journal where I reviewed all the books I read. Now I'm on goodreads, I let goodreads keep count. Also, there is some imprecision in my counts because I don't log every novella or short story, but I have logged some. I keep track because it entertains me, and I enjoy reviewing books.

[HomeInMyShoes]

I love statistics so I can't have enough numbers about authors and books I've read. I've got lists that I keep up to date on books and pages read by author, books I'm planning to read. I love keeping count. I've found that tracking my reading makes me think more about the books I am reading and really plan out what I want to read.

Originally Posted by CWatkinsNash

I realize this was meant tongue-in-cheek, but it does bring up an interesting point. I often get omnibus editions when available, but I rarely want to read them all the way through in one go. So, if the works within were also published individually as books, I split them for "accounting" purposes. I mean, at the end, the number doesn't mean anything to anyone but me, so I do what makes sense for me.

What do others do?

(I think since we're talking about quantities of books read, it's relevant.)

The way I look at it an omnibus collection is is just that, a collection of works that were originally published separately. So I say that each individual book in the omnibus should count separately, no different than if each were obtained separately. It is really up to each individual to decide what to count as a book, but a minimum number of pages makes more sense. I just started reading The Warden by Anthony Trollope and Goodreads puts its page count at 336. It so happens that I am reading it out of the The Chronicles of Barsetshire omnibus put together by HarryT for MR, but that is irrelevant as far as counting it as a book.

[CWatkinsNash]

Originally Posted by anamardoll

Mentally, I treat an omnibus as multiple books. However, since my yearly book count is based on my GoodReads reviews, I reckon it doesn't count to my total.

I have an exclusive shelf called "split_bundles". I shelve the omnibus normally, then shelve the individual works on the bundles shelf. Those works are the ones that I use for marking my progress. It's a compromise that satisfies my OCD and gives me what I feel is my accurate book total.

[Aladyleyna]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

For some reason, I can read Lord if the Rings at least once a year, and never tire of it.

I'm starting to see why. It's really good. I'm actually like that when it comes to the Chronicles of Narnia. I've lost count of how many times I've read the series and it's still like a breath of fresh air everytime I open the pages. It's like chicken soup, really.

I'm a slow reader, so I don't think I'll be able to hit more than 100 books. Maybe if I stopped gaming I'd faster, but it's okay, really. If I'm not in the mood for reading, reading becomes a chore rather than a habit, and I won't find it as enjoyable as I do now.

[Yapyap]

I'm aiming for 120 but will probably have a few more than that (got to ~135 last year).

If I ever get back to a point where I want to read doorstoppers again, that might change, but as it is, I'm far more likely to tackle a long-running series with 350 page books than a single book of 900 pages (even on an eReader), so the number's based on a ~300-400 page book average, with the occasional novella or series tie-in short story thrown in.

[rleguillow]

This made me curious about my own reading so I went and counted. In 2011 I added 202 books to my library (and read them), so I expect it to be at least that in 2012. However, this number is low - I do not have any way to count how many additional books I already had in my library that I reread, or the ones I borrowed from the local library, or the audio books that I read while I'm doing handcrafts. I do read pretty quickly and I read a lot. I don't retain really well, which in some ways is not good, but in others... well, I do get to enjoy a very good read the second, third, etc time that I read the same book, each time getting something more out of it. That makes books the gifts that continue giving, for me.

[Katsunami]

I wonder if comics count... After finishing Oliver Twist, I've switched to reading comics in cbr format on my tablet.... It only takes 45-60 minutes to finish one, though. (And in case someone asks: yes, I've got them all as pcomic too; some are 40 years old :P)

[speakingtohe]

Of course comics count. Just watch The Big Bang Theory and imagine Sheldon's response to your Question

Helen

[Shimarenda]

Originally Posted by lemurfist

I don't set goals or keep count. Reading is one of the few things all-but guaranteed to help me get into a good headspace. Turning it into some sort of competition, even against myself circa 2010, seems silly. Besides that, my kitten has certain opinions about this whole "me using a perfectly good petting hand for holding a book" thing.

I've been trying to track my reading for two reasons. The first reason is to encourage me to read more; I like being able to log on to GoodReads every day and add even a little bit of progress. The second reason is to keep myself reading consistently so that I can better remember what I read. In the past I would put a book down for so long that I lost the flow, which is particularly frustrating because I read a fair amount of nonfiction. It's not really a competition with myself or anyone else; I simply would like to see a healthy number of things read. The ultimate purpose of this is to increase my enjoyment of reading. Naturally I wouldn't suggest it for someone who would enjoy reading less by keeping count.