My reading pattern

Chi Cygni · 05-29-2012, 05:30 PM

I was just wondering. First time ever I saw here at MR (back when I joined) there can be a reading goal, number of books within a year to read. I never thought of it although I was trying to write down titles before throughout a year to see how many I read. Got bored with it so I never knew in the end. Nowadays I have an excel file which I update everytime I calibrate a book when I fire off my desktop computer.

So for the first time I too know how many I read so far this year. Interestingly enough I noticed I need a few days' or a week's break before I start a new one. Sometimes the last one needs to sink in too. I genuinely admire people who have read some +80 books already in 2012, I just cannot do that and this is not how I roll

I've read 18 so far (average page count of 469 pages, I like 'em fat). Just bought a new one. On average it will probably be 21 or 22 by the end of June so theoretically I will read +/- 42 books this year. I didn't set up a goal, I'm just conducting an experiment on myself. I'm my own guinea pig. (if I set up a goal I would not keep it, be frustrated, abandon it, be discouraged and disgusted with myself)

Will be happy to hear from MR members.

pidgeon92 · 05-29-2012, 10:19 PM

According to my Goodreads count, I'm at 36 books finished, 13,912 pages.... Not nearly as many as I would have liked to have finished by this point of the year. My goal is 12 books per month.

BeccaPrice · 05-30-2012, 10:57 AM

I don't track pages read, because most of my ebooks don't have page counts (and I'm not sure how accurate the page count feature of Calibre is). I've read over 100 books so far this year - but that mostly speaks to the fact that I'm unemployed and don't watch tv nor play video games.

Joykins · 05-30-2012, 01:29 PM

I don't track pages read but I log my books on goodreads and let it count how many books I've read so far this year. I've been reading short books so my number can get pretty high without me actually having read a huge number of pages

Blossom · 05-30-2012, 01:47 PM

I use Goodreads to keep track. I've read 61 books (19141+ pages) so far out of this year. My goal is 100 but the average in pasts years is about 48 a year. I went years where I didn't even pick up a book so I am making up for lost time.

I read about 3 books at a time. My past habits were to have 7 at a time going but that has change this year. I find I actually finish the book faster if I read this way. I started this year reading the Stephanie Plum series All 22 books of the series. I've never read a entire series in such a short time but since then I have done several series like that which is a new thing for me.

I'm currently reading the Elemental Assassin series by Jennifer Estep. It's Urban Fantasy.

jgaiser · 05-30-2012, 02:19 PM

I use a combination of Goodreads and LibraryThing. This will be my last year to deliberately set a goal/challenge. Just isn't for fun for me to have that always in the back of my mind. I will continue to keep records on both places, though.

I've managed 39 books of varying lengths this year and if my reading times are anything like last year, I'll finish the year somewhere in the high 70's/low 80's.

DiapDealer · 05-30-2012, 02:35 PM

I'm a free-range reader.

I've tried keeping track of stuff I've read before, but I suck at it. So I quit. I hope to hell there's no big "What Have You Read?" Reckoning before I can shuffle off... I'm sooooo screwed if there is.

pidgeon92 · 05-30-2012, 03:18 PM

I just wish I had started tracking this data when I was a kid. I've been a voracious reader since I learned to read, and I'd be interested to know exactly how many books I've read, and I'd love to be able to go back and re-read some of them, if I knew had any idea what they were.

Sil_liS · 05-30-2012, 03:34 PM

I'm a fast reader with some books and a slow one with others. I'm currently reading 3 books in parallel one on each reader and one on paper. If I would keep track I think that I would change my reading habits, and pick only books that I would read fast.

stop__dreaming · 05-31-2012, 06:53 AM

I have set myself a goal on GoodReads, but I don't exactly plan to adhere to it. My goal was to read more than in 2011 and I am currently doing that. Rather than breezing through books to get a high volume read, I like to enjoy reading what I have.

latepaul · 05-31-2012, 07:34 AM

I've been tracking my reading since I started blogging reviews regularly. That goes back to 2009. I'd realised that in the previous year I'd only read 4 books and having once been a voracious reader I decided to make a "project" out of it.

I use Goodreads to set the goal and for a place to make public updates, but my main tool is a spreadsheet I set up. Actually the spreadsheet dates back to 2007 when, in anticipation of the final Harry Potter book, I wanted to re-read the series and finish before the new book came out. So I needed to set per-day page count goals and have an idea of how many pages I read in a hour say. It's evolved a lot since then.

My current version has a tab to enter the raw data - which has books along the top and a row for each day of the year. Every day I spend time reading I enter the time for that day and the current page for any book(s) I've read. I have a separate tab which has a conversions for page numbers - so when I start a new book I enter how many pages it has in paperback, calibre, locations in Kindle and so on. I usually use a paperback edition from Goodreads as the definitive page count, even though I'm probably reading an ebook. Then there's a summary page that gives me stats so far - pages read, pages/hour, number of days read, reading time per day, reading time per days on which I actually read. It also lists the books with my percentage complete and pages/hour for that book. Finally there's a page where I track some of these stats this year versus previous years (I had a points system on my blog the first year I did it)

My goal for this year is 50 books, up from 30 last year. I'm on track provided I finish my current book and one other by the week-end (ish) - which I should do. I average between 40-60 pages/hour depending on the page lengths and how "easy" a read it is. At that rate a book is ~8-10hours so I think 50 books is probably at the high end of what I can achieve without gaining a whole lot more free time or sacrificing some other activities.

I find that I read in 1-2hour stretches for a few days then go a few days without reading at all. I've tried to even it out but I feel like I'm fighting my natural inclinations so now I just go with it. I'm trying to get better at discarding books when they're not working for me because that's one thing that really knocks the stats is if I'm "stuck" on a book I'm not enjoying and therefore not reading but not moving on.

Sometimes I think I should just go back to "just reading" and none of this spreadsheet nonsense but then I actually like that.

Freeshadow · 05-31-2012, 07:40 AM

The whole idea of bookkeeping reading alienates me the same way as bookkeeping sexuality would.
It's not the "how long with how many, how frequent " that matters. What counts is the enjoyment of every unique experience in its own right.

David Munch · 05-31-2012, 07:57 AM

I don't track them, because I don't have much free time to read books (unfortunately), and seeing how much time people have to read in here, I just get sad..

Most of my books gets 'read' as audiobooks when I work these days.

Chi Cygni · 05-31-2012, 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BeccaPrice

I don't track pages read, because most of my ebooks don't have page counts (and I'm not sure how accurate the page count feature of Calibre is). I've read over 100 books so far this year - but that mostly speaks to the fact that I'm unemployed and don't watch tv nor play video games.

And I work part time but that is 80% (one day a week off when I do two school runs) and have small son to attend to so basically I'm free to read on the metro or after 9 PM if housework doesn't call.

Quote:

Originally Posted by stop__dreaming

I have set myself a goal on GoodReads, but I don't exactly plan to adhere to it. My goal was to read more than in 2011 and I am currently doing that. Rather than breezing through books to get a high volume read, I like to enjoy reading what I have.

I can't imagine setting a goal for myself, it would frustrate me if I let it slip. I just want to see what actually is my average per year. My 19th book just arrived and I will download it soon.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Freeshadow

The whole idea of bookkeeping reading alienates me the same way as bookkeeping sexuality would.
It's not the "how long with how many, how frequent " that matters. What counts is the enjoyment of every unique experience in its own right.

*hides certain red notebook behind back* (just kidding!

) yep, this.

And hey I watched my second film this year yesterday. Could never resist old SW

Hey, Billi, I can do it! (multiquote!)

kiwidude · 05-31-2012, 12:32 PM

I do like tracking my reading in Goodreads having started doing that last year. Though like some others here I am not entirely convinced that participating in numerical based challenges is necessarily a good thing since it is too tempting to put those larger tomes to the side for a little longer.

So far this year I seem to have read 112 books / 36,000+ pages (of the ones that have page counts on their Goodreads edition anyways). I'm not a speed reader by any means, I work full-time and spend far too many hours after work doing calibre plugin development or organising my library, but since getting a Kindle I tend to read a lot more and in more places than I used to.

As for "taking a break" after finishing a book, I find that switching genres is enough for me if I feel a bit jaded, I have so many, many books I want to read I can't wait to dive into another one! Reading a long series back to back can get stale real fast particularly if the author gets repetitive or the books are relying on the fact that they were published a year apart. I just alternate my way through about a dozen different series at the moment (only one book at a time though!) depending on what I feel like, and throw in the odd standalone for variety too.

Someone asked how "accurate" the calibre count pages plugin is - as the author of it the answer is it is about as accurate as anything else is.

The only way people could come up with one page count number for a book is if it was only ever published in one printed format with one font size and one edition. If you lookup a book on goodreads you can see the huge range of the page counts many books have across the printed editions alone - large print, special editions, different publishers, revised editions, etc etc. Word count I find to be a more consistent indicator of relative sizes of books, but that also will get impacted by how much "other stuff" is inside the book, like previews of upcoming releases, and appendices of extras. Anyone who has read a Star Wars novel on their Kindle will know that the book "finishes" at about 70% and the rest is advertising other books in the series

05-29-2012, 05:30 PM	#1
Chi Cygni 秋子 permanently lurking Posts: 844 Karma: 6590735 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Europe Device: Oasis 3, Pocketbook Era	My reading pattern I was just wondering. First time ever I saw here at MR (back when I joined) there can be a reading goal, number of books within a year to read. I never thought of it although I was trying to write down titles before throughout a year to see how many I read. Got bored with it so I never knew in the end. Nowadays I have an excel file which I update everytime I calibrate a book when I fire off my desktop computer. So for the first time I too know how many I read so far this year. Interestingly enough I noticed I need a few days' or a week's break before I start a new one. Sometimes the last one needs to sink in too. I genuinely admire people who have read some +80 books already in 2012, I just cannot do that and this is not how I roll I've read 18 so far (average page count of 469 pages, I like 'em fat). Just bought a new one. On average it will probably be 21 or 22 by the end of June so theoretically I will read +/- 42 books this year. I didn't set up a goal, I'm just conducting an experiment on myself. I'm my own guinea pig. (if I set up a goal I would not keep it, be frustrated, abandon it, be discouraged and disgusted with myself) Will be happy to hear from MR members.

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05-29-2012, 10:19 PM	#2
pidgeon92 Wizard Posts: 3,144 Karma: 8426142 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Chicago, IL Device: Kindle PW2, Kindle Voyage, Kindle DXG, Boox M90, Kobo Aura HD	According to my Goodreads count, I'm at 36 books finished, 13,912 pages.... Not nearly as many as I would have liked to have finished by this point of the year. My goal is 12 books per month.

05-30-2012, 10:57 AM	#3
BeccaPrice Wizard Posts: 2,146 Karma: 11174187 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: Sony 350, K3-3G, K4SO, KPW	I don't track pages read, because most of my ebooks don't have page counts (and I'm not sure how accurate the page count feature of Calibre is). I've read over 100 books so far this year - but that mostly speaks to the fact that I'm unemployed and don't watch tv nor play video games.

05-30-2012, 01:29 PM	#4
Joykins Wizard Posts: 1,609 Karma: 9211856 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: kindle Oasis 2018, kindle 4 NT, kindle PW2, iPhone, iPad mini	I don't track pages read but I log my books on goodreads and let it count how many books I've read so far this year. I've been reading short books so my number can get pretty high without me actually having read a huge number of pages

05-30-2012, 01:47 PM	#5
Blossom Treasure Seeker Posts: 18,708 Karma: 26026435 Join Date: Mar 2010 Device: Kobo HD Glo, Kindles, Kindle Fires, Andriod Devices	I use Goodreads to keep track. I've read 61 books (19141+ pages) so far out of this year. My goal is 100 but the average in pasts years is about 48 a year. I went years where I didn't even pick up a book so I am making up for lost time. I read about 3 books at a time. My past habits were to have 7 at a time going but that has change this year. I find I actually finish the book faster if I read this way. I started this year reading the Stephanie Plum series All 22 books of the series. I've never read a entire series in such a short time but since then I have done several series like that which is a new thing for me. I'm currently reading the Elemental Assassin series by Jennifer Estep. It's Urban Fantasy.

05-30-2012, 02:19 PM	#6
jgaiser Omnivorous Posts: 3,283 Karma: 27978909 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Rural NW Oregon Device: Kindle Voyage, Kindle Fire HD, Kindle 3, KPW1	I use a combination of Goodreads and LibraryThing. This will be my last year to deliberately set a goal/challenge. Just isn't for fun for me to have that always in the back of my mind. I will continue to keep records on both places, though. I've managed 39 books of varying lengths this year and if my reading times are anything like last year, I'll finish the year somewhere in the high 70's/low 80's.

05-30-2012, 02:35 PM	#7
DiapDealer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 28,358 Karma: 203720150 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD	I'm a free-range reader. I've tried keeping track of stuff I've read before, but I suck at it. So I quit. I hope to hell there's no big "What Have You Read?" Reckoning before I can shuffle off... I'm sooooo screwed if there is.

05-30-2012, 03:18 PM	#8
pidgeon92 Wizard Posts: 3,144 Karma: 8426142 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Chicago, IL Device: Kindle PW2, Kindle Voyage, Kindle DXG, Boox M90, Kobo Aura HD	I just wish I had started tracking this data when I was a kid. I've been a voracious reader since I learned to read, and I'd be interested to know exactly how many books I've read, and I'd love to be able to go back and re-read some of them, if I knew had any idea what they were.

05-30-2012, 03:34 PM	#9
Sil_liS Wizard Posts: 4,896 Karma: 33602910 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: PocketBook 903 & 360+	I'm a fast reader with some books and a slow one with others. I'm currently reading 3 books in parallel one on each reader and one on paper. If I would keep track I think that I would change my reading habits, and pick only books that I would read fast.

05-31-2012, 06:53 AM	#10
stop__dreaming Addict Posts: 202 Karma: 1211098 Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Bristol, England Device: Kindle 3	I have set myself a goal on GoodReads, but I don't exactly plan to adhere to it. My goal was to read more than in 2011 and I am currently doing that. Rather than breezing through books to get a high volume read, I like to enjoy reading what I have.

05-31-2012, 07:34 AM	#11
latepaul Wizard Posts: 1,270 Karma: 10468300 Join Date: Dec 2011 Device: a variety (mostly kindles and kobos)	I've been tracking my reading since I started blogging reviews regularly. That goes back to 2009. I'd realised that in the previous year I'd only read 4 books and having once been a voracious reader I decided to make a "project" out of it. I use Goodreads to set the goal and for a place to make public updates, but my main tool is a spreadsheet I set up. Actually the spreadsheet dates back to 2007 when, in anticipation of the final Harry Potter book, I wanted to re-read the series and finish before the new book came out. So I needed to set per-day page count goals and have an idea of how many pages I read in a hour say. It's evolved a lot since then. My current version has a tab to enter the raw data - which has books along the top and a row for each day of the year. Every day I spend time reading I enter the time for that day and the current page for any book(s) I've read. I have a separate tab which has a conversions for page numbers - so when I start a new book I enter how many pages it has in paperback, calibre, locations in Kindle and so on. I usually use a paperback edition from Goodreads as the definitive page count, even though I'm probably reading an ebook. Then there's a summary page that gives me stats so far - pages read, pages/hour, number of days read, reading time per day, reading time per days on which I actually read. It also lists the books with my percentage complete and pages/hour for that book. Finally there's a page where I track some of these stats this year versus previous years (I had a points system on my blog the first year I did it) My goal for this year is 50 books, up from 30 last year. I'm on track provided I finish my current book and one other by the week-end (ish) - which I should do. I average between 40-60 pages/hour depending on the page lengths and how "easy" a read it is. At that rate a book is ~8-10hours so I think 50 books is probably at the high end of what I can achieve without gaining a whole lot more free time or sacrificing some other activities. I find that I read in 1-2hour stretches for a few days then go a few days without reading at all. I've tried to even it out but I feel like I'm fighting my natural inclinations so now I just go with it. I'm trying to get better at discarding books when they're not working for me because that's one thing that really knocks the stats is if I'm "stuck" on a book I'm not enjoying and therefore not reading but not moving on. Sometimes I think I should just go back to "just reading" and none of this spreadsheet nonsense but then I actually like that.

05-31-2012, 07:40 AM	#12
Freeshadow temp. out of service Posts: 2,815 Karma: 24285242 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Duisburg (DE) Device: PB 623	The whole idea of bookkeeping reading alienates me the same way as bookkeeping sexuality would. It's not the "how long with how many, how frequent " that matters. What counts is the enjoyment of every unique experience in its own right.

05-31-2012, 07:57 AM	#13
David Munch Scholar Posts: 1,009 Karma: 3999312 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Denmark Device: Kobo Libra H2O + iPad Air 4	I don't track them, because I don't have much free time to read books (unfortunately), and seeing how much time people have to read in here, I just get sad.. Most of my books gets 'read' as audiobooks when I work these days.

05-31-2012, 12:32 PM	#15
kiwidude Calibre Plugins Developer Posts: 4,721 Karma: 2197770 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Australia Device: Kindle Oasis	I do like tracking my reading in Goodreads having started doing that last year. Though like some others here I am not entirely convinced that participating in numerical based challenges is necessarily a good thing since it is too tempting to put those larger tomes to the side for a little longer. So far this year I seem to have read 112 books / 36,000+ pages (of the ones that have page counts on their Goodreads edition anyways). I'm not a speed reader by any means, I work full-time and spend far too many hours after work doing calibre plugin development or organising my library, but since getting a Kindle I tend to read a lot more and in more places than I used to. As for "taking a break" after finishing a book, I find that switching genres is enough for me if I feel a bit jaded, I have so many, many books I want to read I can't wait to dive into another one! Reading a long series back to back can get stale real fast particularly if the author gets repetitive or the books are relying on the fact that they were published a year apart. I just alternate my way through about a dozen different series at the moment (only one book at a time though!) depending on what I feel like, and throw in the odd standalone for variety too. Someone asked how "accurate" the calibre count pages plugin is - as the author of it the answer is it is about as accurate as anything else is. The only way people could come up with one page count number for a book is if it was only ever published in one printed format with one font size and one edition. If you lookup a book on goodreads you can see the huge range of the page counts many books have across the printed editions alone - large print, special editions, different publishers, revised editions, etc etc. Word count I find to be a more consistent indicator of relative sizes of books, but that also will get impacted by how much "other stuff" is inside the book, like previews of upcoming releases, and appendices of extras. Anyone who has read a Star Wars novel on their Kindle will know that the book "finishes" at about 70% and the rest is advertising other books in the series