The 2015 Annual Reading Challenge Discussion Thread

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by issybird

Charlie changed my life when he mentioned listening to audio books while swimming! I believe he uses a waterproof case for his iPod, but there are indeed waterproof MP3 players and I love mine. I got asked about it a lot when swimming last summer, too.

Yes, I use a waterproof case with my iPod. But when this iPod Nano finally fails, I'll be looking for a fully waterproof player. Though the weak link is always the headsets. Nonetheless, it makes lap swimming a way to get some reading in.

[jbcohen]

Originally Posted by DrNefario

I'm planning to go ahead with my second themed month in June: women-only month. I did no SF&F in April. It's just a bit of fun, relating to the fact that I've accumulated a number of books by women I want to read soon.

I'm not going to have much trouble with the novels, but my daily short stories are going to be a little trickier. I don't have many collections by women, and I'm not completely sure I'll like the ones I do have. I might have to try to line up some anthologies - I don't want to read them out of order, but I can try to leave myself at the start of a run of stories by women.

Try KT Tomb, and yes KT is female. Her books IMHO are very well written and quite exciting reads. She has several series going at the moment:

Chyna Stone The owner of an archeological company called Found History who takes jobs finding archeological artifacts and placing them in museums.

Phoenix Quest: Phoe is store owner who takes jobs finding archeological treasures

Cash Cassidy: She is a book author and housewife who goes out on her own looking for archeological treasures.

Alpha Adventures: A group of adventures who take jobs finding archeological treasures.

[Catlady]

How about Shirley Jackson? Two volumes of her short stories are available as e-books: Just an Ordinary Day and The Lottery and Other Stories.

[DrNefario]

The idea is to catch up on some books I already own. The novels are well covered, the short story issue is a bit of a side-effect. I'm still hoping to do it without having to buy/borrow/download anything new, but it could be a narrow scrape.

[jbcohen]

Originally Posted by DrNefario

The idea is to catch up on some books I already own. The novels are well covered, the short story issue is a bit of a side-effect. I'm still hoping to do it without having to buy/borrow/download anything new, but it could be a narrow scrape.

You make interesting point different months within my challenge with themes. I must admit I am going through a Zombie Apocalypse theme at the moment:

Extinction Cycle
Z-Risen
Surviving the Dead
Arisen
RVZ (Raptors vs Zombies)

Might do an assassin’s theme, then a terrorist theme.

[CRussel]

I'm falling behind my book goal. Reading Shogun plus working way too many hours a day on my latest book has put me well and thoroughly in the hole. OTOH, I've got several lighter weight books lined up to read right now, and a break before I have to worry about another book, so I should have a chance to catch up, I hope.

One good bit of challenge success, however. Since I've started adding the "most recent bought books recorded" to the "Last Edit: " reason, I've been much more able to keep track of where I am and how many books I've bought. Even when it's several days before I get around to adding them to the tally, I have an easy way (when combined with Calibre) to keep track of which ones I need to add in. That encourages me.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by CRussel

One good bit of challenge success, however. Since I've started adding the "most recent bought books recorded" to the "Last Edit: " reason, I've been much more able to keep track of where I am and how many books I've bought. Even when it's several days before I get around to adding them to the tally, I have an easy way (when combined with Calibre) to keep track of which ones I need to add in. That encourages me.

Good for you! I know logging books bought makes me more thoughtful and selective about my purchases.

[jbcohen]

Going to move off zombie books to a black ops theme, IMHO there is only so much of thsoe mindles walking dead that I can take.

[Dazrin]

Time for some fun with math:

I am at exactly 12,000 pages read for the year including my current book progress which is 1/2 of my 24,000 page goal. Today is also the 146th day of the year. This makes for some very interesting math (to a math nerd at least.)

% Year Complete: 146/365 = 40%

Current pages: 12,000 pages
Projected additional pages: 12,000 * (( 1 - 0.4) / 0.4 ) = 18,000 pages
Projected total pages: 12,000 / 0.4 = 30,000 pages

I have never seen such round numbers for my totals before. It looks like I am just rounding numbers aggressively.

[pdurrant]

150 days and very nearly five months in, how are people doing?

I was doing quite well (TBR down 30 on the start of the year), but my Lightspeed Magazine kickstarter delivered today on 58 back issues of Fantasy Magazine. So now I'm 28 up on the start of the year!

But I've finished just over 100 books, and I'm still in budget, so better than I was doing this time last year (when I was over budget, although I did just get under budget for the year end).

[DrNefario]

I'm breaking even on the TBR, which is great. 53 in, 53 out. OK, some of the reads were single short stories, where I don't think any of the acquisitions were, but they all count.

My other challenges are going OK.

I'm starting my women-only themed month tomorrow.

[jbcohen]

Are you all half way to your 2015 goals?

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by jbcohen

Are you all half way to your 2015 goals?

I wouldn't expect to be yet, given that we're only 5/12ths of the way through the year. But that being said, a heavy week or two of doing a LOT of reading as I recover from the big push to finish my latest book has finally caught me back up to my goal level. At the current rate, I'll manage to read some where in the neighbourhood of 130 books this year, which is ten more than my basic goal, but still well under the stretch goal. But it really all depends on how the schedule looks for my next book, and I don't know what that will be, yet, since it's outside my control (or even that of my editor.)

[jbcohen]

Ok, are you 5/12ths to your goals?

I am un-likely to make the goals this year, of course I said that last year and the year before and made it both times.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by jbcohen

Ok, are you 5/12ths to your goals?

I am un-likely to make the goals this year, of course I said that last year and the year before and made it both times.

Yes, I'm just past that 5/12ths. I was running well behind, but have had a week of heavy reading and I'm caught back up to minimum goals. Still a long way from my stretch goals, but I can live with that.