The 2017 Annual Reading Challenge Discussion Thread - Page 11

Rumpelteazer · 03-13-2017, 03:42 PM

On my reading list in Google Docs I also note, since 2013, in which year the books are published. I just noticed that so far this year I've read mostly books published in the last couple of years, the oldest was published in 2008, the average year is 2014. I've looked back and it seems like each year I'm reading newer books.

Average year of publication
2013: 2002
2014: 2007
2015: 2009
2016: 2008
2017: 2014 (so far)

It'll be interesting to see how the year develops.

jbcohen · 03-16-2017, 07:40 AM

How are we all doing getting to our goals? Have any forum members reached 25% of their goals this year? Are you going to hit your self impose goal posts? I am at approximately 30% of the way to my goal posts, which incidentally I came close to but did not hit last year.

pdurrant · 03-16-2017, 09:11 AM

We're currently just over 20% of the way through the year (75/365).

I currently have a net reduction of 14 in my TBR. That puts me on course for a TBR reduction of 68, and my goal is 47. So I'm on target so far! My 'stretch' goal would be 63, so I'm even on target for that.

But it's so easy to slip. I almost bought the current Humble Bundle, which would have wiped out my TBR reduction completely!

DrNefario · 03-16-2017, 09:16 AM

Yes, I'm very tempted by the Humble Bundle, too. I have already slipped to 10 books behind on my TBR (thanks to a 3-book omnibus I just bought), and this would really sink me, but missing the Small Beer Press bundle is one of my regrets of last year...

I'll give myself some time to think about it.

pdurrant · 03-16-2017, 09:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrNefario

Yes, I'm very tempted by the Humble Bundle, too. I have already slipped to 10 books behind on my TBR (thanks to a 3-book omnibus I just bought), and this would really sink me, but missing the Small Beer Press bundle is one of my regrets of last year...

I'll give myself some time to think about it.

Someone did comment that, at least in the US, most of the titles were regularly discounted to $1.99 each.

Wearever · 03-16-2017, 11:02 AM

Just added another Nonfiction to my challenge, All I Can Handle, I'm No Mother Teresa, by Kim Stagliano. It's about how her life had changed since having three daughters with Autism. Very interesting and heartfelt read.

bfisher · 03-16-2017, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

...
I currently have a net reduction of 14 in my TBR. That puts me on course for a TBR reduction of 68, and my goal is 47. So I'm on target so far! My 'stretch' goal would be 63, so I'm even on target for that...

Congratulations! So far this year I have a net accretion of 53 books on my TBR. That's why I decided not to challenge myself on TBR reduction this year after my fiasco with that last year. Still, better to have overwhelming choice rather than none.

I'm treading water with my goal this year, which is to read both book club monthly selections.

Ravensknight · 03-19-2017, 12:45 PM

Well, my manga goals are blown. I just don't want to read it right now.

pdurrant · 03-20-2017, 05:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ravensknight

Well, my manga goals are blown. I just don't want to read it right now.

Never let a goal get in the way of your enjoyment of reading. The Annual Reading Challenge is supposed to be fun, not stressful.

astrangerhere · 03-20-2017, 07:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ravensknight

Well, my manga goals are blown. I just don't want to read it right now.

Some commiseration - I too have blown my manga goal, but not for lack of wanting. I just don't seem to have the time to sit down of a weekend and get through a volume. (My goal was one volume a weekend).

Ravensknight · 03-20-2017, 07:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Never let a goal get in the way of your enjoyment of reading. The Annual Reading Challenge is supposed to be fun, not stressful.

And that is why I"m dropping my manga goal. Scheduling it for a specific day each week is just too much structure.

Quote:

Originally Posted by astrangerhere

Some commiseration - I too have blown my manga goal, but not for lack of wanting. I just don't seem to have the time to sit down of a weekend and get through a volume. (My goal was one volume a weekend).

Mondays are my busiest day of the week, so I'm thinking maybe a few weeks off then just do it on another day and see if that makes a difference.

sun surfer · 03-23-2017, 10:26 AM

Coming up towards the end of March and a quarter through the year, I'm still on track at one book ahead of schedule. I did finish my winter goal of reading Dune, and my spring goal will begin with April. I chose one longer book for winter but will go with two shorter/medium books for spring:

-The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
-The Importance of Living by Lin Yutang

Both from the earlier 20th century but very different reads. One fiction, one non-fiction.

With the Christie, I read a lot of Christie growing up. My mother had many shelves of books, and she especially liked mystery and especially had many, many Christie's. I often had nothing to read but what was on her shelves and so as a wee lad was reading about murder from six or seven on up. I've probably read, at least partially, upwards of 50 by Christie. But, I don't remember many of them - almost any, really, except for vague scenes that I have no idea from which books they come - and being young and carefree with my reading would often just start and skip around and abandon at whim, so even if I could remember them all, the amount that I actually read through start to finish would be much, much lower. Still, even though I would bore of them and not understand a lot, I enjoyed them.

I don't think I've read any Christie in a decade or two. I think the last was my full read-through of And Then There Were None (I had, of course, read pieces of it when even younger) in my late teens/early 20s. I enjoyed it immensely but then, as now, I had this feeling of wanting to read so many different books and authors that somehow I never got back to Christie, until now. And what better way to start than with her first?

As for the Lin Yutang, it's a Chinese philosophy book on the art of enjoying life, and I think there's an emphasis on not becoming too busy to enjoy life properly, which could be good for me at the moment.

jbcohen · 03-23-2017, 11:39 AM

Just found out that I am 48% to my goals for the year with 75% of the year remaining.

Hollow Man · 03-23-2017, 11:41 AM

Things are slowing down a bit since I started to read A Game of Thrones (which is equiv. to at least 2.5 of my normal books). But I should finish it soon if I buckle down!

-HM

pdurrant · 03-23-2017, 11:57 AM

My target is a TBR reduction of 47 or more, and it's currently 16. So that's pretty good for one quarter of the way through the year. The question is whether I can keep it up!

03-16-2017, 11:02 AM	#156
Wearever Wizard Posts: 1,063 Karma: 10944084 Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: New England Device: Oasis 2,Voyage, Kindlle hdx 8.9, Ipad mini 4. Air 2	Just added another Nonfiction to my challenge, All I Can Handle, I'm No Mother Teresa, by Kim Stagliano. It's about how her life had changed since having three daughters with Autism. Very interesting and heartfelt read. Last edited by Wearever; 03-16-2017 at 11:19 AM.

03-23-2017, 10:26 AM	#162
sun surfer languorous autodidact ✦ Posts: 4,235 Karma: 44667380 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: smiling with the rising sun Device: onyx boox poke 2 colour, kindle voyage	Coming up towards the end of March and a quarter through the year, I'm still on track at one book ahead of schedule. I did finish my winter goal of reading Dune, and my spring goal will begin with April. I chose one longer book for winter but will go with two shorter/medium books for spring: -The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie -The Importance of Living by Lin Yutang Both from the earlier 20th century but very different reads. One fiction, one non-fiction. With the Christie, I read a lot of Christie growing up. My mother had many shelves of books, and she especially liked mystery and especially had many, many Christie's. I often had nothing to read but what was on her shelves and so as a wee lad was reading about murder from six or seven on up. I've probably read, at least partially, upwards of 50 by Christie. But, I don't remember many of them - almost any, really, except for vague scenes that I have no idea from which books they come - and being young and carefree with my reading would often just start and skip around and abandon at whim, so even if I could remember them all, the amount that I actually read through start to finish would be much, much lower. Still, even though I would bore of them and not understand a lot, I enjoyed them. I don't think I've read any Christie in a decade or two. I think the last was my full read-through of And Then There Were None (I had, of course, read pieces of it when even younger) in my late teens/early 20s. I enjoyed it immensely but then, as now, I had this feeling of wanting to read so many different books and authors that somehow I never got back to Christie, until now. And what better way to start than with her first? As for the Lin Yutang, it's a Chinese philosophy book on the art of enjoying life, and I think there's an emphasis on not becoming too busy to enjoy life properly, which could be good for me at the moment. Last edited by sun surfer; 03-23-2017 at 10:41 AM.

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03-13-2017, 03:42 PM	#151
Rumpelteazer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,340 Karma: 27919658 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Utrecht, the Netherlands Device: Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition	On my reading list in Google Docs I also note, since 2013, in which year the books are published. I just noticed that so far this year I've read mostly books published in the last couple of years, the oldest was published in 2008, the average year is 2014. I've looked back and it seems like each year I'm reading newer books. Average year of publication 2013: 2002 2014: 2007 2015: 2009 2016: 2008 2017: 2014 (so far) It'll be interesting to see how the year develops.

03-16-2017, 07:40 AM	#152
jbcohen Wizard Posts: 3,032 Karma: 11196738 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Where am I? Device: Kindle Paperwhite Signature edition and a Samsung S24 Ultra	How are we all doing getting to our goals? Have any forum members reached 25% of their goals this year? Are you going to hit your self impose goal posts? I am at approximately 30% of the way to my goal posts, which incidentally I came close to but did not hit last year.

03-16-2017, 09:11 AM	#153
pdurrant The Grand Mouse 高貴的老鼠 Posts: 74,053 Karma: 315160596 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Norfolk, England Device: Kindle Oasis	We're currently just over 20% of the way through the year (75/365). I currently have a net reduction of 14 in my TBR. That puts me on course for a TBR reduction of 68, and my goal is 47. So I'm on target so far! My 'stretch' goal would be 63, so I'm even on target for that. But it's so easy to slip. I almost bought the current Humble Bundle, which would have wiped out my TBR reduction completely!

03-16-2017, 09:16 AM	#154
DrNefario Wizard Posts: 2,207 Karma: 12029046 Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: UK Device: Kindle, Kobo Touch, Nook SimpleTouch	Yes, I'm very tempted by the Humble Bundle, too. I have already slipped to 10 books behind on my TBR (thanks to a 3-book omnibus I just bought), and this would really sink me, but missing the Small Beer Press bundle is one of my regrets of last year... I'll give myself some time to think about it.

03-19-2017, 12:45 PM	#158
Ravensknight Serpent Rider Posts: 1,123 Karma: 10219804 Join Date: Jun 2009 Device: Sony 350; Nook STR; Oasis	Well, my manga goals are blown. I just don't want to read it right now.

03-23-2017, 11:39 AM	#163
jbcohen Wizard Posts: 3,032 Karma: 11196738 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Where am I? Device: Kindle Paperwhite Signature edition and a Samsung S24 Ultra	Just found out that I am 48% to my goals for the year with 75% of the year remaining.

03-23-2017, 11:41 AM	#164
Hollow Man Evangelist Posts: 408 Karma: 2000000 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Connecticut Device: Kindle Colorsoft, Oasis, Keyboard; iPhone 13 Pro, Air	Things are slowing down a bit since I started to read A Game of Thrones (which is equiv. to at least 2.5 of my normal books). But I should finish it soon if I buckle down! -HM

03-23-2017, 11:57 AM	#165
pdurrant The Grand Mouse 高貴的老鼠 Posts: 74,053 Karma: 315160596 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Norfolk, England Device: Kindle Oasis	My target is a TBR reduction of 47 or more, and it's currently 16. So that's pretty good for one quarter of the way through the year. The question is whether I can keep it up!