The 2020 Annual Reading Challenge Discussion Thread

[pdurrant]

2020 Reading Challenge Discussion Thread

Welcome to our 11th Annual Reading Challenge!

Maybe you would like to read a certain number of pages this year, finish a certain number of books, concentrate on a specific genre or deplete your ever-growing TBR list. Maybe you're looking for ideas or you just want to see how far you can go…

This is the thread where we can share our personal goals and strategies or ask for suggestions and support. New ideas are encouraged and always welcomed.

The Annual Reading Challenge is neither a race, contest, nor an “exclusive club”, anyone can join! This is just a fun activity that some of us have enjoyed doing in the past. Many of us have found reading challenges to be an entertaining way to set goals for ourselves, get ideas for books, and see what others are reading.

You are welcome to keep track of the books you have read (or another goal) in the List Thread, here:

2020 Annual Reading Challenge List Thread

Plus, if you would like to discuss a particular book, please participate in the Hey!! Let's get some action going! What are we reading? thread and share your thoughts about the book with others

[DrNefario]

Yes, managed to get on page 1 of the list thread again. I don't know why that should matter. Maybe a bit less loading when I go to add my books.

I failed most of my targets in 2019. I overdid it on the freebies, which had knock-on effects on the other targets. I think I'm going to base 2020's goals on the number of books I buy (eg. read 2 x purchases).

[Luffy]

I don't know, I think I have Goodreads fatigue. I've been coming to mobileread a lot, though in my usual nonparticipating self. I think I should've stayed committed to this aspect of mobileread. Now I have to relearn all of the stuff I've forgotten. I'm planning on putting a 2020 hyperlink in my signature...

[Dazrin]

Only reading 1000+ pages books! Wow, that would be very challenging for me. I read a few (14 in 9 years) but only reading long books like that would not work for me. I need a break.

[Luffy]

Originally Posted by Dazrin

Only reading 1000+ pages books! Wow, that would be very challenging for me. I read a few (14 in 9 years) but only reading long books like that would not work for me. I need a break.

I will probably find it unwieldy but I hope the books I choose have enough quality to carry me through. I do intend to read a couple of omnibuses, and I don't know if that is cheating or not.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Luffy

I will probably find it unwieldy but I hope the books I choose have enough quality to carry me through. I do intend to read a couple of omnibuses, and I don't know if that is cheating or not.

Your challenge, your call.

(I wouldn't consider it cheating myself.)

[Gibbo]

Originally Posted by Luffy

I do intend to read a couple of omnibuses, and I don't know if that is cheating or not.

You mean counting it as one book or as multiple books?.

[Tarana]

I have only 2 goals this year. One is to read at least 3,000 pages per month and the other is to read at least 25 literary magazines I already have (Lightspeed, Nightmare, etc). Avoiding the total books read this year as I anticipate starting some series with very long books (Peter Hamilton-Void series, Robert Jordon - Wheel of Time (lend from someone else), Sanderson - I have 2 series) as well as completing all the rest of the Shannara series before the final book comes out in 2020).

FWIW, I count Omnibus' as separate books. They are collected in an omnibus for convenience, but remain full, separate books.

[Byrdie]

I have 1 book left to go on the 2019 challenge, to date I'm 4 books ahead of schedule. For 2020 I think I'm going to concentrate on the books I already have instead of going "oooh! shiny!" every time something new hits the market and making my TBR pile even bigger than it already is. Undecided on my other goals yet but since I struggle with non-fiction now that I'm neither in school nor at work I may see if I can improve there too.

[Luffy]

Originally Posted by Gibbo

You mean counting it as one book or as multiple books?.

As one book, of course.

[Luffy]

Originally Posted by issybird

Your challenge, your call.

(I wouldn't consider it cheating myself.)

Thank you. I got a taste for omnibuses from reading the seamless account of the Cazalet Chronicles, by Elizabeth Jane Howard, which are 5 books in one and comprise 3500 pages.

[Luffy]

Originally Posted by Tarana

I have only 2 goals this year. One is to read at least 3,000 pages per month and the other is to read at least 25 literary magazines I already have (Lightspeed, Nightmare, etc). I want to avoid the total books read this year as I anticipate starting some series with very long books (Peter Hamilton-Void series, Robert Jordon - Wheel of Time (lend from someone else), Sanderson - I have 2 series) as well as completing all the rest of the Shannara series before the final book comes out in 2020).

FWIW, I count Omnibus' as separate books. They are collected in an omnibus for convenience, but remain full, separate books.

I believe that books in an omnibus that can stand alone and are episodic can be counted as separate books. But still, it's all about personal opinions.

[sakura-panda]

Last year was a poor reading year for me; I went from over 100 books completed in 2018 to just over a dozen in 2019. I'm hoping to get back into reading again and at this point, I'm hoping to at least double my tally.

[Wearever]

I did well in my reading goal of 52 books I'm presently at 60 read. For my Sci Fi challenge I wanted to challenge myself to one Sci fi book each month, I read 11 so far this year. It was also for some reason one the hardest challenges I've done. Not that I don't enjoy Sci fi books I do, I just don't read as many as I do other genres. The challenge is to try to read more of them in a year. I even started watching the Expanse series on Prime. I just started 2001 Space Odyssey as a reread. There was something about a possible monolith being found on an asteroid or a moon in real life, at least it looked like one. They speculate it's as big as the Empire State building from the shadow it cast. Well that was it for me ! Now I'm probably going to read 2010 Space Odyssey next. I guess they were off by a decade, not bad. This was the catalyst to get me to read more Sci Fi ! If it's a real monolith or not.

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by Polarpenguin

To read & Enjoy!

This, exactly and precisely this, no more and no less.

I achieved my GR Reading Challenge of 104 for the year, and am now thinking that with all the books I have started and those still waiting, that Amazon data gathering portal is of no more use to me, so I'm likely to delete my account and simply read what I want to read, when I want to read it. If I get desperate enough, I may even read a book whose letters are etched onto the corpses of slain trees.