The 2026 Annual Reading Challenge Discussion Thread

[astrangerhere]

Originally Posted by astrangerhere

March Thoughts - I have been inhabiting the massive Complete Illustrated Earthsea volume for most of the month. All of my other reads are happening side-by-side with that one. With one other 800+ page book on the go, March was a slower month, but only in terms of total books, not pages.

I'm posting a day early because I won't finish another book before Wednesday.

Cumulative Totals Through End of March:

• Total Books: 30 - 60% of goal, 40% of stretch goal - ON TARGET
• Total Pages: 8689 - 34 % of goal - ON TARGET
• Gender Goal: 55 % Female, 0 % Nonbindary, 45% Male - ON TARGET
• Country of Origin Goal: 54% USA, 46% out of US - slightly OFF TARGET
• Read from Print TBR: 19 - 95% of goal - ON TARGET
• Short Stories: 10 - 20% of goal - slightly OFF TARGET but should be caught up by end of April.
• Poems 18 - 34% of goal - ON TARGET
• Books Recommended by my wife: 13 - 108% of goal GOAL MET, adding a new stretch of 24

April Thoughts:
Finally finished all of Earthsea and the attendant front and back matter in the Complete Illustrated Edition! I finished 12 books in April, which is my second highest month of the year. All of them, save Earthsea were on the shorter side an I only had 3200 pages. Either way, my wife's increased reading time has enabled me to read more overall this year and I'm loving it.

• Total Books: 41 - 82% of goal, 54% of stretch goal - ON TARGET
• Total Pages: 13,536 - 54 % of goal - ON TARGET
• Gender Goal: 58 % Female, 0 % Nonbindary, 42% Male - ON TARGET
• Country of Origin Goal: 50% USA, 50% out of US - ON TARGET
• Read from Print TBR: 26 - 130% of goal - GOAL MET, adding a new stretch of 40
• Short Stories: 17 - 32% of goal - B]ON TARGET[/B]
• Poems 21 - 40% of goal - ON TARGET
• Books Recommended by my wife: 15 - 150% of goal GOAL MET, 62% of new stretch goal (of 24)

(posting a day early because I'll be away from my computer tomorrow and will not finish another title today)

[Tarana]

April went better. Much reading and listening went on. Bought no audiobooks and only 2 ebooks. Need to work on some magazines this month as that grouping has been static for way too long.

60 books: 26
20,000 pages: 7,380
4 books over 600 pages: 0

TBR Down 10 for each category:
Ebooks: 10
Audiobooks: -16
Magazines: 0

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

I'm a bit late with my March update.

Bought: 8. Freebies: 4. Total added to TBR: 12
Read: 17

So a net decrease of 5 on the TBR.

April wasn't so good.

Bought: 26. Freebies: 1. Total added to TBR: 27
Read: 23

So a net increase of 2.

But May is better, and I don't think I'll but of finish any books before the end of tomorrow.

Bought: 15, but 5 were reference and not added to TBR. Freebies: 0. Total added to TBR: 10
Read: 15

A net reduction of 5.

My TBR currently standard at 717, a net decrease of 9 on the start of the year.

Slow, and not steady. Let's see how June goes.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

April wasn't so good.

Bought: 26. Freebies: 1. Total added to TBR: 27
Read: 23

So a net increase of 2.

Help me here. I've struggled with this and I can't figure it out.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by issybird

Help me here. I've struggled with this and I can't figure it out.

I suspect I made a mistake. Let me check...

... yes, apparently I can't take 23 from 27 and get the right answer.

a net increase of 4 in April...

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

It's nearly the end of January [...]
So a net reduction of 4.

Originally Posted by pdurrant

[...] in February, [...] a net increase of one.

Originally Posted by pdurrant

[...]March update [...] a net decrease of 5

Originally Posted by pdurrant

a net increase of 4 in April...

Originally Posted by pdurrant

May is better [...] A net reduction of 5.

My TBR currently standard at 717, a net decrease of 9 on the start of the year.

At I got the yearly summary right: -4 + 1 -5 +4 -5 = -9

[Tarana]

I've acquired 21 ebooks and 1 audiobook so far this year. Currently, I am only 6 up on the ebooks and down 21 audiobooks. So TBR for both is down 15. So real progress this year! I have one more book in the Sandhamn series to finish and then will focus on magazines for awhile. Well ahead on pages read but not sure I'll get anywhere with long books this year.

2026 Goals

60 books: 36
20,000 pages: 11,329
4 books over 600 pages: 0

TBR Down 10 for each category:
Ebooks: 6
Audiobooks: -21
Magazines: 0