The 2020 Annual Reading Challenge Discussion Thread

[PurpleStar]

18 books so far. I will make my 20 book goal.

[Tarana]

Originally Posted by xversion1

Amazing! I saw people's list in the listing thread. How is it possible to read more than 100 books per year. Is it natural or you apply some tricks to read fast?

I'm retired and mostly listening to audiobooks while doing needlework. I watch very little TV and rarely more than an hour a day online. Still, some years it's difficult to hit 100. When I was working, I read 2-3 books a month. My Mom was a very fast reader and could read a doorstop in 5 days or less.

The best 'trick' to increase reading is to be able to read a book during found time. I used to read on my Itouch while in line at the post office, at the doc's office, at the car place getting muffler replaced, any place where I had a few minutes. You can add 1-2 books a month that way. This works better though if you are a multiple book reader - in other words, can read a fantasy and scifi at the same time. I'd have the scifi on my Itouch and fantasy on the ereader. Also works if you can sync between phone app and ereader.

[HLS]

My Goal for 2020 was 40. I am on book 51. So I am slowing down a little. I do have audio companions for my long ebooks which helps with the goals

[Uncle Robin]

I didn't have a goal until joining the StoryGraph in mid-September after learning about it here. Since then, I've read 74 books and have just passed the 91 book goal I set there.

[jbcohen]

Originally Posted by PurpleStar

18 books so far. I will make my 20 book goal.

Good work!!! Another one gets within striking distance of his/her goals.

Personally I set my 2020 goals at 95 books and I have blown past that, I am at one hundred twenty books read. I am within striking distance of my all time finishing point of one hundred twenty three books read, let's see if I can break that barrier.

[Tarana]

November wrap up

3,000 pages per month : Met again this month!
Ebooks - TBR Reduced by 10; Current: +142 FAILED - no way I can make this goal.
Audiobooks - TBR Reduced by 10; Current: -8 Getting close!
Magazines - TBR Reduced by 10; Current: -2 No change from last month

Standalone Short stories and Novellas: 96 read! Goal is 100.

I've completed 5 series which varied from 3 books to 55 books (obviously, some of the longer ones weren't all read this year). 2 more series are very close but no guarantee will be completed in December.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

I firmly expect to do better this month. I was lead astray by an Amazon special offer. And that offer does mean I now have £5 to spend on ebooks by the 11th...

...but I shall endeavour to be restrained for the rest of the month.

I'm hoping to end the year with under 900 books on my TBR pile.

[EDIT]
With one more book finished and 11 other books discarded this morning, that now seems very achievable. I should probably aim for under 890.

I was led astray by another Amazon offer, and I now have £3 to spend on ebooks by 26th December...

My TBR is currently at 896, after adding another 7 bought books and two freebies. But I did read 15, since there's weren't any door-stops in this month's selection.

[jbcohen]

Getting close to that all time high of 123 books read in one year, I am at 122 books for 2020. 2019 was a rather disappointing year where I managed to complete only 95 books that year, it seems that, 2019 was an aberration rather than a harbinger of things to come.

[astrangerhere]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

I was led astray by another Amazon offer, and I now have £3 to spend on ebooks by 26th December...

My TBR is currently at 896, after adding another 7 bought books and two freebies. But I did read 15, since there's weren't any door-stops in this month's selection.

You have it but do you HAVE to spend it, when it is likely going to lead to a purchase of more than £3?

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by astrangerhere

You have it but do you HAVE to spend it, when it is likely going to lead to a purchase of more than £3?

£0.99 has already gone. I expect the rest to go on two £0.99 deals before the time runs out.

It's astonishingly rare that I spend more than £3 on a book. Out of the 3961 bought books in my calibre library, only 427 have cost than £3, and only 73 have cost more than £5.

One of the advantages of a large TBR pile is that I can wait for the books on my wish list to go on special offer. (I have 570 books on my list at ereaderiq.com!)

[astrangerhere]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

£0.99 has already gone. I expect the rest to go on two £0.99 deals before the time runs out.

It's astonishingly rare that I spend more than £3 on a book. Out of the 3961 bought books in my calibre library, only 427 have cost than £3, and only 73 have cost more than £5.

One of the advantages of a large TBR pile is that I can wait for the books on my wish list to go on special offer. (I have 570 books on my list at ereaderiq.com!)

Just trying to keep you honest in the spirit of the Ebook Addicts thread

[astrangerhere]

First time I've had a moment to pull data from my spreadsheet...

Through the end of November 2020:

Goals:

Length Goals:
Total Books: 50 (stretch goal of 75) | Total Pages: 25,000 | ETBR Reduction: 25 | PTBR Reduction: 10
Substantive Goals:
Read at least 51% non-American authors | Read more female/nonbinary authors than male | Read at least 52 short stories | Read at least 10 of the New Leaf Book Club/Literary Book Club selections

Cumulative 2020 Totals:

105 books - 210% of my goal (140% of stretch) - GOAL MET / STRETCH GOAL MET
43 short stories - 82% of my goal - On Target
31201 pages - 124% of my goal - GOAL MET
60% female/nonbinary authors / 40% male authors - On Target
32% US authors / 68% non-US authors - On Target
ETBR Reduction: Reduced by 35 - 140% of my goal - GOAL MET
PTBR Reduction: Reduced by stopped couting - ABANDONED - my wife has been buying a few books a week from our local independent bookstore to support them while they are closed due to Covid-19. She plans to keep this up until they are able to re-open, so my print TBR goal may just be shot for the year. Still, worthy cause.

Overall TBR Reduction 45 - reduction of Ebook TBR and Audiobook TBR. I have removed paper books from the calculation for the reasons above.

[Paperbackstash]

I need to go over my November stats, then my overall year stats since some of those will not get progress this month, then at the end of the month/beginning of January the yearly stats. I did well, but not reading as much as usual. Still as always a fun reading year.

[PurpleStar]

Finished my 20th book. Hurray for me.

[Luffy]

Originally Posted by PurpleStar

Finished my 20th book. Hurray for me.

Praise him with great praise!