The 2015 Annual Reading Challenge Discussion Thread - Page 30

issybird · 10-23-2015, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bfisher

Congratulations on meeting your overall goal. I understand your problem with the sub-challenges. I probably will not meet most of mine - but it was good to have the goals to help focus my reading this year.

Exactly! It gives more depth to my reading and I like ending the year feeling as if I've acquired a body, or bodies, of knowledge. A year isn't enough to acquire a command of a topic, but I'd least I can be on nodding terms with it.

Hampshire Nanny · 10-24-2015, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by issybird

I hit my overall goal of 120 books this year by finishing up the audiobook* of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire today. However, my overall goal is really just a benchmark figure and the meat of my challenges is in my sub-goals, none of which is completed and a couple of which I'm behind the pace (although not so laggard that I can't catch up).

I'm in the opposite situation. My subgoals are in pretty good shape, but I keep falling behind on the total. I've completed 157 books, with a likelihood of ending October at 162. That leaves me with 19 books per month to meet my goal. I seem to have slowed down, finishing fewer books each week. I'm not going to fiddle the numbers by seeking out short reads, though the temptation is there. I'm hoping that the fall holidays will give me the extra time to spend reading and I can slip into 2016 barely completing my goal of 200 books.

CRussel · 10-28-2015, 03:27 PM

I didn't really set a target for how much I was going to spend on books this year, but I did set a target to track it, allowing me to at least know how much my habit is costing me, and allow me to set some sort of reasonable goals for next year.

I've actually done quite well at keeping track, and the monthly tab is not as bad as I'd feared. (OTOH, it doesn't include KU or Audible membership, which I track differently.) I'm running just under $42/mo USD. Which, while higher than I'd like, is better than it was even a couple of years ago. Assuming I keep to this figure for the rest of the year, I should be in a position to set a reasonable goal for next year.

GeoffR · 10-28-2015, 09:30 PM

I abandoned a book, my first in years. Not because it was a bad story, just that in addition to the usual OCR errors there were whole words missing from the text. Hopefully the publisher will fix it and I'll be able to pick it up again at a later date. Edit: The book has been corrected already, thank you Gateway SF!

My challenge of reading one third outside of the SF/fantasy genres is turning out to be quite easy, because I have started to develop a taste for Nordic crime, and am enjoying reading some older thrillers too -- especially Arthur Hailey's books.

Dazrin · 10-29-2015, 12:29 AM

I didn't realize it until now but yesterday I finished my page goal for the year. I won't be officially done until I complete one of my current books (1Q84 or The Eiger Sanction) but I have finished enough pages.

Dngrsone · 10-29-2015, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CRussel

I didn't really set a target for how much I was going to spend on books this year, but I did set a target to track it, allowing me to at least know how much my habit is costing me, and allow me to set some sort of reasonable goals for next year.

I've actually done quite well at keeping track, and the monthly tab is not as bad as I'd feared. (OTOH, it doesn't include KU or Audible membership, which I track differently.) I'm running just under $42/mo USD. Which, while higher than I'd like, is better than it was even a couple of years ago. Assuming I keep to this figure for the rest of the year, I should be in a position to set a reasonable goal for next year.

I haven't kept track, and I am not sure I want to know how much I am spending on books... but I probably should do that this next year.

pdurrant · 10-29-2015, 11:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dngrsone

I haven't kept track, and I am not sure I want to know how much I am spending on books... but I probably should do that this next year.

It's worth doing. And if you keep emails, you can do it retrospectively too. I have the price of every ebook I've bought in calibre.

Well, end of October. With two months left, I am a tiny bit over my budget, but I expect to be under budget through November and December.

The main thing I've failed to do so far this year is reduce my TBR. But I do still have two months. Perhaps I'll manage to break even for the year.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

My challenge for the next three months: Buy no more than 10 'discretionary' books !]

Hmm... that challenge didn't last long. Twelve bought in just October!

sakura-panda · 10-29-2015, 11:27 AM

I am now 8 books "behind" (down from 9), but I decided to give up on one of the books I have been "reading". I seemed to do anything but read that book for the past few months; while I've been reading other books elsewhere, at home I was playing games on my phone instead of reading (with the uninspiring book on the table next to me. LOL)

Now that I have changed the book on that particular ebook reader, I hope to pick up the pace (going from no reading to some reading) and maybe not fall any farther "behind".

(Behind being relative to my past highest book count. Although I am literally behind when I consider the reading opportunities I have missed due to unconsciously avoiding a particular book. I read three other Charlotte Bronte books but just have not been able to get into Shirley.)

I'll consider my challenge for this year met if I manage to end the year with at least 86 books read (8 less than my benchmark of 94 from 2012. I read 87 books last year.)

pdurrant · 10-29-2015, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sakura-panda

I seemed to do anything but read that book for the past few months

That sometimes happens to me. I take it as a sign that I should abandon the book.

CRussel · 10-29-2015, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

That sometimes happens to me. I take it as a sign that I should abandon the book.

Agreed. And I decided, for me at least, to count it towards my goal of "read books". Given that I inevitably have spent more time not reading than I would have spent reading it if it had been any good.

CharredScribe · 10-29-2015, 03:31 PM

Reached my 2015 goal yesterday: finished my 60th book

Completed my sub-goal in September (read 5 non-fiction books - I have read 8 thus far).

This has been a slow reading month. Only two completed books (although I will finish my 3rd this evening), but I have worked unusually long hours. Also, I read a rather long book this month: The Granta Book of the African Short Story edited by Helon Habila, which includes 29 short stories and also a lengthy but interesting introduction.

My guess is that I will finish between 65 and 70 books this year. I've had a good reading year. I've enjoyed almost everything I read.

issybird · 10-29-2015, 04:31 PM

My important reading goals for next year will remain what I read and how much I read, and not how much I spend or how many books I buy. I figure ebooks are a cheap indulgence and they don't take food off the table and ebooks take no space. However....

Quote:

Originally Posted by CRussel

I didn't really set a target for how much I was going to spend on books this year, but I did set a target to track it, allowing me to at least know how much my habit is costing me, and allow me to set some sort of reasonable goals for next year.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

The main thing I've failed to do so far this year is reduce my TBR. But I do still have two months. Perhaps I'll manage to break even for the year.

I am going to have some subsidiary aims related to spending and accumulating. As far as spending goes, I did start off this year keeping track, but lost heart when my book buying resolve was blown by a 90% Kobo promotion. I'm going to keep it up next year. It's easy to say that it's not taking food off the table, but that's an assertion that should be backed up with data.

And, while I've had goals regarding a reduction in gross books, that's meaningless unless it's a reduction in net. This goes for pbooks, too. Next year I'm going to start offsetting books read with books bought, and aim for breakeven on ebooks (baby steps) and a real reduction in pbooks. I wouldn't want a house without books, but I'd like a house with fewer books.

So long as book prices stay high and promotions are few, it should be clear sailing!

Catlady · 10-29-2015, 05:38 PM

I dutifully keep track of what I spend on books, but I never look at the annual totals anymore; I did so one year and it was an eye-popping amount. So now, as long as I am able to afford normal living expenses, it is better not to know.

CRussel · 10-29-2015, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by issybird

As far as spending goes, I did start off this year keeping track, but lost heart when my book buying resolve was blown by a 90% Kobo promotion. I'm going to keep it up next year. It's easy to say that it's not taking food off the table, but that's an assertion that should be backed up with data.

So long as book prices stay high and promotions are few, it should be clear sailing!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Catlady

I dutifully keep track of what I spend on books, but I never look at the annual totals anymore; I did so one year and it was an eye-popping amount. So now, as long as I am able to afford normal living expenses, it is better not to know.

Keeping track for me is a gentle way to keep me from too much binge buying. Of course, another 90% coupon can blow that out of the water. But if I at least keep track, I'm more aware of not getting too carried away with books that are near my "gag level" in price. But also it helps me not just buy a book simply because it's cheap. 5 books at $1.99 is exactly the same as a single book at $9.95. Yes, those $1.99 books are cheap, but if I'm not going to read them, then they stop being so cheap.

Hampshire Nanny · 10-30-2015, 03:56 PM

I'm coming up on the end of two years with a self-imposed book buying ban. That means I only buy books using gift card money and I keep an active wishlist at Amazon for friends and family who want to send a gift book. I also have not cancelled my Audible subscription, but I will be doing so at the end of the year. More and more I'm using the library instead of buying audio books. When I bought books on CD, I would donate them to the library after I had listened. With the Audible books, I'm just stuck with them and I probably would *never* listen to one a second time.

For Christmas, I'm asking for a Kindle Unlimited subscription. Although I'm finding **PLENTY** of books to read in the library, there are lots of Kindle books that just don't get picked up by the library and some of these are very appealing to me. I figure that if I read 2 or more KU books each month, then I've used the $9.99 very wisely. I'm also going to remove the buying ban when it comes to Baen books. I've missed being able to take advantage of the monthly bundles. I probably won't get every one, but I'll pick up the ones which contain books by my favorite authors.

10-28-2015, 09:30 PM	#439
GeoffR Wizard Posts: 3,821 Karma: 19162882 Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Te Riu-a-Māui Device: Kobo Glo	I abandoned a book, my first in years. Not because it was a bad story, just that in addition to the usual OCR errors there were whole words missing from the text. Hopefully the publisher will fix it and I'll be able to pick it up again at a later date. Edit: The book has been corrected already, thank you Gateway SF! My challenge of reading one third outside of the SF/fantasy genres is turning out to be quite easy, because I have started to develop a taste for Nordic crime, and am enjoying reading some older thrillers too -- especially Arthur Hailey's books. Last edited by GeoffR; 10-30-2015 at 09:09 PM. Reason: ... book has been corrected already ...

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
The 2015 Annual Reading Challenge List Thread	Nyssa	Reading Recommendations	68	02-26-2015 08:13 PM
The 2014 Annual Reading Challenge Discussion Thread!	Nyssa	Reading Recommendations	943	01-26-2015 08:05 AM
The 2013 Annual Reading Challenge - Discussion Thread!	Nyssa	Reading Recommendations	618	01-01-2014 08:03 PM
The 2012 Annual Reading Challenge - Discussion Thread!	Nyssa	Reading Recommendations	779	01-03-2013 08:40 PM
The 2012 Annual Reading Challenge – List Thread!	Nyssa	Reading Recommendations	79	09-25-2012 09:52 PM

10-28-2015, 03:27 PM	#438
CRussel (he/him/his) Posts: 12,296 Karma: 80074820 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Sunshine Coast, BC Device: Oasis (Gen3),Paperwhite (Gen10), Voyage, Paperwhite(orig), iPad Air M3	I didn't really set a target for how much I was going to spend on books this year, but I did set a target to track it, allowing me to at least know how much my habit is costing me, and allow me to set some sort of reasonable goals for next year. I've actually done quite well at keeping track, and the monthly tab is not as bad as I'd feared. (OTOH, it doesn't include KU or Audible membership, which I track differently.) I'm running just under $42/mo USD. Which, while higher than I'd like, is better than it was even a couple of years ago. Assuming I keep to this figure for the rest of the year, I should be in a position to set a reasonable goal for next year.

10-29-2015, 12:29 AM	#440
Dazrin Wizard Posts: 2,730 Karma: 75825105 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: PDXish Device: Kindle Voyage, various Android devices	I didn't realize it until now but yesterday I finished my page goal for the year. I won't be officially done until I complete one of my current books (1Q84 or The Eiger Sanction) but I have finished enough pages.

10-29-2015, 11:27 AM	#443
sakura-panda Guru Posts: 935 Karma: 9558874 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Southeast Michigan, USA Device: Kindle Oasis; 11" iPad Pro (Books, Kindle, Kobo, MapleRead SE)	I am now 8 books "behind" (down from 9), but I decided to give up on one of the books I have been "reading". I seemed to do anything but read that book for the past few months; while I've been reading other books elsewhere, at home I was playing games on my phone instead of reading (with the uninspiring book on the table next to me. LOL) Now that I have changed the book on that particular ebook reader, I hope to pick up the pace (going from no reading to some reading) and maybe not fall any farther "behind". (Behind being relative to my past highest book count. Although I am literally behind when I consider the reading opportunities I have missed due to unconsciously avoiding a particular book. I read three other Charlotte Bronte books but just have not been able to get into Shirley.) I'll consider my challenge for this year met if I manage to end the year with at least 86 books read (8 less than my benchmark of 94 from 2012. I read 87 books last year.)

10-29-2015, 03:31 PM	#446
CharredScribe Addict Posts: 266 Karma: 959704 Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: South Africa Device: Kobo Aura HD, Aura ONE	Reached my 2015 goal yesterday: finished my 60th book Completed my sub-goal in September (read 5 non-fiction books - I have read 8 thus far). This has been a slow reading month. Only two completed books (although I will finish my 3rd this evening), but I have worked unusually long hours. Also, I read a rather long book this month: The Granta Book of the African Short Story edited by Helon Habila, which includes 29 short stories and also a lengthy but interesting introduction. My guess is that I will finish between 65 and 70 books this year. I've had a good reading year. I've enjoyed almost everything I read.

10-29-2015, 05:38 PM	#448
Catlady Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,419 Karma: 52613881 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: Kindle Fire, Kindle Paperwhite, AGPTek Bluetooth Clip	I dutifully keep track of what I spend on books, but I never look at the annual totals anymore; I did so one year and it was an eye-popping amount. So now, as long as I am able to afford normal living expenses, it is better not to know.

10-30-2015, 03:56 PM	#450
Hampshire Nanny Guru Posts: 615 Karma: 8064562 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: Sony PRS-505, Kindle 3 KB, iPad2	I'm coming up on the end of two years with a self-imposed book buying ban. That means I only buy books using gift card money and I keep an active wishlist at Amazon for friends and family who want to send a gift book. I also have not cancelled my Audible subscription, but I will be doing so at the end of the year. More and more I'm using the library instead of buying audio books. When I bought books on CD, I would donate them to the library after I had listened. With the Audible books, I'm just stuck with them and I probably would never listen to one a second time. For Christmas, I'm asking for a Kindle Unlimited subscription. Although I'm finding PLENTY of books to read in the library, there are lots of Kindle books that just don't get picked up by the library and some of these are very appealing to me. I figure that if I read 2 or more KU books each month, then I've used the $9.99 very wisely. I'm also going to remove the buying ban when it comes to Baen books. I've missed being able to take advantage of the monthly bundles. I probably won't get every one, but I'll pick up the ones which contain books by my favorite authors.

Advert

Advert