The 2015 Annual Reading Challenge Discussion Thread

[BelleZora]

Originally Posted by missimpossible

Thanks I think I'll be popping in there quite often this year!

Wonderful! You will find many similarly challenged souls there. It is impossible to explain the lure of ebook collecting to non-MR members, so it was good to find my people.

[Nyssa]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Do remember that you can get encouragement and advice over in the Ebook Buying Addicts' Support Thread.

You may have a new member!

Now that Amazon has partnered with GoodReads we've been able to add our Amazon acquisitions directly on our GR shelves. I stopped when my TBR reach about 800 and I wasn't done adding.

While those are a combination of my purchases, my husband's purchases and a ridiculous number of freebies (many of which I've forgotten), that's still way too many unread books!

While I'm not ready to change any of my goals for this year, I will definitely have to to some sort of TBR Decimation challenge next year!

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by Nyssa

You may have a new member!

Now that Amazon has partnered with GoodReads we've been able to add our Amazon acquisitions directly on our GR shelves. I stopped when my TBR reach about 800 and I wasn't done adding.

While those are a combination of my purchases, my husband's purchases and a ridiculous number of freebies (many of which I've forgotten), that's still way too many unread books!

While I'm not ready to change any of my goals for this year, I will definitely have to to some sort of TBR Decimation challenge next year!

I keep my TBR in by calibre database, with the use of a custom column, 'Read'. Yes for one's I've read, No for books on my TBR, and indeterminate on freebies that I don't really want to read in the near future, but that I have 'just in case'.

755 Unread as of today. Up 5 on the start of the year. (Several subscriptions came in on the first of the month.)

[Nyssa]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

I keep my TBR in by calibre database, with the use of a custom column, 'Read'. Yes for one's I've read, No for books on my TBR, and indeterminate on freebies that I don't really want to read in the near future, but that I have 'just in case'.

755 Unread as of today. Up 5 on the start of the year. (Several subscriptions came in on the first of the month.)

I do the same, but haven't entered all of my husband's books now that we have Family Sharing through Amazon. I'm not sure how many I had on my own, because my childrens' ebooks are on there as well and I never bothered to sort them. My daughter's Warrior Cat series and subseries collection alone is huge.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

I keep my TBR in by calibre database, with the use of a custom column, 'Read'. Yes for one's I've read, No for books on my TBR, and indeterminate on freebies that I don't really want to read in the near future, but that I have 'just in case'.

I have a read column also, and then I rank my unread books by appeal. I have four main ratings, plus another category for books in a series where the next book gets bumped up once I read the preceding one. The unread list had got far too unwieldy, with too much to troll through when looking for my next reads. Now I pretty much let the bottom feeders alone, so to speak. A salutary lesson there, as I did buy them once upon a time.

I got over freebies pretty early on, as they just added to the eclutter and I knew I'd never want to read them. A freebie that I'd actually pay money for goes into the main collection.

[Dngrsone]

I have to budget myself hard, so the freebies get read first, and if I like the first of a series, I may buy more, but I try to stick to the under $2 titles.

[Dazrin]

Originally Posted by Dngrsone

I have to budget myself hard, so the freebies get read first, and if I like the first of a series, I may buy more, but I try to stick to the under $2 titles.

Your profile doesn't say where you are at, but you should check into e-books from your library or else check into one of the open libraries for some books. I got 38 of 80 books last year from my library which has a pretty good selection.

Even if your library doesn't have the option (or very limited) I believe there are some online libraries that are either free or very inexpensive to get a membership for (Free Library of Philadelphia?).

[Dngrsone]

Hm; I suppose I should update... on a different phone and all.

Dngrswife borrowed a book on my library card and then lost it in the house somewhere; so I am persona non grata there until she either finds it or pays off a hefty fine.

Not sure if they loan ebooks; I'll have to look into that, though. Could donate a few hard copies while I am at it.

[Red Falcon]

I just finished The Island of Dr. Moreau and have started The Oracle of Stamboul. The H.G. Wells knocks one classic off my read 5 classics goal and Stamboul was one of the first ebooks I got in 2012 so that will be another one book off my goal of reading the rest of my 2012 books.

[missimpossible]

Finished my first book of the year! Pity it was the lacklustre Unseen Academicals but hey ho, on to the next one. Got Emma lined up as my first e-book of the year, and I'll be starting Titus Groan for Bout of Books on Monday, which is also the first book on my TBR Pile challenge. I've not bought any ebooks yet; although I was coveting a few of yesterday's Kindle Daily Deals I held firm. Not a bad wee start to the year!

[Dngrsone]

Oh, talk about temptation; I got io9's list of best scifi/fan books of 2014, and I'd read only one of them...

Common sense prevailed: I am not going to pay eight dollars for an e-book of I can help it.

[HomeInMyShoes]

Originally Posted by issybird

I have a read column also, and then I rank my unread books by appeal. I have four main ratings, plus another category for books in a series where the next book gets bumped up once I read the preceding one. The unread list had got far too unwieldy, with too much to troll through when looking for my next reads. Now I pretty much let the bottom feeders alone, so to speak. A salutary lesson there, as I did buy them once upon a time.

I got over freebies pretty early on, as they just added to the eclutter and I knew I'd never want to read them. A freebie that I'd actually pay money for goes into the main collection.

I have a probability (appeal) column as well in my lists. Every now and then I trawl through the appeal column and make adjustments including dropping titles entirely.

[HomeInMyShoes]

On to the important stuff. A good start to my reading this year with a lot of late nights by the fireplace enjoying the turning of pages.

7p Sanaaq by Mitiarjuk Nappaaluk
6p Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck
7p The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester
6e The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett

[issybird]

I'm already behind the pace for my goals, but my last holiday company is leaving today and I can start to catch up, I hope. It's tempting to read a couple of quickies just to get up to speed, but I've told myself I need to finish the books I'm reading, first. I've also got to try to stay on top of my category challenges on a monthly basis, because experience tells me that once I fall behind on them I may never catch up, so I may have to eschew the quickies for a bit. Psychologically, though, I hate seeing that "behind" reminder on my Goodreads ticker. Five days into the new year, and already I'm feeling beleaguered!

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by issybird

Psychologically, though, I hate seeing that "behind" reminder on my Goodreads ticker. Five days into the new year, and already I'm feeling beleaguered!

Oh dear. No, pay it no mind! Reading Challenges should be fun, not a worry!