The 2012 Annual Reading Challenge - Discussion Thread! - Page 32

HomeInMyShoes · 05-09-2012, 09:19 AM

Definitely worthwhile. I chose my challenges to get me to get a better variety in my reading. It made me finally read some more John Steinbeck. Cannery Row (40s) is probably the best book I've read in a few years. Richard Matheson's I am Legend (50s) is brilliant and I finally read some John Updike (60s).

Only three letters left and I'm done my challenges. I'm currently reading Y, another D, another P and another R. I'm not really looking forward to my W selection, but it's one of those I should read something by this author choices.

-- A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z --
-- 19-C 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 --

Nyssa · 05-09-2012, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HomeInMyShoes

Book number 31 complete and I completed one of my two main challenges for this year. I've now read a book from every decade since 1900 and a 19th Century selection.

Quote:

Originally Posted by HomeInMyShoes

Definitely worthwhile. I chose my challenges to get me to get a better variety in my reading. It made me finally read some more John Steinbeck. Cannery Row (40s) is probably the best book I've read in a few years. Richard Matheson's I am Legend (50s) is brilliant and I finally read some John Updike (60s).

Only three letters left and I'm done my challenges. I'm currently reading Y, another D, another P and another R. I'm not really looking forward to my W selection, but it's one of those I should read something by this author choices.

Excellent work, so far, HiMS!

Nyssa · 05-13-2012, 07:34 PM

Finished my 20th book of the year, yesterday, with On Basilisk Station by David Weber. As I've mentioned elsewhere, I've read this book (and most of the main books in series) before, but this is the first time I've included the anthologies and sub-series. Having some of the background info helped to enhance my reading this time around.

Challenge wise, I'm very much behind at the moment, but I think I can catch up, especially over the summer. The anthologies span almost the entire series, so I'll be finishing 3 or 4 of them one right after the other, making it look like I've read multiple books at once.

jbcohen · 05-14-2012, 07:24 AM

You may be behind on your challenge nyssa however if you count the number of pages that you have read are you still behind your goal? I am way out front in my goals if I count the pages read, but way behind if I count the number of books.

Nyssa · 05-14-2012, 07:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbcohen

You may be behind on your challenge nyssa however if you count the number of pages that you have read are you still behind your goal? I am way out front in my goals if I count the pages read, but way behind if I count the number of books.

Its a little better but not much. My pages read goal is 21,250 pgs, and I've read 6,950 pgs, so about 33% give or take.

Where as my 20 books out 85 books is about 24%.

Yapyap · 05-14-2012, 08:34 AM

I'm still well ahead of my goal of 120 books (which was originally 100 but I extended it after realising I'd read far too many in January alone), having read 74 already this year. I really shouldn't have trouble meeting that goal!

jbcohen · 05-21-2012, 07:44 AM

According to the prew research foundation, a company that are quite well respected for their ability to compile research information, has said that the average reading challenge is 24 books per year (http://pewresearch.org/pubs/2236/ebo...blets-ereaders) thus all of us that have 2012 challenges of more than that number can count ourselves as voracious readers. Personally I am a little over that number right now and plan to go further into voracious reading territory.

HomeInMyShoes · 05-23-2012, 06:35 AM

^My thirst for words is insatiable!!!

32 consumed so far.

DrNefario · 05-23-2012, 08:12 AM

32 words? That doesn't seem a lot.

HomeInMyShoes · 05-23-2012, 12:10 PM

^Haha. Should have been books. Of course, there's nothing saying there is or isn't a relation to the noun in the first sentence.

jbcohen · 05-24-2012, 08:01 AM

I have been reading sci-fi books for a while now, which I am not going to abandon as yet, however I am thinking of picking up a political thriller. However, with my strict price limit of $6 that narrows the field. Since I preferr to pay less rather than more with the ultimate price being $0 I am on the lookout for great authors that are willing to charge that goose egg. One of the reasons that I like amazon is there willingness to publish low cost, $6 and under, and free books. I am looking at The Second Amendment by John Mathews in the kindle store. There seems to be a lot of great books free in the amazon store.

ATDrake · 05-24-2012, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbcohen

Since I preferr to pay less rather than more with the ultimate price being $0 I am on the lookout for great authors that are willing to charge that goose egg. One of the reasons that I like amazon is there willingness to publish low cost, $6 and under, and free books. I am looking at The Second Amendment by John Mathews in the kindle store.

You can get the first half of that as an extended free sample over at Smashwords, where the author has split it into two parts. Alternatively, you can wait for his other backlist novels to repeat on KDP Select and see if you like his writing that way before shelling out for the new one.

Also, you may find selections you like in the e-Reads catalogue, which is almost all backlist reprints by established midlist & higher tier authors with decent reputations (excepting romance writer Janet Dailey who was sued for plagiarism by Nora Roberts), and couponable via Fictionwise, which can work out to ~$3-5 with a good weekend discount offer.

HomeInMyShoes · 05-29-2012, 09:24 AM

Someone better resurrect this thread. I finished my Q selection so I've only got one more letter to go now. W. I might finish my two challenges before the halfway mark in the year. I do still have six books left on my 'required' list. I'm not sure I will get through all of those, but we'll see. I've been super diligent on keeping to the original list I assigned myself.

jbcohen · 05-29-2012, 11:03 AM

Q selection and W?

DrNefario · 05-29-2012, 12:23 PM

For a bit of fun, I tried plugging my year's books into a spreadsheet for the decades and letters, to see how I was doing. On the years, not bad at all. I'm missing the 1900s, 1930s, 1980s and 1990s. The latter two will undoubtedly happen naturally - I'm in the middle of an 80s book already - but the 1900s and 1930s might need a bit more work.

The letters of the alphabet is a bit more problematic, though. I'm still missing more than half of the alphabet, and there just isn't enough choice for some letters. Particularly X and Q. (I'm actually okay with Z - I have a Roger Zelazny in my in-tray, and might already have read a short by Timothy Zahn.) I doubt I will specifically pursue either target, but I am considering publishing my own book under a pen-name beginning wih X.

05-09-2012, 09:19 AM	#466
HomeInMyShoes Grand Sorcerer Posts: 19,226 Karma: 67780237 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: none	Definitely worthwhile. I chose my challenges to get me to get a better variety in my reading. It made me finally read some more John Steinbeck. Cannery Row (40s) is probably the best book I've read in a few years. Richard Matheson's I am Legend (50s) is brilliant and I finally read some John Updike (60s). Only three letters left and I'm done my challenges. I'm currently reading Y, another D, another P and another R. I'm not really looking forward to my W selection, but it's one of those I should read something by this author choices. -- A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z -- -- 19-C 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 -- Last edited by HomeInMyShoes; 05-09-2012 at 09:24 AM.

05-24-2012, 08:01 AM	#476
jbcohen Wizard Posts: 3,025 Karma: 11196738 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Piper College Device: Samsung A21	I have been reading sci-fi books for a while now, which I am not going to abandon as yet, however I am thinking of picking up a political thriller. However, with my strict price limit of $6 that narrows the field. Since I preferr to pay less rather than more with the ultimate price being $0 I am on the lookout for great authors that are willing to charge that goose egg. One of the reasons that I like amazon is there willingness to publish low cost, $6 and under, and free books. I am looking at The Second Amendment by John Mathews in the kindle store. There seems to be a lot of great books free in the amazon store. Last edited by jbcohen; 05-24-2012 at 01:54 PM.

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05-13-2012, 07:34 PM	#468
Nyssa Series Addict Posts: 6,180 Karma: 167189477 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Florida, USA Device: Kindle Paperwhite (2nd Gen)	Finished my 20th book of the year, yesterday, with On Basilisk Station by David Weber. As I've mentioned elsewhere, I've read this book (and most of the main books in series) before, but this is the first time I've included the anthologies and sub-series. Having some of the background info helped to enhance my reading this time around. Challenge wise, I'm very much behind at the moment, but I think I can catch up, especially over the summer. The anthologies span almost the entire series, so I'll be finishing 3 or 4 of them one right after the other, making it look like I've read multiple books at once.

05-14-2012, 07:24 AM	#469
jbcohen Wizard Posts: 3,025 Karma: 11196738 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Piper College Device: Samsung A21	You may be behind on your challenge nyssa however if you count the number of pages that you have read are you still behind your goal? I am way out front in my goals if I count the pages read, but way behind if I count the number of books.

05-14-2012, 08:34 AM	#471
Yapyap Guru Posts: 861 Karma: 3543721 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Estonia Device: Kindle Paperwhite, iPad 3, Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge	I'm still well ahead of my goal of 120 books (which was originally 100 but I extended it after realising I'd read far too many in January alone), having read 74 already this year. I really shouldn't have trouble meeting that goal!

05-21-2012, 07:44 AM	#472
jbcohen Wizard Posts: 3,025 Karma: 11196738 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Piper College Device: Samsung A21	According to the prew research foundation, a company that are quite well respected for their ability to compile research information, has said that the average reading challenge is 24 books per year (http://pewresearch.org/pubs/2236/ebo...blets-ereaders) thus all of us that have 2012 challenges of more than that number can count ourselves as voracious readers. Personally I am a little over that number right now and plan to go further into voracious reading territory.

05-23-2012, 06:35 AM	#473
HomeInMyShoes Grand Sorcerer Posts: 19,226 Karma: 67780237 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: none	^My thirst for words is insatiable!!! 32 consumed so far.

05-23-2012, 08:12 AM	#474
DrNefario Wizard Posts: 2,099 Karma: 11315768 Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: UK Device: Kindle, Kobo Touch, Nook SimpleTouch	32 words? That doesn't seem a lot.

05-23-2012, 12:10 PM	#475
HomeInMyShoes Grand Sorcerer Posts: 19,226 Karma: 67780237 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: none	^Haha. Should have been books. Of course, there's nothing saying there is or isn't a relation to the noun in the first sentence.

05-29-2012, 09:24 AM	#478
HomeInMyShoes Grand Sorcerer Posts: 19,226 Karma: 67780237 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: none	Someone better resurrect this thread. I finished my Q selection so I've only got one more letter to go now. W. I might finish my two challenges before the halfway mark in the year. I do still have six books left on my 'required' list. I'm not sure I will get through all of those, but we'll see. I've been super diligent on keeping to the original list I assigned myself.

05-29-2012, 11:03 AM	#479
jbcohen Wizard Posts: 3,025 Karma: 11196738 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Piper College Device: Samsung A21	Q selection and W?

05-29-2012, 12:23 PM	#480
DrNefario Wizard Posts: 2,099 Karma: 11315768 Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: UK Device: Kindle, Kobo Touch, Nook SimpleTouch	For a bit of fun, I tried plugging my year's books into a spreadsheet for the decades and letters, to see how I was doing. On the years, not bad at all. I'm missing the 1900s, 1930s, 1980s and 1990s. The latter two will undoubtedly happen naturally - I'm in the middle of an 80s book already - but the 1900s and 1930s might need a bit more work. The letters of the alphabet is a bit more problematic, though. I'm still missing more than half of the alphabet, and there just isn't enough choice for some letters. Particularly X and Q. (I'm actually okay with Z - I have a Roger Zelazny in my in-tray, and might already have read a short by Timothy Zahn.) I doubt I will specifically pursue either target, but I am considering publishing my own book under a pen-name beginning wih X.