The 2020 Annual Reading Challenge Discussion Thread - Page 12

Luffy · 09-08-2020, 07:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

A bit of a milestone - I've added 48 books to my TBR pile this year so far, but I've removed 144 - three times as many!

And more than that - I've bought 41, but I've read 88 - more than twice as many!

(The different numbers are because some books get added as freebies, and some books gets discarded unread.)

My best numbers for years. Possibly ever.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fbone

I weeded down my library to books mostly likely to be read. The number currently stands at a manageable 92.

Congrats to both of you!

Paperbackstash · 09-12-2020, 02:44 PM

August Recap - 20 Read Total

E-books: 10
Kindle Unlimited: 6
Scribd Audiobook: 4
Audible Audiobooks: 0
Paperback: 4
Hardback: 2

August was a fun reading month. I think I had some variety, and am planning on more horror/thriller reading to get to for some upcoming Fall challenges.

My subscription to Kindle Unlimited was worth it this month with 6 read. My Scribd Audio subscription was worth it this month with 4 audiobooks

Yearly goals met or almost met this month
These are now finished:[*]Get caught up on some cozy mysteries backlog. Goal: 10 Series Firsts Trials. Progress: 10/10[*] Read more Noir and Hardboiled crime detective fiction. Goal: 10/10[*]Continue the Perry Mason Audiobook Marathon on Scribd. Goal: 10/10

Yearly goals I had progress on
Not many others. Need to get cracking

Book Breakdown/Thoughts

I was in a big mystery mood in August, and some romance tossed in.

I'm a big fan of Adrien English series by Josh Lanyon, now I have another favorite series to wait on the final book on - her Mermaid Murders started a four part series, great characters. I continued the Kit and Holmes books as well but those technically started after Sept so aren't counted here. Have a feeling I'll read more of her books for awhile.

I am probably taking a Perry Mason audio break finally - there's a few horror I want to listen to for some Fall Challenge plans. I also need to check out some books on Scribd for these challenges, but e-reading on my kindle fire is annoying but the only way I can do it with that particular app.

jbcohen · 09-24-2020, 12:38 PM

After a disappointing year in 2019, this year looks like I am going to blow past 2019's final point and keep going. I have already exceeded my goals for the number of pages read by at least 1000 pages and I need to read one more book in the next three month to make my 2020 goals. Let's see if I can reach 100 books read this year, however I some how doubt that I can do that.

Luffy · 09-24-2020, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbcohen

After a disappointing year in 2019, this year looks like I am going to blow past 2019's final point and keep going. I have already exceeded my goals for the number of pages read by at least 1000 pages and I need to read one more book in the next three month to make my 2020 goals. Let's see if I can reach 100 books read this year, however I some how doubt that I can do that.

Congrats, no pun intended.

Tarana · 09-30-2020, 10:16 AM

3,000 pages per month : Met again this month! When I finish today's book, about 5,000 pages!
Ebooks - TBR Reduced by 10; Current: +65. Going the wrong way still, but hovering about 65 over for several months. Listing does not include most free books.
Audiobooks - TBR Reduced by 10; Current: -2. I was as much as over 23, but now I'm 2 below my start of the year. Yay!! Based on my spreadsheet and 120 hours a month (my average), I now have just under 8 years of audiobooks unlistened. This does include all free stuff.
Magazines - TBR Reduced by 10; Current: 0 At least even with beginning of year. My Kickstarter magazine subscription is done now, so this should be going down as I cancelled all subscriptions. I miss getting Asimov Magazine, but I have so many unread, I just couldn't justify continuing until I catch up some.

Short stories and Novellas (goal 100): 77 done! I think I can still hit 100 before end of year.

I'm doing well with most of my goals. I am happy to report that everything pre-2011 has been read or listened too. Yay! Don't have many in 2011, but adding those to the lineup to focus on completing. Plans for next year include listening to at least one 30+ hour audiobook each month. I noticed that they are piling up and not all of them are Peter Hamilton and Charles Dickens.

pdurrant · 09-30-2020, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

927 now!

I'm doing OK.

Another month gone, 15 books read.

My TBR now stands at just 911!

This is my best year for TBR pile reduction ever. I think deciding to give up my SF/Fantasy magazine subscriptions has helped. Only three books bought this month and last month.

Fbone · 09-30-2020, 07:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fbone

I weeded down my library to books mostly likely to be read. The number currently stands at a manageable 92.

I'm down to 85. Looking at my TBR list, there is still more weeding that can be done.

astrangerhere · 10-02-2020, 03:58 PM

Through the end of September 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:

83 books - 160% of my goal (110% of stretch) - GOAL MET / STRETCH GOAL MET
40 short stories - 77% of my goal - On Target
26182 pages - 104% of my goal - GOAL MET
63% female/nonbinary authors / 37% male authors - On Target
38% US authors / 62% non-US authors - On Target
ETBR Reduction: Reduced by 26 - 88% of my goal - On Target
PTBR Reduction: Reduced by -41 - 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 36 - reduction of Ebook TBR and Audiobook TBR. I have removed paper books from the calculation for the reasons above.

jbcohen · 10-06-2020, 01:00 PM

Past the 2020 goal posts by a mile and I am going to keep going to see where I end up. I have past up the original challenge, one hundred books in a year, Let's see if I can get anywhere near my 2018 finishing point, although I sort of doubt it, of 132 books read.

sakura-panda · 10-22-2020, 11:17 AM

I've bumped up my numbers by re-reading all the Little House (Laura Ingalls Wilder) books.

But I haven't been reading much the last two years and my annual count is still unusually low, at 17, even with those nine short books. (Not as bad as the 15 books for 2019, after 73 books in 2018. My best year was 147 books in 2016.)

I had some personal upheaval in 2019 that affected my reading, which was not helped by the pandemic of 2020, but I'm finally getting back on track. I am reading more, in general, these past couple of months, although they are mostly shorter books that are light and quick to finish. (Normally I work on one big book and read many less challenging books at the same time, but I spent most of 2019 and half of 2020 reading only the serious book. It appears that I'm taking a break from that, since I haven't been able to settle on what that next book will be.)

Maybe I'll make my (embarrassingly low) Goodreads goal of 24 books this year!

pdurrant · 10-22-2020, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sakura-panda

Maybe I'll make my (embarrassingly low) Goodreads goal of 24 books this year!

It's worth bearing in mind that the median number of books read by Americans is four to five. And only 15% report reading more than 20. Pew Research

And that median number has been pretty stable over the past ten years of surveys.

Luffy · 10-23-2020, 01:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

It's worth bearing in mind that the median number of books read by Americans is four to five. And only 15% report reading more than 20. Pew Research

And that median number has been pretty stable over the past ten years of surveys.

I'll keep that in mind when next year I'll have even less time for reading.

pdurrant · 10-23-2020, 02:19 AM

I found a similar survey for the UK, although the numbers are arranged differently.

Adjusting for the way the numbers are done:
25% haven't read a book in the past year
10% have read 1 or 2
18% have read 3 to 5
15% have read 6 to 10
15% have read 11 to 20
15% have read more than 20
2% don't know.

So the UK median is 3-5 books, towards the top of that range.

The UK figures do give more detail at the high end. Only 4% of people read more than 50 books a year.

The figures are remarkably similar, UK and USA.

Uncle Robin · 10-23-2020, 03:15 AM

This article from Australia last year references this list Which Country Reads the Most, while this page from NZ seems to record a decline in reading there over the last 3 years or so. Anglophones != bibliophiles?

pdurrant · 10-23-2020, 03:45 AM

I suspect that some of the differences in the list are due to the availability of other forms of entertainment in the respective countries. And some will be because of literacy rates.

I think it's interesting that there's so little difference in the first 28 countries - the first is only a little more than double the 28th.

09-30-2020, 10:16 AM	#170
Tarana Wizard Posts: 3,983 Karma: 38840460 Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Minneapolis Device: PWSE, Voyage, K3, HDX, KBasic 7 & 8, Nook Glo3, Echos, Nanos	3,000 pages per month : Met again this month! When I finish today's book, about 5,000 pages! Ebooks - TBR Reduced by 10; Current: +65. Going the wrong way still, but hovering about 65 over for several months. Listing does not include most free books. Audiobooks - TBR Reduced by 10; Current: -2. I was as much as over 23, but now I'm 2 below my start of the year. Yay!! Based on my spreadsheet and 120 hours a month (my average), I now have just under 8 years of audiobooks unlistened. This does include all free stuff. Magazines - TBR Reduced by 10; Current: 0 At least even with beginning of year. My Kickstarter magazine subscription is done now, so this should be going down as I cancelled all subscriptions. I miss getting Asimov Magazine, but I have so many unread, I just couldn't justify continuing until I catch up some. Short stories and Novellas (goal 100): 77 done! I think I can still hit 100 before end of year. I'm doing well with most of my goals. I am happy to report that everything pre-2011 has been read or listened too. Yay! Don't have many in 2011, but adding those to the lineup to focus on completing. Plans for next year include listening to at least one 30+ hour audiobook each month. I noticed that they are piling up and not all of them are Peter Hamilton and Charles Dickens. Last edited by Tarana; 09-30-2020 at 07:16 PM.

10-06-2020, 01:00 PM	#174
jbcohen Wizard Posts: 3,025 Karma: 11196738 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Piper College Device: Samsung A21	Past the 2020 goal posts by a mile and I am going to keep going to see where I end up. I have past up the original challenge, one hundred books in a year, Let's see if I can get anywhere near my 2018 finishing point, although I sort of doubt it, of 132 books read. Last edited by jbcohen; 10-15-2020 at 09:10 AM.

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09-12-2020, 02:44 PM	#167
Paperbackstash Wizard Posts: 1,593 Karma: 20086276 Join Date: Aug 2018 Location: Central Florida Device: Oasis 3, PW 3, 4, 5, Fire HD 2012, Fire HD 8 (8th Gen)	August Recap - 20 Read Total E-books: 10 Kindle Unlimited: 6 Scribd Audiobook: 4 Audible Audiobooks: 0 Paperback: 4 Hardback: 2 August was a fun reading month. I think I had some variety, and am planning on more horror/thriller reading to get to for some upcoming Fall challenges. My subscription to Kindle Unlimited was worth it this month with 6 read. My Scribd Audio subscription was worth it this month with 4 audiobooks Yearly goals met or almost met this month These are now finished:[]Get caught up on some cozy mysteries backlog. Goal: 10 Series Firsts Trials. Progress: 10/10[] Read more Noir and Hardboiled crime detective fiction. Goal: 10/10[]Continue the Perry Mason Audiobook Marathon on Scribd. Goal: 10/10 Yearly goals I had progress on* Not many others. Need to get cracking Book Breakdown/Thoughts I was in a big mystery mood in August, and some romance tossed in. I'm a big fan of Adrien English series by Josh Lanyon, now I have another favorite series to wait on the final book on - her Mermaid Murders started a four part series, great characters. I continued the Kit and Holmes books as well but those technically started after Sept so aren't counted here. Have a feeling I'll read more of her books for awhile. I am probably taking a Perry Mason audio break finally - there's a few horror I want to listen to for some Fall Challenge plans. I also need to check out some books on Scribd for these challenges, but e-reading on my kindle fire is annoying but the only way I can do it with that particular app.

09-24-2020, 12:38 PM	#168
jbcohen Wizard Posts: 3,025 Karma: 11196738 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Piper College Device: Samsung A21	After a disappointing year in 2019, this year looks like I am going to blow past 2019's final point and keep going. I have already exceeded my goals for the number of pages read by at least 1000 pages and I need to read one more book in the next three month to make my 2020 goals. Let's see if I can reach 100 books read this year, however I some how doubt that I can do that.

10-02-2020, 03:58 PM	#173
astrangerhere Professor of Law Posts: 3,645 Karma: 65925980 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Chapel Hill, NC Device: Kobo Elipsa, Kobo Libra H20, Kobo Aura One, KoboMini	Through the end of September 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: 83 books - 160% of my goal (110% of stretch) - GOAL MET / STRETCH GOAL MET 40 short stories - 77% of my goal - On Target 26182 pages - 104% of my goal - GOAL MET 63% female/nonbinary authors / 37% male authors - On Target 38% US authors / 62% non-US authors - On Target ETBR Reduction: Reduced by 26 - 88% of my goal - On Target PTBR Reduction: Reduced by -41 - 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 36 - reduction of Ebook TBR and Audiobook TBR. I have removed paper books from the calculation for the reasons above.

10-22-2020, 11:17 AM	#175
sakura-panda Guru Posts: 923 Karma: 9558874 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Southeast Michigan, USA Device: 2017 10.5" iPad Pro (Kobo, NOOK, Kindle, Google Play Books & Scribd)	I've bumped up my numbers by re-reading all the Little House (Laura Ingalls Wilder) books. But I haven't been reading much the last two years and my annual count is still unusually low, at 17, even with those nine short books. (Not as bad as the 15 books for 2019, after 73 books in 2018. My best year was 147 books in 2016.) I had some personal upheaval in 2019 that affected my reading, which was not helped by the pandemic of 2020, but I'm finally getting back on track. I am reading more, in general, these past couple of months, although they are mostly shorter books that are light and quick to finish. (Normally I work on one big book and read many less challenging books at the same time, but I spent most of 2019 and half of 2020 reading only the serious book. It appears that I'm taking a break from that, since I haven't been able to settle on what that next book will be.) Maybe I'll make my (embarrassingly low) Goodreads goal of 24 books this year!

10-23-2020, 02:19 AM	#178
pdurrant The Grand Mouse 高貴的老鼠 Posts: 71,540 Karma: 306214458 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Norfolk, England Device: Kindle Voyage	I found a similar survey for the UK, although the numbers are arranged differently. Adjusting for the way the numbers are done: 25% haven't read a book in the past year 10% have read 1 or 2 18% have read 3 to 5 15% have read 6 to 10 15% have read 11 to 20 15% have read more than 20 2% don't know. So the UK median is 3-5 books, towards the top of that range. The UK figures do give more detail at the high end. Only 4% of people read more than 50 books a year. The figures are remarkably similar, UK and USA.

10-23-2020, 03:15 AM	#179
Uncle Robin Diligent dilettante Posts: 3,417 Karma: 48736498 Join Date: Sep 2019 Location: in my mind Device: Kobo Sage; Kobo Libra H2O	This article from Australia last year references this list Which Country Reads the Most, while this page from NZ seems to record a decline in reading there over the last 3 years or so. Anglophones != bibliophiles?

10-23-2020, 03:45 AM	#180
pdurrant The Grand Mouse 高貴的老鼠 Posts: 71,540 Karma: 306214458 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Norfolk, England Device: Kindle Voyage	I suspect that some of the differences in the list are due to the availability of other forms of entertainment in the respective countries. And some will be because of literacy rates. I think it's interesting that there's so little difference in the first 28 countries - the first is only a little more than double the 28th.

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