The 2020 Annual Reading Challenge Discussion Thread

[PurpleStar]

Originally Posted by Luffy

King has more bad books than good, IMO. You need to choose carefully. Someone so prolific can't stay as good.

I haven't read King in ages. Used to all the time when I was younger. For some reason I wanted the new book. I found it just okay, nothing spectacular or super scary in it.

[Fbone]

Only completed one book in January so I'm already behind on my GR challenge. Great start for the year!

[PurpleStar]

Originally Posted by Fbone

Only completed one book in January so I'm already behind on my GR challenge. Great start for the year!

I just put 20 books for my challenge. Goodreads says I’m on track! Whew.

[Paperbackstash]

Okay, I'm slow with fully updating, but did this morning for January.

Monthly Stats
Total Read: 25
E-books: 14
Kindle Unlimited: 9
Scribd Audiobook: 3
Audible Audiobooks: 5
Paperback/Hardcover: 3

I read a lot of short books for challenge purposes. A lot of stinkers and books I'm not always interested in, but of course some good ones.

I'm continuing to love Scribd, the old Perry Mason's are short and fascinating audiobooks, I added in a goal to get through more of them this year as part of a generalized goal.

I broke down the Audiobook collection of Michael McDowell's Blackwater Saga into different books although it's technically a one-book Omnibus Audiobook. I listened to them separately when each book ended, though, and so counted them separately since for me the experience was separate. Short books, about 200 pages each, well recommended audio.

Kindle Unlimited Subscription paid off again since I read 9 using that service.

3 is a good number for getting through books I had on my shelves.

I made progress with these goals this month ---

Perry Mason Audiobook Challenge on Scribd = 3/10
Harlequin Romance Backlog of Books = 3/15
Backlog of horror ARCs from Silver Shamrock Publishing = 1/8
Anthology Goal: 1/10

In February I'm going to concentrate on some small books for challenges, cozy mystery starter series, more on the silver shamrock horror anthologies, a gothic or so, and random books - we shall see.

Rating of January for reading was a great month overall. Some progress on goals, read more than usual for January, had fun, didn't find any top new favorites but still good times.

[Paperbackstash]

Originally Posted by PurpleStar

I haven't read King in ages. Used to all the time when I was younger. For some reason I wanted the new book. I found it just okay, nothing spectacular or super scary in it.

I don't find that he focuses on horror as much anymore, which is fine.

He writes excellent drama that has been underrated, IMO. Different season's novellas were particularly well done with Shawshank, Apt Pupil, The Body (which made the great movie Stand by Me), and I consider Dolores Claiborne a well done drama.

His fantasy stuff isn't bad either with Dark Tower and Eyes of the Dragon, his writing style suits it.

His attempts at mystery and hard case crime have been average but I like he's tried his hand at it.

[Luffy]

I have abandoned the 1100 page book I was reading, titled Black Lamb Grey Falcon. I just couldn't enjoy it on any level.

[Roos]

Originally Posted by Luffy

I have abandoned the 1100 page book I was reading, titled Black Lamb Grey Falcon. I just couldn't enjoy it on any level.

It is always sad to have that happening, i encountered lots of those over the years, promising loads on the cover, lacking inside..
One of the things i hate the most is a good story but with a very unlovable main character, or one of the worst offenders in that field, a great concept but ALL of the characters would be better of dead in the first two chapters for all i cared, what a load of terrible people!!

Hmm, not sure, but was it you that mentioned the "Cozy's" detective genre?
I just finished the one you mentioned (about the cook bookstore) and love it, although the switch from M-SF and the Horror/Supernatural stuff i was reading to this was like jumping in a chasm.
Just bought part two, it is nice to have a change from the dark brooding stuff filled with blood and guts. Thanks

[Luffy]

Originally Posted by Roos

It is always sad to have that happening, i encountered lots of those over the years, promising loads on the cover, lacking inside..
One of the things i hate the most is a good story but with a very unlovable main character, or one of the worst offenders in that field, a great concept but ALL of the characters would be better of dead in the first two chapters for all i cared, what a load of terrible people!!

Hmm, not sure, but was it you that mentioned the "Cozy's" detective genre?
I just finished the one you mentioned (about the cook bookstore) and love it, although the switch from M-SF and the Horror/Supernatural stuff i was reading to this was like jumping in a chasm.
Just bought part two, it is nice to have a change from the dark brooding stuff filled with blood and guts. Thanks

You're welcome. Cozy mysteries are an obscure genre, being the purveyance of women, and older women at that. But they're also very easy to get into. My private beef with thrillers is that sometimes it's hard to keep escalating or maintaining the suspense. Cozies, by their very structure, can let the story breathe.

[Tarana]

Originally Posted by Luffy

You're welcome. Cozy mysteries are an obscure genre, being the purveyance of women, and older women at that. But they're also very easy to get into. My private beef with thrillers is that sometimes it's hard to keep escalating or maintaining the suspense. Cozies, by their very structure, can let the story breathe.

The problem with cozies today is that they are written by romance writers who do little to no research. I stopped buying them a few years ago because, well, boring and unrealistic although I am tempted by the ones in a more historical context. Still a Murder She Wrote fan though.

[Luffy]

Originally Posted by Tarana

The problem with cozies today is that they are written by romance writers who do little to no research. I stopped buying them a few years ago because, well, boring and unrealistic although I am tempted by the ones in a more historical context. Still a Murder She Wrote fan though.

You see, Cozy mysteries were a last resort to me. When all other genres seemed lacking seriously and frequently, I was in danger of losing books as a singular form of hobby.

What's the use of research, if it's not backed by pacing(this, IMHO, is what cozies do best)? What's the point of a cliffhanger, if the resulting sequel of a book/chapter fizzles out. When I was DNFing freaking Vince Flynn's and Daniel Silva's thrillers, I thought, something must be wrong with me.

Cozies saved my readership. Agatha Christie is usually credited as being the first cozy writer. She had experience with drugs as a former nurse. Does this or her twists helped sell her books?

I know you are set in your ways, same as I am set in mine. Happy reading to you.

[Luffy]

I'm still reading The Complete Sherlock Holmes. It's taking many days. I wish to read it all before I lag behind my GR challenge.

[Rumpelteazer]

I did okay in February. Just 350 pages below average. Considering I was ill at the start of the month and I started a book I did not finish (did count the pages read towards my total), which both impacted my reading speed, it's not bad.

I did read mostly books part of series, so in March I want to shift focus to stand alone books. I also want to read one or two of the longer books I have on my Kobo, I've been putting those off for a while now.

Most importantly I'm having fun reading again. I keep on reading whatever I feel like, that's working. Though I expect that I will not return to reading as much as before my slump; I spend more time on other/new hobbies. I don't mind that. As long as I'm having fun with what I'm doing it's good.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

January was an odd month for me. Only six books read! But that's because two of them were enormous - 849 pages and 1121 pages.

But with eight books bought and one new freebie in January, that means my TBR has grown by three.

I hope to do a lot better in February, although I may well be reading another monster book.

February: Six books bought, and FOUR freebies. But also twelve books read, one book abandoned, and three of the bought books being old favourites that I've read before, I end February with my TBR at 994 — three down on the start of the year and six down on the start of February!

Perhaps in March I can get my TBR below 990!

[Tarana]

Luffy, I have several completed series to recommend in the cozy genre - Murder By the Month by Jess Lourey and Goldy Bear Culinary Mysteries by Diane Mott Davidson. The first is set in central Minnesota and the second in Colorado. Also, Amanda Pepper series by Gillian Roberts, which is set in Philadelphia.

I met my goal of over 3,000 pages for this month. 25 books, but there were a fair number of novellas and short stories. After I finish a longer book, I take on one or two short ones. Total fail for magazine reading. The annual winter dry eye problem is improving, so should be able to make some headway on those in March.

My TBR for audiobooks went up quite a bit due to this past week's Audible sale. About half were fill in on series already in my library. Lots of listening ahead.

[Luffy]

Thank you Tarana! What I recommend to you are the first 8 books in the Jaine Austen series by Laura Levine. Alas, I had tried to read the Goldy Bear series, but I gave book 1 1 star and didn't finish the second. So in the same genre there are many grounds available to cover.

Among finished series I recommend the Donut Hole cozy mystery series by Susan Gillard. They are very short e-books and number in 60 instalments. Good luck and thank you.