The 2017 Annual Reading Challenge Discussion Thread - Page 20

Dazrin · 08-28-2017, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

You may continue reading after you meet your goal for the year.

Of course. It just feels like I let myself down when I finish a yearly goal in August. I was expecting it to take till at least November when I set it. This has just been a weird (good weird, but weird) reading year for me.

Wearever · 08-29-2017, 09:58 AM

Finished The Heir Apparent by Jane Ridley, a biography of Edward the VII . I thought it was long at 752 pages, not nearly as long as War & Peace though.

Rumpelteazer · 09-01-2017, 02:50 AM

I'm still doing well, I've read over 1000 pages above average for the first 8 months of the year. Last year I had a reading slump from August until mid January. This year I'm doing well. February was the worst month, but it always is, I'm not sure why, followed by December and November. Those last two are explainable since they are the busiest months in the store, I work more and thus have a less time to read.

For September I've decided to not read any long books (500+ pages) (unless part of my ongoing series), I've read quite a few of those during summer and I feel I need quicker reads at the moment.

astrangerhere · 09-01-2017, 07:43 AM

Another month gone by... I beat my page count this month for the year, but I am slipping again on my reading outside the US. 63 books by American authors and 60 by non-American authors. I want to tip the scales by the end of the year.

Geeky charts attached.

pdurrant · 09-01-2017, 08:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

So it's been a bit down and up this year for me. But here we are at the end of July, and my TBR is down 15 on the start of the year

August was another bad month. My TBR is now only down by 11 on the start of the year (although that includes the two subscription books that I count today.)

I don't anticipate buying more than one or two books for the rest of September, so perhaps I can get my TBR reduction into the 20s by the end of the month!

Wearever · 09-14-2017, 04:36 PM

Read two fiction books so far for September, although one was surprisingly different than what I expected. The Child Thief by Dan Smith, did have a child thief , but the reason for taking them was not what I thought would happen , as in so many others of this genre. Time , place and atmosphere of an Ukrainian winter told the story of one man's determination to get his niece back , with the backstory of newly enforced communism rule. The man and his village are waiting to lose there homes, small farms, and property by Russian soldiers. Then he must leave to find his niece , by tracking her through the snow, and passes other villages along the way, all left to the same fate. Very well plotted story with new twists and turns along the way. Although gruesome in parts, it read more like a historical novel. and the times he was living in.

astrangerhere · 10-01-2017, 12:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by astrangerhere

Another month gone by... I beat my page count this month for the year, but I am slipping again on my reading outside the US. 63 books by American authors and 60 by non-American authors. I want to tip the scales by the end of the year.

Geeky charts attached.

I am so close to hitting my goal of more non-American authors. I am currently at 51% of my reading being from US authors. I am looking at my TBR and making sure that I hit the goal by year's end.

I had a slight drop-off in pages per month this month, but I was on vacation for a few weeks in August, so I think that was the aberration. I think my "drop" this month was more a returning to normal.

More geeky charts attached.

Rumpelteazer · 10-01-2017, 02:30 PM

I'm doing okay, so far. I'm just under 1000 pages ahead of average, but slightly behind last year. However, last year from August until mid-January I had a reading slump, unless I get another one this year I should end up slightly ahead of last year.

Today I've finished my 84th book of the year and if I keep reading at the same pace I should hit 100 by late November.

After a summer where I've read several long books (800+ pages) I've tried to pick shorter book for the last six month. However, I now have several longer books on my immediate TBR list.

Next week I'm going for six days on my own. During the evenings and the two overnight boat trips I should have plenty of time to read. Though I realized I won't be able to read the three 500+ page books I picked, so I need to decide which I want to read most.

CRussel · 10-01-2017, 02:52 PM

Here I am at the 3/4 point in the year, and I've read 112 books, putting me on schedule to hit 150 books read for the year. Just 10 books short of my upper stretch goal, so good. And better, I've managed to buy only 77 books this year (and that includes books borrowed from the library or otherwise free.) So, overall, I've done well in that department, though hardly on the order of some others whose resistance to temptation fill me with respect and admiration.

Part of how I've resisted this year is by NOT starting new series, mostly. Or at least only ones I can get from the Library. And by doing some serious re-reading of series that I've loved and am happy to revisit.

On my goals of updating the list regularly, and keeping track of how much I've spent, I'll give myself no better than a "C", and that a bit of a stretch on the regular updating of the list here.

However, by adding started and finished fields to Calibre, along with entering cost when I acquire a book, I've done MUCH better at tracking the total spent on books. That I'm quite pleased with, though the total is still a bit higher than I'd absolutely like, it's better than last year and I have more confidence that it's complete.

Overall? A solid B+ average, I'd say. Quite respectable, considering where I'd come from.

pdurrant · 10-02-2017, 03:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

I don't anticipate buying more than one or two books for the rest of September, so perhaps I can get my TBR reduction into the 20s by the end of the month!

Such optimism! I didn't bank on special offers on two series by authors I really like. Leading to an unexpected purchase of 16 books for £15.84.

But apart from those, I did buy only another three books - the one I had on pre-order, and two more special offers.

But in conjunction with a slow reading month, my TBR is only one down on the start of the year.

Since my target was a reduction of 47 on the start of the year, and there are only three months left, it seems unlikely that I'll meet my target.

Perhaps if I'm very restrained over the next three months. The triumph of optimism over experience!

DrNefario · 10-02-2017, 08:19 AM

I had a good month in September, after a slowish start, and I'm now fairly confident about meeting all of my goals (except the one I demoted earlier in the year.) I'm pretty much done with all the collections and anthologies I wanted to read, so I'm using my daily short story to clear up some odd freebies I've picked up over the years.

I've even started a new top secret* challenge: to read a book with a number in the title, in numerical order, at a rate of one per month. So far I've read Towards Zero by Agatha Christie (I'm a programmer, of course I start from zero), Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor and Between Two Thorns by Emma Newman, with The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander lined up for October. I haven't even added this one to my challenge post, yet.

*Until now.

Wearever · 10-04-2017, 12:17 PM

Just read fiction books for September, I'm reading a non fiction now. My books read hasn't changed since I started. I average 4 books a month, some months more some less. That's what I thought I read before I started here. So no changes there. I'm reading more non fiction than before. That was my challenge so I'm pleased with that. I don't have a tally yet, I'll count them at the end of the year.

Tarana · 10-05-2017, 09:05 PM

I started August about 20 books behind to reach my goal of 100 books this year. I am now only 1 book behind. Caught up by reading/listening to a lot of shorter books, yet I still fit in Game of Thrones (book 1). Many of the books are things that have been in my library a long time. I think I might still have room for 1, possibly 2 doorstops, but most are in the 12-14 hour range for the rest of the year.

I am woefully behind in my short story reading and MAY make 100 this year. That's a long shot from the goal of one a day. Next year will be less crazy, but I'm thinking of just cutting it in half and making 150 as my goal next year. More achievable.

I've failed my budget goal of $300. I've spent about $350 this year on books/magazines/audiobooks, which while much less than the over $500 I did last year, is still going to be closer to $400 by the end of the year. I have read/listened to more of them though.

DrNefario · 10-06-2017, 11:03 AM

I've done one short story a day by making it a fixed part of my routine: get in from work; eat; read a short story; catch up on twitter; whatever else I want to do that evening. I think it would be worse if I was only doing it every now and again.

My main problem is that I have basically caught up on everything I wanted to read and still have three months to go in the year. I'll be letting this challenge drop next year, I think.

issybird · 10-06-2017, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrNefario

I've done one short story a day by making it a fixed part of my routine: get in from work; eat; read a short story; catch up on twitter; whatever else I want to do that evening. I think it would be worse if I was only doing it every now and again.

My main problem is that I have basically caught up on everything I wanted to read and still have three months to go in the year. I'll be letting this challenge drop next year, I think.

If the challenge has served its purpose, why not let it go now?

(It's so easy to manage other people's challenges!

)

09-01-2017, 07:43 AM	#289
astrangerhere Professor of Law Posts: 3,640 Karma: 65526796 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Chapel Hill, NC Device: Kobo Elipsa, Kobo Libra H20, Kobo Aura One, KoboMini	Another month gone by... I beat my page count this month for the year, but I am slipping again on my reading outside the US. 63 books by American authors and 60 by non-American authors. I want to tip the scales by the end of the year. Geeky charts attached. Attached Thumbnails

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08-29-2017, 09:58 AM	#287
Wearever Wizard Posts: 1,063 Karma: 10944084 Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: New England Device: Oasis 2,Voyage, Kindlle hdx 8.9, Ipad mini 4. Air 2	Finished The Heir Apparent by Jane Ridley, a biography of Edward the VII . I thought it was long at 752 pages, not nearly as long as War & Peace though.

09-01-2017, 02:50 AM	#288
Rumpelteazer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,100 Karma: 24047426 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Utrecht, the Netherlands Device: Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition	I'm still doing well, I've read over 1000 pages above average for the first 8 months of the year. Last year I had a reading slump from August until mid January. This year I'm doing well. February was the worst month, but it always is, I'm not sure why, followed by December and November. Those last two are explainable since they are the busiest months in the store, I work more and thus have a less time to read. For September I've decided to not read any long books (500+ pages) (unless part of my ongoing series), I've read quite a few of those during summer and I feel I need quicker reads at the moment.

09-14-2017, 04:36 PM	#291
Wearever Wizard Posts: 1,063 Karma: 10944084 Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: New England Device: Oasis 2,Voyage, Kindlle hdx 8.9, Ipad mini 4. Air 2	Read two fiction books so far for September, although one was surprisingly different than what I expected. The Child Thief by Dan Smith, did have a child thief , but the reason for taking them was not what I thought would happen , as in so many others of this genre. Time , place and atmosphere of an Ukrainian winter told the story of one man's determination to get his niece back , with the backstory of newly enforced communism rule. The man and his village are waiting to lose there homes, small farms, and property by Russian soldiers. Then he must leave to find his niece , by tracking her through the snow, and passes other villages along the way, all left to the same fate. Very well plotted story with new twists and turns along the way. Although gruesome in parts, it read more like a historical novel. and the times he was living in.

10-01-2017, 02:30 PM	#293
Rumpelteazer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,100 Karma: 24047426 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Utrecht, the Netherlands Device: Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition	I'm doing okay, so far. I'm just under 1000 pages ahead of average, but slightly behind last year. However, last year from August until mid-January I had a reading slump, unless I get another one this year I should end up slightly ahead of last year. Today I've finished my 84th book of the year and if I keep reading at the same pace I should hit 100 by late November. After a summer where I've read several long books (800+ pages) I've tried to pick shorter book for the last six month. However, I now have several longer books on my immediate TBR list. Next week I'm going for six days on my own. During the evenings and the two overnight boat trips I should have plenty of time to read. Though I realized I won't be able to read the three 500+ page books I picked, so I need to decide which I want to read most.

10-01-2017, 02:52 PM	#294
CRussel (he/him/his) Posts: 12,159 Karma: 79742714 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Sunshine Coast, BC Device: Oasis (Gen3),Paperwhite (Gen10), Voyage, Paperwhite(orig), Fire HD 8	Here I am at the 3/4 point in the year, and I've read 112 books, putting me on schedule to hit 150 books read for the year. Just 10 books short of my upper stretch goal, so good. And better, I've managed to buy only 77 books this year (and that includes books borrowed from the library or otherwise free.) So, overall, I've done well in that department, though hardly on the order of some others whose resistance to temptation fill me with respect and admiration. Part of how I've resisted this year is by NOT starting new series, mostly. Or at least only ones I can get from the Library. And by doing some serious re-reading of series that I've loved and am happy to revisit. On my goals of updating the list regularly, and keeping track of how much I've spent, I'll give myself no better than a "C", and that a bit of a stretch on the regular updating of the list here. However, by adding started and finished fields to Calibre, along with entering cost when I acquire a book, I've done MUCH better at tracking the total spent on books. That I'm quite pleased with, though the total is still a bit higher than I'd absolutely like, it's better than last year and I have more confidence that it's complete. Overall? A solid B+ average, I'd say. Quite respectable, considering where I'd come from.

10-02-2017, 08:19 AM	#296
DrNefario Wizard Posts: 2,099 Karma: 11315768 Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: UK Device: Kindle, Kobo Touch, Nook SimpleTouch	I had a good month in September, after a slowish start, and I'm now fairly confident about meeting all of my goals (except the one I demoted earlier in the year.) I'm pretty much done with all the collections and anthologies I wanted to read, so I'm using my daily short story to clear up some odd freebies I've picked up over the years. I've even started a new top secret* challenge: to read a book with a number in the title, in numerical order, at a rate of one per month. So far I've read Towards Zero by Agatha Christie (I'm a programmer, of course I start from zero), Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor and Between Two Thorns by Emma Newman, with The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander lined up for October. I haven't even added this one to my challenge post, yet. *Until now.

10-04-2017, 12:17 PM	#297
Wearever Wizard Posts: 1,063 Karma: 10944084 Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: New England Device: Oasis 2,Voyage, Kindlle hdx 8.9, Ipad mini 4. Air 2	Just read fiction books for September, I'm reading a non fiction now. My books read hasn't changed since I started. I average 4 books a month, some months more some less. That's what I thought I read before I started here. So no changes there. I'm reading more non fiction than before. That was my challenge so I'm pleased with that. I don't have a tally yet, I'll count them at the end of the year.

10-05-2017, 09:05 PM	#298
Tarana Wizard Posts: 3,978 Karma: 38840460 Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Minneapolis Device: PWSE, Voyage, K3, HDX, KBasic 7 & 8, Nook Glo3, Echos, Nanos	I started August about 20 books behind to reach my goal of 100 books this year. I am now only 1 book behind. Caught up by reading/listening to a lot of shorter books, yet I still fit in Game of Thrones (book 1). Many of the books are things that have been in my library a long time. I think I might still have room for 1, possibly 2 doorstops, but most are in the 12-14 hour range for the rest of the year. I am woefully behind in my short story reading and MAY make 100 this year. That's a long shot from the goal of one a day. Next year will be less crazy, but I'm thinking of just cutting it in half and making 150 as my goal next year. More achievable. I've failed my budget goal of $300. I've spent about $350 this year on books/magazines/audiobooks, which while much less than the over $500 I did last year, is still going to be closer to $400 by the end of the year. I have read/listened to more of them though.

10-06-2017, 11:03 AM	#299
DrNefario Wizard Posts: 2,099 Karma: 11315768 Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: UK Device: Kindle, Kobo Touch, Nook SimpleTouch	I've done one short story a day by making it a fixed part of my routine: get in from work; eat; read a short story; catch up on twitter; whatever else I want to do that evening. I think it would be worse if I was only doing it every now and again. My main problem is that I have basically caught up on everything I wanted to read and still have three months to go in the year. I'll be letting this challenge drop next year, I think.

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