293 replies to this topic

[Inigima]

I don't think there's one of these, right? Another forum I'm on does this every year, thought others might want to do it. If there is one already then just delete this thread, I didn't see one in the first few pages though.

Anyway, this is about challenging yourself to read a target number of books in 2013. You aren't answerable to anyone but yourself for a. number of books to read or for b. what you consider a "book." Common convention tends to include short story collections and self-contained graphic novels (.e.g., Watchmen) but not individual short stories or comic book issues. But again this is your challenge to yourself and you can allow or disallow whatever you like.

If you're looking for a target number and aren't sure what to pick, 52 (1 book/week) or 26 (1 book/2 weeks) are common, but it can be as low as 1 or as high as... something high. You can update your goal if you find you're easily surpassing or whatever. You can post updates whenever you want, but we do already have a thread for the book you just finished, so I'll be updating at the end of each month. I will try to update the OP with everyone's progress etc.

Goodreads has a widget you can use to track your stuff too. You can also friend each other and see what you're reading. My Goodreads profile is here, put "Westeros" and your username in the note or something if you want to add me so I know who you are.


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I'm doing 20 30 50 books this year.

_______________

Inigima: 36/50
Newsun: 16/52
Garett Hornwood: 12/20
Triskele: 2/25
Mashiara: 21/60
TheEvilKing: 20
Isis: 24/55
Claire of House Thorpe: 3/26
dornish prince: 3/20
PaulineMRoss: 100
UndergroundMan: 100
WrathOfTinyKittens: 18/52
Horza: 50
RedEyedGhost: 13/52
lessthanluke: 52
dalThor: 30
Dracarya: 11/20
SkynJay: 46/80
YellowDogJen: 52
Raja: 10/20
snowleo: 30
Reposado: 11/52
DaniSnowborn: 14/30
Melonica Stormborn: 20/30
OllieOwl: 15
thistlepong: 24/100
One of Three: 1/12
Biter: 6/15
Spaßvogel: 50
sperry; 20
red snow: 10
3CityApache: 12/40
beniowa: 21/60
deedles: 28/52
Maithanet: 13/40
TheWizard: 15
Ravenhair: 2/20
Wormwood: 12/40
Ser Pink of Floyd: 12
Tarant: 52
Lord Womble: 13/52
Skunkbelly: 29/50
Woo! Opist: 48
Anth: 12
Black Wolf Smith: 32/52
Regfan: 2/10
Andrew Baelish: 4/25
Guinevere Seaworth: 23/85
Marmelodov: 7/20
Antonius Pius: 7/20
Rorshach: 13/25
olisaurus: 13/100
Rody: 3/15
One of Three: 3/12
flare: 5/26

Edited by Inigima, Today, 06:44 AM.

[Datepalm]

Thats going to be hard, to read that many books in 2012.

(Sorry)

Anyway, I'm not doing that because then I get pressured and find myself reading shorter books and reading when I should be doing other stuff, but I did set myself a challenge to read books in translation and to read not in English - 8 for each.

[Newsun]

I just set my goal last week for 2013, although I won't actively change how I read in order to keep up with the necessary pace if I fall behind. Additionally, I do want to read at least four decent length books in spanish by the end of the year.
My Goodreads: http://www.goodreads...w/15794412-mike

Edited by Newsun, 11 January 2013 - 10:33 PM.

[Inigima]

That is a cool goal. Give Gabriel Garcia Marquez a look, I recommend Chronicle of a Death Foretold.

Also I am editing Goodreads crap into the OP.

[Garett Hornwood]

Even though I was able to start and complete 27 books last year, some of them were rather short so my target for this year is 20.  So far I've finished 1 and started on my second.

Inigima, I've sent you a friend request on Goodreads.

[Triskele]

20 would be a reasonable and realistic goal for me.

I would have to pause for a few minutes to really try to tally my 2012, but my off-and guess is that it was about 12-15 combining fiction and non-fiction.  I'd certainly like to bump that up to the 18-20 range.

[mashiara]

Last year I set 50 books as my Goodreads goal and managed to miraculously read 60. It's still a far lower number than what I used to read before I had the twins, but that's life for you.

This year I'm going with 60. Not sure I'll make it again, but I'll sure try.

[TheEvilKing]

I read 25 in 2010 and that was a lot for me. Haven't reached 20 since. So I guess 20 will be my target.

[Isis]

I set a target of 55 for 2013 on goodreads (I've finished 3 to date).

Last year I aimed for 50 and fell neatly 10 short. But I don't like to lower my ambitions so I'm aiming a bit higher this year.

Someone I don't know tried to friend me on goodreads this week with no accompanying message. If I don't recognise your name and you don't ID yourself to me I don't accept.

[Claire of House Thorpe]

Last year, I set off to read 12 books and ended up reading 15. I think I'll try for 13, but with 51 books I'm reading, who knows if I'm going to be reaching that goal.

[Seli]

In stead of aiming for numbers I try to aim for variety. Reading more women, more nationalities or ethnicities, wider genre, wider styles.

[dornish prince]

I am going to shoot for 25 this year.  last year was my best in quite a while.  I'd like to improve on that.  like a few others have said, I'd like to widen my lens a bit as well.  good luck everyone!

[WrathOfTinyKittens]

I read 30 books for the first time in 2012, plus (at a guess) around 20-25 rereads. I'd like to read roughly the same in 2013, though I'm not sure if I'll have so many new books this time around.

I will say a particular goal of mine is to read all of Malazan. I never read the last two. I am already 6 books into my reread/read, so only 4 more to go from Erikson plus 3 from Esslemont, and then Forge of Darkness.

[mjgambino]

I usually try to read a book every week, so I think I'll aim for 52-60. Lately I have picking much larger books than I used to (I'm reading The Complete Sherlock Holmes right now and just finished The Vicomte de Bragelonne ,which was close to 2000 pages) so I'm falling behind already.

[PaulineMRoss]

I read just over 100 last year, and just under that the year before. I'm aiming for 100 again this year. I don't adjust what I read to hit my quota, but my objective for this year is to reduce my to-be-read pile to more manageable proportions (I currently have 80 books bought and paid for sitting unread on my Kindle). The only way to do it, I'm finding, is not to buy any more books... :-(

[UndergroundMan]

I think I read close to 80 last year, which was a pretty good year for me, and that included a month of training when I had no access to books. This year, I would like to hit 100 and keep up a pace of two books per week. So far that isn't panning out. I may have to pick some shorter books to reach that goal. Or find books that I literally can't put down.

Edited by UndergroundMan, 12 January 2013 - 01:54 PM.

[Inigima]

Some of these I don't know what to record, like when people give ranges or aren't making it clear that they want their target listed, like Wrath.

[thistlepong]

mashiara, on 12 January 2013 - 12:05 AM, said:

Last year I set 50 books as my Goodreads goal and managed to miraculously read 60. It's still a far lower number than what I used to read before I had the twins, but that's life for you.

Last year I didn't set a goal, or really engage with goodreads at all 'cause of our impending and then incarnate little ninja.  ::empathy::

Based on what I was planning to read this month, I set the goal at a hundred to give room for nonsense books that'll pad my numbers.

[mashiara]

See, I don't set a reading goal and then go out specifically to read short books, or silly books, just to make sure I reach that goal. I read what I want to read, or what I can afford to read, or what I can find for free, if it seems appealing. There is always a place and a time for silly books, or girly books, or trash books even but when I do read them it's because I'm feeling like it, not because I need to up my count.

Up to three years ago I was averaging 180 books a year. Life goes on, the wheel turns and so on, things change. blah blah blah. I could afford to read a lot of bad books back then because it only took me a couple of days. Now that my reading time is so limited I try to pick what I read carefully. I'm not always successful and I did read a few bad books last year, but I try to avoid them as much as I can.

[thistlepong]

It's not that I intend to force through a bunch of crap to hit the number.  It's that I can't help myself reviewing Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?