The 2012 Annual Reading Challenge - Discussion Thread!

[jbcohen]

Pals of mine with ipads sakura have told me that reading books with an ipad is a little cumbersome so they tend to prefer dedicated book readers. You are a brave person for reading Moby dick, I don't think that I could have.

[HomeInMyShoes]

While I've already decided on my reading challenge list for next year, I was thinking of some other potential reading challenges:

- read my height in books (achievable)
- read my weight in books (unachievable)
- read more than I can lift (potentially achievable)

I'm definitely in slow down mode now so I can be fresh for reading next year again. Currently finishing up book number 80. I'll probably hit 82 or 83 by year end, but that will probably be it.

[jbcohen]

What will your 2013 challenge be?

[DrNefario]

Originally Posted by HomeInMyShoes

- read my weight in books (unachievable)

You need to adopt an easier unit of measure. There's no way I'd manage lbs, and I'd struggle with kg, but we have this thing called stone here in the UK which is much much easier (1st = 14lbs).

210lbs = ~95kg = 15st

(That's not how heavy I am - I don't think - it's just for illustration.)

I've been thinking about serieses, myself. There are few books on my TBR which are the last book in a series, which made me think of:

- Finishing a series
- Reading the next book in a series
- Starting a series

I have at least 4 candidates for the first category, although I'm planning to read one before the end of the year (Second Foundation by Isaac Asimov), and plenty of candidates for the other two.

[HomeInMyShoes]

Originally Posted by jbcohen

What will your 2013 challenge be?

To read a book published in every year I've been on the planet.

The required reading list is looking like this so far, but it is subject to revisement:

1970 Dickey, James - Deliverance
1971 Bukowski, Charles - Post Office
1972 Bradbury, Ray - The Halloween Tree
1973 Ballard, J.G. - Crash
1974 Dick, Philip K. - Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said
1975 Theroux, Paul - The Great Railway Bazaar
1976 Norton, Andre - Perilous Dreams
1977 Chatwin, Bruce - In Patagonia
1978 Kadare, Ismail - Broken April
1979 Dahl, Roald - Tales of the Unexpected
1980 Bester, Alfred - Golem 100
1981 Pohl, Frederick - The Cool War
1982 Jerslid, P.C. - After the Flood
1983 Bernhard, Thomas - The Loser
1984 Gibson, William - Neuromancer
1985 Card, Orson Scott - Ender's Game
1986 Ishiguro, Kazuo - An Artist of the Floating World
1987 Murakami, Haruki - Norwegian Wood
1988 Chatterjee, Upamanyu - English, August: An Indian Story
1989 Tan, Amy - The Joy Luck Club
1990 Kureishi, Hanif - The Buddha of Suburbia
1991 Jin, Ha - Waiting
1992 Morgan, Bernice - Random Passage
1993 Shiner, Lewis - Glimpses
1994 Robbins, Tom - Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas
1995 Hornby, Nick - High Fidelity
1996 Doyle, Roddy - The Woman Who Walked Into Doors
1997 Vonnegut, Kurt - Timequake
1998 Gourevitch, Philip - We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families
1999 Jhumpa, Lahiri - Interpreter of Maladies
2000 Galloway, Steven - Finnie Walsh
2001 Diaz, Junot - The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
2002 Frayn, Michael - Spies
2003 Koontz, Dean - Odd Thomas
2004 Cooper, Alan- The Inmates Are Running the Asylum...
2005 Gaiman, Neil - Anansi Boys
2006 Haddon, Mark - A Spot of Bother
2007 Hosseini, Khaled - A Thousand Splendid Suns
2008 Adiga, Aravind - The White Tiger
2009 Flint, Anthony - Wrestling with Moses: How Jane Jacobs...
2010 Coupland, Douglas - Player One: What Is to Become of Us
2011 Stross, Charles - Rule 34
2012 Harden, Blaine - Escape from Camp 14...
?2013 Pratchett, Terry - Raising Taxes?

[orlok]

I'm one book behind on my 75 book target for 2012, according to Goodreads, but just can't see how I'm going to catch up before the end of the year. 7 books in just over 3 weeks? Not likely.

[jbcohen]

I will most likely note where I end up 2012 and set that as my goal for the next reading year. I am a little ways from my 2012 goal of 83 books, I have approximately five books left until I can conclude the goal for this year. However if I do not make it for 2012 I will aim to be in the same place at the conclusion of 2013 as when I raped up 2012. Five books in three weeks, that's a little over one a week, possible but not likely, although stranger things have been known to happen.

[Dazrin]

Originally Posted by jbcohen

I will most likely note where I end up 2012 and set that as my goal for the next reading year. I am a little ways from my 2012 goal of 83 books, I have approximately five books left until I can conclude the goal for this year. However if I do not make it for 2012 I will aim to be in the same place at the conclusion of 2013 as when I wrapped up 2012. Five books in three weeks, that's a little over one a week, possible but not likely, although stranger things have been known to happen.

Sorry, that needed to be fixed.

November and December have always been slow (reading) months for me, too much other stuff going on, so I find I need to be about 90% done in October to make my goals.

[Kiwiscott]

Originally Posted by jbcohen

What will your 2013 challenge be?

Ive been thinking a little about this the last week or two. Last year was 100 books, this year was 30,000 pages, both of which I managed to do.

My biggest issue is choosing what to read next, there is too much choice and I often spend 'reading time' browsing for something new to read. So I think next year I should try a more structured approach to what I read.

I really like HomeInMyShoes suggestion of a book from each year of my life, and I might steal that one for the future, but next year I was thinking of trying to find books that have been turned into films/mini series/tv shows, reading them in alphabetical order by author, maybe watching said adaption after I finish the book?

I might have to skip Q,U,X,Y and Z as I cant think of any books that fit (double up on some other letter).

Say 1 a week? 52 for the year would allow me to read other things in between that might take my fancy.

Not sure........

[HomeInMyShoes]

^Yikes. I did an alphabet challenge this year, but Q, U, and X would be difficult in the going to screen addition. Has Ellery Queen had any titles turned into movies? Most of the others should be easy.

Was Red Sorghum based on Mo Yan's book in any way?

I'd be willing to chip in for difficult letter searches because I'm curious.

[Rumpelteazer]

I finished my 100th book of 2012 last night. Last year I've read 120 books but I think I have read longer books this year and I'm at about the same page count as at the end of last year now.

I've no idea how much I manage to read in the final three week. Normally I wouldn't read much with the extra days our store's open but we've decided not to open on the Sunday and Monday before Christmas and the Monday of New Year's Eve so I got a couple of extra days to read.

[jbcohen]

I'm so close to my goal. Three books in the two weeks remaining! I have a Stony Man going and those are always fast (go here to find out what Stony Man books are - www.mackbolan.com)

[Dazrin]

Ugh. It doesn't look like I will quite complete my re-read the WoT series challenge this year. It is possible, but will come down to the wire. I am only 40% done with the last book. I lost a couple reading days this week and with Christmas coming I am sure to lose a couple more days. Maybe I need to plan on working Christmas Eve to get in a couple more hours of reading. Fortunately I have a few days buffer before the next book is released to finish it up next year.

I did finish my page goal early and since I am planning on doing a similar goal next year this would give me a good head start on next years goal. I count pages as complete only when the whole book is complete and this one is 1,264 pages. So if I get to where I expect to, I will be at about 1,000 pages on January 1.

[orlok]

Looks like I'm going to miss on two of my three challenges. I have read 7 out of 6 book club choices, so that's done, but I am at 71 books out of my 75 target, and with Christmas upon us just can't see how I can manage another 4 in 9 days... Also, I haven't read all my named list either, and with 10 or so still left, there's no chance.

[HomeInMyShoes]

^No Updike? I'm shocked!

Only 180 pages to go to finish book #83 and just a smidge more than 25,000 pages.