The 2017 Annual Reading Challenge Discussion Thread

[pdurrant]

2017 Reading Challenge Discussion Thread

Welcome to our 8th Annual Reading Challenge!
Maybe you would like to read a certain number of pages this year, finish a certain number of books, concentrate on a specific genre or deplete your ever-growing TBR list. Maybe you're looking for ideas or you just want to see how far you can go…
This is the thread where we can share our personal goals and strategies or ask for suggestions and support. New ideas are encouraged and always welcomed.
The Annual Reading Challenge is neither a race, contest, nor an "exclusive club", anyone can join! This is just a fun activity that some of us have enjoyed doing in the past. Many of us have found reading challenges to be an entertaining way to set goals for ourselves, get ideas for books, and see what others are reading.
You are welcome to keep track of the books you have read in the "List Thread", here:

2017 Annual Reading Challenge List Thread

Plus, if you would like to discuss a particular book, please participate in the Hey!! Let's get some action going! What are we reading? thread and share your thoughts about the book with others.

[sakura-panda]

Thanks for setting this up again!

I'm not going to have a goal or a benchmark this year. After having 94 books as my highest annual total since I started the 100 book challenge, I read over 130 books in 2016 and I don't expect I'll ever read that many in a single year again.

[pdurrant]

After blowing past my spending target in 2016, and actually increasing my TBR pile, I'm pondering whether to try again in 2017, or pick a different set of goals.

[Ravensknight]

This is my first time participating in this. Any rules to follow or etiquette beyond the normal MR ones?

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by Ravensknight

This is my first time participating in this. Any rules to follow or etiquette beyond the normal MR ones?

Only make one post in the list thread, all discussion goes here. Update your post in the list thread with your progress.

Your challenge can be anything you like. Some people just like to record what they read.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

After blowing past my spending target in 2016, and actually increasing my TBR pile, I'm pondering whether to try again in 2017, or pick a different set of goals.

That's a tough one. I'm pondering the fit of my straitjacket for next year myself.

On the one hand, no point is setting yourself up for failure, and once you blow past your limits, they mostly cease to work even as a mental roadblock. In for a penny, in for hundreds of pounds. On the other, you might be even worse off if you didn't formulate buying goals. I wish I had the answer.

Fortunately for me, my buying issues are separate from my reading challenges!

[Ravensknight]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Only make one post in the list thread, all discussion goes here. Update your post in the list thread with your progress.

Your challenge can be anything you like. Some people just like to record what they read.

Thanks, that sounds pretty simple.

[Dazrin]

Originally Posted by Ravensknight

This is my first time participating in this. Any rules to follow or etiquette beyond the normal MR ones?

Welcome!

Nothing specific but you can take a look at the 2016 list thread for some challenge ideas if you don't already have one in mind.

For anyone who might want some ideas, here are some current and past challenges from other corners of the internet:

• Popsugar: 2017 | 2016 | 2015
• BookRiot Read Harder Challenge: 2016 | 2015
• Bustle: 2016

[GeoffR]

I'm not likely to make my diversity goal for 2016, not because I can't find books outside my usual genres, but just that I had so much good science fiction to read.

Nevertheless I'll keep to a similar goal of reading at least 15% outside of SF/Fantasy/Crime genres in 2017 , as it is still interesting to keep track of how much I read in each genre even if I don't make the goal.

[DrNefario]

I've got three particular very long books I've been meaning to read - Ash by Mary Gentle, Shogun by James Clavell and little baby Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry at a mere 900-and-some pages - so I'm thinking of doing some kind of King of the Mountains challenge for long books.

I also want to make a special effort to complete some series. There are quite a few where I've read 2/3 of a trilogy.

And one of the new enthusiasms that endangered my TBR target this year was the David Gemmell Morningstar Award shortlists. I've decided to read every book ever shortlisted for the award (which is not all that many, it hasn't been around long, and I've already read quite a few) and have already acquired all but 3. I'd better set myself a target for these.

I think those are going to be my main new goals for next year.

[Nyssa]

My initial goal (determined at some point in early or middle 2016) was to dedicate 2017 to series. But now that I've been slapped in the face with reality, my goal for 2017 is to just read.

Read, read, read.

Any other challenges I happen to achieve along the way will be icing on the cake.

[Rumpelteazer]

My plan for 2017 is to just have fun and try to get back to some series I haven't finished yet. And, as always, to keep track of what I read. On Goodreads I'll probably enter 100 books as a goal, because it's fun to keep track.

[astrangerhere]

From my somewhat errant post in the news thread for this topic:

My numbers goal is 60 books, which is a little under my yearly average. But my substantive goal is to continue to diversify. I want to read more of the dead tree books my wife purchases and I want to read more "across the aisle" in genres or subjects I have avoided in the past.

I disagree with a shocking number of people on many major issues, and I want to take some of my reading time to listen to the other side.

[Alohamora]

Are audiobooks fair game? I get in at least 2 hours of audiobook listening during my commute everyday.

I haven't really tracked 2016 reads, but counting what I have in the Audible and Kindle apps and adding a few from the library and KU (since deleted), I must have read or listened to just about 52 books this year.

52 audiobooks and 12 ebooks feels like a good 2017 target. A re-read of LOTR and Connie Willis books are high on the TBR.

More than numbers, I want to do a couple of things differently next year. I want to borrow more from the library and purchase less.

I also want to curtail my ebook ADD, starting too many books then jumping to a different one, then another and another and not finishing what I start. Of course, if it's truly bad, I'll be ok to abandon and delete.

[Loosheesh]

Originally Posted by Alohamora

Are audiobooks fair game?

I plan to count audiobooks; one of my sub-challenges is to listen to 25 of them for the year.