Have yourself a merry little readmas 2019 reading challenge thread

[Pickman's model]

usual rules apply.

just a heads-up that we're coming to the end of the year, and that means that a new thread will be starting with effect from 0000 on 1 january 2019, where you can put books read* in the next calendar year. please don't be awkward and demand a different set of 365 days, the 2019 thread is intended for books read** between the very start of 2019 and the very end of 2019***.

anyway, as i say, just a heads-up this thread'll be the one to post your read books on for 2019, and i only mention this so you can start thinking how many books it is likely you'll read next year.

_____
*read includes books read to you, heard as audiofiles, on tapes, cds, etc ad nauseam.
** read in this case means completed.
*** the very end of 2019 is deemed to be 2359 on 31 december 2019.

these rules are of course arbitrary. but there you go.

 

[SpookyFrank]

I'm still trying to finish 2018's challenge.

Two books to go

 

[Pickman's model]

I'm still trying to finish 2018's challenge.

Two books to go

As usual please put all books read this year, 2018, in this year's thread

 

[kropotkin]

I'm going to downgrade this coming year. I'm currently on book 65 of 2018 and I think it's too many. I've done a lot of audio-books and have barely listened to any music - I'm going to listen to more music and less audio books.

 

[nogojones]

I'm going to up it by five again this year to 45 as I comfortably done my 40 this year.

 

[marty21]

fell short of 76 in 2018 (random figure I know) so will downgrade to 65 this year (just short of that this year)

 

[Manter]

Last year was a disaster- I can’t remember how many or what I read, and I stopped updating the thread. And I read some books that made almost no impression on my brain at all- my kindle tells me i’ve read them, but... meh

So guesstimate 40 this year

 

[Threshers_Flail]

Only 20 this year, I think I did 45 last year so quite a dip! Got into that awful habit of just scrolling on the internet and half watching stuff on netflix, my mind is in a much better place when reading.

Going to aim for 40.

 

[PursuedByBears]

Think I'll aim for 45 this year. I was planning to have sub-targets of a certain number of pre-20th century books, a certain number of 700+ page books, but I find I can't be bothered now. I'lI just aim to read

 

[Dragnet]

Only managed 19 (mind you, still time yet) in 2018, with a target of 25, so I'm going to stick with 25 for 2019. Saying that, I'm going to try and do all of Capital Vol. 1 this year, so that will take up a fair chunk of reading time.

 

[BoatieBird]

Going to slightly up my target from 65 to 70.
No sub-targets this time.

 

[Ptolemy]

I'm going with a target of 30 for 2019.

This year I met my target of 25, but didn't read many of the doorstops which I intended to tackle (though I at least got through The Brothers Karamazov).

Despite that, I still managed to read quite a lot of good books, even while taking time off from reading for months at a time due to personal reasons. So I feel quite happy about upping my total to 30 and maybe getting a couple of biggies done within that target.

Thanks to urban, I've read more pages in 2018 than I've read in any one year in my entire life. So I'm looking very much forward to 2019 and seeing what everyone else will be reading.

 

[D'wards]

36 - which is my total for this year, and is three a month. Also i try to read something "worthy", some airport novel schlock and a factual/autobiography on a 3 book rolling basis

 

[Mab]

I'm still trying to finish 2018's challenge.

Two books to go

Me also

 

[circleline]

Is it permissible to use this thread as a kind of book diary, or not?

Would never set myself a target; I buy (almost) all of my books second-hand and wouldn't want to seem like it was some kind of competitive/showing off event but would also like to keep a record of books read, over the year. Realise I could do this at home, on my own, but never have and probably wouldn't keep it up if I did. Is this self-centred and self-indulgent? Not sure, but won't be offended if advised this is not really the place..

 

[kropotkin]

That's essentially what the thread is. Also people get ideas for what to read from what others have recommended

 

[Pickman's model]

Is it permissible to use this thread as a kind of book diary, or not?

Would never set myself a target; I buy (almost) all of my books second-hand and wouldn't want to seem like it was some kind of competitive/showing off event but would also like to keep a record of books read, over the year. Realise I could do this at home, on my own, but never have and probably wouldn't keep it up if I did. Is this self-centred and self-indulgent? Not sure, but won't be offended if advised this is not really the place..

Use it as you will

 

[Ptolemy]

1/30. The Atheist's Mass - Honoré de Balzac.

A collection of three short stories, including the title story, "The Conscript" and "The Purse". The first time I've ever read Balzac, and I'll definitely add some of his other works to my "to-read" list - really a masterful writer.

 

[StanleyBlack]

Hello, been a lurker here for a very long time but I thought this year I would try this 'challenge' to see if it helps focus my reading. I'm aiming for at least 20 titles.

 

[kropotkin]

Target 55

1. Homo Deus - Yuval Noah Harari
2. The Kaiser goes: the generals remain - Theodor Plivier

 

[kropotkin]

I post them as I start them, so I haven't finished either of those yet

 

[SpookyFrank]

Got a signed copy of Benjamin Zephaniah's autobiography for christmas so I'm starting with that. This year's target is gonna be 44.

 

[nogojones]

1/45 Ursula LeGuin - The Left Hand of Darkness

 

[Ptolemy]

1/30. The Atheist's Mass - Honoré de Balzac.
2/30. The Labour Party - William Glenvil Hall.

A 50 page biography of the Labour Party produced for a 1940s book series called Britain in Pictures, it was written by the-then Labour MP for Colne Valley in around 1949. This was given to me by my uncle who collects Party memorabilia; it has some pretty interesting drawings from the early 20th century and caricatures of famous Labour figures such as Hardie, MacDonald, Bevin, Ellen Wilkinson...

 

[DotCommunist]

1/25 Legacy of Spies by John Le Carre
2/25 Blackfish City by Sam J Miller

finished today, started on the weekend, so counts in my list.

 

[greenfield]

1/50 - The Queen of the Night - Alexander Chee

 

[Shirl]

I read 28 in 2018 with a target of 20. I still only read in bed or on holiday so I'm going to 25 this year.

 

[BoatieBird]

1/70 - Minette Walters - The Ice House

 

[iona]

Spoiler: Last year's goals

I'm going for 25 books in total, including at least 5 non-fiction* of which at least one is about politics/economics, one history and one a(n) (auto)biography.

Also, not technically within the remit of the thread but another reading goal is to read at least one article from my "to read" bookmarks each month.

*Not counting books from the 'Very Short Introduction' series, just because.

Ended up reading 35 books last year but no non-fiction, and only four articles I'd bookmarked to read.

Aiming for 35 again this year but at least one of those being non-fiction, and five things from my "to read" bookmarks.

 

[BoatieBird]

1/70 - Minette Walters - The Ice House

2/70 - Joe Hill - Strange Weather