Have yourself a merry little readmas 2019 reading challenge thread

[billy_bob]

I used to read 50+ books a year with ease but I only just made it to 51 in 2018, so I reckon 50's enough of a challenge this time. Still got some big fat ones sitting waiting to be read that will drag down my rate (Vikram Seth and Anthony Beevor - I'm looking at you ).

 

[braindancer]

Only managed 19 last year - but this year will aim for 25.

 

[circleline]

Started into the year with 'The In-between World of Vikram Lall' by MG Vassanji. Not got properly into it yet so will go back to it later, at some point (always do, just sometimes defer).

Have leap-frogged to 'A Fraction of the Whole' by Steve Toltz.

 

[Pickman's model]

1. georges simenon, "maigret's doubts"

 

[PursuedByBears]

1/45 Roald Dahl - Matilda

 

[Ptolemy]

1/30. The Atheist's Mass - Honoré de Balzac.
2/30. The Labour Party - William Glenvil Hall.
3/30. L'Argent (Money) - Émile Zola.

 

[not-bono-ever]

up to aboput 45 i suppose. i rarely get a list together, just skim charity shops or ebay for used copies of soemthing i have heard about.

 

[PursuedByBears]

1/45 Roald Dahl - Matilda

Best Roald Dahl so far!

 

[petee]

hit my goal of 9 last year, might actually surpass it this year as everything on my list is c. 200 pages, except for Kolyma Stories.

 

[billy_bob]

1/50 Mark E. Smith/Austin Collings - Renegade: The Lives and Tales of Mark E. Smith
2/50 Richard F. Thomas - Why Dylan Matters
3/50 Shaun Bythell - The Diary of a Bookseller

 

[kropotkin]

hit my goal of 9 last year, might actually surpass it this year as everything on my list is c. 200 pages, except for Kolyma Stories.

Kolyma Stories is very very good. Bleak but highly evocative.

No matter how shit your life gets, be thankful you weren't in the gulag

 

[PursuedByBears]

2/50 Richard F. Thomas - Why Dylan Matters

What's this like?

 

[billy_bob]

What's this like?

Very interesting, although the title's maybe a bit misleading: the fact that he matters is more or less taken as read. It's academic but very accessible and readable. The author's a classicist who also teaches on Dylan, and the focus is on Dylan's connections with/inspiration from the work of Virgil, Juvenal, etc. But if you're enough of a Dylan fan it'd probably be of interest to you even if the classics aren't. I have to admit I'm mainly a fan of the acoustic/folky first five albums, and my knowledge and appreciation of the later stuff is very patchy - but the book has encouraged me to revisit some of it and give it another go.

 

[PursuedByBears]

Very interesting, although the title's maybe a bit misleading: the fact that he matters is more or less taken as read. It's academic but very accessible and readable. The author's a classicist who also teaches on Dylan, and the focus is on Dylan's connections with/inspiration from the work of Virgil, Juvenal, etc. But if you're enough of a Dylan fan it'd probably be of interest to you even if the classics aren't. I have to admit I'm mainly a fan of the acoustic/folky first five albums, and my knowledge and appreciation of the later stuff is very patchy - but the book has encouraged me to revisit some of it and give it another go.

Thanks, I'll add it to the list

 

[PursuedByBears]

1/45 Roald Dahl - Matilda

2/45 William Shakespeare - Twelfth Night or What You Will

 

[Me76]

1/50 Ray vs the Meaning of Life, Michael F Stewart

First one down.

 

[billy_bob]

First one down.

I like the tone of grim fatalism that sometimes creeps into these reading challenge threads. 'I'll get these fucking books read whether I like it or not...'

 

[Me76]

I like the tone of grim fatalism that sometimes creeps into these reading challenge threads. 'I'll get these fucking books read whether I like it or not...'

I love reading and will always have at least two on the go (one indoors and one for out).

I love this thread as it helps me keep track of what I've read and also I've read some amazing books I may not have if it wasn't for this.

The counting is interesting, as I didn't before 2012 when I first joined this thread. I don't stress about it, but starting on the journey is good, and I have been known to ask for short book recommendations towards the end of the year when I feel I may fall short of target.

2012 48
2013 43
2014 54
2015 47
2016 56
2017 53
2018 51

 

[billy_bob]

I'm only kidding, really Me76 - ditto to all you've just said. I do find myself sometimes worrying about not meeting my target on here, but what pressure there is to do that is benign, self-imposed and largely good for me: it often encourages me to crack a book open when I could otherwise spend another 20 minutes on Facebook, and I'm never worse off for doing so.

 

[nogojones]

1/45 Ursula LeGuin - The Left Hand of Darkness

2/45 Edward Bunker - No Beast so Fierce

 

[kropotkin]

Me76 Totally agree. I've found it helpful to keep a list, and look at what others are reading to get an idea of what to add to the to-read list

 

[Manter]

1/49 The magician’s land- Lev Grossman

Final part of a trilogy which is sort of what if Narnia was real. First one was a bit of a slog as it set everything up.... but books 2 and 3 were great. Finished it in a day when my in laws had the 5 year old

 

[Ptolemy]

1/30. The Atheist's Mass - Honoré de Balzac.
2/30. The Labour Party - William Glenvil Hall.
3/30. L'Argent (Money) - Émile Zola.
4/30. Le Rêve (The Dream) - Émile Zola.

Beautiful, poignant and otherworldy - very different from Zola's other books in the series.

 

[imposs1904]

I love reading and will always have at least two on the go (one indoors and one for out).

I love this thread as it helps me keep track of what I've read and also I've read some amazing books I may not have if it wasn't for this.

The counting is interesting, as I didn't before 2012 when I first joined this thread. I don't stress about it, but starting on the journey is good, and I have been known to ask for short book recommendations towards the end of the year when I feel I may fall short of target.

2012 48
2013 43
2014 54
2015 47
2016 56
2017 53
2018 51

I just trawled through Urban to see my reading figures for the reading challenge down the years and it just confirmed what I already knew: I've totally fallen off the edge. I'd love to get my reading 'mojo' back but I can't see it happening anytime soon.

2010 - 62
2011 - 106
2012 - 103
2013 - 83
2014 - 67
2015 - 35
2016 - 21
2017 - 7
2018 - 13

 

[marty21]

1/65 The Fire Maker - Peter May

 

[marty21]

I just trawled through Urban to see my reading figures for the reading challenge down the years and it just confirmed what I already knew: I've totally fallen off the edge. I'd love to get my reading 'mojo' back but I can't see it happening anytime soon.

2010 - 62
2011 - 106
2012 - 103
2013 - 83
2014 - 67
2015 - 35
2016 - 21
2017 - 7
2018 - 13

Had a look for mine, an upward trend
2010 - 40
2011 - 48
2012 - 48
2013 - 47
2014 - 57
2015 - 54
2016 - 70
2017 - 71
2018 - 65

 

[Pickman's model]

1. georges simenon, "maigret's doubts"

2. georges simenon, "maigret's anger"

 

[Badgers]

I always lose track

So far have managed three:

Kenny Dalglish My Autobiography
James Herriot - All Creatures Great & Small
James Herriot - All Things Bright & Beautiful

 

[ringo]

32/40 last year.
Dropping to 30 this year, got a lot on and had a tendency last year to avoid some of the big books I wanted to read because I wanted to hit my target which seems pretty counter-productive to enjoying reading.

 

[Smokeandsteam]

1/45: Daniel Bell - The Cultural Contradictions of Capitalism
2/45: Alan Sillitoe - The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner
3/45: Various - The Postmodern History Reader
4/45: Svetlana Boym - The Future of Nostalgia