2015 reading challenges

[calissa]

I love the New Year. I love the feeling of possibility, of all the exciting new projects awaiting me. I want to dive into all of them straightaway and it’s a challenge not to go overboard. This goes just as much for my reading as it does for any other aspect of my life. There are many great reading challenges getting underway and quite a few have tempted me. However, in the interest of keeping my workload manageable, I have decided I’m sticking to just two this year.

The first is the ubiquitous Goodreads reading challenge. I’ve committed to 52 books. Considering I’ll be reviewing one book here most weeks, this should be achievable (now watch me jinx myself).

The other challenge is the 2015 Australian Women Writers Challenge. I’ve signed up for the Miles level: read 6 books and review at least 4. Judging from 2014’s stats, I should easily manage this. However, I’m mindful of my tendency to over-commit. If I do well this year, I’ll definitely consider pushing harder in 2016.

I was sorely tempted by Shaheen’s Sequel Challenge. In her own words:

In 2014 I thought I’d try to get up to speed with all the series I’m currently reading, so I did this challenge as a way to reward myself every time I finished a book. The point system worked like this:

• 1 point for Book Two of a series;
• 2 points for Book Three of a series; and
• 3 points for any additional books in longer series.

Tempting as it is, I think I’ll be leaving that one until next year.

I’m probably also in dire need of No Book Buying Challenge but I suspect foregoing both buying new books and borrowing library books is beyond my willpower.

What reading challenges have you signed up for this year?

Mirrored from Earl Grey Editing.

Comments

[clare_dragonfly]

I'm just doing the Goodreads challenge, for 52 books, which is far lower than usual but I figure with a wedding and a full-time job starting soon, I shouldn't be too ambitious!

I am intrigued by this series-finishing one. Of course, the problem there is I don't want to spend any money, and there are only two series (that I can think of) that I've started but not finished and that I own the rest of. I'll check it out anyway.

I'm also using Beeminder to track my reading and sort of challenge me. I have my reading beeminder set to half a book per week, apparently, but rereads don't count (and I certainly plan to reread the Harry Potter series this year), and books that are on my paper TBR count for 1.5. You can see it here if you're interested. I've been reading one very long book for a while! ETA: I forgot to mention that I am considering giving myself negative points for books purchased to get myself to get through my TBR. Probably not a whole point per book--maybe half a point per ebook and more than that per paper book.

[calissa]

It will definitely be a busy year for you, so keeping your reading challenge manageable seems wise.

What is your local library like? Might it help you get through some of the series on your list?

What an interesting system! I do love a good graph and the system seems quite dynamic. Are you finding it helpful?

Negative points would certainly bring the challenge to a whole new level.

[clare_dragonfly]

I haven't been to my local library yet! It's definitely not as convenient as the one in my old neighborhood, and I couldn't get there on my own (without an excessively long bus ride). Maybe I'll get Daniel to take me there at some point.

I am finding Beeminder helpful--more for other things (like eating healthy) than reading, but it is also motivating me to get through the book I'm reading, which, though interesting, is long and dense.

[calissa]

Oh! That's rather annoying. If you move again, I hope you have better luck (though I realise proximity to a library is hardly going to be a priority when looking for a place).

Is this long, dense book research? (I took a peek at your GoodReads).

[clare_dragonfly]

I hope so too!

Well, everything is research, but yes ;) It's not research for any particular thing, just something my sister gave me (she had to read it for one of her business classes) that she thought would be good for writing.

[davidgillon]

The problem with the series reading challenge is when you're up to date with the series and the writer isn't! I re-read the earlier books in a series last summer, intending to pick up the next when I'd finished, and only on finishing book 3 and going looking for book 4 on Amazon did I realise that yes, it had a page, but it was a pre-order page for a book not due to release until this Easter.

[calissa]

I think it's only a useful challenge for people who start a series but are dreadful at reading more than the first book. From what I've seen of your reading habits, that definitely doesn't describe you.

Do you do much in the way of tracking your reading?

[davidgillon]

I've had one or two false starts at trying to log my reading, but never really got the habit bedded down. I'm hoping to use my various what I've been reading posts to let me put together a list for the last few months, which I can probably extend over all of 2014 (and maybe earlier) just by checking my Amazon order history.

[calissa]

That sounds like a good strategy! Are you also on Goodreads?

[davidgillon]

Not as yet, though I've been considering it or something similar.

[calissa]

TBH, I'm not sure it will help with logging books, but I guess it can't hurt to try. If you join, I hope you'll let me know. I do love peeking at what other people are reading.

[davidgillon]

You're pretty much seeing everything I'm reading in the posts I do here, I'm not sure GoodReads would add anything in that respect, though it would make it visible to people who aren't on DW.