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Hot Reading Challenge Tips from Pros Who Read More Than 100 Books a Year
More than 2.8 million readers have pledged to finish more books in the 2018 Goodreads Reading Challenge. For those stuck in a midyear slump, we asked avid readers Dan Schwent, Julie Ehlers, Bill Kerwin, and Kathy Habel for advice. These pros have read more than 100 books a year, so of course we asked them for their recommendations as well. Make sure to add their picks to your Want to Read shelf!
Goodreads: How many books did you read last year?
Dan Schwent: In 2017, despite getting married, vacationing in Maine, and remodeling three rooms in my house, I managed to read 137 books.
Goodreads: What tips do you have for someone stuck in a Reading Challenge slump?
DS: One thing I learned the hard way is that there’s no shame in not finishing a book that you’re not enjoying. If there’s one thing you’re definitely in control of, it’s the books you’ll spend time reading! The book-finishing police probably don’t know where you live anyway...
Sometimes, change is good. If your genre of choice isn’t doing it for you anymore, try something else! Switching it up every once in a while is healthy and fun. Or it will be disastrous and you’ll go running back into the comforting arms of your genre of choice. It’s win-win!
Lastly, time is your biggest enemy in your Reading Challenge. If you’re behind on your count, maybe it’s time to look at what else you’re doing and make some changes. Scouring social media* for info on the newest Marvel movie might be fun, but reading about what some curmudgeon in Kansas hates about Avengers: Infinity War isn’t getting you any closer to your reading goals.
*This does not apply to Goodreads, of course.
Goodreads: What Reading Challenge busters do you recommend?
DS: Nothing will bust you out of a reading slump like a fantastic book. Here are a few I enjoyed quite a bit over the last few years:
Goodreads: How many books did you read last year?
Julie Ehlers: In 2017, I read 141 books (my Reading Challenge goal was 101).
Goodreads: What advice do you have for someone stuck in a Reading Challenge slump?
JE: Follow your bliss! I think sometimes we read particular books because we feel like we should, or we dutifully plow through books we’re not enjoying because we feel bad about setting them aside without finishing them. Don’t do any of this! Read what calls out to you from the shelf. If something’s not working, quit it and don’t feel guilty.
Also, when you have a spare minute, pick up your book instead of scrolling through your phone. Not only will you get more reading done, but you’ll be improving your focus and concentration…and then you can get even more reading done! In my experience, it’s also much more rewarding.
Finally, make sure your goals are realistic! I’ve exceeded my challenge goal every year, but I’m not interested in setting a higher number—I don’t need that kind of pressure. The Reading Challenge should be fun and motivating, not make you want to change your name, move somewhere where nobody knows you, and start your life over again.
Goodreads: What Reading Challenge busters do you recommend?
Goodreads: How many books did you read last year?
Bill Kerwin: 240 books.
Goodreads: What advice do you have for someone stuck in a Reading Challenge slump?
BK: Diversify. Read books of different types and genres, lengths, and levels of difficulty. Just make sure they are all from genres you like. Every month I read 18 separate works. The variety is what keeps my interest alive.
Read more than one book at a time. If I’m not in the mood for one book, I quickly shift to another. With four or five books at hand at any time, I can satisfy my reader’s mood, whatever it may be.
Always take a book with you when you leave the house. If the book is small, the inconvenience is, too. Even better: Take your Kindle along. Waiting is always easier when you have a book.
Read books you want to read, not books you think you should. Just because a book is on somebody’s “great list” doesn’t mean it’s the book for you. And if a book doesn’t please you after 50 pages, cut your losses and move on.
Goodreads: What Reading Challenge busters do you recommend?
Goodreads: How many books did you read last year?
Kathy Habel: In 2017, I completed my fourth Goodreads Reading Challenge, completing a total of 161 books. I'm hoping to double that number this year!
Goodreads: What tips do you have for someone stuck in a Reading Challenge slump?
KH: Reading slumps are a real thing, especially for an avid reader. Life happens to all of us, and sometimes things get too stressful. I think it's healthy to take a break when it's needed, but if your slump goes on too long, here are a few suggestions to get back to reading:
No required reading. I used to force myself to finish every book I started. However, it's been years since I was in school, so there is no longer any "required reading" in my life. So give yourself permission to only read books you love.
Audiobooks. Try listening to audiobooks. While I love professional narrations and often listen to them through Audible or Overdrive, not every book I want to read has been professionally narrated. I often take advantage of my Kindle Fire's text-to-voice feature. Listening to audio versions of books while driving, exercising, and cleaning helps boost my book count.
Reread. Go back to an old favorite. What's the best book you've ever read? Which book elicited strong emotion when you read it? What is an unforgettable scene that is burned into your memory? Maybe it's time for a reread of an old favorite or maybe try another book written by a favorite author.
Compare books. If you have not yet found trusted friends with similar reading tastes, then choose your favorite book and find someone who has posted a five-star review similar to yours. Go to their profile and use Goodreads' "compare books" feature to see how compatible your reading tastes are.
This feature has led me to find a couple Goodreads friends who I am nearly 100 percent compatible with. Our ratings and reviews on books are so similar, I know that if they give a book five stars, I'm going to love it, too. When I'm in a slump and looking for something to pull me out of it, a great way is to choose a book one of these trusted top friends has raved about.
Goodreads: What Reading Challenge busters do you recommend?
KH: Anything by Amy Harmon (Making Faces, The Law of Moses, and From Sand and Ash are my favorites) and anything narrated by Jim Dale (The Night Circus, Harry Potter, Peter and the Starcatchers). Also, I'm with You by Taylor Dean and The Sidelined Wife by Jennifer Peel.
Dan Schwent: In 2017, despite getting married, vacationing in Maine, and remodeling three rooms in my house, I managed to read 137 books.
Goodreads: What tips do you have for someone stuck in a Reading Challenge slump?
DS: One thing I learned the hard way is that there’s no shame in not finishing a book that you’re not enjoying. If there’s one thing you’re definitely in control of, it’s the books you’ll spend time reading! The book-finishing police probably don’t know where you live anyway...
Sometimes, change is good. If your genre of choice isn’t doing it for you anymore, try something else! Switching it up every once in a while is healthy and fun. Or it will be disastrous and you’ll go running back into the comforting arms of your genre of choice. It’s win-win!
Lastly, time is your biggest enemy in your Reading Challenge. If you’re behind on your count, maybe it’s time to look at what else you’re doing and make some changes. Scouring social media* for info on the newest Marvel movie might be fun, but reading about what some curmudgeon in Kansas hates about Avengers: Infinity War isn’t getting you any closer to your reading goals.
*This does not apply to Goodreads, of course.
Goodreads: What Reading Challenge busters do you recommend?
DS: Nothing will bust you out of a reading slump like a fantastic book. Here are a few I enjoyed quite a bit over the last few years:
Julie Ehlers: In 2017, I read 141 books (my Reading Challenge goal was 101).
Goodreads: What advice do you have for someone stuck in a Reading Challenge slump?
JE: Follow your bliss! I think sometimes we read particular books because we feel like we should, or we dutifully plow through books we’re not enjoying because we feel bad about setting them aside without finishing them. Don’t do any of this! Read what calls out to you from the shelf. If something’s not working, quit it and don’t feel guilty.
Also, when you have a spare minute, pick up your book instead of scrolling through your phone. Not only will you get more reading done, but you’ll be improving your focus and concentration…and then you can get even more reading done! In my experience, it’s also much more rewarding.
Finally, make sure your goals are realistic! I’ve exceeded my challenge goal every year, but I’m not interested in setting a higher number—I don’t need that kind of pressure. The Reading Challenge should be fun and motivating, not make you want to change your name, move somewhere where nobody knows you, and start your life over again.
Goodreads: What Reading Challenge busters do you recommend?
JE: This is tough because obviously everybody’s taste is different, but when I think of Reading Challenge busters, I think "funny" and "lively," and nothing embodies those qualities more than David Sedaris’ essay collections. I’ve been enjoying his new one, Calypso, but all of them are great.
JE: I also think reading something completely different from what you’re used to can get you out of a slump. Lately I’ve been reading novels-in-poems, like Jacqueline Woodson's Brown Girl Dreaming, for a change of pace.
JE: A lot of the best graphic novels are kind of dark and disturbing, but a good lighthearted one is Over Easy by Mimi Pond. As a bonus, this and Brown Girl Dreaming can be read pretty quickly, so you can feel an immediate sense of accomplishment.
JE: Another book that got me out of a recent reading slump is Christopher R. Beha’s novel Arts & Entertainments. I thought it was fun and so interesting, and really unpredictable. Unpredictability is good for keeping the pages turning.
Goodreads: How many books did you read last year?
Bill Kerwin: 240 books.
Goodreads: What advice do you have for someone stuck in a Reading Challenge slump?
BK: Diversify. Read books of different types and genres, lengths, and levels of difficulty. Just make sure they are all from genres you like. Every month I read 18 separate works. The variety is what keeps my interest alive.
Read more than one book at a time. If I’m not in the mood for one book, I quickly shift to another. With four or five books at hand at any time, I can satisfy my reader’s mood, whatever it may be.
Always take a book with you when you leave the house. If the book is small, the inconvenience is, too. Even better: Take your Kindle along. Waiting is always easier when you have a book.
Read books you want to read, not books you think you should. Just because a book is on somebody’s “great list” doesn’t mean it’s the book for you. And if a book doesn’t please you after 50 pages, cut your losses and move on.
Goodreads: What Reading Challenge busters do you recommend?
BK: A horror/adventure novel featuring a black family in 1950’s Chicago who discover they have an occult family connection to a society of evil wizards on the East Coast.
BK: A Catholic family from London journeys north to visit a shrine and encounters evil in the countryside.
BK: This second entry in the series featuring Roxane Weary—Columbus, Ohio’s bisexual, hard-drinking private eye—is just as good as the first book, The Last Place You Look.
BK: The first and best collection by the master of the English ghost story—a classic not to be missed.
Goodreads: How many books did you read last year?
Kathy Habel: In 2017, I completed my fourth Goodreads Reading Challenge, completing a total of 161 books. I'm hoping to double that number this year!
Goodreads: What tips do you have for someone stuck in a Reading Challenge slump?
KH: Reading slumps are a real thing, especially for an avid reader. Life happens to all of us, and sometimes things get too stressful. I think it's healthy to take a break when it's needed, but if your slump goes on too long, here are a few suggestions to get back to reading:
No required reading. I used to force myself to finish every book I started. However, it's been years since I was in school, so there is no longer any "required reading" in my life. So give yourself permission to only read books you love.
Audiobooks. Try listening to audiobooks. While I love professional narrations and often listen to them through Audible or Overdrive, not every book I want to read has been professionally narrated. I often take advantage of my Kindle Fire's text-to-voice feature. Listening to audio versions of books while driving, exercising, and cleaning helps boost my book count.
Reread. Go back to an old favorite. What's the best book you've ever read? Which book elicited strong emotion when you read it? What is an unforgettable scene that is burned into your memory? Maybe it's time for a reread of an old favorite or maybe try another book written by a favorite author.
Compare books. If you have not yet found trusted friends with similar reading tastes, then choose your favorite book and find someone who has posted a five-star review similar to yours. Go to their profile and use Goodreads' "compare books" feature to see how compatible your reading tastes are.
This feature has led me to find a couple Goodreads friends who I am nearly 100 percent compatible with. Our ratings and reviews on books are so similar, I know that if they give a book five stars, I'm going to love it, too. When I'm in a slump and looking for something to pull me out of it, a great way is to choose a book one of these trusted top friends has raved about.
Goodreads: What Reading Challenge busters do you recommend?
KH: Anything by Amy Harmon (Making Faces, The Law of Moses, and From Sand and Ash are my favorites) and anything narrated by Jim Dale (The Night Circus, Harry Potter, Peter and the Starcatchers). Also, I'm with You by Taylor Dean and The Sidelined Wife by Jennifer Peel.
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What tips will you be trying for your Reading Challenge? Let us know in the comments!
Check out more recent blogs:
The Best Books of the Year (So Far)
The Unputdownable Domestic Suspense Thrillers of 2018
Catch Up Now: These Big Series All Have Books Coming Out in July
Check out more recent blogs:
The Best Books of the Year (So Far)
The Unputdownable Domestic Suspense Thrillers of 2018
Catch Up Now: These Big Series All Have Books Coming Out in July
Comments Showing 151-200 of 479 (479 new)
Jessica wrote: "So do you count audio books as "reading" a book? I never had but if I did, it would for boost my numbers. What is the general consensus?"Absolutely!! Why wouldn't it?!
Shirly wrote: " I have never read a hundred books in a year. I don't think anyone in this article insinuated I should.."Well, for me it did an I think for many people here too,otherwise it would not spark such a conversation. :) another heated one goes on at goodreads facebook page.
But I agree with you and will continue to set my challenges according to my own pace and time.
I was a librarian too, btw. Still my dream job.
Lori wrote: "I have to wonder if people who read over a 100 books a year either (a) don't hold full time jobs or (b) read a lot of graphic novels/chapbooks/poetry. The best reading year I ever had, while holdin..."I can relate. I barely read the first eight years after having kids. Then, I found audiobooks! If it wasn't for audiobooks, I'd never read. I don't have sit-down time to read! I listen during my work commute, making supper, doing chores, etc. At the end of the day, I'm too tired to read at bedtime.
Jessica wrote: "So do you count audio books as "reading" a book? I never had but if I did, it would for boost my numbers. What is the general consensus?"If a person does not consider audiobooks as "reading", then I guess reading aloud to children doesn't count?! Of course it does!
Elyse wrote: "Jessica wrote: "So do you count audio books as "reading" a book? I never had but if I did, it would for boost my numbers. What is the general consensus?"Absolutely! Because you are still taking t..." Sincerely believe there is a distinct difference between listening and reading. One is passive, one is active. You use ears for listening, eyes for reading. So, unfortunately they both can’t be called reading.
Jennifer wrote: "I have three books on the go at the moment. One I am reading on my kindle, one I am reading at work during my break and one I am reading before I go to bed."Fantastic ! That's how many I'm doing at the moment , three . Hope you finish all before summer's end .
Andre wrote: "Elyse wrote: "Jessica wrote: "So do you count audio books as "reading" a book? I never had but if I did, it would for boost my numbers. What is the general consensus?"Absolutely! Because you are ..."
The vast majority of readers subvocalize what they read anyway. What's the difference between a voice in your head and a voice in your ears? All language traces back to spoken language, and that spoken language triggers embodied simulation in the exact same way. The experience is the same. Provably. With science. What you're saying is like saying if somebody sets their ebook app to autoscroll, it doesn't count as reading, because it's passively moving without their direct input. An audibook listener can pause and rewind if they didn't catch something, ya know.
Lori wrote: "I have to wonder if people who read over a 100 books a year either (a) don't hold full time jobs or (b) read a lot of graphic novels/chapbooks/poetry. The best reading year I ever had, while holdin..."LOL .
This debate is ridiculous. You are not a better person or reader if you only read 20 books a year and who are you to judge someone who reads more? It's easy to read 100 books in a year while having a busy life. It just takes a bit of prioritizing and making choices. Just because you can't manage it, it doesn't make anybody who does fake.I know plenty of people who read a lot more than that and none of them read novellas or 'bad quality books'. Though judging by the ignorant snobbish comments in this thread, lots of you would probably think they are trash and unworthy. You want to read 20 books a year? Fine. Good for you. Nobody is making fun of you for being an incredibly slow reader. Why would you make fun of others for reading more?
They always want people to read more and when they do they're fake and show offs and must sit around doing nothing all day? It reeks of jealousy and you're only making yourself look pathetic.
On Audiobooks.. who cares. Count them as books, don't count them as books. Just leave each other be and let people decide for themselves.
Allison wrote: "I don't understand how it is humanly possible to read that many books in a year."I gave up trying to keep up with those professional bookworms years ago . It was like trying to get all "A's" in college ; it's just not gonna happen . I've presently made peace with how many I can do .
Judi wrote: "I have logged in 192 books read so far this year out of 365. I have read more than that but I have a rule of 60 pages minimum to log the book into my Challenge. I average reading 50 pages an hour s..."I wish there was a way to like this (and if there is I just can't see it lol). I recently realized I was spending way too much time on my phone at social media and watching endless hours of tv, so I deleted all social media apps and downloaded reading apps and stopped all tv subscriptions I had (except for Netflix). I find I'm spending way more time listening to educational podcasts and reading on my kindle. I also have realized I am perfectly fine with sitting in a waiting area without being on my phone without being uncomfortable like some people clearly are. I don't know, it's nice to be unplugged and spending free time to read.
Jessica wrote: "So do you count audio books as "reading" a book? I never had but if I did, it would for boost my numbers. What is the general consensus?"Audiobooks are reading. For the pendantic, the challenge should be called "consuming" since that covers all the bases for those who have issues.
Suz wrote: "I'd like to know if these folks who mention not finishing a book they don't enjoy mark it as read or not. I do not.I've been setting my challenge to at least 100 books a year, and exceeding it, s..."
I have a DNF/Not for Me shelf. I don't count those books in my totals. Thanks for your comments :)
Wouter wrote: "Whatever happened to quality over quantity?" There's so much quality to get through a lot of us feel the need to make space for quantity. :)
Up to 240 books a year? Really? I'm not buying these figures. Unless we count as read books - as a few "100+" readers here do - individual short stories, unfinished novels, children's books and audio books. I reckon I could do 500 on those terms.
I've read 176 books so far this year. Cut back on TV and don't force yourself to finish a book unless it's for school or work.
If I followed the advise of ditching boring books by page 50, i would have never read and love one of my all time favourite Lonesome Dove. The first 100 pages are a snooze, but the rest are just fantastic. I'd say I usually give a book 25-30% before I can firmly say it's not going to happen.
Why can’t people let other people enjoy things
Kendra wrote: "Personally, I dislike using "number of books" as a metric. Instead, I prefer total page count because what defines a book? Look at Bill Kerwin's this year. he has read 16540 pages and 104 books, wh..."Kendra - Page length is a fun thing to look at but even that has a great deal of difference depending on the font and page size. There are some young adult titles where I can easily read 2 pages a minute versus some weightier books or titles with smaller print where I'm lucky to get through 1 page in 2 minutes.
My personal count doesn't always match what Goodreads says for the reading challenge. I don't include picture books in my total but sometimes I forget to delete the date read so they show up in my Challenge total. I also only count books once each year and there are several I have read more than once in a given calendar year so that leaves a discrepancy as well.
I enjoy reading and joined Goodreads to just keep track of the books for my own sake, not as a competition with anyone else. I really like a "real" book and usually just read one book at a time. That book goes with me to appts. and I mostly read at night before bed. I do have reading apps, but don't like to use them as much and years ago did listen to tapes in the car driving from job to job. Made the commute easier. :) Reading relaxes me, I don't stick to just one type of book, whatever seems interesting. I am currently in 2 book clubs, so I read those, plus what books I have put by my bedside to read. but not at the same time. One at a time. I still avg. about 80 books a year, even before I started keeping track.
I’m wondering if the people you interviewed put the books they didn’t finish on their list.
Jessica wrote: "So do you count audio books as "reading" a book? I never had but if I did, it would for boost my numbers. What is the general consensus?"Absolutely! Consuming an audio book takes just as much concentration and engages you just as much as an ebook or a printed book. I started listening to audio books years ago when I had a long commute. I realized that if I listened to the radio for those 30+ minutes, I arrived at work with no memory of how the time had passed; whereas if I listened to a book, I sometimes had to sit in the parking lot and continue to listen until I reached the end of a chapter! Now I have an Audible subscription and listen while out on my daily walks, or while cooking or doing housework.
I wonder if they include books started but not finished in their lists....
Laurie wrote: "I’m wondering if the people you interviewed put the books they didn’t finish on their list."It certainly seems that way to me.
Jessica wrote: "So do you count audio books as "reading" a book? I never had but if I did, it would for boost my numbers. What is the general consensus?"Absolutely, those count!
My tip for breaking a reading slump: try a short story collection! Here are some of my favorites:Ideas of Heaven by Joan Silber
Anything Is Possible by Elizabeth Strout
Astray by Emma Donoghue
Hunger by Lan Samantha Chang
Welding with Children by Tim Gatreaux
Servants of the Map by Andrea Barrett
Anissa wrote: "I have to agree with a lot said about how to get your reading in. I take books everywhere with me via my Kindle & Google Play Books apps. Any time waiting anywhere is reading time. I don't think I'..."
well - I read an average of 250 books a year in a mix of paper, ebook and audio - the only limit on 'speed' for me is audio since the narration determines the speed - but I read quickly - and voraciously - there are few that I won't tackle. As for quality - I get a mix in of fiction and non, books from lists like Booker Prize, etc., and the occasional classic .... it's a grab and go - and I'll read almost anywhere - in lines, in the car, walking, running, chores, etc . Oh - and I work, I blog and I have a house to maintain. It's priorities, scheduling and opportunity - the hours others may spend in the evenings watching television - I read.
Gaele wrote: "well - I read an average of 250 books a year in a mix of paper, ebook and audio - the only limit on 'speed' for me is audio since the narration determines the speed - but I read quickly - and vorac..."Yes, reading trash certainly gets your numbers up.
In 2017 I read 150 books and a 150 short stories. This is a combo of books and audiobooks. I mostly download the audiobook from the library at the same time I start reading the book. So i may read eg. 1-3 chapters and then I listen to chapters 4-6. That way I get through the book quicker. Many times when I tire of reading I listen. I download on phone so I can listen in car. The only problem I find when i have a high goal to read I tend to pick shorter books. So in 2018 I am concentrating on reading authors I really like.
Wouter wrote: "Whatever happened to quality over quantity?"Amen!
Lori wrote: "I have to wonder if people who read over a 100 books a year either (a) don't hold full time jobs or (b) read a lot of graphic novels/chapbooks/poetry. The best reading year I ever had, while holdin..."You are exactly right. I am retired but when I worked I read about 50 books a year. The kind of books certainly determines the quantity. Light fiction generally can be read much faster than meaty nonfiction.
Paula wrote: "Allison wrote: "I don't understand how it is humanly possible to read that many books in a year."Its funny , your'e comment as I read on average between 450-650 books a year."
So at your top limit you'd have to be reading almost 2 books a day to read that many in a year. How do you have time for that? Walk me through this.
Lori wrote: "I have to wonder if people who read over a 100 books a year either (a) don't hold full time jobs or (b) read a lot of graphic novels/chapbooks/poetry. The best reading year I ever had, while holdin..."
Jessica wrote: "So do you count audio books as "reading" a book? I never had but if I did, it would for boost my numbers. What is the general consensus?"I would definitely count audio books as reading. I don't get into the audio book thing myself, but many people love it. It shouldn't matter how you "ingest" the book as long as enjoy it.
Seems people are taking the book count way too seriously. I am a slow reader but am still on track to read 100 books this year. Sometimes I get 5 books behind, sometimes I'm 2 books ahead. Sometimes it takes me 2 weeks to finish a book and sometimes I can finish a book in a day. For me, my goal encourages me to read in general but does not make me feel forced. I read a variety of books but do love my YA.
Who cares what other people are reading or how much they are absorbing or how many they read? It literally does not effect you in any way. The Reading Challenge should be a personal goal, not a competition. If you're reading just to "beat" other people then you're probably not enjoying it and I think that defeats the purpose of reading in the first place.
Adrian wrote: "I have set my reading challenge this year to 40 books read, fairly sure I'll reach 50 at least at the current pace (started a new reading plan this year: two books at at time, a non-fiction and a f..."I can read a good 150 books in a year, and I would say that setting high goals does not mean that you are more concerned about quantity than quality. I don't pick shorter books just to meet my goal. What I do is pick higher quality books that I enjoy reading more. If I have a book I enjoy, I want to spend more of my time reading it, therefore raising the quantity as well.
Therefore, reading books you enjoy will also increase how many books you read.
I decided to take a year off from reading a specific number of books. Try to expand my horizons a bit. Right now I am reading the Harry Potter series and it is taking me back to my childhood when I first discovered the love of books. I try to keep my bedtime reading to something not very exciting that can be easily put down. That is Fire and Fury at the present. For my "I can't put it down afternoon reading" I just finished "The Great Alone". And it was. Great.
Maureen wrote: "Dana wrote: "Some good tips in here. However, I have one minor (pedantic) peeve:Listening to audiobooks is not reading. You get a completely different experience reading something than you do fro..."
I switch back and forth from audiobook and Kindle on the same book. Sometimes I will go back and read a chapter that I had heard on Audio if I need to refresh my memory of a book I had stopped reading for a while. I find that I haven't missed a thing and retained more than I sometimes do when I just read a book.
Dana wrote: "Some good tips in here. However, I have one minor (pedantic) peeve:Listening to audiobooks is not reading. You get a completely different experience reading something than you do from listening t..."
Unfortunately, most people who don't read fast were taught to read by reading aloud. This makes reading an auditory process. It is literally that someone cannot comprehend unless they hear themselves reading in their mind, so audio can speed this process and for them it's the same. When I helped students with standardized tests like ACT, GMAT, GRE, etc. I would encourage them to listen to someone read complicated texts or tape themselves reading. Most of these tests are reading tests, and people have to unlearn some habits and make reading a visual process. I was able to read faster when I did this.
Save your money while you are working and when you retire you can make it somewhat full time gig. Even if you are not reading you can be around Books. I am volunteer librarian at our local senior center, I pick up and sort books for Friends of the Library, and I volunteer for local chapter of Dolly Partons Imagination Library. Because we discard large number of books from senior center and Friends of Library I take boxes of Books to other area senior centers, nursing homes, Goodwill, or any nonprofit that sells books. It’s a blast. I was banker before I retired but now I get to do what I like to do.,
Benjamin wrote: "Adrian wrote: "I have set my reading challenge this year to 40 books read, fairly sure I'll reach 50 at least at the current pace (started a new reading plan this year: two books at at time, a non-..."Does reading all the "Tintin" really count? :D
Really, who cares how many books someone reads in a year/month/week/day/second? I keep track of what I read solely to keep me from unintentionally reading a book more than once. Reading should be entertaining, fun, relaxing, and maybe educational, right? Like other discretionary activities, it should be balanced with life's other activities, right? To each his/her/its own, but reading 5 books at a time or arguing over whether an audiobook "counts" detracts from the great pleasure that reading provides. I read all 45 Dr. Seuss books yesterday...
Wonderer wrote: Finally, it's nice that you're supporting her, but you seem a little too aggressive. Have I offended you in the past?"Dude. You need to stop. Calling me "aggressive" for what I've said is absurd, and your patent need to fling childish criticism around is quite telling. I don't know you from Adam, as I'm sure you are well aware. I also don't know the other commenter. You said something mean-spirited to her (you have no way of knowing what else someone has going on in their life based on a couple of blog comments) and I pushed back. That's not "aggressive" unless you just have a problem with women who dare to critique you in any way.
Honestly I'm not interested in continuing this. You said something jerky and refuse to own up to it, and now you're adding to it by trying to insult me as well. Why don't you go speed read some books instead? I've got reading to do, too.
Michael G Hutchinson wrote: "Save your money while you are working and when you retire you can make it somewhat full time gig. Even if you are not reading you can be around Books. I am volunteer librarian at our local senior c...""I was banker before I retired" + "Save your money while you are working" = "now I get to do what I like to do" Very happy for you. Sadly, the majority of people live in the real world.
Cindle... wrote: "137 books, 141 books, 240 books, etc; plus, they want to double their amount next year. So I’m curious: are they retaining any of the plots and or characters they are reading about? Do they ever ta..."I can't retain much of a book if I'm reading that fast either. 18 books a month?
Wouter wrote: "Whatever happened to quality over quantity?"I'm with you. I only read one book at a time & I savor it. I read for pure pleasure, mostly cozies, But I'm not interested in setting any records.
David wrote: "It's not about dishonesty but rather practicality, and how language works. It's inconvenient and purposeless to try and separate which books you read vs. which you listened to, because the result is the same. If you think someone saying they read a book is "dishonest" because they listened to an audiobook, you clearly don't count them as equal, near identical experiences, which science shows that they are..."YES, David! Couldn't agree more!
Andre wrote: "Elyse wrote: "Jessica wrote: "So do you count audio books as "reading" a book? I never had but if I did, it would for boost my numbers. What is the general consensus?"Absolutely! Because you are ..."
Semantics. I absorbed a book. I consumed a book. I took a book into my brain. I enjoyed a book. There, is that better than saying "I read a book" vs "I listened to a book?" Who cares?!
wow, didn't expect that coming.