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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 351-400 of 479 (479 new)
The average adult reads 300 words per minute. The average words per page is 250 to 300. The average book length is 300 pages. With these averages, most books would take 5 hours to read.Depending on your lifestyle, a person could easily read a book a day, or at least one every two days. That could be 180 to 360 books a year. Some have more time to read, some less. Some read physical books, some in the electronic format. Some listen.
What we all do is enjoy the written word, expand our horizons, "visit" other worlds and cultures and broaden our minds.
I'm reading three books, one on my kindle, one by my bed and one in the pool. I always take a book and my kindle where ever I go. I read over 150 books last year.
Tracey wrote: "Lori wrote: "I actually feel a fair amount of shame at the number of books I do read. I feel like I should be doing something more productive, serving my community more, volunteering to wait on lin..."I heartily agree. The point is -- we should not be literary snobs or elitists. Par exemple - one of my aunts (bless her soul) read Harlequin most of the time but she also read the daily paper, listened to newscasts, and could hold her own in a discussion. She was also bilingual, sang in a choir, traveled often, and was always willing to help others. So...
Bill wrote: "I don't really see reading as a competition. Sorry Goodreads! I love your site, but this is silly. I'm gonna read what I'm gonna read."Me too
Cheryl A wrote: "The average adult reads 300 words per minute. The average words per page is 250 to 300. The average book length is 300 pages. With these averages, most books would take 5 hours to read.That's my point -- reading (in whatever medium) opens up the world -- whether it's just around the corner or in some far off galaxy. The universe is full of stories--we only scratch the surface.
Oh my goodness, audiobooks certainly count. They still have the power to sweep you away; even more so with awesome narration. I still read books on my kindle, but I only seem to get to them at bed time and then I'm nodding off to la la land and never get very far. The very best thing that audiobooks do is that they can be read while doing pretty much anything, driving, household chores, etc. Certainly can't do that with regular books. Most audiobook players also let you adjust the speed of the narration. I mostly speed them up now days because I'm so used to reading them. If you've never tried audiobooks before, I urge you to give them a try...Will Patton, Scott Brick and John Lee are my favorite narrators, but I also love listening to Bill Bryson read his own books.
My goal this year is the same as last year -- 80 books. Last year, I ended up at 125 or 126. Right now, I'm 18 books ahead of schedule, but behind where I was last year. If I had a tip for specifically the Goodreads challenge, it's to start the year with shorter books so that you almost instantly are ahead of schedule, which gives a psychological boost. I'm not competing with anyone other than myself, so the occasional novella or graphic novel works out well to keep me moving forward.
I also use the Forest app on my phone to keep me focused and off of social media.
In the end it doesn't really matter, does it? Hey! That sounds like song lyrics!!I read all the time, obsessively. It's my escape, my happy place. I will read just about anything. I went through a period of reading inappropriate books when I was young, a whole 3 or 4 years of a steady diet of romance novels & a long stretch of historical fiction with mostly Asian settings. Now I switch around with mad abandon! I read anywhere from 5 to 12 books at once. I love it. I've always catalogued my books by finish date since I was in high school. This helps me to keep my authors/series straight. Now GR keeps it all at my fingertips! I still maintain my little book journals & they are a joy to me.
Bottom line: read what you love & love what you read!
Wouter wrote: "Whatever happened to quality over quantity?"Considering that the most common advice is to quit books if you're not into them, I'd say nothing, or that the two are at least equally valued.
I want to be able to look back on my year and see all the terrific stories. I get a lot of satisfaction in that. I read primarily because I love reading, but it makes me feel good to have a record for the year, and it helps me to make recommendations to others. Seeing all the books is a part of my reward.
Lauri wrote: "In the end it doesn't really matter, does it? Hey! That sounds like song lyrics!!I read all the time, obsessively. It's my escape, my happy place. I will read just about anything. I went through ..."
Exactly!
Yaaresse wrote: "I've done the annual reading challenge each year simply because I was curious how much I read in a year, and that seemed like the most convenient way to track it. I do like that nifty "your year in reading" graphic at the end of the year. You know, you can take that link for last year, replace the year in the link with the current year, and it'll show your 2018 stats.
Bill wrote: "I don't really see reading as a competition. Sorry Goodreads! I love your site, but this is silly. I'm gonna read what I'm gonna read."I don't think it's a competition, it just gets you to read more and be more accountable to yourself. I never try to beat anybody's read amount. I just try to read what I pledge for the year.
Steph wrote: "Dana wrote: Honestly, I take offense to your comment that "audiobooks are not reading." There are many people who have physical disabilities that inhibit their ability to read physical books. and others, like me, who have learning disabilities that make it difficult tooYep, often when people make these pronouncements ... audiobooks aren't real or Kindle books are not real ... they're being unintentionally ableist and even cruel.
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..."People do have different lives, responsibilities, and priorities. I own a restaurant and so I'm plenty busy, but I also don't have children and so that opens up time when I get home.
Reading is a leisure time activity that competes with other leisure time activities. And so the person who reads 10 books is not necessarily a busier person than someone who reads 20 ... perhaps the person reading 20 has reading as their #1 leisure time activity, while the person who reads 10 might have reading 3rd behind video games or binging a TV show. Or whatever.
I'm also a champion at reading while rolling silverware. :)
And as you've implied, some books are quicker to read than others based on various factors, such as length and genre.
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 take time to absorb and or contemplate the layers, lessons learned, and the nuances each book has to offer?"Yes? I mean, it depends on the person, but I don't get your skepticism.
I'm not rushing through the books, I'm just spending more time reading. I stop and reread passages I like. I gather my thoughts to review. I think about the books I read as I drift off to sleep or while doing other things during the day. I discuss the books with other readers. I animatedly bore my husband with book chatter when he asks me what I'm reading... :)
Why would spending more time reading amount to less absorption, retention, etc?
My reading more largely amounts to vegging out for only 1 hour of Real Housewives of Wherever instead of 4 or 5. It means pulling out a book while I wait in line, reading while doing tasks I could do blindfolded. It means I stop reflexively refreshing FB and instead pick up a book. It also includes some audiobooks, which...
Lastly, I'm from the opinion that listening to a book is not reading. You listened to a recording, and now you know about the book. You didn't read it. Seeing and reading the words matter. I also don't consider a book read if it wasn't finished from beginning to end. Half read, abandoned, did not finish, etc, are not read. If you didn't finish it, you didn't read it.
I think this is why worrying over how people interpret or use the book challenge is silly, because we all interpret it all our own way, and decide what counts and what doesn't. I see no point in comparing my stats to another reader's numbers, because everyone has their own life, free time, reading preferences.
If you don't want to consider audiobooks reading as it pertains to yourself, that's your business. But why do you care if someone else does since this is all, in my mind, so individual.
I wouldn't tell someone else I don't think audiobooks count because -- aside from it not being my business or something I feel I need to police -- some people have to use audiobooks, just like some people have to use Kindles. I am not going to tell someone they're not a reader because they access stories in a different format than a print book.
I think of people who've read all their lives, and the aging process or disease occurs, and suddenly the thing they love becomes more difficult ... and then they find a format that restores books to them. I could never, ever tell that person they're no longer a reader.
You say these numbers are meaningless, and you're not wrong -- they only have the meaning we give them. And it always interests me that people think the only reason someone would set a goal is to show up someone else, when for some people it's a fun personal thing they do. That's someone else assuming the meaning it has to an individual, and attributing to them all sorts or motives not actually in evidence.
My goal is 80 books. My husband's goal is 6. Both are fine. Both of us will feel personally satisfied if we achieve those personal goals, and happy for one another. I will not cry into my pillow if I see someone reads significantly more than I do. I don't know that person's life, I don't know what kinda free time they have, I don't know unless I bothered to look if their selections were 30 pages long, 300, or 3000.
Kin wrote: "So far this year, I've read 25 books - that's more than I've ever been able to read in a full year, and it's only June! I've started listening to audiobooks at work when my shifts allow for down ti..."That's awesome! I can "hear" your excitement!
Lucija wrote: "Wouter wrote: "Whatever happened to quality over quantity?"Exactly, it seems that everyone is obsessed with reading as much possible in a short time."
Not necessarily. Unless you mean "in a year" as a short time, there is nothing about a short time baked into this, and can very well be a goal of spending more time reading.
I want to read x books in 2018 doesn't have to mean "I want to read so fast I can't take in anything." It can mean "I am averaging 20 minutes a day reading time, and would like to read at least an hour a day." It can mean, "Damn, I spend a lot of time watching Friends reruns, and I go to bed every night feeling like I've wasted time I could have spent with a good book. I want to change that."
For me, my overall sense of fulfillment and happiness is directly related to reading time. Obviously, these things are also related to other things, but there are activities I do that feel the equivalent of empty calories, and when I do less of those and more of reading, and spending quality time with loved ones, I function better at every level.
Daniela wrote: "I wonder if they include books started but not finished in their lists...."Your not the first person who questioned that. It had never occurred to me someone would count a book they hadn't finished. I mean, Goodreads asks for date finished.
Marie wrote: "Great tips - much appreciated. But I'm completely serious when asking - do these people have full time jobs?? How can you possibly read 100-200 books a year - even if you're reading a couple at a t..."If audiobooks count, there's commute time. Well, my commute time is 2 minutes, but... Some people read on lunch and in line. Some people have jobs where they can listen to audiobooks or read while doing repetitive tasks with their hands. Some people might have a full time job, but no kids. Some people watch no TV. There are a lot of variables.
Fin wrote: "The number of comments on here that seem to suggest that you're doing it wrong if you don't read what they read, the way they read, at the pace they read, for the reasons they read and the format t..."Word, no pun intended.
Wouter wrote: "Whatever happened to quality over quantity?"Wouter wrote: "Whatever happened to quality over quantity?"
Exactly.
Bill wrote: "I don't really see reading as a competition. Sorry Goodreads! I love your site, but this is silly. I'm gonna read what I'm gonna read."Agree 100%. I'm with you Bill!
I always have more than one book on the go at a time.There's a reread - something a bit easier that I don't have to concentrate on as much
A main book
An audio book for in the car
A book to read to my son during feed times at home
A book in his nappy bag for when we're not home
An ebook in case I'm caught somewhere without a book
And a book for in the bathroom XD
Holdenismysoulmate wrote: "I think the most reason why I read often more than 100 Book a Year (which you can't see here at goodreads cause I started only last year with challenging and this had been a bad reading year for me..."I think audio books count as well. But I'm not into that.
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..."
What about those who are blind or cannot see well enough to read like you do?
J.N. 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 do not understand the reaction to audiobooks as "not reading." I do not use audiobooks myself but as a new generation of readers grow up it is better for them to use audiobooks than not read at all. Besides authors regularly give readings of their books and poets have long read their poems out loud. The audio of Alfred, Lord Tennyson reading "Charge of the Light Bridgade" is pretty horrendous but good for him that he did it. Dylan Thomas reading his poem is magical.
I read over a hundred books a year. This year my goal is 125 books.I read only the books I like and try to find the books on my to read list.
It's ok to read a few childrens books. We are all children at heart.
When I find an author I really like, I try to read all the books he or she has written.
I try to read different types of books.
Historical fictions are my favorites.
Sometimes I read 2 books at a time.
Maureen wrote: "...When I had a set number of books to read every year I found that I was more worried about the number rather than immersing myself in reading. It stressed me out and took away my joy for reading. I now set my reading goal for each year at 1 and whatever number I end up with then so be it.."High fives! (Fellow 'My target is 1' reader!)
400 books in 2016, 300 books in 2017 ...amateurs!! I am kidding!! In the 120’s currently due to finishing up my BS in BA this year!! Keep reading!
I have a goal of reading more non-fiction...so I take my non-fiction book with me when I go to the laundromat, or other places where I have to wait...nothing else to compete with my reading and I have definitely made progress towards my goal.
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?"It counts.
“I've never listened to an audiobook before, and I have to say it's a totally different experience. When you read a book, the story definitely takes place in your head. When you listen, it seems to happen in a little cloud all around it, like a fuzzy knit cap pulled down over your eyes”― Robin Sloan, Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore
My opinion, after being convinced by my daughter, is that audiobooks count as reading. The wasted driving commute is transformed by reading/listening to a book. I think it might be a remedy for road rage.
Michelle wrote: "Steph wrote: "Dana wrote: Honestly, I take offense to your comment that "audiobooks are not reading." There are many people who have physical disabilities that inhibit their ability to read physica..."I see a lot of you didn't actually read or understand my ENTIRE original comment. (#14 if you're interested)
I will repeat it here: that listening and reading is not the same thing, and that the READING challenge should be renamed as a BOOK challenge.
I don't care how you interacted with the book, but calling it a reading challenge is a misnomer.
But thank you all for proving that a lot of people only see what they want to see (or hear what they want to hear), and ignore the rest of the conversation/point.
I am currently at over 200 books and I'm barely half way through the year. Of course, I am disabled so I have more time to devote to such things.
To those who question 'why a reading challenge?'It's not actually about the numbers, except for those who make it so. Whether that be for a personal challenge, or some other sort.
The main purpose here, is to encourage people to simply READ.
You can go for over 100, under, in-between... Who cares, just read & enjoy.
There's also no harm in celebrating those who find the time, (and more importantly) pleasure to read large numbers (rather than criticising, or enviously disparaging).
My nieces typed in my number this year (hence the large discrepancy between last and now).
Regardless, achieve, or not, I'm enjoying challenging myself to put that extra time aside and instead just 'read'!!
Wonderer wrote: "I've been averaging 110 audiobooks a year since 2011. I've always loved reading, and having instant access to audiobooks on an iPod means there's never a dull moment! The trade-off is that I can't ..."can you suggest some website(s) where one can find/listen to audiobooks?
I used to read quite a lot of books in my university days, most of them in small chunks during breaks between lectures or when the professor was late. I read many books in this way, five minutes here, five minutes there, but later I discovered that since my reading was so fragmented, I did not really remember much what I read, apart from general idea. So I came to the conclusion that it does not really make any sense to read in such a way, it is much better to read less books but to remember them better. Now I usually read during the weekends when I have more free time, so that I can read at least one chapter in one go, in this way I absorb the writer's ideas better than before, when I read in haphazard chunks, often breaking off in the middle of the sentence.
I think challenges like this discourage picking up meaty books and pushing yourself as a reader. Who cares how many books you read if they are formulaic garbage? We should be encourage to tackle the 500 page book in the same way we devour a 200 page beach read.
Amy wrote: "Who cares how many books you read if they are formulaic garbage?."I didn't see anybody encouraging people to read formulaic garbage, though.
Laura wrote: "What's your basis for saying people zone out more during audiobooks? Is that the only reason you think it doesn't count as reading? You know you can rewind audiobooks, just like you can reread sections you glaze over in physical books. I don't really understand your argument. In both cases, I have absorbed and enjoyed the story being presented, so why should it not count? I can summarize the plots, and tell you my favorite chapters and characters from audiobooks I've read just as well as physical books, how does that not count? "Personally I respect audiobook readers - true, it's not the same thing as reading a book physically, but having a book read to the person counts as having 'read the book' and should count for the challenge and personal goals. I already have a good reading average, but if I could listen to audiobooks well, I could experience many more books during the year. Unfortunately I am one of those who always zones out with audiobooks despite my best efforts and just can't seem to bring myself to enjoy them much. I'm thinking the person who wrote this comment probably has the same or similar issue. I note that many DON'T have this issue, however, and get fully invested in the audiobook - I envy that!
Laura wrote: "It's not about fitting in more books regardless of quality trying to beat other people. It's about setting a personal goal to spend more time reading books you enjoy because it's something you want to do. Personally I think it's fun keeping track of how many books I have read, but ultimately I did it because I wanted to fit more reading into my life because it's something I enjoy. Whether it's a long or a short book, as long as I'm enjoying it I don't care about how long it takes to add one more book to my list (sometimes great long books take less time to read than boring short ones!)"Well said. I like the advice in articles like this to make me look at things in a different light. I'm also a reader who does over 100 books a year, but before Goodreads and some of these practices, I wasn't hitting that number. I have such a large TBR list and love reading, so to me reading more = good.
Mary wrote: "Why does it seems ok to judge a person because they read more than a 100 books a year with statements like quality over quanity or they must not work, have a family and what not. You don't hear a person who reads a large number of books say to a person who only reads a few books a year, well if you read faster or some other derogatory statement."I find it an interesting thing. I've spoken to people before about different "communities of people" I've been involved with through certain hobby bonds. I've noticed as a whole there seems to be more elitist and what I call book snobbery with the reading community. It's bizarre, but true! Not just number of books but format of books, and let's not forget dismissing readers based on them liking certain commonly disliked books. If you look at the many comments on the Great American Read with some of the books chosen as popular, the insults fly for those who liked some of the pop fiction. I don't see that as much with movie goers unless you're looking at the Star Wars Vs Star Trek thing.
Erin ☕ *Proud Book Hoarder* wrote: "Mary wrote: "Why does it seems ok to judge a person because they read more than a 100 books a year with statements like quality over quanity or they must not work, have a family and what not. You d..."
I thought it was interesting as well but I think the article itself has something to do with it.
With a few notable exceptions, I think most of the negative comments stem from thinking GR is pushing the idea of reading hundreds of books and that the only people who have viable ideas for getting over a reading slump are people who read hundreds of books a year.
I thought it was interesting as well but I think the article itself has something to do with it.
With a few notable exceptions, I think most of the negative comments stem from thinking GR is pushing the idea of reading hundreds of books and that the only people who have viable ideas for getting over a reading slump are people who read hundreds of books a year.
Tashy wrote: "My top tip: don't have kids. 2015 - 117 books, no kids
2016 - 69 books, pregnant
2017 - 33 books, with a baby"
Ha, so true. I'm a heavy reader but my friend, who enjoys reading but doesn't do it much, gets annoyed with herself for struggling to find time to read our book club book each month at times. I told her, you have a three-year old! That's a big game changer, so not to worry about it.
BAM wrote: "Last year I read 600 books. This year I’ve already read 218. Audio books instead of the radio in the car are a great way to spend a drive. Get a Bluetooth speaker for the shower. Read multiple books at a time. When you get bogged down with one you will be more likely to pick up the other one or two than surf. Join a club or challenge for easy Mini goals or inspiration. Find a buddy and make a readingvisit. Drink tea, eat munchies, read your books together."Your tips are pretty much how I increased my reading. I multi-book read all the time now, I couldn't imagine just reading one at a time now that I've gotten used to it. Based on mood I can pick whichever one of them up, and save different ones for different scenarios (reading the Paperwhite during brief breaks at work from taking it out of the purse versus the paperback in the bath kind of thing.) Also challenges and fun goals with other reading groups has helped me bump up my reading enjoyment quite a bit. I also like the book community ran events like Dewey's readathon, Bout of Books, etc. Being a reader is definitely a joy in life. :0)
Cody wrote: "I relate to the advice of reading from different genres. Over the past few months I found myself in a reading slump, which was strange for me (I’ve always been an avid reader). Once I looked at the..."I think that's true. It's easy to assume we'd be happy with more from the genres we've always read, but there are new worlds to explore. :)
Marie wrote: "Great tips - much appreciated. But I'm completely serious when asking - do these people have full time jobs?? How can you possibly read 100-200 books a year - even if you're reading a couple at a time?"Reading multiple books works for some people (like me), but not others - you can still hit those goals reading one book at a time. I've seen some readers say they find reading multiple books confusing, while it's not to others - just depends how our brains are wired. As I mentioned in another comment, my brain isn't wired to absorb audiobooks well so unfortunately I am very slow and inconsistent with those.
With numbers, it depends on the person's time, reading speed, and the types of books read. I rarely read comics or graphic novels (although I want to read more of them), but read over 200 books a year. I work 40 hours a week, and then on the weekends a few hours to help my mom out with her house. I also have a teenage son, 2 cats, and my place to take care of. I have a set group of close friends I see weekly for social activities and almost daily phone calls to at least one of them. I think my life has a good balance, but I also have enough alone time to read plenty of books. I would have higher reading numbers if I cut out other hobbies like TV shows, internet time, my daily walks - but I don't want to. It would spike my reading numbers even further, but I like having several hobbies to go along with reading. Unlike many, I don't see anything wrong with TV shows.
Nonfiction and classics can take longer, but I do read primarily genre fiction which is quicker to get through. I don't do so because of numbers, I do so because of enjoyment. I like to read a variety of genres and books.
Reading less books doesn't mean a person doesn't enjoy books as much as the heavier readers -- it just means they don't want to read as often, or read as quickly. I doubt some people who don't hit 100 books a year would enjoy doing so because it may become too much like a chore to them. Again it depends on how our brains/personalities are wired.
Catka wrote: "How do you record a book as dnf and not count it in your read book number? It needs to be in one of the three primary categories: tbr, currently reading or read and then you can add additional shelves such as unfinished. So either it stays eternally in tbr or reading shelves or it is counted among your read books."If you do not have the date marked under "finished", it will not count as a number in your yearly reading challenge or 'what you read in 2018' for stats.
Amy wrote: "I think challenges like this discourage picking up meaty books and pushing yourself as a reader. Who cares how many books you read if they are formulaic garbage? We should be encourage to tackle th..."I think you're assuming a lot. A lot of people have said they look more to number of pages.
This challenge means whatever the individual doing it wants it to mean, and yet here are some of the assumptions...
People are speed reading and absorbing nothing. (I imagine this might happen, but just as likely is that people are spending more time reading rather than watching TV or playing games, or something along those lines.)
All the books must be trash. (People read all sorts of books, and it's not my business to judge others. But you could certainly make a TBR of the greatest books of all time as compiled by everyone from the greatest thinkers to the BBC to Rory Gilmore!)
People are gaming it by reading one chapter and saying they read the book. (Why? Gaming it when there are no winners? What would be the point, and how would that even be possible?)
People are only reading short books to game the system. (Someone should have told me this before I borrowed a 1332 page book from the library. Also, some of the greatest works of literature are short, and so I wouldn't exactly write -- heh -- off shorter books. Almost all those great authors who wrote massive classics also wrote shorter works. One of the Great Courses on Audible is "A Day's Read," and the syllabus contains works by Kafka, Hemingway, Faulker, Cather, Woolf, Chekhov, Wilde, Chopin, Flaubert... )
People are only in it to be competitive or to show off. (Some, maybe? But the average person I know is doing it for their own happiness and satisfaction, and encouraging of others. One of the people posting here keeps on saying she is unimpressed by people who read a lot of books, as if it's a given people are seeking to impress her. Okay.)
I know I do the challenge for myself, for my emotional well being. I like to see which new stories, or old favorites, I've enjoyed in a year, and know they're worth more to me than the time wasters I could have been doing instead. Time wasters to me, not saying what other people should value.
I don't compete with others because that's a fool's game. They have different goals, different considerations, different "rules." I have no chance of reading as many books as others do, and that's okay. Just like I am happy to see others achieve their goals even if they're lower than my own.
In the end I say "I finished a book." Covers all the bases.