Challenge: 50 Books discussion
What did you count as a book for the challenge? What didn't?
add everything. thats what i do. i add childrens books and books that i didnt like. i do not add books i didnt finish from cover to cover though. i although have a rule that once i start a book i have to finish it, even if its boring or i hate it. hope that helps
Mod
I count every book -- even rereads. The reason I reread a book is because I've forgotten parts of it. Sometimes it seems as though I am reading a completely new book.
Susan wrote: "I count every book -- even rereads. The reason I reread a book is because I've forgotten parts of it. Sometimes it seems as though I am reading a completely new book."lisa wrote: "the only time i haven't counted a book for 2012's challenge is if i counted it for the 2011 challenge. because i'm a teacher, i read some books at least once a year so i feel like i'm cheating if ..."
Funny you guys mentioned that. I plan on rereading a few books I read last year and years ago. I want to reread them not to make my challenge easier but because they are my favorites. I even posted a post up on the group site for rereads.
I'm kind of hard on myself when it comes to my challenges. I don't count any children's novels (not YA, children's. I'd say 12 and under, for me, don't count). Books I abandon for any reason and don't finish cover to cover. And I don't count a book if I've read it within the last year. Like I said, I'm a little strict on myself. I even feel guilty when I count books under 200 pages. Haha
I'm with Tiffani, and I don't count children's books and books that I abandon.
I also listen to the Harry Potter audiobooks in my car (particularly after rough days). It's comforting, and I've listened to them each about 10 times. Because i've listened to them so much I just don't feel like I can count them. I know most of them by heart.
I also listen to the Harry Potter audiobooks in my car (particularly after rough days). It's comforting, and I've listened to them each about 10 times. Because i've listened to them so much I just don't feel like I can count them. I know most of them by heart.
I don't count abandoned books either, but I list them as unfinished and GB counts them. Don't know how to rectify that without eliminating them altogether. I do want a record of them, though, to show that I tried.
i don't count books that i have abandoned. i also didn't count Go the Fuck to Sleep because it was so short (although hilarious and well worth the read.)i wasn't going to count listening to the audiobook of The Great Gatsby, especially since i already read it earlier this year. but all Faye had to do was suggest that i count it and i did.
I am a little slow to pipe in but I count any book I am reading if it is the first time I have read it. I teach 8-12th grades so if we read something new, even though it is young adult, I count it. I don't count re-reads though. I seldom re-read books on my own because there are so many other books to read. But I also re-read when I teach a novel to one of my classes. Working at a small charter school, I also have the opportunity to pick a book to teach when I feel like re-reading, especailly A Christmas Carol or To Kill a Mockingbird. Walk Two Moons is also one I like to do over.
Mod
I count any adult or young adult novels that I've read including audiobooks and ones I've re-read. I don't count childrens books or anything I didn't finish. The exception is if I read a children's series like Remnants that is 14 books each about 160 pages. I counted the entire series as 1 book as opposed to 14. I don't count graphic novels towards my challenge totals either. Someone had mentioned they don't count graphic novels themselves but goodreads counts them. One way around that is to record that you've read them, but don't put a date read with them. Only books with a date read will count towards the challenge but marking them as read will still have them show up in your history. Sometimes when I read a large childrens series, I'll mark them all as read but only give one the date so it only counts against my challenge once.
I don't count books that I start and then abandon. If i hallen to read the same book twice in ne year, i on,y count it one time. Outside of those everything else qualifies. Juli
I'm pretty easy on myself, it seems. I do count rereads because I find it valuable, e.g., reading Wuthering Heights at 17 is very different than reading it at age 35! I had no recollection of the narrator: 17-year-old-me was only interested in the doomed romance. There are at least a half dozen years between rereads for me. I'll count an abandoned book if I read past the halfway point - there are too many good books that I'll never get to in my lifetime, so why continue to waste my time on a bad one? And I want credit for the time I invested :-) I will count children's books, but I don't read "How to Potty" picture books but Grimm's and Alice in Wonderland and the like. I would like to include some graphic novels on my book list, though.... This approach works for me for now.
Mod
Maybe it depends on the graphic novel which was read in determining if it counts? For instance, lots of people consider Watchmen to be almost like a novel so maybe books more like that one? I dunno... I guess it's something for each person to determine for themselves.
Susan wrote: "I don't count abandoned books either, but I list them as unfinished and GB counts them. Don't know how to rectify that without eliminating them altogether. I do want a record of them, though, to ..."If you click the edit button next to bookshelves you can make any shelf exclusive, similar to the read shelf. I have one for books that I gave up on that I didn't want to count as read.
What are people's opinions on books wth short stories? Do you count the stories read or do all ofthem count as 1 book?
Hmm I don't know the answer to that. I don't believe I've read any books filled with short stories but I would have listed it as one book as that is how my device transfers to goodreads.
Mod
i don't count individual short stories. A collection of short stories is a book and so i count that.
I count them all since I am doing this for myself - keeping an ongoing journal of books I have read and what I thought of them. Children's, YA, Adult, Teacher, professional, history, abandoned, etc. I write reviews on each book I read. I kind of look at this way - if I went on a shopping trip but didn't get everything I needed because the store didn't have what I needed, I still shopped. For me, attempting a book that I thought I may not like and still abandoning it is progress in my world! ha!
A book of short stories equals one book.Rose
New here, but chiming in. I count audiobooks, because they are the only way I can get to a book when I'm busy. So more than half of my "reading" comes from audiobooks. I count a collection of short stories as one book. I have included the occasional graphic novel, but usually just the first in the series. (Although, I'm considering adding the first in each story arc, since they can go on for a while.)
I definitely count YA, and also children's, if it's a chapter book like The Tale of Despereaux. Although, I wouldn't count a book I read with my class every year.
I only count rereads if it has been long enough between reads that it seems like a new book. As someone (Natasha) said, you see completely different things in a novel at 17 and 35. Natasha mentioned Wuthering Heights, and I immediately thought of Pride and Prejudice! I barely paid attention to Mr. & Mrs. Bennett this first time, but years later they fairly jumped off the page.
i dont count rereads of any type. I count classics, and contemparary books
Hey Sonya, good luck with the challenge!I would count rereads if I actually read the whole book and don't skip parts.
I count a collection of short stories, but not an individual story. The shortest book I read was 54 pages. I also count rereads. I would not count a picture book or audiobooks.
I do count audiobooks, but my rule for audiobooks is they must be over 8 hours or I don't buy them...not worth the money! So if I am listening to an audiobook it counts as reading on my list. This year I listened to several that were 15 hours+, one was over 40 hours! I do not count straight up children's books, but YA I do. I count what I read aloud to my students if it is the first time I have read it aloud.
I count pretty much everything. But I listened to at least five audiobooks from this childrens series from Norway, but only counted one because they were so short... Yes. I have a couple of mini-books I probably shouldn't count, but I will anyway. Just because I reached my goal.
I absolutely count children's books if they are at least 100 pages. When I was growing up I read a lot, but other than goosebumps, I was never reading children's books, so this year I read them to see what I was missing, and I kind of felt like I read a lot of children's books (Roald Dahl, Lemony Snicket, Bridge to Terabithia, and a few others I can't remember) and I felt all of those counted.I count re-reads if I haven't read them in at least two years.
I read a graphic novel this year and I counted that too because there is still a story in it to be read.
For collections of stories it depends on how big the stories are. Like if I were to ever read Shakespeare's Complete Works which is a massive anthology, I might be tempted to count each full play as a separate entity, even though I am reading everything out of one full book.
So based on that, it really depends if the short story is somewhere else by its lonesome and not only in a collection set, if I would count it separately or not.
I don't listen to audiobooks, but if you can recall the story and the plot and some of the characters afterwards, I would count it. If you can't remember it because you dazed out or lost focus, did you really read it?
I think we're all mostly on the same page as to what to count and what not to count. I read a series this year that was mostly short stories. I grouped them all into two books and just marked the last in each group as read for counting purposes. I also count audiobooks. Generally, 1/3 to 1/2 of my reading are audiobooks. I think re-reads should count as well. If you're putting the effort and time into it why not?
I've thought a lot about this, and I tend to be pretty lenient with myself, but then I tend to overcompensate by making sure I have a few extra at the end of the yearI count:
Audiobooks
Rereads
Children's books over 100 pages
Short Story/Article Compilations (as long as I've read 90%)
Poetry Compilations (as long as I've read 90% and it's well over 100 pages)
I don't count:
Abandoned books
The Bible
Magazines/Newspapers/Articles on the Internet
probably some other things I'm forgetting
I definitely count rereads. Avid readers love books, and we all have our favorites that we revisit. When I reread I am not skimming. I am savoring every chapter. I am counting graphic novels. They are stories, and though there may not be as much text as a regular novel there is much to be learned about the story from the art work as well.
I would count audiobooks if I used them. Really the only thing I don't count is books I don't finish.
I agree about rereads. I just finished rereading the Percy Jackson series (both series), and I'm definitely counting them toward this challenge. However, for the Reading Bingo Challenge 2014, I've decided to count only new reads toward the squares.
Tima wrote: "I'm kind of hard on myself when it comes to my challenges. I don't count any children's novels (not YA, children's. I'd say 12 and under, for me, don't count). Books I abandon for any reason and do..."I too am hard on myself. I count YA (Piers Anthony this week) but not little kid books or graphic novels (although I might make an exception for The Walking Dead Collection its two books that are 1000+ pages) etc... I just started The Great Book of Amber which is really 10 short books in one massive (1258 page) tome.. Would you count that as 10 books or one? 10 feels kinda like cheating but my sister says count it as 10...
I always count compilations (two or three novels in one volume) as ONE.Rose
Mod
Rose"
I'd be inclined to count compilations as one book but if i was reading a single book from the compilation on its own, even if it was short, I'd still count it. The Walking Dead for example, I was given the back issues of each individual comic by a friend and counted each as I read them. They're so good I'm now buying myself the five comic volumes but I only count those as one book as I reread them.
Oh, Carol, I agree: if I were reading a single book (that's also available in a compilation), I would count that as one.In my case, I've been reading the works of E.F. Benson for many years. I've read certain novels on their own--and each counted for one. But when a couple novels are printed in one volume, I've counted the novels as one.
I know this is all very picky: that's me and books!
Rose
I count every book over one hundred pages, as long as I finish it.
I count all chapter books read regardless of YA, Adult, Children... ect. I count graphic novels, manga and comics.
I count audiobooks (though I rarely listen to them alone. Sometimes I will listen and read along for extra oomph: Example Beauty Queens)
I don't count fanfiction (even complete novel length ones) or wattpad stories (Unless they have been published or has a listing here. I rarely touch wattpad though)
If a novel or manga is a complete series in one book, I will count each book individual. For example a bind up of three manga counts as three since it was originally published as three books.
I count all books that I finish. For some reason Goodreads counts as finished books that I mark abandoned so now I delete them. I haven't read any children's books lately but I don't think I would count them if they aren't chapter books. I do include completed YA books. BUT there were three books that I didn't include in my total from a few years ago for a variety of years. One, because I read them free on line over the course of a few days; two, because they were so horrible I couldn't really count them as books and three, because I really just read them to see what the fuss was about.
For me (and just my opinion of course) - audiobooks totally count if they are long enough. I commute a lot, and long distances so these are a great way to get more in. Children's books do not count for me if you are talking about short 32 page books or something like that. YA is ok although I can't read a lot of that in a year. One or two maybe at the most. Short story collections would count as one on my list - as that is how they are usually found. One thing I struggle with is plays. I will sometimes read a play and can never decide if that's long enough to count...
Mairzi wrote: "I count all books that I finish. For some reason Goodreads counts as finished books that I mark abandoned so now I delete them. I haven't read any children's books lately but I don't think I would ..."IMO I would count all three of those books. Since I usually read library books, most of the books I read are free. And, if I read a book to see what the fuss is all about, I count it. If it is horrible and I made it all the the way through, I feel it should be counted twice --an extratime for my aggravation.
Throwing in my two cents about short story collections: I feel a great (current) example for me is the H.P. Lovecraft collection book I have. It has his novel, four novellas, and all 53 short stories. Even though it's one book, I'd count it as three - one for the novel (110 pages), one for the novellas (no more than 100 pages a piece - around 80 average), and one for the short stories (averaging 5 pages a piece).The Complete Fiction of H.P. Lovecraft
I count everything I have read/ listened to cover to cover as 1 book, be at a 1 page short story or a 1000 page anthology. Children's books are just books, so I say they count. I figure in the end it evens out=) The only exception I've made so far is for Conan, which I counted as 3 books while reading an all in one edition (well I did start with stand alone short stories). The only books that I don't put in are the ones that I didn't finish. That's just cheating in my opinion. These I just move back to to-read and unfinished folders. I think it's about time goodreads created an official unfinished folder!
Sam wrote: "Throwing in my two cents about short story collections: I feel a great (current) example for me is the H.P. Lovecraft collection book I have. It has his novel, four novellas, and all 53 short stori..."I hear ya! I am still debating whether to put it in as 1 piece or split it up.
I agree about the unfinished folder. I was reading books searching for ones that would fit a certain category in my discussion class. I partially read and rejected about six books this fall alone. I read probably 5-600 pages that I couldn't count because I didn't finish them.
I also count second or more reads of any book because (1) I was actively reading, and (2) a second reading of a book may seem like an entirely different book.
Susan wrote: "I also count second or more reads of any book because (1) I was actively reading, and (2) a second reading of a book may seem like an entirely different book."How do you put them the second time around? A different edition?
Usually the book is from a different year, and I just redo the date. That adds it to my count for that particular year, but does not raise the number of total lifetime books. On occasion using a different edition will make a second book, but sometimes I can't make that work. Twice when I read the same book twice in the same year, I created an entirely new book using initials that only I understood, but I don't think you're supposed to do that. But it counted two readings of the same book in the same year as two separate books.
Challenge: 50 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
The Complete Fiction of H.P. Lovecraft (other topics)Watchmen (other topics)
Wuthering Heights (other topics)
Go the Fuck to Sleep (other topics)
The Great Gatsby (other topics)
I'm damn near worried about being behind and don't like the idea about having to delete two. What do you count for the challenge, what doesn't? And have you experienced this inner debate?