Perhaps pages are a better indicator of reading?

[David]

I've noticed that some readers have read more books than I, one I noticed was twice mine, but pages read were about 75% of my total. So, perhaps the reading challenge for one's self is by pages and not so much books read. Or perhaps goals measured by each. Just food for thought!

[Kadijah Michelle]

There is a pages read challenge on this feed. I know I am way ahead of my reading goal, but that is because I have read some shorter books. This year has been more about quality and less about quantity for me. If you go to my member corner, I'm breaking down my reading in more details, and so are a lot of others in theirs. David, have you started one?

[Pat]

My thought was "how pompous"!!Some of the most excruicatingly boring books have been long-just finished "Orient"-500 pages,could have told the same story in 350.On the other hand,"The Goldfinch" needed every page.People who read lots of books have the time-I eschew short novels because they probably have little to say but love short stories....

[Pat]

While you're doing all these stats you could be READING.

[David]

Pat wrote: "While you're doing all these stats you could be READING."

yea, I looked at two stats. Wow!

[David]

Kadijah Michelle wrote: "There is a pages read challenge on this feed. I know I am way ahead of my reading goal, but that is because I have read some shorter books. This year has been more about quality and less about qu..."

Ah,was not aware of a pages challenge, thx for the info. Perhaps next year.

[Cassandra]

Glad you found the pages challenge!

The books I read are usually fairly long, but this year I've gotten into comics, which are obviously much shorter. I'm 18 books ahead of my goal of 105 books this year. Looking at my personal stats I'm keeping, 12 of my books this year have been trade paperbacks of comics or graphic novels.

That said, my goal for pages is 40,000 and I'm 54% of the way there, which is just about right for this time of year.

I think pages and books are both interesting ways to measure reading, and I've been tracking other stats as well as writing short reviews. It doesn't take me a lot of time and allows me to decompress and process the book I just finished before starting a new one.

A very interesting discussion, and one with a lot of possible perspectives.

[Pat]

The Guardian has a -short-article on how large books are becoming.I smiled when the writer suggested that The Goldfinch could lose 200 pages...

[Cassandra]

I'm excited to read The Goldfinch next month. I've heard several people say it could be shorter, and plenty of people who agree with you that it needed every page. I'm interested to see which camp I'll be in.

[Kadijah Michelle]

Cassandra wrote: "I'm excited to read The Goldfinch next month. I've heard several people say it could be shorter, and plenty of people who agree with you that it needed every page. I'm interested to..."
The Goldfinch just arrived today. I didn't realize how long it was. I'm glad I'm so far ahead because all four of the books I signed up for next month are over 500 pages!

[Caro]

I think that is more interesting to see the diversity in our challenge than the number of books we read. i plan to read 54 but from them some of these are comics, so the number of books is not really a good indicator. Besides the pages I think that to search for challenge that make us think out of the box are better indicator for a good reader. I am more exited for my other challenge than for the fact that I will read x amount of pages or books.

[David]

Caro wrote: "I think that is more interesting to see the diversity in our challenge than the number of books we read. i plan to read 54 but from them some of these are comics, so the number of books is not rea..."

Mostly I read for pure entertainment and love of a good story. Since I'm retired, that gives me a lot more time than those still employed, so I find myself measuring pages as well as number of books. I find my average book to be around 400 pages, which seems to be many publishers goal. My diversity is usually found by adding different authors and different genres than just my favorite spy thrillers & mystery works. Heck, I read Gone Girl, and waiting on Girl on a Train. If it hits the best seller's list, I usually game....though James Patterson has been banished mostly except when I need a quickie while waiting for a ebook to become available on my hold list at the library.

[Jackie B. -]

In my case, I also keep track of pages and books. I like pages because it allows me the flexibility to read longer books, for sure. However, a lot of my friends read multiple books at a time. So, when they ask me to read something immediately I can say, "I already have 4 books to read this month, I'll get to it eventually. Thanks!"

It's not so much about meeting the goals for me, however. I am keeping track of all the stats to try and better understand myself and my reading habits. I am learning a lot about what sort of books I like doing this.

[Beth S.]

I keep track of both. I am trying to stay above 300-320 pages per book. I am reading the Outlander series this year and am on book 3. But it's 870 pages, so I need to balance it out with some short books or I will never reach 60 books read. I am a numbers junkie so I analyze all this stuff too ;) Nothing wrong with keeping track.

[David]

Beth wrote: "I keep track of both. I am trying to stay above 300-320 pages per book. I am reading the Outlander series this year and am on book 3. But it's 870 pages, so I need to balance it out with some short..."

I find most books that I read are in the 350 to 450 range. Seems to be the "ideal" goal, get what you pay for mentality of publishers perhaps. I am way ahead of my book goal and slightly ahead of page goal YTD, so I will start reading a few of my 600 page plus reads, though the challenge should not effect what or how I read books, but yet it does seem to. Therefore, next year, I doubt I will participate.

[Kadijah Michelle]

So, I've been reading Firestarter, and I was trying to figure out why it was taking me so long to read a 400 page book. It's the edition and the print (which is much smaller than I realized). More recent editions have over 500 pages. How do all of you take that into consideration when doing page counting?

[Scott]

I try and pick the default version for each book and use it for the pages count even if I've read a different version.

[Cassandra]

I do the same thing as Scott, but I know lots of people will search for and select their specific edition.

[Caro]

Kadijah Michelle wrote: "So, I've been reading Firestarter, and I was trying to figure out why it was taking me so long to read a 400 page book. It's the edition and the print (which is much smaller than I r..."
The number of pages and all the challenge that you pick are incentives for you. You decide how important are for you. Perhaps you are like Scott and Cassandra and you count your pages with a "generic" version of the book that you are reading. In the other hand I want my indicators as clear as possible so I always try to put them as loyal as they are. Also I take into account in which language I read a book. Since I read in English and Spanish the editions could vary a lot.... But that is me and my obsession with statistics that Ilike to later transform in pivot tables and graphics, if you just want a guideline the "generic" book page should be more than enough....

[Scott]

For me I need some way to convert to page numbers because I've only read 1 actual book this year. All the others are ebooks or audiobooks. Even real books I have I ended up getting an ebook version because it's a lot easier for me to read them.

[Caro]

Scott wrote: "For me I need some way to convert to page numbers because I've only read 1 actual book this year. All the others are ebooks or audiobooks. Even real books I have I ended up getting an ebook version..."
I understand... If you look in other editions of the book you will have the ebook editions and select the one you use (if you have an OCD thing with your number of pages as I do)

[David]

All the books are the same number of words regardless of the edition, so I usually go with the original hardcover first edition. Heck, like there's a reward for most books or pages read. Actually this is the first and last year that I will even submit to the reading challenge or books read thread.....what's the point? I don't need a goal to read how often, how much, or how many books or pages I read...It is pure entertainment. I don't set a goal on number of times I go fishing or any other hobby....well, maybe the gym, at least 3 times a week.

[Kadijah Michelle]

David wrote: "All the books are the same number of words regardless of the edition, so I usually go with the original hardcover first edition. Heck, like there's a reward for most books or pages read. Actuall..."

I'm sorry that you don't enjoy the challenge. For someone like me, the reward is the sense of accomplishment. Reading is the one thing I get to do for myself. Everything else, including my other hobbies, revolve around also making someone happy. I'm not complaining because I love my family and friends, but I do enjoy the time I have to read because I am very introverted. Keeping track tells me how much me time I'm getting.

[Caro]

David wrote: "All the books are the same number of words regardless of the edition, so I usually go with the original hardcover first edition. Heck, like there's a reward for most books or pages read. Actuall..."

David you are wrong. the editions may vary the number of words because sometimes the authors or editorials make changes or corrections between one edition to another. Also you most rembmber that some people read books that depending of the country can be edited (remember the Soviet Union, for example) Also if you take books as Catch-22You will see that there are special editions conmemorating the 50 years of been publish and they are new material or information of how the book had been created, making it longer. Challenge for me are a way to encourage my reading, I know nobody else will evaluate me and this is not a mandatory thing, as I say in my previous comments the page number is optional and all of us can take it in a different way. For me is important because I have an obsession with stadistics and they motivate me. I do all of these stadisticsw for my own fun (yes I am strange) Also as some of the other big readers in this group I am an introvert. Here is my corner of hapiness of people that understand me. I do agree with Kadijah Michelle that the challenge gives me a sense of accomplishment that is the charm of these places.... Is something for everyone....