Around the Year in 52 Books discussion
Mod Corner
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Group Rules and Member Introductions
Hi everyone! I'm Nicole from Texas!For 2015 I am 95% complete with the Pop Sugar Reading Challenge and I've read 102 books (so far) so I met my goal of 100!
For 2016 I'm excited to find this challenge and this group to achieve it with!
Welcome everybody, I hope you're ready, 2016 is coming soon :)Marie > I totally can see what your problem is. I'm hoping to decrease my TBR but I'm pretty sure it will be longer at the end of 2016!
Bridget > Yes, it's better than a book club because you choose your books and there's space to discuss them when someone else had read them :)
Goodreads groups are easy to use, but if you have question, there's an Help thread in Mod Corner! ;)
Hi Everyone! I'm Kat from the Boston area.I tried the 2015 challenge but work and grad school got in the way a bit. I'm looking forward to the 2016 challenge and hopefully doing much, much better than 2015.
Good Luck Everyone
Hi Everyone, I'm Kalypso/Kaly from Manchester, UK. Heard about the 2015 challenge a bit too late in the year, so really looking forward to the 2016 one.
I love reading very specific genres (YA, Paranormal, Fantasy) so I am hoping this will help me branch out.
Good luck to all of us :)
Welcome all you wonderful new and returning members! So glad you're here with us and hope you're ready to get your read on in a few days. It is always so exciting to see new members!
Emm wrote: "Absolutely no restrictions, BadKitty. If you're participating in discussions (and we hope you will) it would be appreciated if you kept it PG-13 because our members are of all ages but... you're mo..."Of course! Don't want to burn anyone's retinas haha. Just wanted to be sure I wasn't missing some hidden clause somewhere!
Hi Everyone!! I'm Cheyanne from NYC! I attempted the 2015 Reading Challenge but I only made it 3 books into it before it took the backseat to school and reading at random. I hope to actually complete this year's challenge since all of the challenges appeal to me and involve books that are already on my TBR shelf! I'm really looks forward to this one :))
Hi im odette from south sydney, australia. never been in any groups before. eager to get some feedback/recommendations. i'm a sucker for romance but i also read fiction and other genre. glad to see there are a lot of readers out there. its difficult finding them these days. usually when im looking for a good book i go to book blogs or just browse for ones with good ratings. im hoping to get a more info here as this group seems more interactive. i was on a book binging spree in 2015 and hoping for the same in 2016. hope to hear from you all.
Zaz wrote: "Marie > I totally can see what your problem is. I'm hoping to decrease my TBR but I'm pretty sure it will be longer at the end of 2016!"Heh, I have a perfect solution for that. Just create a bookshelf for earmarked TBRs and you won't feel like they are floating around aimlessly, taking up space on the "real" TBR shelf. It was a genius move, courtesy of some regulars here.
And hello to all new faces, I love reading of so much excitement, the same kind that I feel!
Hi, I'm Katy from Lancashire, UK - I have enjoyed reading through everybody's little introductions so thought I'd add my own to the pile.I have officially caught the reading challenge fever! I love this challenge because it inspires and motivates me to read more diversely. My favourite genre is Fantasy but Historical Fiction is a close second.
Good luck to everyone in 2016 !
Hi, my name's Rebecca and I'm from Switzerland.I love to read but because of the ridiculous amount of tv series I feel I have to catch up on I haven't been reading much for the past year. Because I want to change that (and because I stumbled upon this thread) I decided to join the challenge. There are still so many TBR books on my ever growing list and I hope to "eliminate" a few in the next year (altough I don't expect I will because people keep publishing great books *sigh*).
Anyway, thanks for having me and good luck to everyone!
Hi Rebecca, I'm also from Switzerland! Welcome to our group, I hope you're going to have fun (of course I hope the same for any newcomers, but I had to comment on this one ;) ). Sadly I also don't think you're going to be able to diminish your TBR much, since seeing what other people are reading tend to make you add a lot of new books. But we can never want to read too many books, right? (right?)Joking aside, participating in the 2015 Reading Challenge has made me dramatically decrease the amount of tv shows I watch. And honestly I feel better for it, because I only keep the best and stopped watching the ones that weren't as good than the books I read.
Hi Sophie, what a nice, warm welcome. Thank you! You are of course right about the never ending list and the books we want to read (like, sooo many). And I am curious as to how my tv series addiction will play out once I start to read more. Because usually my problem is my curiosity and I want to know everything, read everything, sew everything and watch everything. But there is simply not enough time. What a pity.
Mod
Out of curiosity, what are some of the shows you've watched recently? Obviously, I'm big on reading but I also have a huge Netflix/Hulu weakness.
Welcome Rebecca! I'm another Swiss (well, I've been transplanted here) - I'm in Zürich. :) I also have a bit of a fight between TV and reading sometimes. I think they both have their merits!Laura, my favourites of late have been True Detective (ONLY S1 - the second season is woeful) and Fargo.
Laura wrote: "Welcome to the group, Rebecca! Out of curiosity, what are some of the shows you've watched recently? Obviously, I'm big on reading but I also have a huge Netflix/Hulu weakness."
Our faves right now (me and hubby):
-American Horror Story
-Game of Thrones (duh, lol)
-Parks and Recreation
I have a problem watching shows with gratuitous violence because, uhm, I'm a big baby. I can read about it. No problem! Maybe because the violence is as limited as my imagination can take it when I am reading? Anyway, long story short, I watched the first season of Game of Thrones and couldn't keep going. It's sad because I think it's great... I think I'll just have to read the books though. I know the show has deviated from the books some so I'll probably miss out but I just can't stomach it. I'm a wimp.
Emm wrote: "I have a problem watching shows with gratuitous violence because, uhm, I'm a big baby. I can read about it. No problem! Maybe because the violence is as limited as my imagination can take it when I..."Aahh that stinks! It's so well done... but if you can't hack it, no reason to torture yourself :)
Mod
The first book is my pick for the top 100 fantasy so hopefully I can get into the book series as well.
I'm usually not great with violence but Game of Thrones is just SO GOOD that I kind of forget about it. I find the older I get that harder I find violence & horror to stomach. On TV anyway, it doesn't seem to bother me in book form. I've also become really adept at closing my eyes at just the right time. :)
Lol, I think I sat through the first fifteen minutes or so of GoT. That blue creature thing was creepy beyond words. But I've succumbed to reading it at least (not that my personal imagination skills are any less visual, though).
Aw man, asking me about my favorite shows is giving me a huge inner conflict right now. It is usually the series I'm binge watching at the moment (I try to save some episodes from each show as to have the possibility to binge watch - weird I know). I love the Marvel/DC shows but also many sitcoms and drama series such as Parks an Rec, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Quantico, Blindspot and so on. Basically my to watch list is at least as long as my to read list. Ugh.
Oh and as to the GoT debate: I know I should be watching it because apparently it is a hugedeal and I liked the first book. But I just don't want to, I don't know why.
Love GoT! I read the books too, they were so long. It took me weeks to read them. i can't wait for the next season and the next book!
Mod
Hopefully, I'm not the only one who enjoys talking about my tv show addictions ;)
Good thinking, Laura! Zaz is going to kill us if we keep this up. :P *hides from Zaz*
I read the Game Of Thrones books first, then watched the show so I knew what I was getting into... loved both. In fact I did not have HBO, got it for the show only... :)Hmm I guess I introduced myself in the previous group, bot not this one. My name is Marta, I live in Illinois, USA, originally from Hungary. I have two teenage daughters so I often read young adult novels and Terry Pratchett with them. I am a software developer, work part time since last June, when I started to read a lot. Run accross this challenge and group in October, rest is history :)
I am doing a lot of catch-up reading of classics and popular books lately. I read all genres except romance and horror. All time favorites series include Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. Stand-alones are hard to list - this year I very much enjoyed Jane Eyre, The Color Purple, Beloved, The Martian, Fangirl, The Rosie Project, Crime and Punishment, In Cold Blood, and several Agatha Christie novels. So yeah, my teading is all over the place :)
Loved the group last year and I am looking forward to having lots of fun this year with the amazing people in here! :)
Hi - I'm Margaret and I live in the US. I'm excited about this challenge! I like contemporary fiction, historical fiction, biography, but I'll read almost anything.Besides reading, I like knitting, beadwork, playing the banjo and the flute, sculpting with clay and writing.
Hi everyone! I'm Cristina, from Spain. I participated in the 2015 challenge but, sadly, a new job kept me from following weekly. In the end, I only managed to read 23 books (currently on the 24th, that I hope I'll finish in time :P). I want to enter the 2016 challenge too, even though I know I won't probably read all 52 books, but it's a great way to keep organised and start choosing the books I want to read early on. Also, the conversations here are great!
I'm currently working on my 2016 list, I hope to have it done by the weekend. Many books will probably be those poor books left behind in 2015 and some will be brand new :)
Hey, y'all! I'm Jonquil. I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, but have been a proud Nashvillian (Music City USA!) since college brought me here at 19. I don't have cable TV or Netflix, so I read when I settle and my Kindle reads to me while I'm active. Since the first grade, I've read several books a week because there are thrills, inspiration (and safety) in reading about space ships and vampires and serial killers in my cozy, climate-controlled house.I just discovered and joined the group yesterday, so I'll be faking it on the dance floor in the hopes that I'll be able to follow your lead once we get started. Happy reading!
Hello everyone! I'm Selina but you can call me Sally if you want :)I'm from Germany and I'm 16 years old. I recently dicovered this group and the 2016 challenge seems to be very interesting and fun so I decided to join. But I doubt that I can read all 52 books because school often keeps me to busy to read but I'll definetely try my best.
I read since I'm a child and absolutely love it! It helps me relax and it takes my mind off the bad things in life. I love to read contemporary books and fantasy books.
I also love to write but I mostly write short stories because I'm still waiting for a good idea that inspires me enough to write a complete book.
I'm very exicited to see what 2016 has in store for me and I hope that I'll have some fun here in this group :)
No worries for those who can't read all the 52 books, the challenge is here to have fun :)Emm > I saw you, you little flooders ¬¬
Hi everyone! I'm Laurence and I'm from Canada (the french part). I just discovered this group and I am thrilled to start the challenge :)I always feel cheesy saying (writing?) this but I LOVE to read romance novels. It's just, you know the feels and... UGH! I juste love it. But I also read a lot of fantasy (that's my second favorite :), and I recently started a sic-fi series (I guess it's a sic-fi series, there's aliens in it... okay maybe it's more fantasy but anyway) and WOW!
Like most of you, I got a Netflix problem (says my parents, I don't think it's a problem) that will most definitely keep me away from my goal but I will do my best! :P
All the luck to you guys and I hope we have fun in the process! :)
Laurence wrote: "Hi everyone! I'm Laurence and I'm from Canada (the french part). I just discovered this group and I am thrilled to start the challenge :)I always feel cheesy saying (writing?) this but I LOVE to r..."
Yay! I love romance novels too. My list is heavy on the romance.
Welcome to the group Laurence!
Ella wrote: "Laurence wrote: "Hi everyone! I'm Laurence and I'm from Canada (the french part). I just discovered this group and I am thrilled to start the challenge :)I always feel cheesy saying (writing?) thi..."
Thanks! I'm really excited to start this challenge :) And, glad I'm not the only one! :P
Hi! I'm MJ and I'm from Canada! I just found this group and want to give it a try! I've already set myself a goal of reading 10 classic novels (this is on my own) and want to try and fit several of those titles into this list somehow. I think this is a great reading list, with some challenges that will expand my reading boundaries!When I'm not reading, I'm renovating my house, cooking, quilting, taking photographs, getting outside and doing genealogy. I love reading but I'm not sure if I'll be able to finish this challenge. Some of the classics I want to read this year are pretty lengthy!
Hope you all have a happy new year!
Hello, Epic Group! My name is Amy and I'm from Canada. I have been following your group for a short while and am completely nervous of taking on this challenge, but it seems like so much fun! Everyone seems really great here. It may be too much of a challenge for me to take on, as I have just got back to reading this year and 52 books in a year may be too much for me. I have only read 15 since the summer this year and will likely only finish my 16th by tomorrow. However, I have wanted to take on a challenge and of all the groups this one seems like the most fun. Just large for me personally, but would love to smash it. Yikes! We will see...
I have a couple of questions but I think there is another thread for that so would just like to say, "Hey there, from Canada, and thanks for having me!"
Hi, my name is Caro and I'm from Germany:)This will be my first group read challenge and I hope that I will meet new people and discover many awesome new books! I always loved reading. My favourite genres are YA and classics. The challenge looks really interesting and I'm happy to join!:)
Amy, last year I was convinced I would never be able to read 52 books and I just finished my 82th! Maybe it will happen the same to you...
Mod
Amy, I had only read a book or two in 2015 and made it to 86 his year. Some people don't complete the whole challenge due to life obligations or just plain speed and there's no shame in that. The point is to have fun. But I don't see any reason why someone can't increase their reading drastically if time allows. Just do your best ;)
Hi and Happy New Year!! My name is Nicki and I live in New Zealand, so it's 2016 here already and I was looking for a challenge and found you :)I read all sorts of stuff but tend to stick to fantasy, romance and crime unless I'm pushed in another direction. And when I'm pushed I've found some fantastic books, so I'm hoping this will help me. I have books on my TBR shelf that I really should get round to and I'm looking forward to browsing other people's list for new titles and authors too!
Hello! I am Lee, I am 24 years old, I live in Portland, OR, and I have been in one heck of a reading slump since moving to Portland when I was 21. I went from reading on average 80 books a year (even hitting 128 when I was a senior in high school, bit a loner :P) to this year only reading 28.That was a bit of a shock for me to realize!
So I am super excited to start this challenge to get me back on track to doing what I truly love to do! I usually prefer darker novels, or ones that have magic, monsters, aliens and what not. This will push me to read things out of my usual box. Happy to be part of it!
Hi! I'm Bri and I live in the US. I'm really looking forward to participating in this challenge! I've only ever joined in on a few readathons but am now ready to start something that's more long-term and challenging.My favorite genres are fantasy and historical fiction. I've been trying to read more classics lately as well.
I hope everyone has a Happy New Year!
Hello everyone! My name is Mary and I live in TN. I love reading all types of books. Some of my favorites are Young Adult, Historical Fiction, and Christian Fiction. I have been trying to read more classic books, non fiction, and memoirs. Since I am joining in the new 2016 year my goal this year is to read 200 books and read a bunch of different type of books. Plus I am trying to finish my book journal that I have kept since 2008. I have a feeling that this will be the year!
Welcome! Welcome! Welcome!Don't worry Jazmin, if you want to talk about books you're in the right place! We love discussions!
Hi everyone and happy new year. I'm Alex from Birmingham in the UK. I originally completed a reading challenge in 2015 and was looking for something a bit different this year. I really like the idea of reading a book per week and thought the categories looked interesting (how did you come up with the list?). Looking forward to talking with you all about what we're reading and having the opportunity to get some recommendations. x
Alex > the members did suggestions, then they were voted in polls in our 2015 group. It's a list totally chosen by (active) members and the mods ordered it to balance the year. We'll probably do the same thing for the 2017 list if everyone is interested :)
Hi I'm Erika. I was part of the 2015 group, but I joined really late and never got around to actually being part of the group. This year I am looking forward to reading a book each week that is something I probably wouldn't read on my own. I have loved reading ever since I was a little girl so I am ready to begin!
Hi everyone this is my first few days since joining good reads. I am making this a personal challenge to read a book a week. Have been studying so am quite a quick reader. I am a single mum to two adorable little humans but found of late since my separation that I don't spend anywhere near the amount of time on myself and relaxation as I should. So hears to a great year of reading for us all :) Bianca
Around the Year in 52 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Hamnet (other topics)Like Water for Chocolate (other topics)
It (other topics)
Invisible (other topics)
The Leavers (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Nnedi Okorafor (other topics)William Saroyan (other topics)
Hamlin Garland (other topics)
I am Bridget and I am currently living in the UK. I stumbled onto this challenge when life decided not to allow me the ability to get through my TBR pile, and instead granted me the insane ability to purchase anything that looked vaguely like a book, and shift work which limited my time. I am hoping that by dividing the year up into categories, I will be able to make headway in my bookshelves and get to those juicy books I bought in 2015. Plus, this seems way better than a book club!
Now I just need to advance my tech skills to add a Reading Challenge shelf and learn to navigate this group!