2025 Reading Challenge discussion
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A Year of Reading From Home
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Simon
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Dec 30, 2015 01:58AM
My pledge for 2016: 50 books with the caveat that they can only come from books I have in the house as of the 1st Jan 2016. So no buying books for 12 months and no borrowing from others or the library.
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Whew!! This would be an impossible goal for me, I don't buy books often (limited space so I only purchase my very favorites) but no library would kill me. I look forward to seeing what books you already own and good luck on your goal, it will feel amazing at the end of the year knowing you put a 50 book dent in your bookshelf!
Believe me I love books, the fee,l the smell, the joy of undiscovered stories. The problem is though that I love books so much that there is seldom one I see where I don't think to myself "that would look good on a my bookshelves". I am therefore quickly reaching the point where I have as many books I haven't read on my shelves and in cupboards than books I have read. So my aim is to clear a large backlog of unread stuff as well as rediscover a few old friends over the year.
I know its going to be tough not buying any new books but I genuinely think that this is going to be a fun year of reading.
Simon, my issue is garage sales. Boxes of books for only a couple of dollars. I get so many books that I either want to read, or can trade at my local used book store. I'm looking at piles of books right now that I have to figure out what to do with.I pledge I won't buy anymore books, and then this group recommends something I just can't pass up.
I sincerely wish you well this year. I know how hard it will be.
Oh man, I could do not buying any books, but no library?? Dang. Granted, I only have about 30 unread owned books (which is physical AND Kindle), so I don't feel as much pressure as some do.
Book 1 finished and wow what an amazing first book. Planetary is the graphic novel to end all graphic novels and really is a genre definer.
Congrats on finishing your first book in 2016! I admire your goal and know there's no way I could do it:) Good luck!
Congrats on your first book. I'll be looking forward to seeing what else is on your shelf and to see if your chomping at the bit around June to go to the library because of a recommendation someone gave that you just can't pass up.
I am already champing at the bit Lavender.Going into bookshops is a joy, of course, and is something I do at any and every opportunity. I love going in just to look around and often ....sometimes....occasionally....OK seldom come out without having purchased a book. Going into a book shop and not being able to buy a book gives the whole process a very different vibe though, not one that I'm completely comfortable with yet.
This is going to be a tough year.
Beetling along with the challenge.Book Two
A second Christmas gift so was in the house on Jan 1st so counts
I love Sacco's work.
Book Three
This was such a let down, inane, infantile and misogynistic.
Book Four
A book I loved as a 12 year old which has lost little in its ability to grip
Good luck! This will be an interesting year for you. Can't wait to see what books you have.
Book Five 
Having seen the film I thought I'd read the book and am so glad I did. Found the middle section a little challenging and therefore slow going but the rest of the book was a joyous read.
Book Six and the last book of January was the second for the KMBC (Kidlington Men's Book Club).
This is definitely one of those books i would not have read had it not been a book club pick. I am glad i did though. Wyn is the mother of a child with Cerebral Palsy and this is the story of their journey together and the lengths hat a mother will go to get the best for their child.
Well I managed to get through the whole of January without buying a single book which has been a major achievement. I do however have a much larger wish list.
Book Seven
Gaiman's Magnum Opus.
Book Eight
An important book that is literally years ahead of its time. Not a good read though as i found it stilted and repetitive. Could have been shorter and would have been better if it were.
Good luck, Simon! This is my goal as well, except I'm just trying to significantly limit the number of books I borrow and read almost exclusively from my owned-but-unread shelf. It's hard! I applaud you for being tougher than I am. :)
good luck on your goal, I couldn't do this I have a list that I'm following and a few of the books on the list have to be borrowed from the library and a few of them I plan on buying when they come out so yeah, but I'm sure you can do it.
Thanks for the encouragement Cassandra and Alicia. As the year goes on this challenge is becoming progressively more difficult, manely because there are so many good books being released at the moment. I saw several whilst strolling through a local bookshop including Bob Woodward's new book that I kept picking up and reluctantly putting back down
I know what you mean, if I could afford it my kindle library would be so much bigger than it is and it's already over 3,000 books.
A couple of shorter reads both of which have been sitting on my shelves for a wee while now. Book 9
Another play that cements David Hare's position as one of the UK finest Playwriters.
Book 10
Not sure what to make of this to be honest. Will definately need a reread at some point in the future.
Book s 11 and 12 for the year have been two of the best books I've read in many years and I have no idea why I didn't read them sooner.
These two books are simply beautiful.
Book 13 and what a mammoth one it was. Stephenson does Eco and does it well.
Book 14 
Not having seen the film I enjoyed seeing how the short story had been converted into a screenplay and how the writers had gone about it.
Book 15, 16 and 17 and its confession time.
Well its official. My name is Simon and I am a book addict and this month I fell off the wagon.
I had two challenges this year, the first was to go through a year without buying a new book and I failed. I was given a book token a while ago and I noticed last week that it was about to go out of date so I had to use it or loose it. well that's the excuse I'm using and I'm sticking with it.
So I ordered 3 books from a well known online retailer. The first of these to arrive was
Which I duly then read, breaking pledge number 2, not to read anything this year that wasn't in the house on the 1st Jan this year.The other two books though:
and
Will have to wait till next year though as I intend to climb back on that wagon and see where it takes me.I will be strong.
But you went 3 months without buying, which is great! And it wasn't like you went willy-nilly into a bookstore--there was a reason you bought a book!Good luck on getting back on the wagon!! You're certainly doing better than me--the Goodwill half-off sale got me on Saturday!
Simon wrote: "Book 15, 16 and 17 and its confession time.Well its official. My name is Simon and I am a book addict and this month I..."
If you were given a book token, and you used it (without actually spending money), isn't that a good thing?
And yes, I have a few books that are coming out which I know that will undoubtedly buy, but I do not put any limitations on how many books I should and/or should not buy, so I'm lucky in that sense.
while i have imposed a limit on myself this year Nick it stems from a realisation that I had so many books at home I hadn't read and probably wouldn't unless I stopped buying new ones. It has been a good experience as I've read a really diverse collection of books.
You're doing great! You had a great streak and now you get to reflect on how the first quarter of reading from home has been going. Now you can redouble your efforts to get through the pile of books waiting to be read. :)
Thanks Cassandra. This challenge has been bot easier and harder than I thought it would be. I had thought it would be more difficult because while I have a lot of unread books my tastes have changed slightly since buying some of them. I thought therefore that it might be difficult to read some. This hasn't been the case though. Some books I have started and put down again for the time being but that's just the way I read. The challenge though has allowed me to go off on wild tangents and follow trains of thought in ways I hadn't at first thought of.
What has been tough though is going into bookshops. Normally what is a wonderful experience is becoming harder and harder and less pleasurable because I always see another book I want to read.
I thought I would run into the taste changing issue too, and to some extent I have. I haven't really disliked any of the books I've read off my shelf, and I've uncovered some really great ones that I'd been putting off for too long. But so far I've had a ton of 3 star reviews, more than usual. I think it's because I've gotten better at picking books over the years on Goodreads, too.
That's a fantastic goal - good luck with it & enjoy :-)
April's Shower of booksBooks 18 , 19 and 20
A very dense though annoyingly unfocused book.
An enjoyable and light read.
A dark and brooding story of infidelity, and murder on an army base in the south of the US.
Books 21-23 and the one that nearly broke me
Another of Oliver Sacks' books. A man who has made the medical narrative his own. Far too short though.
Part Polemic, part memoir, part exploration of his faith and lack thereof and part reworking of his comedy show it unfortunately never adds up to a while. Sadly disappointing.
The second in Rohan's Winter of the World trilogy and a belter.
What a grind of a read this has been 800+ pages of hatred and self loathing.
I am one of those readers that has to finish a book once I've started it. sometimes it can be worth it, sometimes not and this is one of those, not occasions. Am going to have to find something really light to reignite my book mojo.
Half way there and slightly ahead of schedule.An interesting mix of books in June:
A nice short breezy read after the drag of Kenneth Williams' Diaries
with Obama's Presidency reaching its end it was interesting to see what took him there.
Keep it up! Do you have a particular goal in mind for the books you do finish, getting rid of them to free up space, donate, etc.? My mom has tons of books (both physical and ereader) that she doesn't even touch, our house is being taken over by unread books, OH THE PAIN, so I'm thinking about sending her over to this neat challenge of yours.
Hi Sarah, mostly I've been doing this to force myself to read some of the books I've got but never got too in an attempt to clear some space. it's been a hard stopping myself buying books but it has been great finally reading some really great books.
More June Books
Monologues more than plays but still thought provoking as all of his work is
When the world gets strange it sometimes takes the even stranger to help make sense of it all.
Hitchens is marmite but even for those who aren't his fans this is a must read. Contemplating the end of his life he faces it full on an honestly.
Haven't been here for a while so I thought it was about time to update my reading. Books 30 - 40
As is the way I've enjoyed some of these more than others (I really enjoyed "In the Miso Soup" but was a bit disappointed by "Grief is the thing with Feathers")
At least one of the books (Harry Potter) broke the rule of not buying any new books this year. There was no way I wasn't going to get this and risk having it spoiled.
Only 10 books to go to finish my challenge.
Books 41-51
So that's part one of my challenge completed 50 books in the year. Have to admit it has been a bit of a chore at times. Even though I completed this part of the challenge before the year was through I always felt the pressure of having to read 50 books.
Late October and November:
As the year wanes a last few books:
A great re read for the men's book club I'm in
Saw the film so wanted to read the book. film great, book less so.
A David Hare play so cant go wrong there as far as I'm concerned.
Very nearly the best book of this year. sadly though lost it becasue of a culturally inconsistent westernised ending.
Another good Peter Shaffer play. Not as good as Equus though
I'm currently reading (just started)
The Stats of a year of reading from home. Non Fiction Books 12
Novels 29
Plays 14
Biographies 5
Graphic Non Fiction 2
Graphic Fiction 2
Ratings
* 2
** 1
*** 21
**** 27
***** 13
Best Book of the Year
A tie
The Worst Book of the Year
Again a tie
The Biggest Surprise of the Year
2025 Reading Challenge
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