The GoodReads Yearly Challenge

[Mai]

this is my third year. I kept my goal the same from last year, as I've recently started a new job and don't know if I will be able to read more than I did last year. I have also got another goal of reading/listening to more audible books this year.

[Jim]

Shane wrote: "https://www.goodreads.com/help/show/2... "

Hours is a silly way of paging an audio book. It doesn't take me or a narrator an hour to read a page, more like a minute. It would still be better to take it from a print edition.

[Janice]

Here's the announcement from GR's staff:

For the "See Your Year in Books" stats, here's message 28 at https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/5... ... from Meghan, the Customer Care Manager:

"Those of you who have page counts that seem somewhat off, did you by chance listen to any audiobooks this year? If so, we're pulling the page count from the most popular print version of the book so that your audiobooks are a little better accounted for in this count."

[Powder River Rose]

Margo wrote: "I've never done an annual challange. I do a few short challanges here and there to keep me motivated and I enjoy group/buddy reads where I get to compare notes and reactions with other readers. I d..."

Margo, the yearly challenge is easy peasy. All you really do is sign up by saying how many books you think you might read--go low if you'd prefer the first time. You said you had 52 books this year so answer these questions to yourself. Did you feel rushed? Would you want to read that many again? Why not pick a lower number say 30, and then feel extra good at the end of the year when you read more. For 2017 you can readjust the count if you wish.

Anyway, after you sign up all you have to do is log your books on your "My Books" page like you always do (assuming you do), make sure you mark Date Read and from there GR does the rest.

Come on hehehe join in the fun with us.

[Robin P]

Powder River Rose wrote: "Margo wrote: "I've never done an annual challange. I do a few short challanges here and there to keep me motivated and I enjoy group/buddy reads where I get to compare notes and reactions with othe..."

You can aim low and increase it during the year. The first year I think I said 60 and when I got that by October I upped it to 75 or something like that. Of course, no one has to do any kind of challenge at all. Someone said on one of these threads, their challenge is "Read a book. Read another book. Repeat."

[Jay]

Seriously 4 days into the new year and 55 have completed their challenge? sigh***

I raised my goal by just 20 books, but I really aim to have my goal completed by the fall. I don't work well under pressure. I do enjoy keeping a record of my books.

My secondary reading goal this year is to be a more rounded reader - choosing books from not just the current fiction section of the library.

[Margo]

Powder River Rose wrote: "Margo wrote: "I've never done an annual challange. I do a few short challanges here and there to keep me motivated and I enjoy group/buddy reads where I get to compare notes and reactions with othe..."

OK guys you've convinced me! I'll go for 52. It will give me incentive to record my reading anyway ;-)

[Lilmissmolly]

Last year was the first year I participated. My goal was 100 books and I listened to over 170! In all honesty, some of them were short stories on Audible. I'm hesitant to say more than 100 for 2016 because I have a full time job and two books a week can be a bit much sometimes.

[Susan]

Going back to the short story discussion. So I didn't make my goal this year and at the end of December I could have read a whole bunch of Nancy Drew books to get my goal in and felt I was being dishonest in doing so. After reading the discussion on short stories now I'm mad with myself. I could have made my goal by just doing so! It's my reading challenge, it's my goal I should be able to make it however I want to.

So haha on my challenge this year, I'm going to make it. Now I don't feel guilty anymore thanks guys!

I'm glad Goodreads is picking print books for the pages on audiobooks, that helps me in the Page Challenge I'm in also. YAY!

[Daniel]

Audiobooks have allowed me to read FAR more than I used to attempt. I was looking over my my challenges of the last five years, and in '11, 12', and '13 my goal was only 35, and and I didn't even make it out of the mid 20's those years.

But I started listening in 2014, and with an original goal of 35, I bumped that to 50, then 80, 90, then 95 and wound up reading 94, and failed the challenge and didn't get the badge.
I read/listened to over 100 last year, my average page count being 399.

https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_i...

[Fran]

Daniel wrote: "Audiobooks have allowed me to read FAR more than I used to attempt. I was looking over my my challenges of the last five years, and in '11, 12', and '13 my goal was only 35, and and I didn't even m..."

Thumbs up!!!! People look at me like I'm nuts to read 100 books a year. The audiobooks have upped my reading also.

[Lilmissmolly]

Congrats Daniel and Fran!! I agree 100% that audiobooks let me enjoy many more books than I would otherwise read. I especially love listening while driving for work, gardening or doing mundane housework. Thankfully my local library carries many Audio CD's and Overdrive has a substantial library also. Plus, I'm addicted to Audible...

[Jim]

I'm another who has had their books read almost doubled by audio books. It's so fantastic that they're coming into their own. Scalzi wrote a post about how they were almost half his sales for Lock In.

[Val]

Last year was my first year doing the challenge. I set it for 50 and I read 52. Although I felt like I cheated slightly, because I read several short stories and a couple of very short children's books with my daughter. I know it's not cheating, I just personally wanted to challenge myself to read 50 novels.
This year I've set it for 50 again, I'll see if I can do it.

[Clare]

My name is Clare and I am an Audible addict. I like to listen to a book when a first wake up in the morning. I then listen again on my way to and from work. In fact i prefer listening to Audiobooks to watching television. I am a carer for my Mum and although I go work 3 days a week i am in work for 9 hours each time. I can honestly say looking after my Mum, reading and listening to books I'm not bored.

[Louise]

I've been doing it since 2012 - I started with a goal of 55 books, but in 2015 and for 2016 I've set the goal at 130 books. Last year I got to 222, but several of those were New Yorker short stories, small poetry books or kindle novellas.

[Casey]

Hello, this is my first post since joining this group.

I first participated in the reading challenge last year. I initially set a goal to read 100 books. I surpassed that goal in August so revised it up to 150 and I barely managed to complete that goal (finished the last book on 12/31).

This year, my goal is 180 books. It will be a tall order but it is not out of the realm of possibility. I'm an audiobook listener exclusively so in reality my goal is to listen to 180 books.

[Grumpus, Hearing aide]

Welcome to the group Casey. That is an ambitious goal, hope you make it!

[CatBookMom]

Casey wrote: "Hello, this is my first post since joining this group.

I first participated in the reading challenge last year. I initially set a goal to read 100 books. I surpassed that goal in August so revised..."

Welcome! As Grumpus says, that's an ambitious goal, an audiobook every 2 days. You'll get lots of ideas and suggestions for new books from this group.

[Louise]

My first Goodreads year was 2012, where I set a goal for 55 books and ended up reading 64.
My kids are older now, so I get more reading done! This year my goal is 140 books.