People who read quite a lot -

[Cassandra]

That's a great point, Andrew! I think it's all about finding the balance between feeling motivated by challenges and feeling stressed out or limited by them. Feel free to drop a challenge or push it to the mental backburner if you need!

This year, I'm trying to read as many books I already own as possible, so I tried to pick challenges that would support that goal without requiring me to borrow a bunch of other books to fulfill the tasks.

[Fr. Andrew]

Cassandra wrote: "That's a great point, Andrew! I think it's all about finding the balance between feeling motivated by challenges and feeling stressed out or limited by them. Feel free to drop a challenge or push it to the mental backburner if you need!"

I don't think I over-committed in this group, but rather in another challenge group I'm in. They have really cool challenges too, like here, but some of the ones I joined are extremely demanding. The attitude I am trying to adopt the strategy of using them to try new books out, rather than to beat myself over the head when I "fall behind." :)

[Rachel]

Andrew wrote: "Cassandra wrote: "That's a great point, Andrew! I think it's all about finding the balance between feeling motivated by challenges and feeling stressed out or limited by them. Feel free to drop a c..."

Out of curiosity, what kind of challenges did you take on that you felt limited by?

[Karin]

Cassandra wrote: "That's a great point, Andrew! I think it's all about finding the balance between feeling motivated by challenges and feeling stressed out or limited by them. Feel free to drop a challenge or push i..."


I like to reach out of my reading comfort zone, but I'm at an age now where I try to limit reading books I really don't like just for a challenge. Plus, and I'm not making this up, some books, like some TV shows, give me bad dreams even though I know they're not real (sighs loudly).

[Fr. Andrew]

Rachel wrote: "Out of curiosity, what kind of challenges did you take on that you felt limited by? "

There's another group that I enjoy which has challenges similar to the ones here, but also some really crazy ones. For example, they have one similar to our Every Year Challenge, but you read 16 books released in 2016, 15 for 2015, and so on, all the way to 1 for 2001. I just need to remind myself that I sign up for these to encourage myself to read different things, not to beat myself up when I "fail" :) It's actually a good psychological practice to get out of the perfectionism that hasn't exactly helped me much in life.

[Fr. Andrew]

Karin wrote: "Plus, and I'm not making this up, some books, like some TV shows, give me bad dreams even though I know they're not real (sighs loudly). "

Ha, not even doubting you on that! That just means the book was very well written!

[Karin]

Andrew wrote: "Karin wrote: "Plus, and I'm not making this up, some books, like some TV shows, give me bad dreams even though I know they're not real (sighs loudly). "

Ha, not even doubting you on that! That jus..."

Not always, but sometimes. Usually it has to be well written for me to read through a bad-dream inducing book, but it's still something I prefer to avoid.

I didn't have this book-dream problem until TV and movies insisted on showing more and more realistic things (I can never cover my eyes soon enough). I KNOW it's fake; one of my brothers is a screen actor who has died in at least 2 horror movies and in a few other programs, but my sleeping brain doesn't seem to recognize that.

[Fr. Andrew]

Ah yes, I understand what you mean. There are certain topics that make me want to stop reading too. Kind of like trigger stuff I guess. Like animals/children being abused/killed. Also, extreme dysfunction in relationships can sometimes be a problem...I turned off the film Blue Valentine about fifteen minutes in because I just couldn't stand the cruelty between the married couple...and I know it's supposed to be an excellent movie.

I know it's different from dreams, but I think it's similar probably.

[Karin]

Andrew wrote: "Ah yes, I understand what you mean. There are certain topics that make me want to stop reading too. Kind of like trigger stuff I guess. Like animals/children being abused/killed. Also, extreme dysf..."

I also avoid certain trigger things. Starting from my first pregnancy until just recently I could not watch or read anything about children being hurt or killed, for one example.

[Rachel]

Andrew wrote: "Rachel wrote: "Out of curiosity, what kind of challenges did you take on that you felt limited by? "

There's another group that I enjoy which has challenges similar to the ones here, but also some..."

That actually sounds pretty interesting, but very intense!

[Jessica]

Karin wrote: "Andrew wrote: "Ah yes, I understand what you mean. There are certain topics that make me want to stop reading too. Kind of like trigger stuff I guess. Like animals/children being abused/killed. Als..."

I'm the exact same way. Ever since my daughter was born, I'm a mess if I read something where a child or baby is in peril or is killed.

[Overbooked ✎]

What an interesting discussion! Great to see everyone's point of view.
I completely agree that “a lot” is very personal, it depends on people circumstances and interests. I can see how people may prefer twitter, facebook, etc. to stay in contact and TV shows, etc can help wind down after a long day at work. I don’t like watching tv and GR is pretty much the extent of my virtual social life.

I am not a fast reader, I wish I were!, I spend “a lot” of time reading, but usually I don’t stay on the same book for long (I can't do marathons), so I change medium (I love audiobooks) and/or genre (recently prefer non fiction). I normally have multiple books going at the same time, it’s probably why I can read around 200 books a year.

The book genre plays a role on the speed; classics, literary fiction and non fiction slow me down, but they are most rewarding.
There are also things that put me off, gratuitous violence and detailed gore are some of them. Children abuse affects me, not necessarily physical but neglect also, I tend to stay away from depressing books as they drag me down.

I love challenges, but agree that if taken too seriously they take the fun out of reading (BTW I love Andrew’s statement “This is my hobby, not my career”). There are yearly challenges that I feel committed about, and made them my priority, other challenges I take them as chances to explore new genres, a suggestion.

The danger for a complectionist, like me, is loosing sight of The goal, i.e. the pleasure of reading vs. the satisfaction of ticking items off a list.

Another thing I only recently I learned to do to abandon books, I struggled a lot with that :D

[Fr. Andrew]

Kiwi wrote: "Another thing I only recently I learned to do to abandon books, I struggled a lot with that :D "

I'm so glad that Good Reads gave us the option of creating a new status-type shelf...I made one called "didn't finish" and so that way the "completionist" part of my personality had a place to put books like that. Just today I put a book there!

[Bella]

Kiwi wrote: "What an interesting discussion! Great to see everyone's point of view.
I completely agree that “a lot” is very personal, it depends on people circumstances and interests. I can see how people may p..."

I've recently found it easier to abandon books. Maybe because I'm getting older. I read multiple books, too, and instead of calling it abandoning, I give myself permission not to pick up a book if I'm not in the mood for it. Eventually, it falls to the bottom of a pile or it gets hidden off the front page of my ereader and I forget about it. (Or I have to return it to the library.) The way I look at it now is that I don't owe a book, or an author, anything. I shouldn't have to struggle to read something. That was the author's job to make the book readable for me- to entertain me, or make me think or feel, etc. If the author fails, why should I have to try harder? (Although if it's an "important" book, I will force myself to read it. Eventually.)

[Karin]

Kiwi wrote: "What an interesting discussion! Great to see everyone's point of view.
I completely agree that “a lot” is very personal, it depends on people circumstances and interests. I can see how people may p..."

You sound like my kiwi reading twin!

[Karin]

Bella wrote:I've recently found it easier to abandon books. Maybe because I'm getting older. I read multiple books, too, and instead of calling it abandoning, I give myself permission not to pick up a book if I'm not in the mood for it. "

I have found I do the same more and more as I get older. But then sometimes I get in the mood to do reading challenges and slug through books I don't like much (as long as they aren't triggers) for the fun of the challenge. But then I'll go back to my usual reading mode and only do challenges with a lot of flexibility in the books I choose to read to meet it.

[Overbooked ✎]

Andrew wrote: "I'm so glad that Good Reads gave us the option of creating a new status-type shelf...I made one called "didn't finish" ..."

True. I have an abandoned one (I've given up) and one for partially read (for books I'd like to continue later or reference books).

[Overbooked ✎]

Karin wrote: "I have found I do the same more and more as I get older. ..."

Bella wrote: "I've recently found it easier to abandon books. Maybe because I'm getting older. ..."

Me too, I do like to give a book a fair chance, but as I get older I get more impatient, why spend time on a book that I don't enjoy when the next read might be a great one?

[Bella]

Kiwi wrote: "Karin wrote: "I have found I do the same more and more as I get older. ..."

Bella wrote: "I've recently found it easier to abandon books. Maybe because I'm getting older. ..."

Me too, I do like t..."

The other thing too, now that I'm older, is why would I want to suffer through a mediocre book when there are books I loved that I want to re-read. Especially the ones you read decades ago and now you're a different person with a different worldview.

[Sid]

I have no problem abandoning books. Quite frankly, there is a lot of garbage out there and time is limited. My general rule of thumb is 1 to 2 chapters for non-literary fiction; 3 chapters for non--fiction. if a book hasn't grabbed me by then, I put it away. sometimes, I will come back to it, but if I haven't tried to re-read it after a year, it goes to goodwill.

90% of my reading is non-fiction, so I tend to be rather slower than I was when I read fiction in my younger days.

I also have no real idea how many books I complete in a year as I don't necessarily finish every non fiction book. sometimes, I'll read a few chapters and consider it "finished" as I got what I wanted out of it.

I would also add that reading isn't really a goal; it isn't about ticking of a book completed and compiling a list of how many books you've read. reading is the one activity, in my mind, that is about the journey through one book, and through a personal library. for some, that journey may be a measuring stroll with myriad distractions; for others, a sprint from one way point to another. neither is right or wrong and a person should never judge their credentials as a reader on how many books have been read.

(typed from phone app, forgive any errors)

[Fr. Andrew]

Sid wrote: "a person should never judge their credentials as a reader on how many books have been read. "

Definitely true and I notice that because I'm in so many reading challenges in other groups that I get caught up in this exact problem. However, if I'm hating my experience then I do end the experience. The last book I did that with was about a month ago (maybe it was less actually) with the Maze Runner. I tried to read that because Dylan O'Brien was in the movie, which must indicate I was channeling my inner teenager or something...

Anyway, your mention of "credentials as a reader" is funny. We would be better not even considering credentialing such a thing! I once saw on a guy's GoodReads profile that to be considered a "reader" you should have read Harry Potter, Hunger Games, and some book about a queen I think. Well, I didn't finish the seventh Potter book and I'm not concerned about the book about a queen. I guess my credentials make me, um, not a reader? Very odd way of thinking!

[Karin]

Bella wrote: "The other thing too, now that I'm older, is why would I want to suffer through a mediocre book when there are books I loved that I want to re-read. Especially the ones you read decades ago and now you're a different person with a different worldview. . ..."


That's how I feel. about books I read decades ago if I don't like them now. I'm the same person and yet not the same as time and life brings changes to everyone.

[Kadijah Michelle]

Karin wrote: "Bella wrote: "The other thing too, now that I'm older, is why would I want to suffer through a mediocre book when there are books I loved that I want to re-read. Especially the ones you read decade..."

I'm not sure how old you are, and I'm not going to guess, but I have found that I am at an age where I am loving books that I hated when I was younger. Even books that were written for my younger self like The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. I don't know if it's because I am reading these books for my own enjoyment now, or because I have finally reached a point where I know how to enjoy literature.

[Rachel]

Kadijah Michelle wrote: "Karin wrote: "Bella wrote: "The other thing too, now that I'm older, is why would I want to suffer through a mediocre book when there are books I loved that I want to re-read. Especially the ones y..."

I think reading for your own enjoyment could definitely be a factor. I often hated the books I was forced to read for school, but loved them when I re-read them later by choice.

[Rachel]

I'm finding more and more that it depends what I read. Nonfiction and books over 400 pages take me close to a week, since I only have time to read on evenings and weekends.

A standard fiction book (300 pages or so) takes me 2-3 evenings.

[[deleted user]]

I really like reading all of the comments on here! I agree totally with those who are saying that everybody reads at their own speed. With me, I feel like I read a lot and when I read the starting post for this topic I thought "holy cow how do you read 300 books a year????" That is insane!! I had to laugh when I read that you thought it was funny that the woman's husband said his wife reads a lot and that it is typically 5 books a month! To me that isn't really a lot but it is decent. I work and go to school so I read about 3 books a month! Sometimes more it really just depends on what I have going on in my spare time. The past few weeks I have just been reading book after book and I've read 3 or 4 books just these past couple weeks so May looks like it is going to be a good month for me as far as tackling my TBR goes. Some months I read 3 books others I can read up to 9 books it really just depends but, I typically only read on average 100 pages within an hour and 150-200 pages within 2 hours. I also want to add that I have ADD so it isn't often that I am able to sit down for two or three hours and just read non stop because I will grow distracted, bored, and this will cause me to rush through the book and start skimming pages in less than a minute until I reach the next chapter so to avoid that I have to take frequent, lengthy breaks. This causes me to read a little bit slower than most avid readers and thus I do not read as many books as what some of you say you read.

[Rachel]

I also think it's really important not to force it. Because of my challenges this year, I was starting to feel under a lot of pressure to keep pushing myself to read even when I didn't feel like it. When I took a step back, I realized that it was no fun to read when I rushing and not actually enjoying the books. I've learned that if I don't feel like reading, I just shouldn't read right then.

On the other hand, sometimes all it takes is the right book. Especially when I am doing reading challenges, I'm often reading books that I probably wouldn't have picked up otherwise. Some are great, and some are really boring. When there is a book that I'm really motivated to read, it's easy for me to get into it even when I might not feel like reading, but even then I've found it essential to pay attention to my mood and not put myself off the book unnecessarily.

[Lady Clementina]

Rachel wrote: "I also think it's really important not to force it. Because of my challenges this year, I was starting to feel under a lot of pressure to keep pushing myself to read even when I didn't feel like it..."

I agree with that- I read for fun too and I felt that just to catch up on numbers and challenges, I was rushing through rather than taking time to enjoy the book. So I have decided to slow down a little even if I fall behind.

[Karin]

Kadijah Michelle wrote: "Karin wrote: "Bella wrote: "The other thing too, now that I'm older, is why would I want to suffer through a mediocre book when there are books I loved that I want to re-read. Especially the ones y..."

I am over 50. That said, if I commit to read and write a review in exchange for a book, I read it even if I give it 1 or 2 stars.

My tastes have altered, not completely, but definitely. I think that's fairly common as we go through life's different phases, but not absolute, since some people like a certain genre all the way through. I know my dad used to read quite a bit of fiction and nonfiction, but somewhere around his 80th birthday he tired of fiction and now reads nonfiction most of the time.