Goon Book Challenge 2017 - Can we keep talking for more than a week?

[Billy]

Posting in the last minute to claim another week.

One book ahead of my reading challenge for the year :toot:

[SewingandCaring]

My plan is to blast through goodreads own challenge with golden age fiction books under 400 pages and then read longer brain thinking books. 37/52 books completed :smuggoon:

[Edward]

Haha Bill, thanks muchly! Nice save. We've managed to do well so far.

I'm now reading the Honourable Schoolboy by le Carré. I've started it a couple of times before, but finally I'm powering through!

[Mike]

I don't particularly have a "strategy" per se, but I'm ahead of schedule too. So far I've had a lot of short reads though. Probably like 2 books over 300 pages. That's just sort of how it's shaken out. I'll probably have a long one or two here soon. Mostly I'm just going to read a lot and try to attend to making sure I'm including plenty hit to goals 1 and 2 on the challenge, and right now, I'm way ahead on that.

[Franchescanado]

I have a loose mental list of what I want to read this year, but I'm trying to be more free-spirited with picking what I read next.

I'm also reading 5 or 6 books at once, so I'm technically behind, but then I'll leap ahead, I hope.

You guys that have read 30 books already are insane. Where the fuck do you find the time?

[SewingandCaring]

In my case I don't watch TV, coupled with Audiobooks + a freak of nature book osmosis reading speed of 1000-1200 wpm. If it makes anyone feel any better It's my one skill and I've yet to find a job with "must read really fast" as a requirement.

[Franchescanado]

Proofreading, dude, proofreading. You won't get paid well, but you'd get paid to read.

I wish I could read really fast. But I can't, and never will, and that is sad.

[William]

My plan is to fall behind rather dramatically, have a little panic around mid-year, then really hit it hard and finish just in time on Dec. 31.

So far I'm on track.

[SewingandCaring]

Good work that man. Don't forget to do that thing where you read Sherlock Holmes short stores to bump the numbers up.

[Billy]

It matters what you read. I can tear through a Vonnegut or Pratchett in a matter of hours, but Pynchon or one of these works on the philosophy of science that I have been attracted to in recent years grind everything to a halt.

Plus I read, write, and edit as part of my day job and so when I relax at night I'm not as attracted to reading as I once was. Speaking of which, wine and trash tv beckon...

[Billy]

YES I FEEL THREATENED BY YOU 80 BOOKS READ ALREADY NEREEERDS!!!!!

:smith:

[Franchescanado]

Billy wrote: "It matters what you read. I can tear through a Vonnegut or Pratchett in a matter of hours, but Pynchon or one of these works on the philosophy of science that I have been attracted to in recent yea..."

Yeah, definitely. I'm usually picking the more dense harder reads than the easier ones.

The best side-effect of reading Gravity's Rainbow was that the next few books after it were a speed-reading cakewalk.

[Billy]

It is an extraordinary book I am glad I finally powered through it because the payoff is enormous

[Robin]

Just a couple more books ahead of schedule and I'm tackling Alan Moore's Jerusalem...

[Liam]

I'm a couple of books ahead of schedule still but I've fallen off massively after powering through 10 books in Jan. I'm reading Hard Boiled Wonderland and I think I'm just done with Murakami in general, nothing about his writing excites me. I'll finish it but then I'll probably put him to one side for a long time.

[Liam]

Also someone wildcard me

[SewingandCaring]

Wild card for Liam :) Rubicon the last days of the Roman republic by Tom Holland. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9...

[Liam]

Thanks!

[Rob]

I'm falling behind this year. Don't seem to have the same motivation to read so much. How's everyone else tracking

[Kaitlyn]

I'm way ahead of my previous years. Trying to get in 45-60m a day on the stationary bike, so reading during that time helps a lot.

[Liam]

I'm at 13/90, which Goodreads says is two books ahead. I've been slacking though, I'd like to be further ahead than that.

[Franchescanado]

I loaded up with long non-fiction books, which are always much slower reads for me than fiction, so I'm behind. I have a stack of short novels that will hopefully catch me up.

[Edward]

Two more books ticked off for this month. If anyone is looking for books by non-white authors then The Salt Roads is a great little fantasy novel.

An ancient god is summoned to earth and lives her life through several different people across time. Also good history, especially if you know nothing about the Haitian revolution.

[John]

I posted in the thread but I'll also post here, I've been reading Zorba the Greek and it is a great book. If anyone is still looking for a translated book and wants to read a book about two dudes drinking and discussing life, check it out!

[Edward]

Well this died, but don't worry I'm back to save it. Currently reading a few books to catch-up to my goal. I'm now 5 books behind!

I just read The Left Hand of Darkness

Which is brilliant and I recommend it to anyone.

[Franchescanado]

My reading habits are shit now.

I need to get back to reading at least an hour a day, but I keep starting new projects.

[Edward]

Franchescanado wrote: "My reading habits are shit now.

I need to get back to reading at least an hour a day, but I keep starting new projects."

Agreed, it's so easy to fall out of the habit! I did earlier this year and now I'm three months behind!

[Franchescanado]

My goal was originally 40 books this year. I've read 12. I just keep losing steam half-way through books. And they're good books!

[Edward]

What are you reading/trying to read?

[Franchescanado]

I've read through about half of two short story collections, Winesburg, OH, Slow Learner by T. Pynchon, both of which I enjoy; any book assigned to my book club (this month was Hillbilly Elegy); and I've got a few essay collections and lit. theory books I keep getting stalled on.

I want to go through and finish up the books I've started so I clean that slate and can count them as read, but I get distracted by writing, drawing, painting, work and other obligations.

I also haven't read a book that I LOVED since January or so.

[Mike]

Personally I'm not great with essays or things like lit theory. I'd be stalling out as well if I had those looming over me. I'm not a multiple books at a time guy though.

I'd see if you can clear the slate and start with something you love or are otherwise excited to read. I read a lot faster when it's something I'm really enjoying.

[Roger]

I'm behind on my own challenge by 4 or 5 books, I think, but the ones I'm reading are so good. Right now I'm finishing up "Death's End", the last book of a trilogy, and after that I have so many things lined up I have no idea how I'll decide what to read next...

[SewingandCaring]

I'm the smug person who has read 89/52 so far this year, mostly because I'm trying to read every Agatha Christie. Going through them detective by detective which was a good idea at the time, but in reality is a rather depressing repeated journey through her dementia.

Taking a break from that and about to read some of the classics I've never got round to and then work my way through Colin Dexter.

[Edward]

Learnin Curve wrote: "I'm the smug person who has read 89/52 so far this year, mostly because I'm trying to read every Agatha Christie. Going through them detective by detective which was a good idea at the time, but in..."

Love Colin Dexter, I've just started on the Inspector Morse books. They're great.

[SewingandCaring]

I picked up the full boxed set from a charity shop for £6.50 :D

[Roger]

I'm finding myself slowing down reading "Death's End" because I am enjoying it so much. I love Big Idea books, and this book's are some of the biggest.

I'm not going to game the challenge by reading shorter books for a while after I'm done with this one; I'm just going to pick one that I want to read. (I'm not, I'm not, I'm not...)

[Brad]

I'm a fairly slow reader. Easily distracted, busy life, etc. But I'm making more time for it now, and it's pretty nifty. I'll likely never get through my constantly growing queue of books (I keep getting Kindle ebooks that sound good), but I don't care.

Right now I'm reading Dune for my fiction novel (yes, for the first time, shut up), FATE Core for my RPG manual, and Blacksad for my graphic novel pooping sessions. After Dune, I'll likely either resume Seveneves by Neal Stephenson, or book 2 of the Mistborn trilogy. Or something else in my queue. Maybe that new Steven Pinker book so I can feel smart.

[Roger]

Then again, My Life and Hard Times is the book club book...

My planned next book is "Court of Fives". We'll see what happens when it comes time to choose. I also need to get back to my Iain Banks read-through...

[Mike]

Roger wrote: "I'm not going to game the challenge by reading shorter books for a while after I'm done with this one; I'm just going to pick one that I want to read. (I'm not, I'm not, I'm not...)"

I tend to do short books after long or at least medium books (or maybe books that I know are quick reads) just as sort of a change of pace. Just generally, I tend to alternate between litfic and genre or heavy and light or whatever. Human Acts isn't long, but I needed something lighter after that, to be sure. It helps keep me fresh rather than getting bogged down in a bunch of depressing things or nothing but detective stories and fantasy. I don't really view it as gaming the system.

Mostly I think my habit of having some (several) short books just stems from frequent library visits. If I'm browsing the new book shelf, I'm a lot more likely to grab something that looks sort of interesting and is 200 pages than something that looks sort of interesting and is 500. Some of those unplanned shorter novels have been real good this year (shoutout to the unexpectedly good Often I am Happy).

[William]

I've been fairly distracted with new projects and whatnot, so haven't done as much reading as in the past. Trying to ramp that up. I did go through and do a Dresden re-read, but I don't feel right about counting those.

I thought I found a good author in Claire North, "First Fifteen Lives of Harry August", but in reading the second it, 'Touch", it seems like the exact same story, and only changing plot and characters. It's not bad, per se, just the sameish.

[William]

Learnin Curve wrote: "I'm the smug person who has read 89/52 so far this year, mostly because I'm trying to read every Agatha Christie. Going through them detective by detective which was a good idea at the time, but in..."

Am slowly working my way through the Marple series. The last one didn't have Marple 'til virtually the end of it which seemed a bit of a waste.

[Kyle]

Brad wrote: "Right now I'm reading Dune for my fiction novel (yes, for the first time, shut up)"

Hey I'm reading Dune for the first time too!

Also, I picked up The Letters of Abelard and Heloise at the library the other day and it's suprisingly breezy. Abelard is a huge primadonna and I love how every so often the end notes will point out a statement that he had to have known was false, which he just put in to make himself look better/his enemies look worse. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys the medieval period and/or castration.

[Brad]

William wrote: I did go through and do a Dresden re-read..."

I need to get back to that series too! I enjoyed the first two books.

[Mike]

William wrote: "I thought I found a good author in Claire North, "First Fifteen Lives of Harry August", but in reading the second it, 'Touch", it seems like the exact same story, and only changing plot and characters. It's not bad, per se, just the sameish"

I haven't read those 2 by her. I really enjoyed "The Sudden Appearance of Hope" and I enjoyed "The End of the Day." If you go in for Urban Fantasy, the Matthew Swift books by her (under the name Katherine Griffin) are lots of fun.

[John]

Brad wrote: "William wrote: I did go through and do a Dresden re-read..."

I need to get back to that series too! I enjoyed the first two books."

Dresden is good fun, but it has been a long, long time since the last installment got released -and- Butcher has got an unhealthy obsession with boobs. I didn't really notice it the first time around, but on my second read through I noticed that he spent way too much time describing all the characters' jahoobies.

Anyhoo, I decided to pick up American Gods mainly because the trailers for the TV show look interesting but I refuse to watch a show before I read the book it is based on. It's very interesting and a lot of fun.

Are Gaimen's other books as good as this one? He looks to be pretty well written so I might have a new author to slavishly follow.

[Mike]

I'd generally put most of what I've read by Gaimen in the Fairy Tale category. I think Star Dust is probably the best there, and generally well regarded. How you feel about the rest depends on how you how you take to fairy tale type things. I tend to enjoy them, some people feel he gets too twee.

For things not that, Anansi Boys is very much an American Gods sort of thing about the trickster god Anansi's sons. Neverwhere is in the magical London hidden from sight genre.

[William]

John wrote: "Brad wrote: "William wrote: I did go through and do a Dresden re-read..."

I need to get back to that series too! I enjoyed the first two books."

Dresden is good fun, but it has been a long, long ..."

True, and also the anger issues and short temper grew old real quick. There's been hardly any character growth through the series.

[Franchescanado]

"Can we keep talking for more than a--"

"No."

[Mike]

Be the change you want to see?

I got nothin' unless people really want to hear my thoughts about not being quite halfway through The Essex Serpent.

[Edward]

Franchescanado wrote: ""Can we keep talking for more than a--"

"No.""

We managed for a few months before. We just need more people here, tell all your goon friends.