MobileRead Book Challenges discussion
2018 Individual Challenges
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Rumpelteazer's 2018 Reading Challenge
HomeInMyShoes wrote: "^Known commodity though with Wharton and given its just a 48 page longish short story it would be over quick. :PMr. X gets my vote so far, but then it's 626 pages so..."
I need to be in the mood for Straub to read his books. But in summer, when house/dog sitting I like to read both horrors and longer books, so I'll keep this book in mind if I haven't read it by then.
Now I need to look for more options for Z. A book about the Zodiac killer is a good idea, but I've already read several true crime books this year and I can deal with only a couple of those a year (though Michelle McNamara and Anne Rule are very readable).
HomeInMyShoes wrote: "I enjoyed Zorro by Isabel Allende and Zombie by Joyce Carol Oates has been on my radar for a while."Zorro I've read, I came across Zombie, but in general I don't like Zombie things. But this one looks right up my alley and it's short, so it's added to my Amazon wishlist.
The Steel Kiss by Jeffery Deaver.Just two more books left in this series before I'm caught up with it.
I'm considering combining two challenges next year. The ABC challenge and my review challenge. I had planned on writing at least one review each month this year, or at least twelve reviews in total. But I haven't written any, so far. I'm going to start tomorrow, hopefully I can get caught up. But for next year I'm thinking of having to write a review for each letter in the alphabet.
I read XOM-B for X. Bonus it also has zombies - but different than normal. First "original idea" I've run across.
MrsJoseph wrote: "I read XOM-B for X. Bonus it also has zombies - but different than normal. First "original idea" I've run across."Considering WSW, that is somewhat surprising. :P
I'll keep XOM-B in mind. I'm usually not a fan of zombies, but I have read that author before and liked it. For this year I think I'm going with Mr. X. I'll probably do the ABC challenge again next year and it's nice to have an X book on my list.About Face by Donna Leon.
A nice read, but nothing special.
HomeInMyShoes wrote: "MrsJoseph wrote: "I read XOM-B for X. Bonus it also has zombies - but different than normal. First "original idea" I've run across."Considering WSW, that is somewhat surprising. :P"
LOL!
I mean regarding zombies.
^You might like Handling the Undead by John Ajvide Lindqvist which is very different in, umm, how it handles the zombies.
Nicholas Sayre and the Creature in the Case by Garth Nix.I also finally put the first review of the year on my blog. I had planned to do 12 (one a month), so I need to play catch up.
The Tower by Simon ClarkMy first T book. It was a good enough read. My biggest gripe was that it didn't have a slow build up of tension. As soon as the characters arrive at the the manor things start happening full on. Whilst there are books which have a good start like this, I think this story would have benefited from a more subtle approach. It felt like Clark was hammering a nail into the wall with a huge sledge hammer.
Earlier this week I got a pbook for my trip to the themepark later this month. I realized I'm not used to doing this anymore and it was hard to find something to read.First I wanted to get a horror book, my go-to genre for trips. But either I read them or I knew I wasn't interested. So I moved on to the thriller/crime section. There it was hard to find a book that wasn't (possibly) part of a series. With ebooks I'm so used to checking out rating and reviews and although I could have checked them on my phone that just didn't feel right.
Eventually I found a book which sounded interesting enough, was unlikely to be part of a series and looks like a quick read (not very thick, biggish font). Wychwood.
I can remember a time when I didn't give a shit about reading series in the right order. Now it's an OCD thing for me. When starting a series I always check if all the books released up to that point are released as ebooks (less of a problem now compared to a couple of years ago).
So another thing that I like about ebooks: it's less stressful to find a book
So far this year I'm doing quite well with my ongoing series. I currently have to active series which have only three books left to read until I'm up to date and one series I've only got two books left. Which means that it's time to start thinking about new series. I have a lot of first-in-series but I'm a bit overwhelmed by them and find it hard to choose which series I want to try out first.I think that I'm going to enter all the series titles I haven't started yet into my randomizer app and let it choose what to read next. Hopefully that way I can start sorting them; which ones I want to start asap, which ones can wait but I do want to read, and which I'm not interested in. It will be a big task to enter them all on my tablet, but I think it'll pay off in the end.
I've got 81 first-in-series books I want to try out. There's also a small number of series which I've (partially) read in the past and want to reread from the beginning.So, from June I'm going to try to read multiple books of that list a month. I'm not going to name a number of books, since some of them are long, 600+ pages, whilst others are relatively short, around 300 pages.
HomeInMyShoes wrote: "Eighty-one?!? Yikes."Yep, I knew I had a lot of them, but I didn't know it were that many. Lucky most of them were either cheap or free, otherwise I wouldn't have gotten them. But it's definately time to start reading them.
Bianca wrote: "HomeInMyShoes wrote: "Eighty-one?!? Yikes."Yep, I knew I had a lot of them, but I didn't know it were that many. Lucky most of them were either cheap or free, otherwise I wouldn't have gotten the..."
O_O
I'd DIE
MrsJoseph wrote: "O_OI'd DIE "
Another good thing is that most of them aren't long. There are a couple long ones and a couple of box sets (so I don't know how long the first book is). Nontheless, it'll be a big job finishing the list.
Yes. A BIG job, lol.
The Graveyard Apartment by Mariko Koike.Meh. I would have liked more backstory on the evil, why is it evil, why does it do what it does, etc.
Laurie by Stephen King.
A nice read, not really horror. A good appetizer for tomorrow's release.
The Keeper by Sarah Langan.Meh. A good story, but it could do with some moving around of certain parts of the story. The reason why the bad guy is bad should have been told earlier than at 78%, it could easily have been told in sections in between the current storyline. That way it would have been more effective in building tension and the story wouldn't have felt drawn out. Heavily inspired by Stephen King.
But by finishing this book I did finish one of the new series I wanted to try out (I probably won't read the second book) and I crossed of the K for my ABC challenge.
Wychwood by George Mann.An okay book, though I expect I would have liked it better if it wasn't a paper book. Also my 19th new author this year (out of 45), so that's a good score.
Overall I'm doing okay, I'm three books ahead in my GR challenge, I'm 20 pages ahead in my 40000 page count challenge, though I am 800 pages behind on my average over the past six years. But it has been a busy month, so I'm happy with this month's achievements.
Well done, you seem to be doing well :D
The Uninvited by Dorothy MacArdle.Okay, too slow for my taste, or at least for my current mood. But at least I crossed off another letter for my ABC challenge.
So I recently entered 81 series names into my randomizer app on my tablet, to bring down the number of series I want to try. What I hadn't realized is that I was going to buy a new tablet and I can't copy lists from one device to another.I've now got my new tablet and I'm not going to enter 80 series names again. So I've set up a virtual library for my unread first-in-series. It took a bit of trial and error to find the right search expression, but I got it working. The "pick a random book" also works in virtual libraries, so I'll be using that when I want to read one (though I'll read the ones I've got on my Kindle first).
What tablet? I always just make my lists in Google Docs. Which even runs on my phone. Not well, but I can make some entries every now and then on it to keep up to date.It's easy to use a randomize and index function for a cell to pick something from the list. I just made one to pick a random continent or a random region or a random country if I get stuck on where I should go next.
HomeInMyShoes wrote: "What tablet? I always just make my lists in Google Docs. Which even runs on my phone. Not well, but I can make some entries every now and then on it to keep up to date.It's easy to use a randomiz..."
I use Google Sheets to keep my lists of what I've read, I've never thought of using it as a randomiser. The app works great for short lists, like for the seven active series. But not so much for huge lists. The virtual library works good, even in Google Docs I would have to enter all the series titles manually, no need for that in Calibre. Though I wish I had realised that before making the list in the app.
If you use Sheets for your TBR you could add a "I can't decide, choose something for me" option as well. I made one that will even exclude books in a series after the next one in the list.
I need to look into the possibilities of Sheets more. But my TBR list is too long to enter in Sheets, Calibre and the virtual libraries work great for that for me. I just wish there was a list of search terms you can use so it's easier to set one up.
The Dark Angel by Elly Griffiths.A good book read during a bad reading week. I was either too stressed, too hot or too busy to read often. Things should quiet down now for a bit and hopefully I can get into reading again after two weeks of not reading much.
Up next: the new Stephen King book. I'm in a Stephen King mood, so tomorrow I'll also rewatch It (2017). I've been thinking or rereading It again, but it's such a long book and I'm not very far ahead, so hopefully the film will scratch that itch.
This morning I started reading Stephen King's latest book, The Outsider, I had set myself a goal of reading at least 150 pages and tonight when I decided I had to stop reading because my eyes were getting tired I've read just over 300 pages. On a good Sunday I usually read 150-200 pages.It's been both a while since a book sucked my in this way. It's a shame tomorrow is an errands day, otherwise I would probably have been able to finish the book. I'm glad I didn't start reading it earlier, since the past two weeks have been busy and stressful and I wouldn't have been able to concentrate properly on the story.
What are virtual libraries? I'm sure it's not dropbox, right?I've been using FictFact and just rearranging series. And getting rid of stuff and adding it only when I start reading.
I love it when a book sucks you in like that :D
MrsJoseph wrote: "What are virtual libraries? I'm sure it's not dropbox, right?I've been using FictFact and just rearranging series. And getting rid of stuff and adding it only when I start reading."
You can set up virtual libraries in Calibre. It lists only what you want it to list. I've got my main library with all my books in it, and three virtual libraries: unread stand alone books, all unread series books, unread first in series books. The second I really don't use.
I use FictFact for my ongoing series, I like how they send an email when a new book of one of your series is released.
DoodlePanda wrote: "I love it when a book sucks you in like that :D"Yes, I haven't had a chance to read at all today. This morning we had to run errands. I had to take an anti-car sickness pill, which means that after a couple of hours I need a long nap and the rest of the day I feel tired. Maybe I can read a couple of chapters before I go to bed.
Bianca wrote: "MrsJoseph wrote: "What are virtual libraries? I'm sure it's not dropbox, right?I've been using FictFact and just rearranging series. And getting rid of stuff and adding it only when I start readi..."
huh. I don't think I can maintain another list.
The Outsider by Stephen King.A very good story, if I hadn't been busy I could have finished it in two days. I liked that Holly (from the Bill Hodges trilogy) made a very important appearance. It's a character I always liked.
Now it's time for my series again. Earlier this week two books were released for series I was up to date with. But up first is the next Armand Gamache book, then one of the two that was released this week and then it's time to cross the Z off my ABC challenge list. I still have six letters to go. The Q is going to be the next Guido Brunetti book, the remaining four letters are still to be decided.
Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny.Now I have to see if I can read 1350 pages in 10 days to reach my the half way point of my goal to read 40000 pages this year. I don't think I'll be able to make it, but I try to get as close as possible.
Bianca wrote: "Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny.Now I have to see if I can read 1350 pages in 10 days to reach my the half way point of my goal to read 40000 pages this year. I don't think I'll be..."
It's doable. You don't plan to take bathroom breaks, right?? ;-)
I've read 200 pages so far today and it's only 6pm. 1020pages to go to finish the book, I should be able to finish it. Granted, today I only had to work until 2pm and it's a Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child book,vwhich are always quick reads for me.Luckily I only have to work until 2pm tomorrow and Friday, though I'm not sure I'll be able to read as much as today.
The Pharaoh Key by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child.A fun and fluffy romp. Although it's the end of the series it seems it might also be a start of a new series, or at least a follow-up book. Which is what Preston & Child are known for.
Just over 1000 pages to go. Up next is a Guido Brunetti book, which is a fast read most of the time. Though usually not as fast and Preston & Child.
A Question of Belief by Donna Leon.A more satisfactory story than the previous couple in the series.
Also another letter crossed off my ABC challenge list.
Only 709 pages to go to reach 20000 pages. Which ought be doable in just over a week.
Wait. You hit your goal?
I've almost hit my half way goal of 20000 pages, just 709 pages to go. On Saturday I usually don't read much, but after that I have 2 days to read and only two planned chores. I hope to finish the book I'm about to start on Sunday or Monday morning. After that I have until Saturday to read another 340 pages. It's going to be a very warm week, so it won't be busy in the store, I expect, so that means extra reading time.
Daaaaamn, girl! You're reading extra fast right now. :-D Don't you love it when good books + time come together??
MrsJoseph wrote: "Daaaaamn, girl! You're reading extra fast right now. :-D Don't you love it when good books + time come together??"Yep, though I have to admit that the books I've chosen to read since Tuesday I'm fairly sure that they will be quick reads. When I reach my goal I'm going to read a bunch of longer and/or slower reads.
It does help that I've worked extra in the past couple of weeks and that this week and next week I have more afternoons off than I usually have.
I'm still hoping to reach 40000 pages this year, though I'm fairly certain I won't reach my average of the past six years. Due to other interests (mainly listening to podcasts), but I also think due to the Family Thing that's now winding down (hopefully). Since mid 2013 reading was my way of escaping what was happening and that isn't necessary anymore.
The Hour Before Dark by Douglas Clegg.Enjoyable, though predictable.
Almost there. My next book will put me over the 20000 pages and I have until Saturday to finish it, so I can take it relatively easy.
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Mr. X gets my vote so far, but then it's 626 pages so...