Reading Plans for Next Year?

[Darren]

Brina - I also have The Feast of the Goat and The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas down for 2019

[Brina]

Feast of the Goat is one people have told me to read having read Julia Alvarez. When my tbr is whittled down more that is one I would like to get to.

[Erin]

Darren wrote: "Terris wrote: "That's quite a list, Darren! Good luck and have fun reading :)"

I've read over 400 books over the last few years, concentrating mainly on acknowledged classics,

so it is a surpris..."

I like your to-read list for the coming year! Ulysses, Swann’s Way and Man in High Castle are among those I plan to read next year too!

[siriusedward]

I would like to read one of Amin Maaloufs book too and maybe The Red Badge of Courage and My Name Is Red .

[Luke]

Darren wrote: "Brina - I also have The Feast of the Goat and The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas down for 2019"

I read TPMoBC under the title of Epitaph of a Small Winner, and it's one of my absolute favorites. Kudos to de Assis for being such a grand representative of Afro-Latinx literature.

[Kathleen]

Aubrey wrote: "Darren wrote: "Brina - I also have The Feast of the Goat and The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas down for 2019"..."

Wow. Epitaph of a Small Winner/The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas looks fantastic! Thanks Darren and Aubrey.

[Luke]

Kathleen wrote: "Aubrey wrote: "Darren wrote: "Brina - I also have The Feast of the Goat and The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas down for 2019"..."

Wow. Epitaph of a Small Winner..."

Happy to oblige, Kathleen :)

[siriusedward]

Kathleen wrote: "Aubrey wrote: "Darren wrote: "Brina - I also have The Feast of the Goat and The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas down for 2019"..."

Wow. [book:Epitaph of a Small Winner|..."

It does.
Thanks both of you.
:)

[Erin]

siriusedward wrote: "Kathleen wrote: "Aubrey wrote: "Darren wrote: "Brina - I also have The Feast of the Goat and The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas down for 2019"..."

Wow. Epitaph o..."</i>

Since it looks like there are many of us wanting to read it, I nominated [book:Epitaph of a Small Winner for January’s Old School read! 😃

[Lotte]

siriusedward wrote: "I would like to read one of Amin Maaloufs book too and maybe The Red Badge of Courage and My Name Is Red ."

Maalouf's Samarkand is lovely: a well-written book about books. It introduced me to Persian culture.

I didn't have reading plans for 2019 until I saw this topic. I now made my list for next year. I want to read 10 classics of the Bokklubben World Library List, more precisely the earliest classics, myths and religious texts, in order to see how they influenced later texts.

[Darren]

Samarkand has been longest on my Goodreads shelf so I already have it slated for January! :oD

[Lotte]

Darren wrote: "Samarkand has been longest on my Goodreads shelf so I already have it slated for January! :oD
"

Great! I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did. :)

[Marilyn]

Regeneration by Pat Barker has languished the longest on my to-read shelf. Maybe 2019 will be its year.

[Luke]

Marilyn wrote: "Regeneration by Pat Barker has languished the longest on my to-read shelf. Maybe 2019 will be its year."

'Regeneration' is one of my absolute favorites, Marilyn, and the rest of its series is also magnificent, so I hope that 2019 is indeed its year.

[Shirley (stampartiste)]

I'm just now starting to think of next year's reading. Because I have other enjoyable hobbies I have neglected for the past couple of years, I intend to focus more on what I truly want to read next year.

So far, this I know:

1. I will only participate in one challenge: the Bingo Challenge (I love the diversity and flexibility this challenge gave me this year). If any of my books fulfills other long-term challenges I have previously set for myself, I will update those challenges as well!

2. I have set my goal to read 13,000 pages next year (I know, that's pretty OCD thinking, but that is a better gauge for me than books read). That comes to roughly 42 books.

3. Of the books I plan to read, I will aim for an even mix of Old Classics (<1900), New Classics (1900-1969), Contemporary Fiction (>1970) and Nonfiction.

4. This year, I completed 3 long reads (>1,000 pages). If I decide to tackle just one next year, it will be War and Peace.

5. I hope to participate more in Group Reads next year and fit the selections into my reading plan/bingo challenge.

For right now, I have not chosen any specific books, as I am waiting to see what the Bingo Challenge categories will be. But I am excited to start a new year and a new reading plan!

[Tammy]

That sounds like a fantastic plan to me, Shirley! I think I only read 5 seriously long books this year and that was plenty. I think 250-300 page books are my sweet spot. It seems plenty of time to say what needs to be said.

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

I am loving all of your reading plans everyone. What fun! Looking forward to seeing the 2019 challenges in December for planning too.

[Rosemarie]

I am looking forward to the Bingo Challenge. Right now my plan is to use books I own, but I usually end up using library books also.

[Chrissy]

This year, I took part in 3 year-long challenges (AtY, PopSugar & Read Harder) as well as the classics Bingo here and a non-fiction challenge. It was a little too much, and I am unlikely to finish PopSugar or my Bingo.

Next year, I want to have a bit more time for my crafting hobbies, so I am lowering my reading goals a bit. My focuses will be AtY, reading more #OwnVoices books, reading off my TBR, and finding time to read quality new releases before the Goodreads Choice Awards start again.

As far as classics go, I do want to read a few, including Bleak House and Antigone, next year, so I might try for a group or buddy read at some point.

[Renee]

Chrissy wrote: "This year, I took part in 3 year-long challenges (AtY, PopSugar & Read Harder) as well as the classics Bingo here and a non-fiction challenge. It was a little too much, and I am unlikely to finish ..."

I wanted to read Bleak House this year, and even had it on my Bingo card, but never got around to it and it will probably have to be replaced by something else. I would love to read it with you next year though! It's haunting me on the shelf 😉

[Terris]

I also hope to get to Bleak House next year!
I have made a list of all (?) the classics I hope to get to sometime in the future and the ones that have been on my list the longest. Then I will look at the Bingo challenge and see how many I can get to fit in the categories.
I also overdid the challenges this year and got a little bogged down (but I sure read a lot of classics!). So next year I may try to do a little less, but I always get excited while planning!! :)

[Rosemarie]

Bleak House is one of the first Dickens novels I read. It's a good one.

[Cynda]

I am planning to read
Sophocles, The Oedipus Cycle: Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone
The Odyssey
The Song of Achilles
At least one other re-telling or expansion of ancient story or legend
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
I will be reading most or all of these with Catching Up friends, so anyone interested, private message me.

[[deleted user]]

I have the new translation of the Odyssey on my reading least as well as Song of Achilles. Will pm ypu

[Cynda]

Sam wrote: "I have the new translation of the Odyssey on my reading least as well as Song of Achilles. Will pm ypu"

Okay good. Speak with you then :-)

[Wreade1872]

Well i may actually have plans for next year as my League of Extraordinary Gentlemen List is coming to a close.
I've decided to read 10 more books and that'll be that, already reading 10 and 9, five more locked in loeg-countdown and 3 more to pick.
Next issue of the final volume comes out start of december so hopefully few more options in that as all the other items i have are by authors i've already read loeg-have .

Anyway should finish by summer (although Infinite Jest is on the list so may take a while :P) and then i really want to start some rereads aswell as reduce my tbr. I was thinking a 2-1 or 3-1 ratio but my brain doesn't do well with rules, and does terrible without rules ;) .
So i've decided on a 231 system, i will read 2 OR 3 (depending on mood) new books then 1 reread. That gives me some structure while allowing a fair bit of wiggle room :) .

Also i'm definitely never using the goodreads challenge again. I skipped it this year and not having that little counter judging me all the time made for a much more comfortable reading experience :lol .

[Darren]

I have Infinite Jest penciled in as one of my 4 personal Quarterly Long Reads for 2019 Q2 i.e. April-June so might be able to compare notes...?

[Petra]

I really enjoyed Infinite Jest. I hope you both read it and discuss here. It would be a fun discussion.

[Emmy]

Wow! Everyone is so organized! As for me, I plan on continuing two reading challenges from this year (one is for an out-of-print author that I loved as a child) and the other is for the Newbery Award winners.

I'm also trying to keep up with the reading selections for this group, clearing out my TBR list, and doing the PopSugar Reading Challenge, and one that I make for my coworkers (I certainly can't expect them to do it if I won't!)

[Aprilleigh]

I've also decided that I need to pare down the reading challenges for the coming year. I've got too much on my plate to continue to do so many, although I do try to make most of my reading count for at least two different challenges.

I'm probably going to skip the Women's Century Challenge this year. I read a fair bit by women authors without it, and the need to find books that fit a certain time frame isn't expanding my repertoire as much as it's strangling my ability to read more of the authors I've already discovered.

I'm giving up on the Read Harder Challenge. I love the diversity of books it has led me to, but I get a fair bit of that from the Bingo Challenge, without it forcing me into genres I have no interest in, or categories so narrow that the choice of books is quite limited. Plus, I have no interest in the 30% discount from BookRiot because I've never bought from them and don't seem likely to do so any time soon.

The Old-New Challenge is fun, but just reading group selections tends to accomplish this all on its own. In the end, it's just another list of books that I'm going to use for the Bingo Challenge.

So, it looks like I'm going to focus on the Bingo Challenge, because it's my favorite by far, and add the challenge of trying to stick to books that are either on the group shelf, or on one of my lists (Mensa, BBC, Le Monde, PBS, Modern Library, etc.).

[Angie]

I've been planning for months now. I have a good list, but I'm waiting to see what yearly challenges the group has before I finalize my list. I'm hoping for Classics Bingo at the very least, but if there is an Old/New Challenge, I will do that, as well.

I have challenges in a couple of other groups, and I'm coming with a series of personal challenges. I hope to finalize my list by mid-December so I can put things on hold at the library. I have a few things on hold already.

[Erin]

This question confirms that I vexing to the right group!!!! We are so alike.
I have been thinking about this for a while.

I am determined to start the year by reading three biggies:
Bleak House - Dickens
War and Peace - Tolstoy
Gone with the Wind - Mitchell

Then I can read anything that I wish. I have started these three books so many times and each time something has cropped up and put a stop to my momentum. I now, need to start each one again.

Once complete, I'd like to join in on more monthly reads. I've missed out in recent months and I used to love reading other peoples' reactions/discussions.

[Renee]

Erin wrote: "This question confirms that I vexing to the right group!!!! We are so alike.
I have been thinking about this for a while.

I am determined to start the year by reading three biggies:
Bleak House - ..."

There have been a few people mentioning Bleak House for next year. Maybe we could get a buddy read going for it?

[Hayley]

I'm going to catch up on my challenge that asks me to read one book from each district in the UK. I plan to whittle down my books on my physical shelf. I am going to be working on Jeff Shaara and Lindsay Sterling books because I like them That's that for now.

[Darren]

Hayley wrote: "I'm going to catch up on my challenge that asks me to read one book from each district in the UK..."

"district" in what way? country? county? sounds an interesting idea...

[Leni]

Hayley wrote: "I'm going to catch up on my challenge that asks me to read one book from each district in the UK. I plan to whittle down my books on my physical shelf. I am going to be working on Jeff Shaara and L..."

Yeah, I've been doing that over in the UK Book Club group. But there's 94 counties in total (who'd have thunk it!) and I keep just finding books set in the same few cities. It's going to take me the rest of my life. lol

[Darren]

94 counties! - 's'truth! might give that particular challenge a miss! :oO

(although I am about to read "Get Carter" which is set in Scunthorpe so could tick off North Lincolnshire straight away!)

[Leni]

Darren wrote: "94 counties! - 's'truth! might give that particular challenge a miss! :oO"

They're going by the 1972 division, so no new metropolitan counties. Which means that Yorkshire is three different counties and there's also some mystical division through London. It can be hard to find out what county you're actually reading!

[MK]

I love all the challenges, and have missed them. My life is crazy atm, and has been for a few years, so my plans are just to sign up for the challenges, and see what happens, and to try to join at least 4 group reads this year.

I do have this thing, where when I love a book, I kind of 'surround it', with all sorts of off-shoot readings inspired by the book. I love when that happens, so it's not something I want to curb, so I think I'll leave myself pretty wide open, to allow time for that, when it occurs.

Some of the group challenges are new to me, since I've participated last, and I like them! I'm looking forward to trying Bingo, Old & New Classics, Women Authors, and I'd like to dig up my Around the World challenges, and update them, and I def like the A-Z :D. They're so easy to fill in .... at first ;-).

I am kinda/sorta on a multi-year build up to tackling Dante's The Divine Comedy, so am filling up alot of reading with myth, folklore, fairy tales, and historical fiction, since I feel that my grasp/memory of history and myth and fairy tales and folklore is weaker than it should be, if I'm to appreciate Dante. Admittedly, much of the historical fiction has ended up being stuff written about events long after Dante penned his classic, which won't help, but ... .you know, it was interesting :-p.

For next year, tho, there are a few Edward Rutherfurd series that have been speaking to me for a few years, I'd like to try one/some of them.


Edit - Oh, yes, something started me off on reading classic adventure stories and children's literature this year, I'd like to continue that as well.

I have started the Swallows and Amazons series of 12 (or 13) books, which I plan to finish, and have stumbled upon a few other series that I'd like to read.

[Rosemarie]

MK, I really enjoy children's books as well. There are so many older books and series to discover. Happy reading.

[MK]

Rosemarie wrote: "MK, I really enjoy children's books as well. There are so many older books and series to discover. Happy reading."

Thankyou, Rosemarie :)

[Luke]

Now that it's been released, I'll be participating in the Reading Women Challenge of 2019, in addition to any reading women challenges put on by this group. You can see the RWC 2019 layout here:

[Angie]

I'm about 90% sure I'm going to do a Literary Movements challenge this year so I can experience the evolution of literature. Any suggestions on that would be helpful. I found one that someone posted on their blog a few years ago. I might use that one, or maybe tweak it a bit. I'd like a literary movement for each month.

[Terris]

Renee wrote: "Erin wrote: "This question confirms that I vexing to the right group!!!! We are so alike.
I have been thinking about this for a while.

I am determined to start the year by reading three biggies:
B..."

I definitely want to read "Bleak House" next year -- so I'm in for that!

[Wreade1872]

I've just remembered why i don't like to plan things!
Now that i'm thinking about next year its making it a lot harder to concentrate on what i'm reading right now, aarrgghh i hate my brain :lol .

[Paula W]

I have been looking for an interesting challenge to start next year (even though I might not finish), and I found this list that matches my current obsession of great opening lines in books. You know, like “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderly again” and “Call me Ishmael”. I plan to begin reading through the ones I haven’t yet read.
https://www.stylist.co.uk/life/the-be...

[MJ]

Paula W wrote: "I have been looking for an interesting challenge to start next year (even though I might not finish), and I found this list that matches my current obsession of great opening lines in books. You kn..."

Wow, Paula! That looks like a good list!

[Paula W]

MJ wrote: "Paula W wrote: "I have been looking for an interesting challenge to start next year (even though I might not finish), and I found this list that matches my current obsession of great opening lines ..."

I agree! I am super excited to start some of these. If the opening line is that great, I usually love the book.

[MK]

Paula W wrote: "I have been looking for an interesting challenge to start next year (even though I might not finish), and I found this list that matches my current obsession of great opening lines in books. You kn..."

Coooollll ... I agree with MJ, great list!
( Well, except for Dickens, Austen, and Melville :p )

[Paula W]

Agreed on Austen. I loved the other two. 😜