What Is Your Biggest Reading Challenge? (6/20/21)

[Marc]

What would you say is your biggest reading challenge? Is it finding the time to read? Is it remembering what you've read? Is it deciding what to read next or tackling the enormous collection of unread books you have? Reading too much or too little? A particular book or author? Which reading challenge looms largest?

[Luke]

Less of a challenge than a lifelong quest, reading enough to be able to build my own personal 1001 books before death list, all honestly attested to and no author repeats. Even now, I can see myself on my death bed muttering about how I only have 287 more books to go...

[Lily]

Marc wrote: "Which reading challenge looms largest?..."

Leaving reading enough to get done the other things in my life that need to be done!

[Robert]

The big challenge is trying to read all my unread books (losing battle BUT at least I've only got a couple of books that haven't been read for over 10 years)

The other challengs:

Read one huge thick monster once a year
Read all of Margaret Atwood's novels
Read all of Iris Murdoch's novels
Read all Booker winners ( 12 left!)
Read all Books from Galley Beggar Press
Once I finish my review copies, I'm considering to read 30 novellas in 30 days. I'm sure the TBR will go down a bit

[Ellen]

My to-read list is overwhelming and filled with "must" "really, really want to" reads. And then I'm always coming across books that aren't even on my list that distract me! Plus the despair of knowing I'll never be able to read all of even the most important to read books on my list.

[Bretnie]

Lately one of my struggles is wanting to read so many books that I don't take the time to savor them. I'm always thinking of what I want to read next, instead really diving deep into the one I'm reading now. I'm trying to slow down a bit more to better appreciate the writing, but it's hard!

[Lark]

My biggest challenge is to keep reading when the book begins to deviate from my own expectations for it. It's a subtle thing, but I tend to bully a book along as I read and want it to go the way I want it to, and in being so hopelessly opinionated about how the book would be its best, I end up baking in my sour opinion about it.

This is why I've become a frequent re-reader. It's easier for me to appreciate a book the second time around, when I know where it's going.

[Robert]

lark benobi wrote: "My biggest challenge is to keep reading when the book begins to deviate from my own expectations for it. It's a subtle thing, but I tend to bully a book along as I read and want it to go the way I ..."

Funnily enough I used to do that a lot in my early 20's then when I became a music critic, I had to teach myself to approach each album with no opinion or expectations or I'd just hate everything. Once I managed to stop having expectations then I began to enjoy those albums a lot.

The same attitude has leaked into the way I read a book.

Now when I see booktubers complain about how a book does not live to their expectations, I get annoyed (there's one in particular who does it constantly but I won't name)

[Whitney]

Bretnie wrote: "Lately one of my struggles is wanting to read so many books that I don't take the time to savor them. I'm always thinking of what I want to read next, instead really diving deep into the one I'm re..."

This! You have put words to something I find myself doing as well. Being impatient to finish a book because I want to read the next book; loosing site of the reason I want to read the books in the first place.

[Whitney]

lark benobi wrote: "This is why I've become a frequent re-reader. It's easier for me to appreciate a book the second time around, when I know where it's going."

I'm thinking of that study that came out a few years ago about how people enjoyed books more when the plot had be been 'spoiled'. I wonder if what you're saying about being annoyed by thwarted expectations is part of that.

[Stacia]

Whitney wrote: "I'm thinking of that study that came out a few years ago about how people enjoyed books more when the plot had be been 'spoiled'. I wonder if what you're saying about being annoyed by thwarted expectations is part of that."

That's interesting. I haven't heard of that study. I'm the opposite. I hate having the story spoiled. By knowing where it's heading ahead of time, it makes it boring, imo. I like going in with zero knowledge of where the story is taking me & having the thrill of discovery, I suppose. (I still wish that -- because of popular culture -- I didn't know the "reveal" for Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde prior to reading; it was so well written that I can imagine the first readers really were shocked by the ending. I wish I could have been one of them!)

Biggest reading challenge is probably figuring out how to get myself out of reading ruts (when I want to read but nothing seems appealing).

Also, I have a plan to read all of David Mitchell's books in order to find the threads that he weaves between/through all of them. But, since I don't tend to read many books by the same author often (especially not right in a row), I'm still figuring out when I'll actually sit down & do it.

[Lark]

Whitney wrote: "I'm thinking of that study that came out a few years ago about how people enjoyed books more when the plot had be been 'spoiled'. I wonder if what you're saying about being annoyed by thwarted expectations is part of that. ..."

I hadn't thought about my problem with prejudging novels being related to plot as much as I'll be bothered by a book's message and think it's too pat or too cynical or something easy in its message. Or I'll be disappointed in the author's aesthetic choices, prejudging instead of just listening and enjoying and learning another point of view.

But now that you've written this Whitney I realize I'm one of those people who enjoy being spoiled. I like to read a detailed synopsis before I read a book. I'm even more spoiler-needy when it comes to tv shows and movies, especially in genres where tension is amped up on purpose. I want to know what's going to happen. Then I can relax and enjoy the execution of the story.

I was a huge WALKING DEAD fan but only watched an episode after reading the detailed summary so I knew who was going to die ahead of time.

[Jennifer]

I am simply having a hard time reading. I have struggled since November, I am really focused on the shenanigans happening in US politics and just can't relax to read. I will find my way back, I am reading...it is just taking me a long time to finish anything.

[Nadine in California]

Jennifer wrote: "I am simply having a hard time reading. I have struggled since November, I am really focused on the shenanigans happening in US politics and just can't relax to read. I will find my way back, I am ..."

Me too - I'm having trouble settling in with a book, I pick up and reject books that I'm sure I'd have read if I weren't in such a petulant reading mood. Reading shorter books has helped. Although the joke is on me..... I picked up and have stuck with the second volume in a fantasy trilogy, but the edition I checked out from the library is electronic and contains the entire trilogy, so I didn't realize this 2nd volume is 900 pages long! I feel like I've been at the 35% mark for a week! But I am enjoying it, and I feel like it's retraining me to get lost in a big book - and to stop looking at how far I'm falling behind in my GR reading goal.

[Hugh]

For the most part, I choose to read what I expect to enjoy, but this approach does not stop me reading prize lists and other group reads, because most of the time I expect to enjoy those too. It does probably stop me reading much genre fiction or more than very occasional non-fiction books. But because I log all my reading, including page counts, there is always a degree of self-imposed pressure to keep those numbers increasing - my daily page count for this year is 145, which is more than last year's record, but less than it was in early April, not least because the easing of lockdown restrictions means that I am now under more pressure to socialise, and I am also trying to increase my walking totals. I don't know how I ever found time to work.

[Nidhi]

My biggest challenge is to limit my ‘currently reading ‘ status to 6 , right now its 90 . It shows that I am very bad at planning.

[Marc]

Whitney wrote: "Being impatient to finish a book because I want to read the next book; loosing site of the reason I want to read the books in the first place."
I'm definitely guilty of this same thing as Whitney and Bretnie have described. I find myself speeding up as I get close to the end to the point that if you ask me how the book ended even a day or two later, I can't tell you.

I seem to waver between a nice balance of 2 to 3 books at a time and then going off the deep end (I think I have 8 or 9 in process right now, although I'm really only focussed on 3 or 4 and I have no trouble setting a nonfiction book down between chapters and picking it up a week or two later depending on how it's written and why I've chosen to read it).

I think my biggest challenge is finding the balance between reading the books I already have and new-to-me books I want to read. I have tried various self-imposed tricks or rules to slow down my acquisition or regain this mythical "balance" that I think exists, such as:
- Read 3 books I already own, then 1 new/borrowed book
- I can buy 1 book for every 5 unread owned books I read
- Etc., etc.
None of these ever work---I refuse to listen to myself!

This year, I'm trying:
Buy/acquire whatever books I want... BUT... if I get it this year, I read it this year.
So far, I'm on track... It could be a close call.

[Maggie]

Hugh wrote: "trying to increase my walking totals" Audio books are my best walking motivator.

[LindaJ^]

Maggie, Agree completely. I go through audiobooks quickly with all the walking I do. Also good to making cleaning and other chores less tedious.

[Hugh]

Not for me - I prefer to be able to hear the birds, and it is safer to know when a car, lorry or tractor is behind me.

[LindaJ^]

Well, when I'm walking in the woods or countryside, that's a different story. But I walk everywhere and use sidewalks so decreased likelihood of a lorry or tractor. I only put one ear bud in. I'd much rather be listening to a book that the traffic. Of course, I should have remembered that Brits say walking they mean what we in the US would call a hiking!

[Whitney]

LindaJ^ wrote: "Well, when I'm walking in the woods or countryside, that's a different story. But I walk everywhere and use sidewalks so decreased likelihood of a lorry or tractor. I only put one ear bud in. I'd m..."

I also do the single ear bud so I can hear traffic in the city, or creepers (and birds) in the woods.

[Hugh]

LindaJ^ wrote: "I should have remembered that Brits say walking they mean what we in the US would call a hiking!"
It is an interesting linguistic distinction - I regard hiking as a subdivision of walking, but not one that has any clearly defined boundary - obviously anything involving tents or other overnight stops is hiking (or tramping to antipodeans) but there are so many footpaths in the UK (and walking on most roads is legal too) that anything from a five minute leg stretch to a long distance route taking several months is possible. A lot of my walks are a mixture of town and country, and my day walks can be 20 miles or more, but if all I am carrying is food, drinks, maps and waterproofs, I don't regard these as hikes.

[Peter]

My mum suffered a fall in March and requires closely supervised care and supervision. I have given up full-time work to care for her. In order to care for her properly my reading has slowed down and I am not progressing very far.

I am working out a plan where I may increase my hours of reading when my mother is asleep or doing other things.

I have an active reading list which I will accelerate to get to from July onwards.

I am confident I will succeed in a return to reading more.

[Jennifer]

Peter wrote: "My mum suffered a fall in March and requires closely supervised care and supervision. I have given up full-time work to care for her. In order to care for her properly my reading has slowed down an..."

Peter, I hope your mother recovers. You are doing amazing work and you will get your reading mojo back.

[Yonit]

I think it is important to read underrepresented authors so I have a quota system for my reading. My target is more than 50% women authors, at least 10% authors in translation and at least 10% Australian authors because I live in Australia.

[Marc]

Peter,
How are your mother and your reading doing these days?

Yonit,
I was aiming for 50% women authors this year, but I haven't been keeping track of that so I'm not sure how I've been doing. I've definitely been buying a lot of books by women! Never examined what percentage of my reads is in translation until last year where it ended up being 27% (with no quota or goal in mind). I'm not even sure I can name an Australian writer off the top of my head... (simply admitting my ignorance here).

[Lily]

Marc wrote: "...I'm not even sure I can name an Australian writer.."

But you would undoubtedly recognize several of them by name or book:
Peter Carey - 2001 Booker True History of the Kelly Gang, Oscar and Lucinda (1988 Booker), Richard Flanagan The Narrow Road to the Deep North, Gerald Murnane -- Border Districts.
Less likely to know, but who have crossed my path: Miles Franklin -- My Brilliant Career (1901), Kate Morton, Jill Ker Conway.

There are also at least a couple of authors I associate with the U.S. who I recently stumbled across as having Australian origins, although names escape me now. (Oh, yes, Geraldine Brooks.) A couple of writers from "next door" in New Zealand come to mind for me when "Australian writer" is mentioned: Keri Hulme and Patricia Grace.

But may Yonit point us in "right directions"?!

[David]

A good source for excellent Australian fiction is the Miles Franklin shortlist.

[Hugh]

Lily wrote: "Marc wrote: "...I'm not even sure I can name an Australian writer.."

But you would undoubtedly recognize several of them by name or book:
Peter Carey - 2001 Booker [book:True Histor..."

I can think of a few more, admittedly some of these didn't stay in Australia (and de Kretser was originally Sri Lankan): Kate Grenville, Thomas Keneally, Evie Wyld, Shirley Hazzard, Michelle de Kretser, Charlotte Wood, Tim Winton...

New Zealand is a little harder, but Eleanor Catton won the Booker and Lloyd Jones was shortlisted. I have also read several by Janet Frame, who is probably best known for her autobiographical trilogy.

[Marc]

Lily wrote: "But you would undoubtedly recognize several of them by name or book:
Peter Carey - 2001 Booker [book:True Histor..."

You were right, Lily! The True History... I recognized by title and Flanagan, Murname, and Brooks are all familiar to me by name.

Thanks for the prize recommendation, David.

[Yonit]

Those are all great suggestions. It's hard for many Australian authors to get recognition on the world stage. Some other good ones include Tony Birch, Tara June Winch, Trent Dalton, Marcus Zusak, Madeleine Ryan and Craig Silvey.

[Whitney]

For Australia, I'd add Henry Lawson for the classic story The Loaded Dog, with a basic premise that has been used in a thousand stories and jokes, and also has a pub in Melbourne named after it. I've enjoyed books by David Malouf and Clive James, and Terra Nullius had been on my TBR for quite awhile. You Wouldn't Be Dead For Quids is a bit of a classic in its own right, though not exactly for literary quality.

I'm aging myself for New Zealand, but there was a time you couldn't swing a cat withtout hitting a copy of The Bone People after it won the Booker. The mysteries of Ngaio Marsh used to be ubiquitous as well.