Check-in!

[Michael]

Use this discussion thread to let us know how you're doing. I'll try to report my progress monthly.

[Linda]

Is there a specific challenge or just the ones we talked about in another thread. I haven't heard all of the last podcast and have been having trouble with e-mail notifications again. Sorry if I'm not on top of this.

[Michael]

Linda wrote: "Is there a specific challenge or just the ones we talked about in another thread. I haven't heard all of the last podcast and have been having trouble with e-mail notifications again. Sorry if I'm ..."
Hi Linda-

We haven't talked about it on the podcast yet, but the blog post just went up. Check it out here:

http://booksonthenightstand.com/2010/...

[Sandi]

I'm at 5/135. According to the graph, that's 3%.

[Amy]

I've read 2 of my 70: Great Expectations and Russian Winter. Should have 2 to 3 more done by the end of January.

[Joanne-in-Canada]

In January I read #1 of my 11 oldest "books to read": Loud and Clear by Anna Quindlen. I can't remember where I heard about this book, but I expect American readers are more familiar with the author than I am. I had never heard of her before, but it turns out that I read and saved one of the short pieces in this book that appeared in my local newspaper. I enjoyed her style and succinctness, but I think I would have enjoyed reading the individual pieces more as they were published, rather than one after another.

[Melissa]

I'm a slow reader compared to most people here, but progressing nicely on my goal of 11 in 2011. As of January, I've finished book #1 The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society & I'm a quarter way through #2 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Yay!

[[deleted user]]

Status update: 11/103 = 10%
I have to admit that I do love the widget!

[Beth]

So far this year I've read:

1. The Cookbook Collector by Allegra Goodman
2. The Ringmaster's Daughter by Jostein Gaarder
3. Homer and Langley by E. L. Doctorow (+11 in 11)
4. The Comfort of Strangers by Ian McEwan (Italy challenge)
5.
5. Swindle by Gordon Korman
6. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand(+11 in 11)
7. My Reading Life by Pat Conroy

So far, two of my +11 in 11 books (my challenge is to read 11 books I've never read from my own collection) have been completed.

[Karen]

Beth,
I was happy to see The Cookbook Collector by Allegra Goodman on your list of books read in 2011. It was one of my favorite reads from last year and was sorry that it seemed to be overlooked on the "best of 2010" book lists.

[Adrienne]

Hey guys, proud to report that I'm 11 of 55 -- that's 20%!!! -- but it's mostly because I've been devouring graphic novels from my local library. They've been fast reads. I kind of feel like I'm cheating, but then I'm enjoying them so very much that I don't really care. It's the year of the graphic novel for me!

[Martina]

Since I barely read any books in 2010, adding 11 did not seem much of an issue. I am aiming for 50 books read, and so far have finished six of that total. I am finishing a number of books which are in series I really enjoy. Staying caught up on series is often the most difficult reading to find time for.

[Michael]

I'm loving the widget too!

I've read 7 of 61, which is 11%, so I'm very happy. A few of those were graphic novels and one was an audio. But I did read an entire 400 page book over the weekend. (Ready Player One which was so much fun!!)

Great job everyone. Keep up the great work!

[Amy]

J am going so slooooow. I only have 3 of 70, and it isn't counting the 4th book which was a reread. The last 2 book club choices were definitely not been quick reads: Great Expectations and Possession. GE took 3 weeks, and Possession is on track to be 3 as well. I'm going to read something fun, light, and quick after I finish Possession. It should cleanse my pallet, plus adding to me completions should calm my panic that I am not going to make it!

[Marné]

I'm at 14 of 65 (21%!), so I'm on track to make my goal. I tend to read in spurts, so I expect at some point I'll slow down a little and then speed up again. My +11 are going to be all non-fiction, and I've read two so far, My Life in France and Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, I loved both of them. I think I'm going to continue with the World War II topic and read Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory.

[Beth]

Now I've completed reading 8 books (my goal is to read 81) so that's 9%. I feel like I've made absolutely no progress!

[Joanne-in-Canada]

I finished #2 of my 11 longest lingering books-to-read: Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany by Bill Buford. It read like a novel, the highest compliment a non-fiction book can get! Buford quit his magazine job to volunteer in an Italian-style New York City restaurant, then continued his culinary education in Italy. I wanted to cook, eat and travel simultaneously. Instead, I devoured the book and laughed a lot! The writing is informative, entertaining and evocative. Highly recommended.

[Kate]

I have completed 4 out of 64 for a total of 6% which feels very slow to me. Two of the books were Dickens so I think I'll pick up the pace a little with some shorter, easier reads.

[Alexia]

Just finished book 5 out of 26. I think I can make my goal :) Audio books help ;)

[Callie]

I am so far behind, at 5/66. Moving into a new house will do that, I guess! As soon as my reading nook is set up, though, watch out!

[Heather]

I'm in at 8/70-11%. One of those was House of Leaves which was a time consuming adventure!!

Heather in KS

[John]

I've finished 10 out of 60.

[Cindy]

I've finished 11 of my goal of 55.... 20% done is 6 weeks. I'm pleased!

[Lisa]

I love the stat sheet on goodreads. I have completed 22% of my goal. 50 books is the goal and I've read or listened to 11 books. 1 5-star title, 3 4-stars, 5 3-stars and 2 with 2-stars. I started listening to The Book of Joe this morning and I already love it.

[Libby]

Tanya wrote: "Status update: 11/103 = 10%
I have to admit that I do love the widget!"

Where is the widget? I looked on the BOTN blog and didn't see it.

[[deleted user]]

Libby wrote: "Where is the widget? I looked on the BOTN blog and didn't see it."

It's not a BOTNS widget, it's the goodreads 2011 Reading Challenge widget. On the goodreads home page, on the right hand side, a little more than half way down, you should see it. You can set up a target number of books ora target number of pages. When you finish a book and mark the date of completion, the widget automatically updates. You can view your book covers and compare your progress with other friends too!

[Shannon]

I'm at 8/52..... a bit ahead of my book a week plan.... I'll need to be a bit ahead, as I have a few big tomes planned for this year!

[Libby]

Tanya wrote: "Libby wrote: "Where is the widget? I looked on the BOTN blog and didn't see it."

It's not a BOTNS widget, it's the goodreads 2011 Reading Challenge widget. On the goodreads home page, on the rig..."

Thanks, Tanya! I found it.

[Angelina]

I love the widget! I'm at (4/36) 11% is not bad... I'm also doing the War and Peace read along but I'm floundering in the book.

[Amanda]

I decided to change what my +11 will be. Instead of taking them from my TBR shelf I'm using this challenge to spur me to read some classics. I have a few of them on my shelf so it may amount to the same thing. I read A Tale of Two Cities a few weeks ago and I am thinking about starting Les Miserables by Victor Hugo next but it weighs more than 4 lbs so I may need some support. My 12 year old son loves the story ( he saw the musical) and wants to read the book so we are going to try a mother son book club. He will probably do an abridged version.

[Amanda]

I also love the widget. I am apparently a little over 20% of the way towards my goal of 113 books. Best book of they year so far is Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand.

[Amy]

Not quite on target, but I've picked up since January! Lot's of travel coming up in May and June, so plenty of time to read!

[[deleted user]]

My target is 103 books and, at the current rate of 10 books a month, I should be able to complete this by early November! We'll see!

[Beth]

I read 5 more books in February so now I've complteted 13% of my goal.

[Sandi]

I've got 25 of 135. (I listen to a lot of audiobooks in addition to reading print books.) According to my calculations, we should be at 16.7% to be on track to reach our goals as of March 1. I'm currently at 18%. The books that I'm currently listening to/reading are rather long, so this month may slow me down quite a bit.

[Joanne-in-Canada]

I finished #3 of my 11 oldest books on my to-be-read list: Consumption by Kevin Patterson. I knew it was about an Inuit girl from northern Canada who goes south for treatment of her tuberculosis. I thought that would be the bulk of the story, but it turns out that is just the beginning of the tale. The author goes on to trace her life after returning north and the lives that revolve around her: family, neighbours, doctor, priest, teachers. A interesting look at the cultural intertwining of Inuit and Europeans, for better and for worse.

[Lisa]

I have finished 9 out of 51 (17%), but still have not read any released in 2011 as I have planned. I wanted to read a few that have been hanging out on my nightstand first. Now I must get busy with the second part of my challenge.

[Callie]

Just finished 15/66 last night, so at 22% I'm doing ok. While quite a few of these have been graphic novels, I'm ok with including them- they balance out the times I'm mired in a slow book (like I was with Kraken) or just taking awhile to go through long books (like the Outlander books, which are ~1100 pages usually).

[Margaret]

At this stage in the game I'm doing far better than I thought I would, thanks to my Kindle - I'm at 14 of 53 or 26%.

Not bad for being stressed out over moving and sick.

[Julie]

Lesssee . . I'm soon done with book #9 with one quarter of the year nearly gone. So that's 25% of my hoped-for challenge total (35/36 books/11 more than 2010). I'd say I'm SPOT on!

[Nicky]

Hi,
I am for the first time, on track with my 11 books to be read. I will confess, the 11 books I have chosen to achieve this quest keep changing rapidly!!! I hear about new fab books every week from different sources, which I feel should be included in my 11 must reads!!! If I can, I would love to get through more than 11!! Being dyslexic slows down my reading pace, but my enthusiasm is there 100x over!!
Just finished 'Some things missing' which you recommend and now on 'Mr. Chartwell' which might end up in my favourite book this year!!! Thank you Michael for recommending that book, it's incredibly well written, digestible (considering it's about depression) and I cannot put it down!!!!! Again, that book was not in my list of 11 books, but it was a 'must read'!!!!!
Thank you so much for all your ideas.
Nicky williams

[Joanne-in-Canada]

I finished #4 of my 11 books-to-read: Man Overboard : True Adventures with North American Men by Ian Brown (no cover image available). Much as I enjoyed Ian's sardonic and self-deprecating tone, I felt like I spent too much time with men and learned more about them than I really wanted to know! The content was also rather dated (1993). Rather, I recommend his latest book, The Boy in the Moon: A Father's Search for the Value of His Handicapped Son's Life. I still miss Ian's CBC program "Talking Books".

[Robin]

I am 26 of 100 (26%). Sunny day here. Taking a break from the books and taking dogs for a long walk. Well, maybe I will listen to audio on the way. Listening to .

[Libby]

Not doing so good: 9 percent of 43 books. I quit commuting 30 minutes each way to work, then my dog chewed up my mp3 player, so not listening to audio books. I guess I need to read some shorter books to get closer to my goal.

[Jay]

I've read about 23 of 100 books so far but the only reaon that number is so high is because I read so many comic trade paperbacks. Of the 100, I'm trying to read 40 regular books which is 11 more than I read last year. So far I've gotten 13 of those so I'm doing pretty well. I think I have a nice balance going.

[Leah]

I am 8 into my goal 50, but just picked up 3 new books at the library yesterday and today. I also know by my calendar that I always read the bulk from Memorial Day to Labor Day (Summer vacation time!) So I am not too worried.

[Diana]

I've decided to combine this challenge with Ann's WP reading group. So I'm reading WP (the 5th out of 24) and occasionally slipping in an audiobook or an easy mystery novel or some nonfiction. Anyway, WP will be the king of my reads this year.

[Diana]

Robin wrote: "I am 26 of 100 (26%). Sunny day here. Taking a break from the books and taking dogs for a long walk. Well, maybe I will listen to audio on the way. Listening to ."

How's the audio version? i've been meaning to read it for quite a while, but I can't decide which format to pick up. Thanks!

[Robin]

Diana wrote: "Robin wrote: "I am 26 of 100 (26%). Sunny day here. Taking a break from the books and taking dogs for a long walk. Well, maybe I will listen to audio on the way. Listening to [bookcover:Room|793784..."

I wanted to read it in print, but audio came up and I am glad it did. Story is narrated by the boy, and his voice lends a good tone to the book. Liked it. If you go to audible.com, you can sample the book and get a sense of the voice. Hope you like it.

[[deleted user]]

I'm currently at 30/103 (30%)
I just got a little message from goodreads: "Awesome work, you're ahead of schedule!"
I wonder if they'll post anything if I go into a little reading slump?! :-D