Challenge: 50 Books discussion

just curious as to what you classify as a book you have read. do you count it if you didn't finish it? if so, do you make yourself reach a certain point before you would consider it "read"?

just wondering how others handle this. i recently "read" a book for a book club, but i didn't get through the whole thing. i read over half of it, and i know what the outcome was, but i'm not sure if i should count it as a "read" book for my list and goal purposes.

if i don't finish the book, i don't consider it to be read.

Ditto! I usually have 2 or 3 going at the same time; they are all in progress until I turn the last page.

I only count a book if I finish it. Even when i cant get into a book i make myself finish it.

I too only count finished reading...sometimes that can be just a chore! I have seen some people create a "shelf" titled sort of like bad...could not finish and the such so that they took it off their list of books to read, but attempted that maybe wanted to warn their friends who like similar books to not attempt unless utterly bored and snowed in with nothing to do otherwise. Just a thought.

I have to finish the book before I count it as read.

Me too. I have a "yet-to-finish" shelf which sounds very optimistic, in the hope I will finish them some time in the future. You know, some time. ;)

When I have finished a book. I don't count a book if I have not completed it.

Even if I finished 80% of the book, and stopped, I wouldn't consider that read. I have read about 5 books this year that I've stopped after certain points and did not count any of them.

I count what I read and what I listen to...being a drama teacher, the reading of a book holds as much 'art' as the writing...so I'm doubly blessed by listening(and besides, if I didn't listen to a book, I would read all the time and never clean the house or do laundry).

I don't count them as read unless i finish them either.

I'm a little on the anal side. I don't consider a book read unitl I've turned the last page, entered it in my book journal, and entered a review here and at LibraryThing.

Sounds like a lot of work, but I found a really cool book journal at journalsunlimited.com. It's got blanks to fill in, which makes writing a review easy. I only write one review at whichever site, then copy and paste it on the other. By taking the time to do all the journaling and review writing, I get to stay with the book longer. If it's been a really good book, I'm not always ready to leave it behind and start the next one right away.

Mary Todd wrote: "I count what I read and what I listen to...being a drama teacher, the reading of a book holds as much 'art' as the writing...so I'm doubly blessed by listening(and besides, if I didn't listen to a ..."

The best gift I gave myself was an audible account.

I love to sit and read, but if I am not careful I will do it all day. Having the book on my iPod, I can go to the grocery store, do yard work and most importantly WALK THE DOG.

Nothing can replace the feel of the book in my hands, which is why I am leaning against asking for a Kindel for Mother's Day, but having a book on my iPod is great compromise. My dog is happy.

I only cound a book once I have completed it. And for the sake of this challenge, I do have some books that I acutally started last year but becasue of school and such I have had to put the reading off and did not finnish, so I only count the books that I have completed from start to finnish within this year. Not books I started last year but finnish this year.

ONLY COUNT IF COMPLETED.

I want to know if you count books that are Abridged????

There are the silliest things I have heard of ...why read a bit of a book when you can read the whole book?

I definitely wouldn't count it as read until I turned the last page. If you've seen a movie based on a novel, you know the outcome but you wouldn't say you'd read the book, would you?

I don't count the movies, but they provide some answers on the never-ending trivia quiz!

well, what about if someone read it to you?

Isabel wrote: "well, what about if someone read it to you?"

the person reading could put it their list if they wanted to.

I only count a book if I've read the whole thing. I agree with Cecelia and Mary Todd, I would like to count books on CD. I listen to books on the way to work and feel they should count.

Yea, I'm not big on not finishing a book, even if I don't like it, I try and read something else and come back to it. It feels like a waste to not read it. I just LOVE books!

For this challenge, I'll only consider it read when I finish it. For other things, like the 1001 books list, I mark it "read" if I read enough to know that I'm not going to enjoy it.

since this is a PERSONAL challenge and not monitored i'm counting my audio books. I only get about a half hour a day that i can call my own to read, but i have lots of time in a car or getting ready for work or other chores and listen to audio books then. A book, is a book. and if someone reads it to you and you listen and absorb it then you've participated in the experience too.

If I don't finish a book, than I don't call it "read", but usually I finish my books, also when they are not so good.

I dont count a book as 'read' unless I've finished it.

I also don't count a book unless it is a "real" book. None of this 30 page kids book stuff I sometimes see.
Harry Potter by JK Rowling counts, Harry by the Sea by Gene Zion does not.

I don't count it until I finish it, and audiobooks definitely count on my list!

Although, I do think that audiobooks can be a totally different experience than reading. My favorite audiobooks are the Harry Potter series. The artist who read them is really amazing.

If you've read the books and are considering a re-read, or you want to help out a young reader who might be having trouble, I'd highly recommend them. Also FANTASTIC for ESL! In the past I've had my students read along with the audiobook. They love it, and it's good practice to help their reading speed up.

Read is read. Cover to cover. Top to Bottom. Left to Right. All the way to the end. The challenge is to finish 50 books. I'm not counting anything I throw across the room half way through. I heaved The Road, but I didn't do it until I finished the last page.

Cecilia wrote: "Mary Todd wrote: "I count what I read and what I listen to...being a drama teacher, the reading of a book holds as much 'art' as the writing...so I'm doubly blessed by listening(and besides, if I d..."

Don't cheap yourself. Get the Kindle for Mother's day (or sooner if you can). You can still to the audios on your Ipod (I do), but your quantity of reading will go through the roof because you'll have more books at your disposal at any given time. Also the Kindle reads some books to you as well (like when you can't turn a page or hold a book)... and your dog will still be happy.