Challenge: 50 Books discussion

I am sure this has been covered before somewhere on this site, but I'm pretty new, so humor me.

I am a pretty fast reader when I want to be, but admittedly have little personal time to devote to reading in big chunks. If I keep up my current pace, I should hit 50 pretty easily.

However, I am stunned to see some of these counts for January. Some of you are on pace to hit 200-250 books in one year, which is insane to me.

What's your secret? Long commutes? Boring jobs? Insomnia?

In awe,
Bishop

sleep is for the weak...lol. I'm kidding! i am a really fast reader..I went to a speed reading class in collage and they told me they couldn't help i read fast already!

My trick.I have a timer and set aside at least an hour to read everyday. I am self employed and found myself working all the time and not working..this year i knew i needed to change that, so i make sure i read at least an hour every day.

I watch very little TV so I spend at least 2 hours reading a night. Also I have a job in a family business doing bookkeeping work and have my own office so I listen to a book instead of the radio.

First of all, I would rather read than watch TV so it is easy for me to spend my free time reading.

Also, I am in nursing school and I quit working when I got into the program so when I have time off from school I have tons of free time. Like January. Now that school is back in in session my reading has slowed considerably (at least my pleasure reading, I am reading plenty of textbooks.) I graduate this May, so I know I will be able to pick up the pace again then...

Another thing is that I take a book everywhere and read whenever I have to wait for anything...

I made the commitment at the beginning of 2008 that I would read more this year than watch TV. I have always loved reading, but I have found that it is very easy to slip into a lazy mode of coming home, planting myself on the couch and letting the television entertain me for the night.

So, far, I am doing fairly well. Along the way, I am renewing my passion for reading. There were quite a few titles on my bookshelf that were begging to be read. I am excited about this venture and think I am capable of reading the 50 before the end of the year.

I'm a social work intern, and my supervisor freaked me out when she told me that you use more of your brain just sitting and staring at a wall than you do when watching tv....but I like it so much more than staring at the wall! I too, struggle with this, and then I realize that the books on my shelf are so much better than anything on tv...perhaps not having cable has something to do with this.

I am one of the rare ones that doesn't work a regular job (my job is only like 2 months long) so I can read a lot more than most. I too take a book with me everywhere and I too am an exceptionally fast reader. When I hit a stride, I can read two books a day (providing that they are entertaining on some level. "Life of Pi[which I liked] was harder because of the storyline. Took me longer to read). But to be honest, haven't hit that stride in awhile.
Because I am reading books WAY outside my comfort zone (ie: books I would have NEVER in a million years picked up on my own), that too is making me not read as fast as I might with books/authors I am familiar with. If that makes sense.

I too want to get rid of my cable. I would miss my shows, but I found I read twice as much when the writer's were on strike and there was nothing but CRAP on TV. :)

We don't have cable either and I find myself more interested in reading a book (even a quick read) in the amount of time it would take to watch several mindless shows. I also have quite a bit of time to read while I'm at work.

I have to admit that I am blown away by the people on this site and how quickly they can read. I can read fast but I don't retain any of the information if I do, so I take my time to really enjoy the story. I just hate getting through a book and not remembering what happened (I also have PTSD and so I have enought trouble remembering...also why I have to take so much time to get through my reading).

I'm not a particularly fast reader, so I'm not on my way to reading 200 books this year. But, I am committed to 50 or an average of a book a week, which makes a nice even pace for me. I am a very busy person which makes it difficult to read any more than that. But, I gave birth to my first child in September of last year. All of the time that I have to sit and breastfeed, I spend reading. He nurses less often now, so currently that works out to about an hour a day. I call the practice book n' boobing. :) It's been a real unexpected pleasure!

I've recently started reading while nursing (my son was born in December). Up till recently, though, nursing and staying home on maternity leave has actually had the opposite effect on me...I used to spend most of my free time reading, but I find it much easier to nurse & watch TV, so I've been Netflixing like a madwoman. And being home all day makes me crave social interaction, so during naptimes when I could be reading, I'm usually online at a variety of forums.

Crack, speed or any over the counter uppers work wonders! Totally kidding. I set small goals for myself like I will get to a certain page number or I will try to read a certain amount of pages each day. A great day is when I get to read 100 pages a day.

I read longer books during the week and leave shorter books for my weekend reads.

Most importantly I don't get bent out of shape if I don't meet these small goals. The point is to read and retain the the information.

Oh yes. No TV and limited internet time.

Happy reading and good luck!

Ha! Book n'Boobing :) I would have to agree. I got A LOT of books read with this method.

I don't mean to be tacky by posting a plug, but i've been so inspired by my son and the reading and feeding thing, that i am working on a web site for reading mamas at http://www.booknboob.com.

i've just recently changed the look of the site and there is an apple instead of our logo and the forum is not the right color... but... it's a work in progress. right now, it's mostly my blog. i've got finals this week and then a month off from school, so i can get it all spiffed up and running soon. i'm planning to sell book n' boob t-shirts, etc, starting this summer. it's been a really fun project. also another cool way to keep track of and reflect on what i'm reading.

anyhow, glad other mamas are enjoying the reading and feeding thing. although, i also understand the pull toward tv watching.

Also, Danine, I checked out your blog. Very cool!

I am a stay at home mom and I also have a home daycare. I read when the kids are napping. And now that it is starting to get a little warmer I will also read while we are outside and the kids are playing.

My kids go to bed at 8pm and I watch my recorded tv shows from the last night until about 10pm. Then I read from 10pm-12 or 1am. So most days I average about 5-6 hours of reading a day. I get 6-7 hours of sleep and that works out just fine for me.

Of course some days I don't read at all. I am on book 37 so far since January 1st, so I average about 9 books a month.

I've made an effort to increase my reading time this year, but it's still no more than 2 hours a day. I love tv. I decided to cut back on my internet time instead of my tv time.

I travel a lot, so whether it's 15 minutes on a train or 4 hours on a plane I have a book or two (or three) with me. That's when I get the bulk of my reading done. I have some long flights planned later this year so I hope to improve my book numbers.

My reading speed really depends on what I read. As a grad student I read a lot of dense history books that require a lot of attention. And I feel like I read all the time. I decided to do this challenge to try to keep track of all the books I actually finish. Although I read through about 2-3 books a week, my school commitments and my two young daughters make it difficult to read every page. Summertime will help with the completed book list!

I read during naptime/nursing time on days I stay home. I read during down time at school. But my most reliable reading time is from 1-4 in the morning. My little one wakes me up around 1am, once she's back asleep I stay up - if the insomnia doesn't kick in I get the coffee. As long as I get enough sleep, it's actually a really peaceful time to get stuff done.

I am one of the slow readers in the group I suspect. I am only up to book 10 right now. Although this has been a good month. If I keep this pace up I may make it to 50 this year.

My other goal is to finish all the half read books I have laying around. I can not seem to finish The Killing Dance by Laurel K Hamilton right now. I devoured the earlier books. This one is like the beginning of the end for her good work.

I just started really tracking my reading about 11 days ago and I've already read 8 books (and will probably finish two more in the next day or so).

I'm a stay at home mom with a 2 year old so I read whenever I have a few minutes--during cartoons, while she is coloring or playing with her toys, etc. It doesn't really seem like I ever get more than a couple of pages done each time I sit down but it certainly adds up throughout the day. I also don't watch any tv at all during the day--if the TV is on, which is rare, its on cartoons for the little one. All in all, I'd say I can get in at least 3-4 hours a day during the week--significantly less on the weekend--maybe only an hour a day.

I think my grad school years also primed me for some fast reading abilities, which certainly doesn't hurt.

I'm finding that baseball season is actually helping me to increase my reading. I love baseball but I can get antsy at all the down time in a game so I started reading while watching the game. I'm too distracted to read during a regular show but baseball is perfect.

I have no idea why i'm adding my thoughts, i'm certainly not knocking off the most books on this group.

Unfortunately i am not self-employed and have long, unsatisfying days in the office. I take the train downtown, so i get to read on the train in, on lunch, and on the train ride home. The train in the morning arrives prior to seven, so half the time i catch some shut-eye, and if the day is crappy i just do a crossword puzzle on the way home. Aside from that, i get almost no time to read. My girlfriend basically gives me hell if i decide to try reading at home, despite the fact she's three spoken words a day from being a certified mute. One the one hand, she doesn't talk much (Sweet!), on the other hand, when she does it's to gripe (Weak!). Why she cares if i am reading or not puzzles me, because she'll do things like buy me a book-light or recommend i get another bookcase. I guess it has to do with paying attention to her or something.

I don't set any particular goals, and pretty much agree with Peter above. I joined this club basically to see if in my ordinary habits i would make 50 in one year or not, and if it slightly spurs me to read a little more, even better. If i'm reading something that sucks, i have no problem tearing through it, but if i like it, i savor that sh!t.

I think, to read 50 books a year, you have to set aside time to read. But,with most people there are so many commitments and distractions that they do not have time to read for enjoyment.

I like the idea of reading 50 books this year. I have to go back and see how many I have read so far. I have a lot of free time to read. I am a Registered Nurse. I work 12 hour days, but I only work three days a week. I read almost every day I have off work. I don't have any kids. It is just the wife and I. We do have cable TV, but I don't watch very much.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending how you look at it, I won't be near the top of the list for most books read. If I read to fast I do not recall what I just read, and the main reason I read these days is for enjoyment.

Congratulations to all those people who will get above 100, 200 or maybe 300 books this year.

I have not had the opportunity to read as much as I would like to so far this year, but I am also a speedy reader. It drives my husband crazy. In addition, I check out books on DVD from the library, copy them onto my computer and then put them on my Ipod, so no matter where I am- shopping, sports practice, whatever...I can listen to my books!

I've been slow reading this month, but usually I can crank out about a book every day or two because I'm a very fast reader. (I think English majors just learn to read that quickly because they have so much to read over the course of a semester; after six years of college, I've got it down to a science.)

Also, I'll read just about anything that seems interesting, so I generally have about a half-dozen books I'm into at a time, which (for me) helps me read more quickly; when I get bored with one book, I'll just pick up another.

Plus, besides baseball games, I don't really watch television. I usually have a movie on in the background (as my background music? or a soundtrack for whatever I'm reading?), but that's about it.

And if traffic is heavy enough, I read at red lights.

I'm certainly not going to hit the 200 book mark this year, but I can see how the numbers might be pretty high if I inlude all the audio books I listen to. Any time I'm in the car I have one going.

Please forgive the pitch, but "West Across the Board" is under 200 pages and a really fast read...good, easy way to add one to your list!

Great question!

I actually have insomnia. I only sleep for about 2-3 hours a night. I find that reading is relaxing for my body, and keeps my mind occupied while I can't sleep. So I read for 6-7 hours every night, and go through quite a few books. Since I don't always read for pleasure, I generally have 2 or 3 books going at the same time, one of which is for just enjoying, contemplating and being thoughtful, the other 1 or 2 I use for "getting through the night" so to speak.

I've been kind of a slow-poke this year, but I was working quite a bit and didn't have time to sit down and really sink my teeth into anything. Now that I've moved and I am still looking for a job, I have been spending more time reading than watching daytime television.

Unfortunately, our local library (in a town on 6,500 people) is incredibly small and charges $2/book to get books transferred in from another library. I am reading books that I normally wouldn't read (which is good, but is making my "to-read" list grow exponentially!) I am just kind of waiting until I go back to a big city and buy some books that I'm interested in.

I think my reading speed is fairly average. I have a 45-minute bus ride to and from work every morning and also tend to read during my lunch break 3 or 4 times a week too. Depending on how complex a book is, my average is 1-2 books a week.

I’ve looked into speed reading myself because I am interested in reading more books in the same amount of time, however, like some others have mentioned, my comprehension level TANKS if I read too quickly. So I’ve reconciled myself to the fact that I’ll just have to stick with my natural pace and leisurely enjoy the books I choose to read.

Reading has been my favorite activity since Kindergarten. After being a serious reader for so long, it becomes so well-developed and finely tuned that getting through a book in a couple of hours seems quite natural. I work full-time 183 days of the year (at least that is what I am paid for), I put in a lot of extra time on my job that I consider "volunteer" hours and I spend time with my kids, but every chance I get I am reading or at least listening to a novel. I fly through them at rates that sometimes astonish me. Earning my Masters, more so than any other college work, seemed to have pushed me to a new level in reading, as well, since the amount of reading was overwhelming and I had to develop a way to get through it quickly. I'll be working on national certification this next year, so we'll see if I am capable of reaching my goal of 500 books or not by next June.

I read about 2 hours a day. I usually get two hours early in the morning and walk for an hour then read for an hour. I sometimes read at lunch, but not very often. I then read about an hour at night. I find that if I read something light, like James Patterson, I find my reading speed increasing and that helps with "weightier" books. I find that reading literature makes me slow down, especially for comprehension. I have read in this pattern for about six years and my speed has greatly increased over time.

I'm new and haven't had a chance to go through a bunch of the logs yet, but of the people reading 200 books a years how many of their reads are long novels and how many are novellas? I think that would make a big difference in the number of books a year.

I read somewhat fast and after a several years long break, I just started to read again last month. So far I'm enjoying it so much that I spend about 2+ hours a night reading, but I don't know how long I will keep that pace up.

Carmelo - I read about two hours a night and I can usually read a 300-400 page book in about 3 days. I do not read novellas. There are some nights that I don't get in 2 hours and other nights that I get in a little more. I have teenage daughters so I don't have to do things for them anymore (Shower, play time,etc.) so it gives me more time to read especially since there are many evenings they are out with friends or work and this frees up time for me to read.

Fast reader plus I use books while on the treadmill or stationary machines working out. Also listen to audio books while I do some parts of my job, so that helps.

Plus I just love reading and am a voracious reader. I could go broke at the bookstore...

Can people define voracious reader please?
I always am wondering what that means. I only know that I am not one and wish I were!

Sarah Perry

I've just always read fast, plus I always have a book with me whenever I can! A lot of times I'll have my books in 2 categories: Purse books for on the go and home books.
Plus, I can start tuning things out. A lot of times people can start trying to talk to me and I don't hear a word they say, it helps keep start-stopping down. And it makes the book come to life even more.
When I think of a voracious reader, I think of someone who consumes books, just reads a whole lot, understands what the books say, and is always looking for another good book. Just my definition.

How many hours do I spend reading, well, let's see:-

When I'm tired staring at the computer at work...I read a book

IF, I go to church and the sermon is boring...I read a book

When there's nothing to watch on TV... I read a book

When my lectures at school are boring... I read a book

When I'm not on this website...I'm reading a book!!

Lately, I have been devouring a book a night. My son gets sooo mad at me. Typically, I can start a book at dinner time (5ish) and have it done by 11pm. This is if it is of high interest to me and if I do not have any evening meetings otherwise it may take two or three days. I've been picking some good ones lately though.

Kudos to all of you.

200-250 books/year? Unless I read 100-page books with easy, day-to-day English and topics, I'll never be able to match such accomplishment.

My greatest achievement was last year when I finished 52 books. This year, my tally so far is only 31 *sigh* Consequently, I won't make it to my 50 books commitment.

Maybe because I only spent 1.5-2 hours reading per diem during working days.

However, I did finish Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows in less than 6 hours. Is that an achievement or not? Just kidding.