The Perks Of Being A Book Addict discussion

To read more books ofc! :-)
I want to strike the Percy Jackson series off my list, since I've never read it. Plus, I heard it's way better than the movies. So I'll give that a try.
What are yours?

I'm going to keep track of my reading and I'll read more books. There are a lot of famous series that i haven't read yet.
I'll take care of my hair cuz they are getting quite rough and I am going to repeat my Medical College Entrance Test next year because I didn't get selected this time (hope I'll do better next year).

I want to read 75 books

As a reader, I'm allowing myself NOT to finish books that just are not working for me. Life is too short, and not every book is for everyone. It's OK to quit!!

As an author (oh, I hope people finish MY books :)), I plan to start my fourth novel, a paranormal romance, and write at least two books over the course of the year. And maybe some new short stories. And another play. Swinging for the fences.

As I writer, I surely have a busy year ahead of me, trying to finish my WIPs:

* Azdortil - several aliens escape a prison and go through some jungle ruins to find a spaceport
* Star of Erzesas - a tribe of Hittite-like people work together with a stranded crew of aliens and an angel to stop an interstellar invasion
* Soknawari - a girl and a doll explore their beautiful city
* Dondaton - a band's five members face several ridiculous assignments to test their worth and loyalty to their authorities
* Dva ili Tri - Radumo and Paruko, two scientists from the city, get used to life in a small town with their fisherwoman friend Paxoti.

My goal this year was to read 365 books. I'm still on target to finish that goal (I read a lot of manga and some shorter books which has made that possible and I was able to listen to audiobooks a lot).
But next year I'm hoping to move country as well as get a new job so I'm probably going to go much less next year, maybe 200, at least to begin with and see how it goes.
I have a lot of classics on my to read list from when I joined so it would be nice to get some more of them read next year too.

I think my goal will be to read 60 books. or 5 per month in 2021. I have some running goals as well in mind so I want to keep my book reading on the lower side :)

I am going to raise my reading goal in 2021 - it might get sidetracked a bit as a move is also on the table for this next year. However, this year's reading goal was exceeded. I am shooting for 50 which would be a 10 book increase

I'm going to raise my goal and try to read 50!

I'm less concerned with my numbers and more interested in what I'll be reading. I'm hoping to read more books that I want to read just for the love of reading and less for challenges and reviews. I have a lot of books on my tbr shelf that I'd like to get to.

Hello All..
My reading challenge for the year 2021 is to read 31 books :)

I want to read more books that I own and also to clean up my TBR. This year I was reading 4 or 5 books at the same time, but I try not to do that next year. Maybe 1 or 2 and focusing on the books that I actually want to read for the love of reading. I also want to reach the 100 books - goal.

Well, this year I didn't set a goal and I'm reading my 106th book now...so I'm not setting a goal for 2021 either and just see what happens!
I also have to reset my life in motion as soon as I get the surgery I need to start working again, so I won't probably have so much time to read as I had this year.
The only goal in 2020 was to read diverse book and I feel like I've fairly accomplished that, I found so many interesting authors to blew my mind! I'll try to stay on that track and find out even more.
Next year I'd also like to try and write more reviews, which is something I've only recently start doing. It takes me tons of time since I'm not writing them in my native language mostly, but I'll try to be consistent.

Edit: @Kristie I really like your PoV on this subject, and I'm sure you'll make it real!

2020 was a good year in terms of reading for me. I already completed my reading challenge back in October!
2021 is going to be busy, I might not get that much of reading time because of my University exams and a new semester but still I'll try to go for 50 books.

This was an unusual year so this year's reading does not qualify for any benchmark personally. I will keep it at 3 per month +4 to round it off at 40.
I feel if I take too ambitious a target I may end up reading books which are too short/ the romances( which I read with one eye shut;))/ or the really inane stuff.
So 40 it is for me

I’m not sure but literally was thinking about this question last night before seeing this post. I’ve read or will easily read 180 books this year but that’s really high for me, but this is the first year I’ve spent much time reading and accurately tracking what I read. I have no clue what 2021 will bring for me so next year I’m going to aim low like 50-60 and increase the goal if I exceed it with time to spare.

I think I am going up my reading goal this year to 60 books! I read books so fast when I had spare time during quarantine and I will be graduating in spring so I figure I will have more free time to read with school not always being something to keep me busy. I think I would also like to start journaling for reading? Or I might try to organize my TBR better lol. Also thinking about how I can get myself to get into nonfiction books because I would love to be more interested in those kinds of books. I love learning and nonfiction books would be great for learning after I get my degree.

Lacey wrote: "I’m not sure but literally was thinking about this question last night before seeing this post. I’ve read or will easily read 180 books this year but that’s really high for me, but this is the firs..." I think I am going to have to do this too! When I joined goodreads this year I just set a low goal of 20, I think? Then I upped it to 40 once I realized that was a bit too easy for me at the time. I hope you reach your 180 book goal!

Amy wrote: "As a reader, I'm allowing myself NOT to finish books that just are not working for me. Life is too short, and not every book is for everyone. It's OK to quit!!

As an author (oh, I hope people fini..."

Definitely a great goal, Amy! I sometimes struggle with allowing myself to stop reading books I'm just not into, so I will make that a goal for myself too this 2021 year!

Can’t reply to comments so hopefully my reply will make sense...
Thanks :) I have one book untill I reach this year’s goal so I’ll probably make it by the end of this weekend if not before haha.
I like to pause books, I haven’t given up on them necessarily but I stop reading a particular book with the possibility I’ll come back to it when it holds my interest again.

I'm hoping to read around 250 next year!! I met my goal of 100 this year already so I want to push myself even farther- plus i love to read so why not!

First of all reading all your goals has inspired me so much more to read! Literally! I made a goal this year to read LOADS! I didnt exactly pick a number but next year hopefully i am going to pick a number to my goal because this year was limited to however much books i could read but if i pick a number it will keep me motivated to read and reach my goal! Its so awesome that we are all part of this book clique whatever we want to call it hehe :)

going into 2020, my theory was I was going to try to read 24 books, 2 per month, one physical book that I already owned, and one ebook/audiobook. in reality, I've currently read 42 books, 7 physical books and 35 ebooks/ Audibles. I also completed the Alphabet challenge, which I am proud of. So I failed in one category but excelled in 2 others.

for 2021, I have committed to do the BookList Queen 2021 Reading Challenge. this Challenge involves 52 books in various prompts. I do not realistically think that I can read 52 books in a year but my goal of aspirational instead of literal. so we will see how this goes. I would also like 1/4th or 13 of those books to be physical copies that I already own. happy reading :-D

Last year I read loads of unpublished manuscripts (what can I say? I love editing) but it wasn’t until half way through this year that I really wanted to broaden my range and read books not only already published, but in different genres than I usually stick too. While I’ve read significantly less this year, I’ve found unforgettable books that I tell all my family and friends about (they just roll their eyes and nod at this point) but one of these days I’m going to get someone else to jump on the bandwagon with me when it comes to these particular books!

But my goal for next year is to be more intentional. There’s still plenty of time I spend watching movies (don’t even get me started on my 31 days of Halloween list I completed) that I could have been reading instead. So even though I’ll catch up on some of my favorite crime shows, I’m going to push myself to utilize my time in better ways.

Suzanne wrote: "But my goal for next year is to be more intentional."

I really like this as a goal. I could definitely apply it to myself as well.

I was thinking about doing a 24 day Christmas movie marathon, but since today is already the 5th and I haven't started I'm thinking maybe 12 days would be more appropriate. I think I need to rewatch some classics.

For 2021 my goal is to read around 40 books. For me this is gonna include epub and my actual paper copies.

...
1. Read more nonfiction
2. Review every book I read
3. Don't be a wimp- DNF books you want to DNF instead of powering through. It's not the end of the world.

My goals for 2021:

1. read at least 100 books
2. every month, read 4 new releases
3. create a back list of books from my favorite authors I haven't read yet. Read at least 2 books off this list every month.
4. no pressure, just pleasure

Sha wrote: "...
1. Read more nonfiction
2. Review every book I read
3. Don't be a wimp- DNF books you want to DNF instead of powering through. It's not the end of the world."

This was me this year! I found that when I allow myself to DNF a book I enjoy my reading more. I still read most of the books I start, but I won't allow a book that I'm struggling with to put me in a reading slump.

Mairy wrote: "My goals for 2021:

1. read at least 100 books
2. every month, read 4 new releases
3. create a back list of books from my favorite authors I haven't read yet. Read at least 2 books off this list ev..."

I should do your #3 too. I have a list of series that I want to finish next year, but not standalones from authors I love. That's a great idea.

1. To read a chunk of the books I added to goodreads in 2012 there is over 800
2. To embrace the dnf, this will work well with the above
3. Work on netgalley ratio
4. I have a 2021 fantasy book project in the works (lesser know/underated)
5. Finish or get further in more challenges
6. Read more of my owned books

Carrie, those are great goals for the new year.

Carrie wrote: "1. To read a chunk of the books I added to goodreads in 2012 there is over 800..."

I want to finish off the books I added in 2012 too. I only have 4, so I think this will be my year to either read them or ditch them off my TBR.

my reading goals might sound a bit unusual. this year, my reading has almost always felt like a chore and I'm going to try and fix that. I'm going to take a break from reading in the first few months of 2021 and then start with something I know I'm going to love. my main goal is to stop thinking about how many books I read and focus on the quality of the books I'll read. I won't beat myself up for reading way less than I normally do as long as I enjoy the things I'm reading.

I think that's a great goal, Nola. We need to keep it fun.

my 2021 reading goals;

1. Read every book I own
2. Complete a book series that I liked but hadn't finished it
3. Read more classics
4. Try reading a cozy mystery
5. Re-read my favorite books
6. Complete all of my reading challenges

Sonya wrote: "Carrie, those are great goals for the new year."

Thank you

Kristie wrote: "Carrie wrote: "1. To read a chunk of the books I added to goodreads in 2012 there is over 800..."

I want to finish off the books I added in 2012 too. I only have 4, so I think this will be my year..."

Haha I wish it was just 4. I was shocked when I saw over 800, but in my defense that was the year I got my kindle ad was introduced to amazon freebies so I may have many duds to dnf.

Le Petit wrote: "That’s a great goal Carrie, I think I’ll add “go through my tbr pile and remove what I’m no longer interested in reading” to my goals."

Yeah I've been trying to do that but then I just keep adding more.

I want to read 50 books because that's just over 4 per month and it's a nice, round number. I didn't read much this year until the last couple of months, so it's something I want to continue into the new year.

Le Petit wrote: "That’s a great goal Carrie, I think I’ll add “go through my tbr pile and remove what I’m no longer interested in reading” to my goals."

I want to do that too, but I have sooo many to go through. It would take forever.

Carrie wrote: "Kristie wrote: "Carrie wrote: "Haha I wish it was just 4. I was shocked when I saw over 800, but in my defense that was the year I got my kindle ad was introduced to amazon freebies so I may have many duds to dnf."

Hahaha, yes! I completely understand that. 2012 was when I joined Goodreads, I think in October, so I don't have many left. Any year after that is much more daunting. lol

The first year with a Kindle always adds so many to your TBR because there are so many free books out there. Eventually, you realize that you don't have the time or desire to read ALL the free books. lol It does end up being a mess to go through.

I've done the same with Audible sales. I have way more books than I can ever listen to. Fortunately, I share an account with my husband, so they don't go to waste, but I still added them all to my TBR as I bought them.

Kristie wrote: "Carrie wrote: "Kristie wrote: "Carrie wrote: "Haha I wish it was just 4. I was shocked when I saw over 800, but in my defense that was the year I got my kindle ad was introduced to amazon freebies ..."

Exactly then you get hooked on not missing any freebies and next thing you know you have thousands of them.

Laura wrote: "I want to read 50 books because that's just over 4 per month and it's a nice, round number. I didn't read much this year until the last couple of months, so it's something I want to continue into t..."

I'm similar. I'll barely reach 40 this year, but would like to hit 52+ next year and complete the ATY challenge. I'm unlikely to succeed with anything more ambitious than that!

I think I'll add to my goals to not be ashamed of DNF too.
I did it couple of times this year and it kinda felt like I was giving up, but maybe it wasn't just the right time or maybe it will never be and some books are not for me. Just because I like a genre it doesn't mean I'll have to like every book in that category!
(Also I believe I'll DNF the one I just started, I have such a no-no feeling that I didn't add it to my "currently reading" list yet, but I'll give it couple of pages more)

I went through my TBR on Goodreads last night to determine which are available through my library, which I own, and which I would need to obtain. Having the books I want to read on hand is important to knocking out my list, of course. While I do buy books (digitally and hard copy), I can't afford to buy all of them that I want to read. Also, I have bought many books that I have yet to read even though I have already paid for them.

1. Give an audiobook a chance. I don't think this trend will catch with me, but I'd like to try to use time in my garden or doing dishes to see if there are some genres that I can enjoy in this format to increase my available "reading" time. I'm not sure I count listening as reading, though.
2. Always have a library hold. I find that when I'm ready to read a new book it has a wait time. I am impatient and move on to another title. If I stack up my holds, I will eventually read the bestsellers I've wanted to read.
3. Read at least 6 classics. At least one of them should be something like Dante, Plato, or Homer.
4. Read a 'themed' book at least 6 times this year. So that could be themed to the season (gardening/farming in the spring, vacation in the summer, snow in the winter) or a nearby holiday (presidential biography for July 4th, murder mystery/thriller for Halloween).
5. Convince someone in my life to read a book I'm reading/just read. My family and friends aren't readers. My mom is the exception but we don't usually have the same interests in titles.
6. Don't leave the house without a book. So many times I don't bring a book and I end up waiting on my husband in the car, waiting in a long line, or needing to wait 1/2 hour for a pizza to be done or someone I'm visiting to arrive home.
7. Learn those words I don't know. I underline/highlight words I need to look up on my Kindle. Of course there's a dictionary built-in so I can understand and keep reading, but I always intend to take the time to go back over all of these words to expand my vocabulary.
8. I have 2 Ken Follett series to finish. The Evening and the Morning #4 (final) in Kingsbridge series, Edge of Eternity #3 (final) in Century Trilogy
9. Read 12 non-fiction books. As I try to read more, I don't want to lose sight of my favorite genre just because the books take a little longer to get through.
10. Read 25 books. I'll probably end up reading more and this is the least important of all my goals. If I get hung up on number of books then I might avoid longer or harder books in favor of easier ones just to prop up my number. I've finished 3 this year and it's been 8 days.

- take down even more books from my physical TBR (I am on a good track, as I started with 170something unread books, and now I am down to 77)
- do the Buzzword Challenge (run by BooksandLala of Youtube fame)
- do my usual TBR jar challenge (drawing one prompt out of a jar)

Read 75 books from my shelves.

Julia wrote: "My aim is to find my reading mojo again. I realised about mid way through last year that since my 8 & 3 year old sons were born I've barely read a book at all & I have nearly 200 on my kobo account..."

That's great, Julia! Don't worry about how many books you read. Just enjoy the time you can to can find to read!

Le Petit wrote: "I am a firm believer that the hobby of buying books and reading books are completely different."

I completely agree with this.