Challenge: 50 Books discussion

After seeing more than a few people posting in the general folder to say hello and introduce themselves, I thought it might be nice for us to have an official section for welcoming new members and getting to know everyone who is here! So feel encouraged to stop in and tell us a little about yourself :)


I'm Tima, I'm 23 and live in the Pacific Northwest of the USA. I worked in Medical Administration & Billing until an accident last year and now I'm awaiting 2 surgeries. The plus side is I have ample reading time!

I have two dachshunds that I adore, am trying to read more classic literature and my favorite authors (today) are Lisa Genova, Chuck Palahniuk and Nick Hornby.

How about you? :)

Hey everyone! My name is Monica. I live in the Chicagoland area. I am a high school science teacher. I absolutely love my job. The last two years I've been apart of this group, I've made it to 50. I had a baby in July of last year so reaching 50 this year, I feel, will be a challenge! If I get to at least 40, I will be happy! I am usually good for 1-2 books a week, but with a baby its a whole new game!

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Lately, I seem to pick books that take until the last 3/4 to get going... I will read anything!

Hello! I'm Natalie. I live in eastern Kentucky and am a high school English teacher. I write almost daily and have a newfound appreciation for being around other creative/intellectual/literary types. I lived in San Antonio for a little while, the Fort Campbell area for a bit, and the Boston Metrowest area for three years. I find myself in Louisville, Kentucky every chance I get.

Hello I'm Alicia I live in the northwest burbs of Chicago. Schaumburg to be exact. I am 39 have 3 children ages 20,15,8 all girls. I have loved to read and been with a book in my hands since age 4 when my grandma taught me to read. Love everything but last year was in a book slump did not get much reading done at all. This year i hope to change that.

Hello, my name is Blaine. I live in south suburbs of Chicago.( Shorewood). I am 30 years old and have 5 kids, (10,8,6,4,&2) I have been married for almost 12 years. I run a laundry and house cleaning service. I am always reading and often more than one book at a time. I read all different genres.

Blaine wrote: "Hello, my name is Blaine. I live in south suburbs of Chicago.( Shorewood). I am 30 years old and have 5 kids, (10,8,6,4,&2) I have been married for almost 12 years. I run a laundry and house cleani..."

Blaine! I teach right by you!! Small world!!

Monica, where do you teach at?

Hi! My name is Alison. I live in Lincoln, Nebraska. I have been a member of this group for 2 and a half years. Last year I didn't read as many books as i should of. I moved into my first apartment and I graduated college. It was a busy first few months of the year! I have a cat named Frosty who is about 3 years old. Also, at my parents house we have 2 dogs. Chip and Wylie are both shelties.

Welcome, welcome to those who have stopped by and said hello! I hope the other moderators will come by and introduce themselves, as well. They are great sources of help in answering questions and, luckily, so is everyone else in the group! My TBR list grows even longer every time I come peruse the books people have been reading..

Howdy! My name is Mackenzie(and I am a guy, there is always that little bit of confusion on that point with the name). I have been a member here for almost a year and a half. I live in a rural county on the western part of Virginia near a city called Covington. I work nights and my current job has some down time that allows for reading. My cat(pictured with me) is named Rogue. I tend to read within the fantasy genre, but like to pick up books on various nonfiction topics as well. Mercedes Lackey's Last Herald Mage Trilogy has been my favorite series since I read it in high school, but my favorite authors are Stephen King and Haruki Murakami.

Hey I'm Yolie! I'm 26 years old and I live in Arizona. I'm originally from California. I've always loved books. My favorites are non fiction and LGBT literature. I don't have any children which is good for me haha. I'm a new member to the group but I'm loving it because everyone is so friendly. I'm looking forward to the discussions and books I'll be reading throughout the year.

Good afternoon! My name is Lori and I live in Eastern Iowa and work at the University of Iowa. I stumbled across this challenge group, and thought it would be kind of fun to see if I can do it, and interesting to see how others are stepping up to the challenge.

Hi everyone. I joined this group last December, so still fairly new. I love reading and will read a variety of genres. Back in my undergraduate days I got a minor in English just so I could read books as homework. I am 32 and have three children (12, 11, and 8). I work as an ABA therapist (with kids with autism) so I have started listening to audio books as I drive as well as reading. It is great meeting everyone.

I'm a little late in introducing myself! I'm Lisa and I'm the person who posts new questions to the general discussion board each Friday or Saturday. I'm currently wiling the time away in the wine country of Washington State but I'm originally from Houston, Texas. Currently I'm a college professor and I teach classes primarily in British and World literature (from the 17th to 21st centuries, yeah I know!) and sometimes I dabble in a bit of contemporary American literature.

Welcome to all the new folks! Glad to see the regulars here too!

Hi! Just joined. My name is Becky and I am in SW Fl, sweating in February...I work fulltime as an occupational therapy assistant in home health, married and have 2 beautiful girls- 2.5 and 4 months.

Hi! I'm Carol and I'm from Ireland! I'm a big reader so it'll be interesting to see if i can make the 50 books this year. I'll generally read anything but I'm a big sci-fi,fantasy reader. I've recently gotten into graphic novels in a big way (blame Robert Kirkman's Walking Dead for that!) but i think I'll be leaving them out of my count,it'll feel like cheating!

A sweeping, warm welcome to everyone! So great to see that there are more new members joining every day and that so many people return each year to start again!

Carol - Lots of people choose to add their graphic novels into their counts (but it is, of course, totally up to you!). I count them when they're over 75-100 pages. It's all preference, no rules. We live life on the edge in here LOL ;)

Hello!

My name is Megan and I currently live in Kansas City with my beautiful family who I love so much. I have a 4 month old baby girl and an 18 month old boy. My son loves to read with me before bed and during the day as well during story-time. I'm hoping this group will motivate me to read more, as I truly enjoy it and like the idea that my kids will see me reading.

Hello,

My name is Ellie I live in Heidelberg Germany. I'm a big reader and it will be interesting to see if I can make the 50 books this year. Last year I only made it up to 30 books so I hope this year I will strech this goal dispite my final exams. So wish me luck.^^

I'm Sandra from Richmond, VA and I'm a book addict, lol. Last year I read 145 books; my goal this year is 150. I've read 14 so far.... I recently discovered GR and love the groups. GR is as addicting as Facebook. I love the challenges in some of the groups I'm in, especially the Historical Fictionistas Univ. BA challenge for the year.

Go Sandra! 145 books is insane!

good luck Ellie!!!

Hey, I'm Kaylee and I'm a teenager living in Washington (State). My official goal is 50 books but I'm already at 12 so I'd like to get as many as possible :) I've been making videos to keep track of the books I'm reading. My channel is here if anyone is interested:
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfLzh...
I love to read, mostly scifi and general young adult but I've read a little bit of everything :)

Hi!
I'm Lindsey, and this is my 3rd year in the challenge. I lived close to Chicago (Norridge/Rosemont) and work in the northern suburbs. Because I work for schools, I spend most my breaks reading.
I also do a podcast about books and reading. It can be found here:
http://sockmonkeysound.com/category/w...
(home sick and editing today so there may be a new episode up today, and we're recording again next week)

I made it to 50 last year, but not the year before. I try not to stress too much about it so I continue to enjoy what I'm reading rather than rushing through books to get them done. My goal this year is to read books from my shelf.

Nice meeting you guys!

Tiffani wrote: "A sweeping, warm welcome to everyone! So great to see that there are more new members joining every day and that so many people return each year to start again!

Carol - Lots of people choose to a..."

Thanks, I'll bear that it mind!

Hey! I am Julie from the Dallas, Texas area.I am the blessed mom of three VERY busy boys (16, 14 and 11) and the wife of a man who thinks I am superwoman. I was a stay-at-home mom for the better part of 15 years, now I am back at work teaching a special needs classroom in a middle school. My reading time has been cut drastically, but for me I would almost rather read than eat or sleep! Plus reading helps me keep sane when I realize that we have something on the schedule every evening until the end of March... I have turned more towards audio and ebooks...audio for in the car and when keeping up with housework. Ebooks when I am at baseball, scouts, lacrosse, etc. That way if things are slow I can focus on a heavier read...if not I can change to something less thought provoking. I have never kept track of how many books I read in a year. So I set my first year goal at 50. Waiting to see if I hit the mark or if I was way off base in what I really accomplish. Look forward to getting to know you all!

My name is Jim and I live near Dayton, Ohio. I'm married with three kids (boy-14, girls- 5/6). I am currently in a teaching position teaching health risk assessment. I love star wars books but also read a lot of zombie novels and dystopian young adult.

Ok, I will reintroduce myself - My name is Sarah and I live in the Pittsburgh area. I enjoyed Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn so much, just finished it. I don't know how to make a "to be read" list. I have never done it. I like fiction and some autobiography. I detest "business motivation" books. I am 51, I don't care about finding my business strengths. I also don't like the books that you would find at CVS or Rite aid. My strength is enjoying a good book, but I need suggestions. Always. However, read 3 so far this year.

Ok, my name is Nelly and I live in the NY area. I am a High School English teacher and I love to read. I have been watching a lot of bookTubers on YouTube and I heard them say something about a 50 book challenge, so I figured why not. Why not try this out myself. So here I am. I am going to attempt to read 50 books by the end of this year. While I love YA novels and contemporary works, I will try to look into reading classics as well as Adult novels. SO wish me luck.

Nelly wrote: "Ok, my name is Nelly and I live in the NY area. I am a High School English teacher and I love to read. I have been watching a lot of bookTubers on YouTube and I heard them say something about a 50 ..."

Good luck!

Nelly wrote: "Ok, my name is Nelly and I live in the NY area. I am a High School English teacher and I love to read. I have been watching a lot of bookTubers on YouTube and I heard them say something about a 50 ..."
Good Luck! :)

Hi all...I'm Debbie from central Pennsylvania. This is my 3rd year in the challenge and only made it to 45 books the last 2 years, but I've already read 15 this year. My hubby and I have an engine shop and I also sell Partylite Candles (if you need anything let me know, I have a website) I am a book addict...love to go to book sales and have just rediscovered the library. I started reading the Debbie Macomber "Cedar Cove" series and had to fill in the books that I didn't have, so off to the library. I just about go crazy evertime I go in there..I want to read it all. Love this GR website.

Hi Everybody.

I am Sudhamay from India. I love reading different genre books. I like those books which has deep understanding of characters. My Favorite Authors are from Bengali writers. They are Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay, Buddhadeb Guha etc. Favorite books are Pather Dabi: The Right of Way, , , , Samo etc etc.. I will Add soon my progress in 50 books this year. It's a very nice place to meet like minded people. A warm greeting from a fellow reader.

Hello! Nice to meet you all.

I live in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. I have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and a relentless passion for reading meaningful books.

I love to travel, and when I travel I like to read about the countries I’m visiting. I hope to read at least 5 books for every country in the world.

Hello, I'm Rebecca and I love to read a lot of different types of books as you'll be able to see from my 50 books post haha :) I'd like to make some new friends with people who can suggest books to help me complete my 50 books challenge :)

Hello, my name is Michelle, I'm from western NY state. I love reading, but it will be a challenge to make it to 50 in one year. But it will probably be the most enjoyable challenge I will encounter all year, so I'm up for it. My favorite authors are John Steinbeck and Kurt Vonnegut. But my favorite genres are generally sci-fi and fantasy. Steinbeck doesn't really fit into those, but he's still a genius in my eyes. Good luck to everyone.

Hey,my name is Piotr,I'm from Poland. I would like to challenge myself with reading 50+ books this year,so when i saw this group,I immediately joined :) My all time favourite book is 'Master and Margarita',while favorite authors are Kurt Vonnegut and Milan Kundera. Thanks for reading!

Hi, I'm Jacque. I live in New Hampshire with my husband and my cat. I worked in an elementary school library for 18 years so I have a lot of YA titles on my read list. I have been an avid reader since I was a kid, though in the last few years I haven't been reading as much as I used to.

Last year I tried the 50 book challenge and got to around 35. I am going to give it another go this year.

Ooo so many new people have come by since I last was here! Welcome to all! As always, it's great to learn more about the people in the group - love that there are people from around the world here. I peek in at everyone's personal lists a lot and it looks like so many people are doing awesome on their goals this year.

My TBR list continues to become more and more bloated, not a good sign since we're barely two months into the year so far!

Hi I'm Carol and I enjoy books/stories.... I "read" in several formats- books (usually paperback- hardbacks are too heavy to carry around), Audio Books and Kindle/ebook- I usually have 1-2 of each format going at a time. I prefer fiction as I find most nf not as enjoyable. I was able to get through almost 90 books last year. This year i plan to focus on finishing out some author series and spend some time on classics that i have never read.

Hey, I'm Stacy and I love reading! Wheher it's dystopian novels or old timey romance I'll pick it up! The formats don't seem to matter much to me but I still tend to love the smell of print best. I prefer fiction and I love it when there's even the slightest amount of romance in a book. It just seems to add more flair to a character and the over all plot line. Last year I was abkle to read around two - three boks a day during the summer and then a book per day during school. This yar my personal goal is set at 100 so wish me luck! p.s. I love writing so if anyone has good rp groups that'd be great!

Hi, I'm Charlie. I am trying to read more. I have a box of books I haven't started and even more that I've read and stopped halfway through. I'm joining to read as many books as I can this year. In January I only read one book. The Name of The Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. It's wonderful.

Hi, I'm Erin. I have been a browser of goodreads for about a year now, and I have decided to up my game and dive right in.
I am in Teacher's College at the moment, and I find reading helps me stay sane with all of the work I have to do.
To date I have only read 6 books, but I am confident I will hit 50 no problem!

Shawna wrote: "Hi everyone :) I'm Shawna. Born and raised in California. Full time wife, mother of two (10 & 5) and Revenue Audit Supervisor. I've been a memeber or goodreads since 2011 but I just started getting..."
You go girl!;)

Hello everyone, I'm kind of late joining this group but I'm looking forward to reading 50 plus and seeing what everyone else is reading this year! :)

I'm Kelsey and I'm from Minnesota. I love to read and write!

I'm Hailey and I live in southern Georgia, in Fitzgerald. I'm 23 and I am currently employed at good ol' Mickey D's. I've been in this group since 2011, but did not become active until last year.

I've stopped distracting myself as much with tumblr and TV shows, and have gotten off to a good start this year with 19 books so far. It being a bit cold lately, and curling up in bed all warm and toasty with a good book, doesn't hurt either.

I am willing to read any type of genre, but I have noticed I have avoided westerns and mysteries. My favorite authors are Kurt Vonnegut, Charles Bukowski, Chuck Palahniuk, Carlton Mellick III, and George R.R. Martin.

I've gathered by my reading habits, that I enjoy really violent, disgusting, and depraved books. A bit of violence and gore are lovely, but I also love absurd and romantic (not Fabio covered books romantic) books. I have found myself reading a lot of YA here recently, and I adore mythology. I love massive novels, my two favorites (which I always say are in a tie for my favorite book) are Gone with the Wind and Anna Karenina.

I have a habit of swooning at elegant and breathtaking writing such as what I found in The Book Thief, the A Song Of Ice And Fire series, and Warm Bodies, lovely plots to be sure, but just the way they are written is gorgeous.

I love perusing people's to read lists, and I always pick up great new things to read.

If you are incredibly new here, I would suggest going into the forums and taking a look at people's challenges for the year and commenting. I've made friends on here because of that, and it has made my reading experience much more enjoyable.

Hi there, I'm from Toronto, Canada, although I've lived in different places around the world. I am a writer for ad copy, editor and just plain old writer as well as being a holistic nutritionist. I have 2 daughters and a very cute dog.

I'm fairly new to goodreads and just did my first ebook (YA) for fun. I was down for forty books but will try to do 50. I'm looking for the next book that really wows me or makes me reflect.

Nice to meet everyone.

Jo

I am so glad to have found this -- I love having a goal or at least a reason to count the books I read. I have no idea, in a year, how many I consume. I love all different genres really, but adore Jane Austen (she's her own genre right?), YA, and well written fiction. I'm digging into "The Language of Flowers" right now and enjoying it. Just finished a re-read of the Chronicles of Narnia. C.S. Lewis wasted no words -- they are all layered with meaning. I love that.

So fun to be here sharing books...

I'm Jessi from Florida. I'm looking forward to achieving my first self-imposed book reading goal; and to chatting with you all about books you're reading and loving.

I've always been more of a non-fiction reader, so I'm excited to explore the wonderful world of adventure, fantasy, mystery, romance, sci-fi and literary classics!

Hello,

I'm Abe. I've just decided on English Literature for a major but I'd like to continue reading books outside of class so I thought this challenge would be fun to do. I've already got one under my belt for the year!