2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge discussion

I hope to read at least 40 41 books in 2016

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My bookshelf for this challenge: Books read in 2016

01. Londen (London) - Edward Rutherfurd
02. De vuurvliegjes achterna - Martin Šimek
03. Ready Player One - Ernest Cline
04. Het Diner (The Dinner) - Herman Koch
05. Van je familie moet je het hebben - David Sedaris
06. The Martian - Andy Weir
07. Versluiering - Rita Monaldi & Francesco Sorti
08. Een zwarte pyjama (Never Fall Down) - Patricia McCormick
09. The Girl With All the Gifts - M.R. Carey
10. De jongen in de gestreepte pyjama (The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas) - John Boyne
11. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - Ransom Riggs
12. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
13. The Knife of Never Letting Go - Patrick Ness
14. The Ask and the Answer - Patrick Ness
15. Monsters of Men - Patrick Ness
16. My Family And Other Animals - Gerald Durrell
17. Zwellend fruit - Peter Verhelst
18. Sydney - Harmen van Straaten
19. Nineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell
20. The Miniaturist - Jessie Burton
21. The Secrets We Keep - Jonathan Harvey
22. A Game of Thrones - George R.R. Martin
23. Villa Toscane - Linda van Rijn
24. De stad van de wilde goden (City of the Beasts) - Isabel Allende
25. Bangkok Boy: The Story Of A Stolen Childhood - Chai Pinit
26. The New World - Patrick Ness
27. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
28. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - J.K. Rowling
29. The Maze Runner - James Dashner
30. The Scorch Trials - James Dashner
31. The Death Cure - James Dashner
32. Bezonken rood (Sunken Red) - Jeroen Brouwers
33. De Oude Man en de Zee (The Old Man and the Sea) - Ernest Hemingway
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41.

(2015-16)

Good luck Willemijn!

Thanks, Winter!

Good luck with your reading in 2016! I saw that you've already been diving into challenges, so hopefully those help you get to your goal.

Cassandra wrote: "Good luck with your reading in 2016! I saw that you've already been diving into challenges, so hopefully those help you get to your goal."

Thanks! I can't wait for 2016 to start! I will be joining the group read of The Martian, but I hope I can keep myself from reading it before the end of 2015 :,)
It will count for both challenges I signed up for, which is great.
For the rest of the year, I am going to try to focus on reading books I already own, because books are expensive, and my pile of unread books is getting out of control.

That's awesome! I'm trying to do the same with my owned but unread books... I'm going to try to power through all of them this year.

Cassandra wrote: "That's awesome! I'm trying to do the same with my owned but unread books... I'm going to try to power through all of them this year."
I now own so many unread books that it'll take more than just a year to read them...

Willemijn wrote: "Cassandra wrote: "That's awesome! I'm trying to do the same with my owned but unread books... I'm going to try to power through all of them this year."
I now own so many unread books that it'll tak..."

I like this challenge of reading the owned, unread books on my shelves. I am reading one now,
Liberty Defined: 50 Essential Issues That Affect Our Freedom by Ron Paul
I'm not sure how many books I have in this category, yet, but I, too, shall try to read them all.

Jack wrote: "I'm not sure how many books I have in this category, yet, but I, too, shall try to read them all.
"

When I joined Goodreads this summer, I added all the books I own to my profile. That's when I realised I own almost a hundred unread books.

Best of luck willemijn have an awesome 2016

Aditya wrote: "Best of luck willemijn have an awesome 2016"

Thanks!

I tried to finish all the books I own but didn't read yet, this year. I failed...still have 15 to go and I already got new books for Sinterklaas and will get some for Christmas. Soooo...good luck! Haha :).

good luck!

Maureen wrote: "I tried to finish all the books I own but didn't read yet, this year. I failed...still have 15 to go and I already got new books for Sinterklaas and will get some for Christmas. Soooo...good luck! ..."

Thanks! I made the 'mistake' of visiting the second hand shop twice in one month. At €1 a book, there's simply no hope of returning home with just one book. :,) I'll probably also be getting books for xmas, so I really have no hope at all of finishing all my unread books in a year. It would be nice to get it a little bit under control though.

Blagica wrote: "good luck!"

Thanks!

I wanted the book I am currently reading (Londen by Edward Rutherfurd) to count for 2015, but I didn't manage to finish it in time. So I changed my goal for 2016 to 41 books, because I don't really want it to count, but I also don't really want to enter the wrong date.

good luck Willemijn and happy new year! i had the same dillemma with Runaway - i left my apartment yesterday evening with just 50 pages left. i like your idea of increasing the number of books to read in 2016!

Kasia wrote: "good luck Willemijn and happy new year! i had the same dillemma with Runaway - i left my apartment yesterday evening with just 50 pages left. i like your idea of increasing the number ..."
Happy new year!
I have just finished my book. The real challenge of 40 books starts now :)

How was London? I have it on my TBR and haven't read much by Rutherfurd. Good luck with your challenge!

Megan wrote: "How was London? I have it on my TBR and haven't read much by Rutherfurd. Good luck with your challenge!"

I love the city of London, so reading the book was like a fun way to learn more about its history. It reads like a collection of short stories about different generations of 4 fictional families. I felt like the book gave me a realistic idea of what it must have been like to live there during all the different eras. I did find that some chapters read much quicker than others. Some of them go into the politics of that specific time and I think that slowed me down a bit. Despite that, I really enjoyed reading it. However, I don't expect I would like his other books as much as London, because I don't really have a personal connection with those cities. I doubt I would read Paris for instance.

Willemijn wrote: "Megan wrote: "How was London? I have it on my TBR and haven't read much by Rutherfurd. Good luck with your challenge!"

I love the city of London, so reading the book was like a fun way to learn mo..."

Thanks!

Good luck reading all your owned-but-unread books. Willemjin! I feel you on that. I feel the Japanese slang term tsundoku really describes my life. It means "the act of leaving a book unread after buying it, typically piled up together with such other unread books on shelves, floors, or nightstands."

I think we can all relate to that.

Jackie, i feel I'm gonna be using this expression very often! Thanks! I'm done with 2 out of 24 that wait for their turn.

Jackie B. wrote: "Good luck reading all your owned-but-unread books. Willemjin! I feel you on that. I feel the Japanese slang term tsundoku really describes my life. It means "the act of leaving a book unread after ..."
Thanks! I think that word does describe my bookcase. No matter how hard I try, new books just seem to be added quicker than I can read the old ones. :,)

Megan wrote: "Thanks!"

No worries! If/when you read it, let me know what you think.

Owned but Unread
I am holding true to reading books on my shelf and on my TBR list. Some books are assigned for me to read and discuss with my church Life Group and Men's Ministry. I shall endeavor to read at least two shelf/TBR books each month. This months selections, so far:
The Thing on the Doorstep by H.P. Lovecraft

Liberty Defined: 50 Essential Issues That Affect Our Freedom by Ron Paul

Thank you, Willemijn, for the suggestion which, I feel, should be a Challenge category. I have made it one of mine. Owned but Unread

I've read 4 books so far, so Goodreads tells me I'm ahead of schedule. That's probably a good thing, as I tend to read a lot less in summer.

Willemijn wrote: "I've read 4 books so far, so Goodreads tells me I'm ahead of schedule. That's probably a good thing, as I tend to read a lot less in summer."

Great job, Willemijn. I wonder how many people have seasonal reading lows. I do- if I'm not 30 or so books ahead by late November, I know I may not hit my reading goals. My reading tends to drop off near the holidays- cooking, cleaning, getting the house decorated, etc.

Bella wrote: "Great job, Willemijn. I wonder how many people have seasonal reading lows. I do- if I'm not 30 or so books ahead by late November, I know I may not hit my reading goals. My reading tends to drop off near the holidays- cooking, cleaning, getting the house decorated, etc.
"

I guess everyone has these, but during different seasons. My reading lows tend to happen in summer. When the weather is warmer and the days are longer, there always seem to be so many other things going on, so I read less.
December is less busy for me, because I live on my own. I visit my parents during the holidays, so Christmas doesn't use up very much of my time during the rest of the month.

Lots of people have seasonal reading lows. Mine happen when winter turns to spring because suddenly I'm spending lots of time outside doing physical activities. I find March-May are the hardest to stay on top of my reading goals.

@Bella: It's good you know how to catch yourself. Do you find that you make your 30-ahead by late November frequently?

Yes, Jackie, most years I'm about 30-60 up by November. I've usually hit over 400 books by then. Except when I'm writing, which I hope to start again this year.

Not sure which book to start reading next...

What are you in the mood for? My highest-rated book thus far this year is The Silent Wife and the Blue Heron series by Kristan Higgins.

I'm not really sure. I need to read books I already own rn, but I am not sure I want to start a big book at the moment.

I have the same problem that some girls have with clothes. I'll be standing in front of my bookcase with loads of brand new unread books and I'll be like "I have nothing to read".

Willemijn wrote: "I'm not really sure. I need to read books I already own rn, but I am not sure I want to start a big book at the moment.

I have the same problem that some girls have with clothes. I'll be standing..."

I've had that problem before too! Here's hoping that your next book is an Oscar dress, not a fashion faux pas;)

Sometimes, you've just got to take a plunge and pick up a book and start reading! Don't let length intimidate you. Maybe start one of your longer books and pick up a shorter book at the library to read simultaneously? I find that helps motivate me.

I have a hard time reading right now too. I don`t know why is that. I`m reading a book that is interesting and i want to know how it ends, but something just keeps me away from picking it up. I`m spending my time hear reading how others do.

Jackie B. wrote: "Sometimes, you've just got to take a plunge and pick up a book and start reading! Don't let length intimidate you. Maybe start one of your longer books and pick up a shorter book at the library to ..."

That might actually be a good idea. That way, I can take a break from a big book and read a shorter one. There are quite a few long books that I really want to get off my to-read list this year.