2025 Reading Challenge discussion

Books read 2012: 1?
Books read 2013: 3
Books read 2014: 1
Books read 2015: 0
Books read 2016: 2
Goodreads Challenge 2017: 46/12-24

-------------------------------------------------------------

★★★★★ = Loved it, I'm a FAN!! :)
★★★★ = Really liked it!
★★★ = It was good (enough).
★★ = Maybe good, but not for me....
★ = Hated it!! :(

-------------------------------------------------------------

Excited about my new reading challenge!!
I've been a GR member since 2012 but actually only started participating in 2017, starting out with 12 books (one a month) which I upped to 20 and then to 24. So my main goal of getting back to enjoying reading as much as I did before "life happened", I attained (need to update my profile info!). So so very happy!!

On the downside I have noticed that not only did I get out of my reading slump and start enjoying reading again, I had a hard time not obsessing over it. There are so many great books I want to read and it frustrates me that I'm a bit of a slow reader (so jealous of everybody who manages to read 100+ books!) So one of my goals for 2018 is not focusing so much on how much I read, rushing through the books, but on enjoying what I'm reading.

That being said, I am going to increase my goal. I've read 38 books so far and had a slow start in the beginning of 2017, so I'm going to try to read 48 books in 2018, 4 books a month:
- 2 books from my TBR (owned for a long time) list (I really want to get that list down to (near) 0)
- 1 group or buddy read (if there's nothing of my interest, I'll read another book from my TBR list/jar)
- 1 work related book (with my focus on reading for pleasure I hardly read anything for work in 2017 so now thát pile is getting higher and higher)

The only thing I need to figure out is, how much am I going to/do I want to adhere to this list? If there are multiple interesting buddy/group reads, am I going to give up on my TBR list? Or do I choose to stick to my TBR list/jar and forcedly make a choice in which buddy/group read to join? In 2017 I just tried to read them all, but that only increased my stress level, so that's not a good idea... Need to think about that.... I welcome your advice on this matter!

GOODREADS 2018 YEARLY CHALLENGE: COMPLETED

January
1. TBR 1: De witte engel
2. TBR 2/NF 1: Aarsrivalen, scheldkarbonades en terminale baden
3. Group 1: The Picture of Dorian Gray
4. TBR 3: De vreugde en gelukclub
5. NF 2: Handboek EMDR
6. Buddy 1: Ready Player One
7. TBR 4: Makkelijk leven
8. Buddy 2: Sense and Sensibility

February
9. TBR 5/NF 3: Wijsheid op vier poten
10. Buddy 3: The Mysterious Affair at Styles
11. Buddy 4: Heartless
12. TBR 6/NF 4: Taal is zeg maar echt mijn ding

March
13. 2017: Winter
14. 2017: Stars Above
15. TBR 7/Buddy 5: De eindeloze nacht
16. TBR 8: An Unsuitable Job for a Woman
17. TBR 9/NF 5: Liefde liegt: Wat mannen niet weten en vrouwen niet willen toegeven

April
00. xxxx: Marokko
18. TBR 10: De stad der blinden
19. TBR 11: De grote wereld
20. TBR 12: De regen voor hij valt
21. xxxx: Teerbemind
22. Buddy 6: Mansfield Park
23. NF 6: Praktijkboek EMDR: Casusconceptualisatie en specifieke patiëntengroepen
24. Buddy 7: Het gouden kompas
25. xxxx: Lightning
26. TBR 13: Cross Fire

May
27. Buddy 8: Het listige mes
28. Buddy 9: De amberkleurige kijker
29. xxxx: Er was eens in het noorden
30. xxxx: Lyra's Oxford
00. xxxx: The Collectors
31. Buddy 10: All the Light We Cannot See
32. Buddy 11: Sing, Unburied, Sing

June
33. Buddy 12: Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
34. Buddy 13: The Song of Achilles
35. Buddy 14: The Book Thief

July
36. Buddy 15: Circe
37. Buddy 16: The Couple Next Door
38. Buddy 17: Alias Grace
39. TBR 14: Met liefde : de mooiste liefdesverhalen
40. TBR 15/NF 7: A Vida, Uma Viagem de Malas Feitas
41. Buddy 18: Leah on the Offbeat
42. TBR 16: Het veilige huis
43. TBR 17: Macaber Carnaval

August
44. Buddy 19: The Night Circus
45. TBR 18/NF 8: Allen Carr's Easyweigh to Lose Weight
46. Buddy 20: The Darkest Minds
47. Buddy 21: The Alienist

September
48. TBR 19/NF 9: de Klappen Van Het Leven: Vervulling Vinden ALS Het Leven Pijn Doet
49. Buddy 22: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
50. Buddy 23: Ilias
51. Buddy 24: Never Fade

October
52. Buddy 25: In The Afterlight
53. Buddy 26: The Rising Dark: A Darkest Minds Collection
54. Buddy 27: Through the Dark
55. Audio 1: De gedaanteverwisseling
56. Buddy 28: 1q84 - Boek een: april-juni
57. NF 10: ToM Training
58. Buddy 29: American Gods

November
59. Buddy 30: 1q84 - Boek twee: juli-september
60. TBR 20: Waar de palmen ruisen / Terugkeer naar Angela
61. Buddy 31: 1q84 - Boek drie: oktober-december


GOODREADS 2018 YEARLY CHALLENGE: THE PLAN

May
27. NF 11: Handboek EMDR bij kinderen en jongeren

November
41. TBR 18: De engelenmaker
42. TBR 19: Het paradijs om de hoek
58. Buddy: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

December
52. TBR 22: De klap
53. TBR 23: De correcties
60. TBR 24: Deception Point
62. Buddy: Turtles All the Way Down
63. Buddy: A Christmas Carol
64. Buddy: The Girl in the Ice


January 2019
01. Wees onzichtbaar
02. Buddy: The Gunslinger
03. Buddy: The Silent Companions
04. Buddy?: The Darkest Legacy
05.
06. work-related book

February
07. The Drawing of the Three
08. The Haunting of Hill House

Susy wrote: "Excited about my new reading challenge!!
I've been a GR member since 2012 but actually only started participating in 2017, starting out with 12 books (one a month) which I upped to 20 and then to ..."

Many of what you are saying are actually what i am facing right now. I have books i bought in 2015 still not read, books i borrowed from a friend and books i get during book fair last year still not read. Yes, i don't have the speed like others do which is inspirational. I don't speed read, i regress while reading, not into buddy reading, i peruse the book. i take things slowly especially for books i read. No stress at all.

As for 2018, i think i just stick to my reading challenge, period. i might not be able to catch up with other challenges. About your buddy reading, perhaps you need to pick one. I'd do the same too while bottling up my frustration not able to join other..haha.

Hopefully you'll manage to achieve your target in 2018.

Susy wrote: "Excited about my new reading challenge!!
I've been a GR member since 2012 but actually only started participating in 2017, starting out with 12 books (one a month) which I upped to 20 and then to ..."

Hi Susy, my advice would be to be flexible so long as you re meeting your numerical goal.

Kamarul wrote: "Susy wrote: "Excited about my new reading challenge!!
I've been a GR member since 2012 but actually only started participating in 2017, starting out with 12 books (one a month) which I upped to 20..."

Thank you Kamarul!

Radhika wrote: "Susy wrote: "Excited about my new reading challenge!!
I've been a GR member since 2012 but actually only started participating in 2017, starting out with 12 books (one a month) which I upped to 20..."

Thanks for the advice Radhika! I'm going to try and do that (and not get frustrated about even more dust on the old books lol).

Kristin wrote: "Great goal, Susy! I think you have a very solid plan that will guide you well. My suggestions would be to go with your heart - if you aren't sure what to do, follow your plan. It'll guide you well...."

Thank you Kristin!
Yes, I know exactly what you mean. I'm just someone who has a hard time letting go. What if it gets better along the way and you miss out on that because you skipped it? I have the same issue with movies lol
But you're right, it shouldn't feel like a chore so I shouldn't be doing things that make me feel like that.
So I will try and do as you say, go with my heart. We'll see how that goes.

Good luck Susy! You are so organized do you have a book you can not wait to start?

Blagica wrote: "Good luck Susy! You are so organized do you have a book you can not wait to start?"

Thank you Blagica!
Actually there are a lot of books I can’t wait to start BUT
1. they don’t all fit into 1 year so I will have to make some choices (not something I’m really good at lol)
2. I feel my dust bunnies are stressing me out, staring at me from my bookshelf, so that will be my main goal for 2018! (although that’s not a goal I feel I enjoy which is contradictory to my belief that reading should be fun...)

if you aren't having fun then it isn't worth doing. *hands you a dustbuster* just in case you need it.

Blagica wrote: "if you aren't having fun then it isn't worth doing. *hands you a dustbuster* just in case you need it."

lol, thx!

Best wishes for the New Year and your 2018 reading goal Susy!

Glad you were able to get out of your reading slump and increased your number of books from the previous year. I'm jealous of those who can read 100+ books too since i read slow. But, I'm happy with reading less and enjoying the process of starting a book and see how it ends. Have fun!

❀✿ Gem ✿❀ wrote: "Best wishes for the New Year and your 2018 reading goal Susy!"

Thank you Gem!

Sahira wrote: "Glad you were able to get out of your reading slump and increased your number of books from the previous year. I'm jealous of those who can read 100+ books too since i read slow. But, I'm happy wit..."

Thank you Sahira!

Good luck Suzy! I love your list and how organized you are for the upcoming year. I see a few on your list that I need to read also.

Randy wrote: "Good luck Suzy! I love your list and how organized you are for the upcoming year. I see a few on your list that I need to read also."

Thank you Randy! It's just that I set my goal on 48 books, which will be quite a challenge for me, but my list already counts 54 reads.... lol

You're more than welcome to buddy read them with me!

Amazing planning there.
Best of luck, and much fun while at it to you!

Auntie Terror wrote: "Amazing planning there.
Best of luck, and much fun while at it to you!"

Thank you Auntie!

Looking forward to 2018 buddy reads!

Joan wrote: "Looking forward to 2018 buddy reads!"

Me too Joan, can’t wait!

First book of the year finally finished, yay!


1. De witte engel | Caleb Carr | 752p | F | Old | Dutch | ★★★★☆

2. Aarsrivalen, scheldkarbonades en terminale baden | Ewoud Sanders | 122p | NF | Old | Dutch | ★★★★☆

3. The Picture of Dorian Gray | Oscar Wilde | 326p | F | New | English | ★★★☆☆

4. De vreugde en gelukclub | Amy Tan | 349p | F | Old | Dutch | ★★★☆☆

5. Handboek EMDR | Ad de Jongh, Erik ten Broeke | 178p | NF | re-read | Dutch | ★★★★☆

6. Ready Player One | Ernest Cline | 374p | F | New | English | ★★★★★

7. Makkelijk leven | Herman Koch | 96p | F | Old | Dutch | ★★☆☆☆

8. Sense and Sensibility | Jane Austen | 479p | F | New | English | ★★★☆☆

AWESOME progress! You’ll be he hitting ur goal in no time.ha ha ha
Keep up the amazing work 😊

Maria wrote: "AWESOME progress! You’ll be he hitting ur goal in no time.ha ha ha
Keep up the amazing work 😊"

Thx Maria!

Your cheerleader has arrived!!!!! 8 books is great progress this year Susy keep up the great work!!!

Here is the link from Stephen King Novels from A-Z
https://www.stephenking.com/library/n...

Blagica wrote: "Your cheerleader has arrived!!!!! 8 books is great progress this year Susy keep up the great work!!!"

Thx Blagica! I'm actually planning to bring it down a notch and make time for other stuff now the January marathon and the 24in48 readathon are over (my home is a mess lol).

9. Wijsheid op vier poten | Gotham Chopra | 335p | NF | Old | Dutch | ★★★☆☆

10. The Mysterious Affair at Styles | Agatha Christie | 244p | F | New | English | ★★★☆☆

You're doing fantastic!

Maggie wrote: "You're doing fantastic!"

Thx Maggie! I do want to bring it down a notch cause I have been neglecting my other activities and chores...

Excellent goal Susy and good luck with the challenge! I see several of my favorites in your list. Happy reading!

Susy wrote: "Maggie wrote: "You're doing fantastic!"

Thx Maggie! I do want to bring it down a notch cause I have been neglecting my other activities and chores..."

I understand how that is. My kids have started watching way too much tv because I was so into reading. So now we've got a good routine. Everyone is happy.

Ranmali wrote: "Excellent goal Susy and good luck with the challenge! I see several of my favorites in your list. Happy reading!"

Thx Ranmali!

11. Heartless | Marissa Meyer | 453p | F | New | English | ★★★★☆

Good luck with your challenge! You're so organised! You're doing great :) (And the secret to compleating 100+ challenges is reading lots of short stories, sequential art, and many books at the same time :'D)

Ewa wrote: "Good luck with your challenge! You're so organised! You're doing great :) (And the secret to compleating 100+ challenges is reading lots of short stories, sequential art, and many books at the same..."

Thank you Ewa!

Lol, I see! I'm afraid I don't have many short stories on my TBR...

Susy wrote: "Ewa wrote: "Good luck with your challenge! You're so organised! You're doing great :) (And the secret to compleating 100+ challenges is reading lots of short stories, sequential art, and many books..."
If I can recommend you something then, The Dryad's Shoe is hilarious! I read short stories quite often so you can hit me up whenever you need a boost in your challenge :)

Cool! Thx! :)

12. Taal is zeg maar echt mijn ding | Paulien Cornelisse | 212p | NF | Old | Dutch | ★★☆☆☆

You're doing great Suzy!

Thx Randy! :)

12 books is awesome! Have you picked a new author you like?