2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge discussion
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Randy's Ridiculously Realistic Goal of 52
message 1:
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RJ - Slayer of Trolls
(new)
Nov 26, 2018 09:30AM
I'm excited to be raising my goal above where it was last year. More comments to come soon!
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Susy wrote: "Good luck & happy new reading year!!"Thank you Suzy!
Kristin wrote: "Yay! Congratulations on increasing your goal, Randy :-D Do you have any other reading goals for the year ahead?"Thank you Kristin! I just want to keep increasing the quality of the books I am reading. I think I managed to improve in this area in 2018 and I want to keep that trend going.
Kristin wrote: "That's a great goal, Randy! What were your favorite books of 2018 so far?"Hi Kristin, I'm going to list those in a couple weeks on my 2018 thread. I'm waiting until the end of the year so I can include all my 5-star books for the year. I don't give many 5-star ratings but I found some really good books this year so I gave more than I usually do.
I did just finish The Secret History by Donna Tartt which was amazing! It will be on that list for sure. :-)
The alliteration makes me giggle!Happy reading in December and 2019!
oshizu wrote: "The alliteration makes me giggle!Happy reading in December and 2019!"
Thanks Oshizu!
I wish you luck in the coming year RJ just like last year The Mods and I will be around cheering if you need us.
Blagica wrote: "I wish you luck in the coming year RJ just like last year The Mods and I will be around cheering if you need us."Thank you Blagica for your support and hard work! I hope you and the other mods always know how appreciated you are!
I already finished my first book of the year (I tried to finish last night but didn't quite make the cutoff): 
Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I started reading:
The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
His Last Bow by Arthur Conan Doyle
Kristin wrote: "Bravo in finishing your first book! I ran into the same predicament as you. Oh well, one book closer to our 2019 goals, which isn't a bad thing :-D"Thanks Kristin!
I finished #2 for the year:
The Power of the Dog by Don Winslow
Rating: 5 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading:
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
I like this idea of increasing the quality of the books one reads over the years! I may have to give it a try myself.Best of luck with the challenge and I look forward to seeing which books you choose.
Lena wrote: "I like this idea of increasing the quality of the books one reads over the years! I may have to give it a try myself.Best of luck with the challenge and I look forward to seeing which books you c..."
Thank you Lena!
I finished two more books bringing my total for the year to 4:
His Last Bow by Arthur Conan Doyle
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain
Rating: 5 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
And I started reading:
Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman
I finished my fifth book of the year:
The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
And I started reading:
The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
I finished two more which brings my 2019 total to 7: 
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
Rating: 2 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
And I started reading:
The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
I finished number 8 for the year: 
Chop Wood Carry Water: How to Fall In Love With the Process of Becoming Great by Joshua Medcalf
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading:
Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court by Steve Jamison and John Wooden
I finished my ninth book of 2019: 
Night Has a Thousand Eyes by Cornell Woolrich
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
And I started reading:
The Axeman by Ray Celestin
I finished my tenth book of the year:
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
And I started reading:
Beast in View by Margaret Millar
I finished my 11th of the year:
The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
And I'm starting:
Ficciones by Jorge Luis Borges
I finished reading my 12th book of 2019:
The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
I finished #13 for the year:
The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
And I started reading:
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams
I finished two more which gives me 15 for the year so far:
Ficciones by Jorge Luis Borges
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Beast in View by Margaret Millar
Rating: 5 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
And I started reading:
The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham
Neil Gaiman And Charles Vess' Stardust by Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess
I finished two more which brings me to 17 for the year:
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Big Sky by A.B. Guthrie Jr.
Rating: 5 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading:
The Terror by Dan Simmons
The Innocents Abroad: Or the New Pilgrim's Progress by Mark Twain
I finished number 18:
Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading
The House Next Door by Anne Rivers Siddons
I recently finished three more which brings me to 21 for the year so far:
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams
Rating: 2 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Neil Gaiman And Charles Vess' Stardust by Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess
Rating: 5 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Axeman by Ray Celestin
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
And I started reading:
In a Lonely Place by Dorothy B. Hughes
Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett
The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year: Volume Eleven edited by Jonathan Strahan
Look at you go! I am so behind this year. I always enjoy seeing what you read you are doing fantastic keep it up.
Blagica wrote: "Look at you go! I am so behind this year. I always enjoy seeing what you read you are doing fantastic keep it up."Thank you Blagica!
Short Story Recommendation: I found this gem in The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year: Volume Eleven:
Mika Model by Paolo Bacigalupi
Read it for free here: http://www.slate.com/articles/technol...
It touches on some of the themes in the Blade Runner movies, with a slightly different angle.
I finished my 22nd book of the year: 
The House Next Door by Anne Rivers Siddons
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading:
The Hours by Michael Cunningham
I finished #23 for the year:
The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading:
Authority by Jeff VanderMeer
Finished #24:
In a Lonely Place by Dorothy B. Hughes
Rating: 5 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading:
Nightfall by David Goodis
I finished my 25th book of the year:
Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started
The Bloody Crown of Conan by Robert E. Howard
I finished #26 - which means I'm halfway to my goal!
Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court by John Wooden and Steve Jamison
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started
Fanatical Prospecting: The Ultimate Guide to Opening Sales Conversations and Filling the Pipeline by Leveraging Social Selling, Telephone, Email, Text, and Cold Calling by Jeb Blount
I finished two more which brings me to 28 for the year so far:
Nightfall by David Goodis
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading:
Cape Fear by John D. MacDonald (previously published as The Executioners)
I'm up to 29 books finished for the year: 
The Hours by Michael Cunningham
Rating: 4 hours
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I just started:
Arthur & George by Julian Barnes
I finished one more to bring me to 30 in the first six months of the year: 
The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year: Volume Eleven edited by Jonathan Strahan
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started:
The Best American Mystery Stories 2017 edited by John Sandford
I finished my 31st book of the year: 
Cape Fear by John D. MacDonald
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started:
Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett
You have read some very interesting books this year. Keep up the great reading!
Blagica wrote: "You have read some very interesting books this year. Keep up the great reading!"Thanks Blagica! I've just finished a couple more:
Authority by Jeff VanderMeer
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading
The Continuous Katherine Mortenhoe by D.G. Compton
Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers
I finished my 34th book of the year: 
The Best American Mystery Stories 2017 edited by John Sandford and Otto Penzler
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading
The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year: Volume Twelve edited by Jonathan Strahan
I finished #35:
Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading:
Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammett
I finished two more, which brings me to 37 for the year:
Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammett
Rating: 5 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Continuous Katherine Mortenhoe by D.G. Compton
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading
This Dark Road to Mercy by Wiley Cash
Crux by Ramez Naam
I finished my 38th book of 2019:
This Dark Road to Mercy by Wiley Cash
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading:
Garden of Beasts by Jeffery Deaver
“Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them at all.” I hope the last month has found you some best books.
Blagica wrote: "“Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them at all.” I hope the last month has found you some best books."Thanks Blagica!
I finished 2 more which brings me to 40 for the year, slightly ahead of schedule for my goal of 52:
Crux by Ramez Naam
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year: Volume Twelve edited by Jonathan Strahan
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading:
For We Are Many by Dennis E. Taylor
The Best American Mystery Stories 2018 edited by Louise Penny and Otto Penzler
I finished reading #41 and #42 for the year:
Garden of Beasts by Jeffery Deaver
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
For We Are Many by Dennis E. Taylor
Rating: 2 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading
Cari Mora by Thomas Harris
We Can Build You by Philip K. Dick
I finished two more which brings me to 44 for the year:
Cari Mora by Thomas Harris
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Best American Mystery Stories 2018 edited by Louise Penny
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
And I started reading:
Rainbow Six by Tom Clancy
Best Horror of the Year Volume 10 edited by Ellen Datlow
2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
In a Lonely Place (other topics)Stardust: Being a Romance within the Realms of Faerie (other topics)
The Power of the Dog (other topics)
The Postman Always Rings Twice (other topics)
Red Harvest (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Charles Vess (other topics)Dorothy B. Hughes (other topics)
James M. Cain (other topics)
A.B. Guthrie Jr. (other topics)
Don Winslow (other topics)
More...
