2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge discussion

Like 2019, I'll be shooting for 52 books finished in 2020. I'm only one away from my 2019 goal and should finish that book in the next 2-3 days.

I have a whole bunch of books that are almost complete and should be finished in the first few days of 2020. More on those later.

In my 2019 topic, I'll be posting a year-end summation sometime over the holidays. In this topic I'll share some thoughts on what I expect in 2020.

Let's make it a great reading year everybody! And don't forget - QUALITY over QUANTITY!

With 2020 just around the corner, I'm going to start posting some thoughts on the reading year ahead.

I read several books at the same time and I usually try to select one or two from each of the following categories:
- General Fiction and Classics
- Non-Fiction
- Mystery, Crime, Thriller
- Science Fiction
- Fantasy
- Horror
- Short Stories

Over the next couple weeks, I'll be spotlighting some of the books that I plan to read in the coming year in each of these categories.

Meanwhile, in my 2020 Reading Challenge topic, I'll be summarizing the books I read in 2019 and naming my favorite(s) in each category. Join me there at: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

GENERAL FICTION/CLASSICS IN 2020

In 2020, I will continue reading


World Without End by Ken Follett

When that one is finished (probably around March) I'll be moving on to:


Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi


East of Eden by John Steinbeck


The Way West by A.B. Guthrie Jr.


The Time Regulation Institute by Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar


Sometimes a Great Notion by Ken Kesey

I'm not sure I'll get to all of them this year. And of course if there's an interesting group read going on I might throw something else in, but for now these are the books I'm trying to get to.

Hey Randy!
I always enjoy following along on your thread and discovering what you're reading :)
I hope 2020 brings a lot of great books your way. Best of luck!

Lisa wrote: "Hey Randy!
I always enjoy following along on your thread and discovering what you're reading :)
I hope 2020 brings a lot of great books your way. Best of luck!"

Thank you Lisa!

NON-FICTION IN 2020

In 2020 I will continue reading:


The Innocents Abroad: Or the New Pilgrim's Progress by Mark Twain

I should finish that one in January at which time I'll move on to these books:


The Pilgrimage by Paulo Coelho


Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest by Stephen E. Ambrose


Moneyball by Michael Lewis


Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing


Barbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco by Bryan Burrough

I might move Moneyball up to follow The Pilgrimage so I can time it with the opening of Spring Training camps. But these are the non-fiction books I plan to get to over the next few months. If a group read book comes up that I'm especially interested in I might join it also.

I do also read books for work, and those are non-fiction books as well. Right now I'm reading:


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 should wrap that up sometime in 2020 (I read just a few pages at a time when I'm waiting around in my car for an appointment or something) then I'll probably move on to:


Asking Questions The Sandler Way by Antonio Garrido

MYSTERY, CRIME. THRILLERS IN 2020

For me, in this category, I am focused this year on moving forward with the series I have already started, while also occasionally slipping in new series or standalone books either by an author that is new to me or by someone who I've already read before.

In 2020 I will continue reading:


Live and Let Die by Ian Fleming

I should finish that one just after New Year's, at which time I will move on to these books:


A Little Yellow Dog by Walter Mosley
5th in the Easy Rawlins series


The Lady in the Lake by Raymond Chandler
4th in the Philip Marlowe series


Wild Fire by Nelson DeMille
4th in the John Corey series


The Man Who Risked His Partner by Stephen R. Donaldson
2nd in The Man Who series


A Murder of Quality by John le Carré
2nd in George Smiley series


Origin by Dan Brown
5th in Robert Langdon series. Yes, Dan Brown. Don't judge me.

There will be plenty more in this category since this genre has been a big focus of my reading over the last several years.

SCIENCE FICTION in 2020

I have a ton of Science-Fiction books sitting around on my shelves waiting to be read but I have lost my enthusiasm in this genre over the last several years. The books always seem so promising based on the story ideas, but quite often the story and the writing fail to live up to my expectations, which are getting lower and lower.

My focus this year is finishing off some of the series I am reading then trying to focus on reading some of the better choices in the genre - Philip K. Dick and Neal Stephenson have produced high quality work and I am looking forward to finding some other authors that produce similar quality.

In 2020 I will continue reading:


Acceptance by Jeff VanderMeer

and then I will move on to these books, many of which are the final book in their respective series:


Apex by Ramez Naam


All These Worlds by Dennis E. Taylor


Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold


The Testaments by Margaret Atwood


Head On by John Scalzi

FANTASY in 2020

Like my Mystery and Science-Fiction reads, the goal is going to be to focus on catching up in my series reads this year without getting too sidetracked. Easier said than done.

In 2020 I will continue reading:


Bloody Rose by Nicholas Eames

and then I will move on to these books:


Mort by Terry Pratchett


The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden


Arm of the Sphinx by Josiah Bancroft


Death's Master by Tanith Lee


The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin


Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis

HORROR in 2020

I don't read a lot of horror books. I don't mind the genre but I just don't seem to have much luck finding books I enjoy within the genre. Most horror books seem to have a plot like "OK there's this guy or gal or group of people and then something bad or violent happens the end." I just can't find that very compelling.

For 2020 I'm going to read some more Stephen King books since people seem to like his stuff, and I'm also going to resume the Anne Rice Vampire series, at least for a few volumes, to see if I want to continue with it. Along the way I'll work in some stand-along books by other authors.

So in 2020 I'll keep reading:


The Terror by Dan Simmons

which is outstanding, and when I finish it I'll start reading these books:


The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice


'Salem's Lot by Stephen King


Imajica by Clive Barker


The Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice


The Shining by Stephen King

I doubt I will make it through this entire batch of books since several of them are pretty long and I won't rush through them, but this is the order in which I have them teed-up right now. I might slip in another book for a group read if one comes up that I want to join.

SHORT STORIES in 2020

I try to keep up with the latest SF/F and Mystery "Best Of This Year" anthologies and I'm current with both series. I am going to try to start working on some of the other anthologies and collections I have lying around.

In 2020 I will finish reading these two anthologies/collections:


Best Horror of the Year Volume 10 edited by Ellen Datlow


Fire Watch by Connie Willis

Once those are complete I will move on to reading:


The Year’s Best Science Fiction & Fantasy, 2019 Edition edited by Rich Horton


The Best American Mystery Stories 2019 edited by Jonathan Lethem and Otto Penzler


Old Venus edited by George R.R. Martin


The Complete Stories by Flannery O'Connor


The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu

In order to stay current with my SF/F and Mystery annual anthologies, I'm not sure if I will make it to the last couple selections listed above or if they will need to be set aside for next year.

NEW AUTHORS IN 2020

In 2019 I read 52 books, and 27 of those were written by authors who I had never read before. It's too early to tell how many new authors I will read in 2020, although I expect the number might be lower because of my focus on trying to catch up on series.

Here are some of the authors I hope to read for the first time in 2020:

Yaa Gyasi - Homegoing
Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar - The Time Regulation Institute
Stephen E. Ambrose - Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest
Alfred Lansing - Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage
Antonio Garrido - Asking Questions The Sandler Way
Flannery O'Connor - The Complete Stories
Ken Liu - The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories

Hopefully I will find some new favorites in this group!

Tomorrow is the beginning of 2020! I'll be starting off with these books as active reads, although some of them are almost complete:


Bloody Rose by Nicholas Eames


Live and Let Die by Ian Fleming


The Terror by Dan Simmons


Best Horror of the Year Volume 10 edited by Ellen Datlow


Fire Watch by Connie Willis


Acceptance by Jeff VanderMeer


The Innocents Abroad: Or the New Pilgrim's Progress by Mark Twain


World Without End by Ken Follett


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

Let's make it a great 2020!

I finished my first two books of 2020:


Bloody Rose by Nicholas Eames
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


Live and Let Die by Ian Fleming
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading:


Mort by Terry Pratchett


A Drink Before the War by Dennis Lehane

This is my favorite quote of all time! I hope it brings you luck with your reading in 2020!

Blagica wrote: "This is my favorite quote of all time! I hope it brings you luck with your reading in 2020!
"

Thank you Blagica!

of course!

I finished my third book of the year, and my first 5-star review:


The Terror by Dan Simmons
Rating: 5 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading


The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice

I finished my fourth book of the year:


Best Horror of the Year Volume 10 edited by Ellen Datlow
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I finished my fifth book of the year:


Fire Watch by Connie Willis
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...#

and I started reading:


The Year’s Best Science Fiction & Fantasy, 2019 Edition edited by Rich Horton

I finished my sixth book of the year:


The Innocents Abroad: Or the New Pilgrim's Progress by Mark Twain
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading:


The Pilgrimage by Paulo Coelho

I finished three books this week which brings me to 9 for the year:


Acceptance by Jeff VanderMeer
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


A Drink Before the War by Dennis Lehane
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


Mort by Terry Pratchett
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

And I started reading:


The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden


A Little Yellow Dog by Walter Mosley


Apex by Ramez Naam

I finished my first book of February, which is also my 10th book of the year:


A Little Yellow Dog by Walter Mosley
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading:


The Vengeful Virgin by Gil Brewer

and


The Rim of Morning: Two Tales of Cosmic Horror by William Sloane

In the last few days I finished three books, bringing me to a total of 13 for the year so far:


The Vengeful Virgin by Gil Brewer
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


To Walk the Night by William Sloane - the first book in the collection The Rim of Morning: Two Tales of Cosmic Horror
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


The Pilgrimage by Paulo Coelho
Rating: 2 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading:


The Lady in the Lake by Raymond Chandler


The Edge of Running Water by William Sloane - the second book in the collection The Rim of Morning: Two Tales of Cosmic Horror


Moneyball by Michael Lewis

I finished #14 for the year:


The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden
Rating: 2 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading:


Arm of the Sphinx by Josiah Bancroft

I finished my 15th book of the year:


The Edge of Running Water by William Sloane
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Edge of Running Water is the second book in this collection:


The Rim of Morning: Two Tales of Cosmic Horror by William Sloane
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I finished #16 for the year:


Apex by Ramez Naam
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading:


All These Worlds by Dennis E. Taylor

I finished my 17th book of the year, one of the best so far:


The Lady in the Lake by Raymond Chandler
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading:


Pop. 1280 by Jim Thompson

I finished my 18th book of the year:


World Without End by Ken Follett
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading:


Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

I finished two more books which brings me to 20 so far in 2020:


Moneyball by Michael Lewis
Rating: 5 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


All These Worlds by Dennis E. Taylor
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading:


Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest by Stephen E. Ambrose


Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold

I finished my 21st book of the year:


Pop. 1280 by Jim Thompson
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading:


Wild Fire by Nelson DeMille

I finished my 22nd book of the year:


The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading:


The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

Hey! I finished #23!


Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold
Rating: a very generous 2 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading


Head On by His Grand Snarkiness John Scalzi

I finished my 24th book of 2020:


Wild Fire by Nelson DeMille
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading


The Man Who Risked His Partner by Stephen R. Donaldson writing as Reed Stephens

I am all about magic this year. I hope that your reading goal is your little touch of magic.

Blagica wrote: "I am all about magic this year. I hope that your reading goal is your little touch of magic.
"

Thank you Blagica!

I finished my 25th book of the year:


Head On by John Scalzi
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I didn't start reading another Sci-Fi book yet because I'm waiting to see the outcome of the group read vote in my Pulp Fiction group. Whichever book they pick I will start reading on May 26th. Until then I'll keep plugging away on my others books, and I should finish a couple more in the next week or so.

I finished my 26th book of the year, and it was a good one:


Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading:


East of Eden by John Steinbeck

I finished another one, bringing me to 27 so far in 2020:


The Man Who Risked His Partner by Stephen R. Donaldson writing as Reed Stephens
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading:


A Murder of Quality by John le Carré

I finished my 28th book of the year:


The Year’s Best Science Fiction & Fantasy, 2019 Edition edited by Rich Horton
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading:


The Howling Man by Charles Beaumont

Here's my 29th read of the year, a short one but a good one:


The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
Rating: 5 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading:


'Salem's Lot by Stephen King

RJ from the LBC wrote: "...I didn't start reading another Sci-Fi book yet because I'm waiting to see the outcome of the group read vote in my Pulp Fiction group...."

Voting has ended so I will start reading the winner:


A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs

I finished my 30th book of the year, well ahead of the pace needed to get to 52:


Arm of the Sphinx by Josiah Bancroft
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading:


Death's Master by Tanith Lee

I finished another one, bringing me to 31 for the year so far:


A Murder of Quality by John le Carré
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading:


A Judgement in Stone by Ruth Rendell

I finished my 32nd book of 2020:


Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest by Stephen E. Ambrose
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading:


Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing

Today I finished my 33rd book of 2020:


A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading:


The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

I finished another one! Now I'm up to 34 for the year so far:


A Judgement in Stone by Ruth Rendell
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading (don't judge me):


Origin by Dan Brown

I finished my 35th book of the year:


Origin by Dan Brown
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading:


The Friends of Eddie Coyle by George V. Higgins

I'm up to 37 now for the year!

I finished two collections by Charles Beaumont, one of the writers behind the scenes of the original Twilight Zone TV series:


Perchance to Dream by Charles Beaumont
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


The Howling Man by Charles Beaumont
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

And I started reading another Beaumont collection (there is a lot of overlap between his collections, so I have already read many of the stories):


The Hunger: And Other Stories by Charles Beaumont

I finished my 38th book of the year:


The Hunger: And Other Stories by Charles Beaumont
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading:


Night Ride And Other Journeys by Charles Beaumont

There is a lot of overlap in Beaumont's various short story collections so I have already read many of these stories.