The Dusty Bookshelf discussion

So how did you all do this year? I want to see what books you read and how close you were to making your goal.

Are you going to do anything different next year?

Do you have any new books to add to your challenge next year?

Any suggestions for the challenge/group?

So I read 4 out of the 20 books on my shelf. I am working on book 5 but I might not finish it before the end of the year. Reading during the holidays can be hard sometimes!

My books that I finished:
1. Hunchback of Notre Dame
2. A Preface to Paradise Lost by C.S. Lewis
3. Paradise Lost by Milton
4. Our Search for Happiness by M. Russel Ballard

I know I only finished 40% of my challenge, but I'm still really proud of myself. I have been dreading to read Paradise Lost and without April in this group I never would have done it! I love this group and I hope all of you come back after the holidays.

I think next year I'm going to be more realistic and pick about 5-7 books to read. I really want to focus on reading books I own next year. I have a ton of new books to add to my shelf. Anything that has been sitting on my shelf for over a year gets added to my list. That means I'm going to have a bunch of new ones! A few I see from looking at my shelf really fast are Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and The Name of the Star.

I finally got around to reading:
The Old Man and the Sea
Lolita
The Great Gatsby
Life of Pi
Less Than Zero

And I plan on finishing Lady Chatterley's Lover and Life, the Universe and Everything andThe Bloody Chamber and Other Stories before the year is over!

I'm proud because I'm only counting what I read October onwards!

I didn't manage to finish any of the ones on my list, but did somehow get through 7 other dusties I had. Funny how that works.

I read 5 of my 14!

The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr
Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates
Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King
Spook by Mary Roach

OMG I am 8 books away from my 2012 goal - my personal best! 180 books!! SUPER excited to look back over the year and know I read books I would not have normally picked ... and actually enjoyed!

:)

Jessica wrote: "So how did you all do this year? I want to see what books you read and how close you were to making your goal.

Are you going to do anything different next year?

Do you have any new books to add ..."

I'm at 172/180! So close!!

Next year my goal will be a little more selective in books - this year, I had a few "required reads" due to book club and book review requirements and my "must reads" got shelved. Sad face!

Next year? Different themes, different authors. I tend to read from familiarity - I want to grab something off the shelves from unknown, exotic lands and learn about the world I still dont know about :) I will always love Jodi Picoult, James Patterson, Kathy Reichs (just to name a few!) but there are shelves upon shelves of authors with work still waiting to be read. I hope that it will be me!

Oh I haven't posted here in so long but having just seen the message from Jessica I thought I would check how I had done. And ....

I've read 12 out of my 20. Must do better next year!

Will definitely try to do the same next year to get through some if the older books on my list.

This year was a good year I explored some new authors and had some great discussions. I selected many books from Goodreads but did not post a lot of comments.

This year I was finally able to read the dust bunnies I had taking up space all over my coffee table. I finished out the year going over my original goal of 10 dusty books and then passed my updated goal of 15; 16 books so far, and still counting.

I started challenging myself to read seven specific dusty books, and have read six of them.

Read:


Didn't get to:


Over the course of the year, though, I added more dusty books that I read for our theme months, other groups, or on my own:



So, all in all, I managed to read 19 out of 20 dusty books! I'm proud of myself, some of them were real 'chunksters', too!

Overall, I liked most of the books a lot. Ratings:
5 stars: 2
4 stars: 11
3 stars: 4
2 stars: 2

It has been a good year overall. Completed both the Dusty Bookshelf challenge (7 out of 6) and the regular GR challenge (52 out of 52 so far.) Managed to read mostly non-fiction, too, which was one of my goals.

I finished 15 out of 15 for my Dusty book challenge.
I read
1. Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment Least Dusty Book Winner: on my shelf (nook) less than a year
2. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Most Dusty Book Winner: at least 32 years!! My father bought this book in the early 60's before I was born. The book itself must be close to 50 years old, and it has been on my personal bookshelf since I was a child.
3. Cane River
4. The Color of Magic
5. Crooked River
6. The Dogs of Babel
7. Drinking Coffee Elsewhere
8. Enemy Women
9. The Glass Castle
10. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Highest Rated Dusty Book: 5 stars *****
11. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America
12. The Optimist's Daughter
13. The Partner
14. Property
15. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference

Although I didn't meet my personal goal of reading 25% dusty books overall (I've read 82 books so far this year), I'm pleased with how many dusty books I have dusted off and read this year. This year I defined "Dusty books" as those books on my shelves for more than a year, with the exception of books in my nook, which had to be on the "least recent" page. I would not be so rigid in my definition next year (particularly when I have over 300 TBR on my physical or nook bookshelves right now). I have also started planning my reading challenges (personal and group) for next year and will reach for something I already own before I buy or borrow a book from the library.
Suggestions? Keep it going for next year! :)

I am already going past now :P ... reading Stonewielder by I.C.Esslemont, so far so good :P

I'm actually hoping to knock out more of my dusty books over Christmas break in a last ditch effort before the end of the year (I know I'll at least get to The Hobbit before the movie comes out), so this isn't entirely accurate! I've managed to get to twelve out of twenty so far!

1) Tris & Izzie(2 stars)
2) Eragon (3 stars)
3) Choker (1 star)
4) I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You (5 stars)
5) The Nine Lives of Chloe King (1 star)
6) Shiver (2 stars)
7) Thirteen Reasons Why (5 stars)
8) The Fellowship of the Ring (4 stars)
9) Dear John (3 stars)
10) The Two Towers (5 stars)
11) The Giver (3 stars)
12) The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner (3 stars)

I have read fifty-one books this year and am working on the fifty-second. I's glad about that but I meant to read books I already owned and ended up buying quite a few books, thus adding to my bookshelf.

4 out of 16 from the dusty shelf, but a total of 36 books read this year and still counting. I'm glad I finally managed to read Candle Bay after it set on my shelf for years and would have continued to do so without this Challenge, which made me aware of some long hidden treasures.

However, I have achieved another goal this year: to read every day, even if it is only one small page before going to bed.

So, thanx for creating this Challenge!

Not just counting my dusty books read, I've read 51 books so far this year, but I'll get to a few more before the year is over. My 2012 challenge was modest, too - 24 books, so I have more than doubled that.

well i came late to this challenge only a couple of months ago, so picking 5 for my dusty bookshelf before the end of the year was probably a tad challenging...

HOWEVER, i managed 2...so that's 40% right? ;)

but i must say what this challenge HAS done for me is that it encouraged me to go through my library spreadsheet (yes, i am THAT sad) and enter an extra field for 'approx purchase date' for each book i own so that i can see which books i should be concentrating on next year.

it was quite an eye-opener actually as i guesstimate that i have owned some books from around 1993 and STILL haven't got round to reading them yet. i have moved EIGHT times since then, so i have, effectively, just been moving them from one house to another.

I set 10 as my target, but put 11 on the pile that I photo'ed back in February. I've read 6 so far, working on the 7th, and I'm confident I'll manage the rest before the end of the year.

I managed to finish the challenge, reading 20 out of 20 books for this challenge. I have managed to finish all of my reading goals for the year, as well as keep up with all my schoolwork, so I am happy with that. I didn't manage to read all the ones I had planned to read, and still have three that I hope to finish soon, but overall I've done okay enough.

Next year I will probably do this challenge again, but I may not aim for so many books, especially since I will be in my final year of undergrad, and my end up starting the teaching credential program, or job hunting. I will probably try to do one dusty book a month.

So I found this group in November and loved the idea, since I have a ton of books lying around/on my kindle. Not that I didn't want to read them, I just keep prioritizing books I take out from the library (since they have to go back).

I challenged myself to read 10 books out of my list of ones I hadn't read on my shelf or kindle. I have read 10, but they were mainly on my kindle since that was more convenient. I totally want to do this again next year and really focus on reading physical books I own over taking things out from the library. I'm excited to start again :)

I read all 25 books of my group challenge, but fell woefully short of my overall goal of 80 (I've been really sick this year. I spent 2 weeks in the hospital with a ruptured bladder plus plus plus, after having been told it was in my head and not to worry!) I've read 62 or 63 so far. I mean to hit at least 80 next year. I have around 150 books on my tbr shelf (in real life), so I am all set (I've been holding on too many of them a long time by now, my group challenge will prabably be 30 - 40).

I would say more but I'm on a smartphone and it's a drag typing lengthy stuff on thi thing. I might come back later on my laptop.

I felt so overwhelmed reading your goals and realized I should be setting one for next year..
Lemme see, at least one book a week?
How I wish I'll have the discipline to stick to it!

I set myself a goal of 20 dusty shelf books and actually managed to read 29. For the goodreads challenge I set a goal of 50 books and have up to today managed 120 books. I think I need to set the goals higher for 2013.

My dusty books read were:

01) Butterfly Swords
02) Five Children and It
03) Mum's the Word
04) The Elegance of the Hedgehog
05) Duty, Desire and the Desert King (Desert Kings, #3)
06) Stranger In Paradise
07) The Picture of Dorian Gray
08) The Giver
09) Mockingjay
10) The Paris Wife
11) Candy Apple Dead
12) A Thousand Acres
13) Grave Sight
14) A Springwater Christmas
15) Manhattans & Murder
16) Hush Money
17) The Lincoln Lawyer
18) On What Grounds
19) Thin Air
20) The Alchemist
21) Alphabet Weekends
22) Four to Score
23) The Widow
24) Murder on the QE2
25) Fatherland
26) Blow Fly
27) The Silver Pigs
28) The Cat Who Lived High
29) The Cat Who Went Underground

I got a late start this year because I am new to Goodreads but I managed to get 3 out of 10 from my dusty book shelf list. I am still working on the 4th. When I made my list this year I put books that I have always wanted to read but never have. Next year I want to just put the books that I own and have not gotten to.

I have finished my challenge of reading 35 books (actually I have surpasses it by 1) that have been sitting on my shelf.

I managed 13 dustys out of 33 books read in total this year (temptation was there & my resistance was low!)
Due to something major coming up next year I won't really be able to do better in 2013 :(
I am, however, incredibly happy you all managed so well in your own goals :D Congratulations!

I read 9 out of 10 books this year and I am trying to finish the last one now. So I can do a victory lap.

Favorite Book: The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan
Least Favorite Book: The Wind Done Gone by Alice Randall

Books I Read for this Challenge:
Song Yet Sung
The Moments, The Hours, The Minutes
Viola In the Spotlight
The Story of Beautiful Girl
Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk
The Wind Done Gone
An Open Weave
The Four Agreements
The Bonesetter's Daughter

Currently reading: Christ the Lord-Road to Cana by Anne Rice

I plan on doing this challenge again in 2013 because I have tons of books that have collected way too much dust on my bookshelf. I think I will try to hit 10 and hopefully pass it next year. I might read one more before the end of the year and that way I hit my goal. Fingers crossed. Next year I am going to try and double this one. No really!

I've added a few more since I last posted, so I am now at 21 of 22.

Ok..so not the best...I did get to the "over half way mark" on my dusty shelf! 11 out of the 20 I set for myself...but what's a gal to do when authors keep coming out with new, original, 'must reads'??? I did however reach my total reading goal (and more) of 75 books this year! Yay me.

I have no idea what you have planned for 2013 Jessica, but whether it fits with my personal goals or not...I look forward to chatting and hanging around here with all you great bookish folks!

Happy reading in 2013 to ALL! :)

OH (edited) . . .My personal goal for 2013 is to read all the grand new books with which I've filled my Kindle! (I'm sure I can slam them into some category to play along with whatever this group comes up with! :)

Jessica wrote: "So I read 4 out of the 20 books on my shelf. I am working on book 5 but I might not finish it before the end of the year. Reading during the holidays can be hard sometimes!

My books that I finis..."

My most proud moment for this group; making it through that beast of a book!! I, also, would never have even started "Paradise Lost" had you not kept me motivated Jessica! Thanks...for reading with me, for chatting, for fun mini-challenges and for this group! What a fun time I had reading...old and new, learning about "Snarky" and making new friends (that love books as much...and in some cases even more; didn't think that was possible, than I! :)

Finished my goal Saturday! 45 books in 2012!

So I waited this long to post because I had not finished my challenge until just two minutes ago... Though I confess that I have gone for shorter books for the last few. To be fair, my reading was delayed for six and a half months while I was doing my Navy training... In any case, here's the list:

Mémoires du comte de Comminge -- Mme de Tencin
A Journey to the End of the Russian Empire -- Anton Chechov
Language and Myth -- Ernst Cassirer
The Universe, the Gods, and Men: Ancient Greek Myths Told by Jean-Pierre Vernant
The Power of Myth -- Joseph Campbell
Beowulf: An Anglo-Saxon Epic Poem
Through The Looking Glass -- Lewis Carroll
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland -- Lewis Carroll
Cotillion -- Georgette Heyer
The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1)
The Anti-Federalist Papers and the Constitutional Convention Debates
The Rule of St. Benedict
The Statesman (Texts in the History of Political Thought) -- Plato
Sophist: The Professor of Wisdom -- Plato
The Writings of St. Patrick: The Apostle of Ireland
The Norse Myths
Phantastes -- George MacDonald
Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time -- Greg Mortenson
The Four Loves -- C.S. Lewis
The Question of God: C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud Debate God, Love, Sex, and the Meaning of Life

I just finished my last one!!!! *victory lap* Whoot! Whoot! And just in the nick of time. LOL!!!!!

http://littlepocketbooks.blogspot.com...

Alysia wrote: "I just finished my last one!!!! *victory lap* Whoot! Whoot! And just in the nick of time. LOL!!!!!

http://littlepocketbooks.blogspot.com..."

Congratulations Alysia!!!

I finished The Hobbit and So Much Closer, so two more for my challenge, just as the year closes! (:

Alysia wrote: "I just finished my last one!!!! *victory lap* Whoot! Whoot! And just in the nick of time. LOL!!!!!

http://littlepocketbooks.blogspot.com..."

Great job, Alysia!

Diane wrote: "Alysia wrote: "I just finished my last one!!!! *victory lap* Whoot! Whoot! And just in the nick of time. LOL!!!!!

http://littlepocketbooks.blogspot.com......."

Thanks!!

Denise wrote: "Alysia wrote: "I just finished my last one!!!! *victory lap* Whoot! Whoot! And just in the nick of time. LOL!!!!!

http://littlepocketbooks.blogspot.com......."

Thanks Denise!

I finished one last dusty yesterday for a total of 6 of the 11 that I had set for myself. Not as good as I had hoped, but returning to school in the fall kind of put a crimp in my pleasure reading.

I would like to echo the comments of others here and say that I'm really glad that I joined this group. It's been great getting to know you all and I've made some great friends here.

Here's to another great year hanging out with my fellow booknerds!

Stefan wrote: "I finished one last dusty yesterday for a total of 6 of the 11 that I had set for myself. Not as good as I had hoped, but returning to school in the fall kind of put a crimp in my pleasure reading...."

\m/

i read 9 out of my 12 dusties that i selected..

here's a list of the books i read this year (that goodreads kept record of); apart from these, i have been reading a lot for my research work which i have been so busy with at the end of last year to share with you guys..maybe i'll include them in the goodreads database when my head's clear. cheers.

1. Deception Point
2. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
3.The Flying Classroom
4.The Winner Stands Alone
5.The Kite Runner
6.Toposwi o Torongini
7. Teish Nambar Taillchitra
8.Moroner Donka Baje
9.Adorsho Hindu Hotel
10. Dui Dugune Panch
11. Emil und die drei Zwillinge
12. So Many Books, So Little Time: A Year of Passionate Reading
13. Pride and Prejudice
14. Khoyabanama
15. Brida
16. Divine by Mistake
17. The Witch Of Portobello
18. A Thousand Splendid Suns
19. The Woman Who Flew
20. Lipika
21. Calvin and Hobbes: The Days are Just Packed
22. Bauliana: Worshipping the Great God in Man
23. Architecture from the Outside: Essays on Virtual and Real Space
24. Body and Building: Essays on the Changing Relation of Body and Architecture
25. Nurturing Dreams: Collected Essays on Architecture and the City
26. Architecture Theory Since 1968
27. Vector
28. Strange Pilgrims
29. Lalonshomogro
30. folk tales from the kingdom of nepal
31. Chilekothar Shepai

cheers, all my new bookworm friends!