Horror Aficionados discussion

How are you doing on your 2018 reading goals?

What is the best book you've read this year? The worst?


For me, this is my most dismal year in terms of quantity read, barely eking out a book a month. I had several distractions this year with a five year old and a one year old, building a new house, moving into said new house, getting the old house ready to sell and working 500 hours of OT. I also had one self-inflicted distraction, a video game that I started messing with.

Well, with the new year in the new house, I have a resolution to read more and eliminate the distractions I can control. The video game is GONE! I'll keep the five year old and the one year old!

In the process of moving, I consolidated all of my books into the man-cave. I have two boxes that I couldn't shelf. My goal for the coming year is to read enough to empty those two boxes.

The best book on my limited read list this year was The Lesser Swamp Gods of Little Dixie by Jonathan Raab. It was a fun Southern-Gothic read.

I can't say there was a "worst" of the year. Just a bunch of mediocrity.

I beat my 65 books read by ten books. I originally had it at 85 books for the year

I had a modest goal of 12 books (one per month) and it worked 😊
I managed to read a few more books 🥳 and hope to finish one before January 1st.
I will set up a goal of 24 books for 2019 (2 per months) as I belong to the slow reader category 🐌
I found it very difficult to read in December, because of what I call the festive chaos and the multiple distractions...

I did pretty well this past year: 21, I think, books read. I'd set my goal for 15. It probably helped that I had a LOT of doctor appointments in the past couple months, so there was extra opportunity to read in the waiting rooms. I think I'm going to set my goal for 20 next year. If I go over again, that's terrific! At least I've met one goal!

I did fairly well. Set my goal of 50 but surpassed it to 70 because of some quick reads at the beginning of the year.

I'm struggling! 85, I will make it but I have to read a few short stories or novellas for my last 5. Phew!!

Met my goal and surpassed it, so far, by 13 books.

My eyes are getting old and so am I, so my ability to read without glasses finally came to an end in May. I squinted until I couldn't open my eyes.

Best book read: It's a tie between The Name of the Wind and Neverwhere. Both were excellent and earned all of the stars.

Worst book read: Is actually a short story; E is for Exterminator, 2 Stars. Some of those shorts from Iain Robb Wright, are fairly entertaining; but none of them have been excellent.

Biggest surprise: Sleeping Giants. I could not put this book down and read it over 2 days.

Biggest disappointment: Station Eleven. There was so much hype around this book, that I put off reading it so, this year, I couldn't take it anymore and read it..... ugh. So lame. It wasn't horrible; but damn.... I could've had a V-8 or a better book. I did give it like 3.5 stars for murder and mayhem, though.

We still have 2 days; read something great!!!

I planned to read 365 books and have reached a count of 847 books so far. I also count audio books, radio/audio dramas and comics, which might explain why the number is so high.

My best book highlights this year: Boy's Life by Robert McCammon, the A Song Called Youth trilogy by John Shirley, Dweller by Jeff Strand and the A Song Of Ice And Fire series by George R.R. Martin. I am currently reading the third volume, but not sure if I'll be able to finish it this year. The Terror by Dan Simmons was impressive as well, but I already began reading it in 2017 and finished it sometime around February 2018.

2018 was the year I discovered McCammon. I'd also mention Gone South, They Thirst and Swan Song. Swan Song would probably make the top of the list, but I cannot say anything about its actual qualities since the only copy available to me was a heavily butchered German edition.

Boy's LIfe is just excellent writing; so glad you enjoyed it.

I beg of you, to reread Swan Song. It is another awesome offering from McCammon. The man knows how to tell a story. :)

I beat my goal by quite a bit, I was impressed with myself that I was able to read so much this year. I hope to continue the trend for next year too.

I far exceeded my goal, which began at 35 or 40 books, kept increasing until I finally stopped raising it at 75. Currently at 200 on the year and will likely be 201 before the night's out.

i went over my goal by 4. the best of 2018 for me are:
We Sold Our Souls
My Best Friend's Exorcism
The Broken Girls
Kill Creek
The Cabin at the End of the World

I've scaled my goal back some for 2019.

i'm glad to see everyone met or exceeded their goals!

I set my goal to 104 and reached 144. Exceeded my goal and it's the most i've ever read in a year :)

I went over my goal by ten books

Best of 2018 for me
The Long Walk
The Seed from the Sepulchre
Carmilla

Finally met my goal without sweating it -- thank goodness novellas are trendy this year. :-)

My best of 2018, in no particular order:

First, well done to all those who made it, got close and those who just read!
I didn't make it. 178 out of 192. This way my first year in the challenge. I am going to try 175 this year.

My original goal started at 40 and I raised it to 75 before just continuing to read. Ended up with 201 books read in 2018, by far the most I've ever read in a year.

That’s great Alan!