Reading with Style discussion

Six weeks left in the year. Is it time to think about 2021?

A place to record and monitor your 2021 reading goals.

1. Have on hand fewer unread books. It could be just by 1 book, but several would be better. The rule simply must be that I can't buy more books than I read. [Current: 559] (started the year at 519 - Ugh!]

2. Read at least 10 books to fill unread years in my 20th Century Women's Challenge. 20/10 [100/100] all time. (Started the year at 80/100)

3. Read at least 15 books to fill unread years in my 20th/21st Centuries Mysteries Challenge. This should be easy, I did so well in 2020. 35/15 [61/121] all time. (Started the year at 26/121)

4. Read at least 5 books to fill unread years in my 19th Century Challenge. 7/5 [42/100] all time. (Started the year at 35/100)

5. Keep Trollope and Balzac in mind.

1. read 110 books - COVID made 2020 unusual in many ways, including the number of books I read. I don't know that that is repeatable, so will stick with 110.

2. read at least 1 big fat classic

3. the A-Z classic author challenge - for 2021 I've mixed a few sci-fi back in. I have a few letters to fill, I'm hoping I can find some classic mysteries to slot in.

4. read books remaining on my 2019 + 20 randomizer lists from 1001 GR group (Drop City; Infinite Jest; The Swarm; Play It As It Lays, The Good Soldier Sjevk, Night and Day )

5. series:
a) catch up with most recent installments in Jussi Alder-Olsen Dept. Q series, Elly Griffiths Ruth Galloway series
b) read books 13 to 20 of Alexander McCall Smith No. 1 Ladies Detective agency
c) continue with Louise Penny's Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series; Ian Hamilton's Ava Lee series, Jo Nesbo's Harry Hole series, etc....

6. read at least 2 non- fiction per quarter

7. Mysteries challenge! Work on this. I've picked up inexpensive Kindle versions of some old mysteries, now I need to read them.

8. I used the passive approach for whittling down my hard-copy TBR pile(s) for 2020, and it worked okay. For 2021 I'll try to be more mindful of picking from the piles first.

I've got general goals in 2021 to:

1. Read a few biographies.

2. Continue reading Dickens' novels and short stories.

3. Continue my UK challenge by reading books set in some rural counties of Scotland.

4. Continue with the Mysteries Challenge.

5. Continue reading short stories with a group.

6. Continue with my two monthly library book groups that meet on Zoom.

7. Read some light books--ghost stories, romance, time-travel, beach reads, thrillers--to relax during this pandemic year.

My goal for 2021 will be another approx 25 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list, to bring my total to 650.

I also challenge myself to achieving mega finishes in all the RwS seasons!

I have an embarrassingly huge number of dead-tree tbr (400+ and counting) so I'm setting out a Very Strict rules on library borrowings in the new year in the bid of reducing my tbr by half. Note no limitations on audiobook borrowing as it's on borrowbox app on my phone anyway.

This will probably mean that I may not finish any RwS but this is actually going to be a real challenge for me to just let it go... lol

Connie wrote: "I've got general goals in 2021 to:

1. Read a few biographies.

2. Continue reading Dickens' novels and short stories.

3. Continue my UK challenge by reading books set in some rural counties of Sc..."

Ghost stories - have you read The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde? I don't really read ghost stories but this one I love :)

Sharon, I haven't read The Canterville Ghost yet. I should pick it up since I loved Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray. Thanks for the recommendation.

I'll flesh this out more soon.

1. Complete the 2021 Around the Year in 52 Weeks Challenge.
2. Complete the 2021 Pop Sugar Challenge.
3. Read at least 120 books in 2021.
4. Read at least 40% of works from authors of either gender.

I doubt very much I’ll complete all of these goals, but I like to set myself some targets to guide my reading, so here goes.

Goal A: Books and authors I’d like to read this year
(Not listed in order of priority, and with no expectation that I will actually get to all of these)

1. Read these books that have been on my “to read” list since before I even started keeping a Goodreads TBR:
The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute
Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder
The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks

2. Read Anna Karenina (because I loved War and Peace so much that my 2021 list would be incomplete without Tolstoy)

3. Read La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman (because I had intended to finally read it in 2020 after re-reading the His Dark Materials trilogy)

4. Read a book by each of these authors (some new to me, some favourite authors I’ve been neglecting):
Sarah Waters
Sebastian Faulks
Beryl Bainbridge
✔️ Muriel Spark
Penelope Fitzgerald
Sebastian Barry
Thomas Hardy
Charles Dickens

5. Continue these trilogies:
Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel
The Honourable Schoolboy by John le Carré

6. Read some long historical fiction, eg:
Winter of the World by Ken Follett
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Russka by Edward Rutherfurd
Sarum by Edward Rutherfurd

7. Revisit some series I’ve been neglecting, eg:
The Kingmaker's Daughter by Philippa Gregory
The White Lioness by Henning Mankell
A Mind to Murder by P.D. James

8. Try one or more new series I’ve been considering starting, eg:
Dissolution by C.J. Sansom
Heresy by S.J. Parris

Goal B: Challenges

1. Participate in every season of RwS (and, though this may be unrealistically ambitious, I’d like to complete all RwS tasks one season)
2. Read five books for my mysteries challenge
3. Complete Around the Year in 52 Books (my 5th year!)

Goal C: Lists

Make some progress on the lists I have a long-term goal of completing:

📚 The Guardian: the 100 greatest novels of all time (15/100) [+1]
📚 The Guardian: the 100 best novels written in English (11/100) [+1]
📚 The Guardian: the 100 best books of the 21st century (13/100)
📚 BBC: 100 novels that shaped our world (9/100) [+1]
📚 BBC Big Read (27/200)

I'm trying to read some of the hardcopy books that have been sitting on my shelves for years.

In 2020, I managed to read around 30 of these.

For 2021, I'd like to move along another 30 hardcopy books.

Rosemary wrote: "I also challenge myself to achieving mega finishes in all the RwS seasons!"

So since technically there is no mega finish this summer, I will count it as a mega finish if I complete all of the three subchallenges :)

Rosemary wrote: " I will count it as a mega finish if I complete all of the three subchallenges :)"

Thumbs up on this!

We're coming in to the year's halfway mark!

Goals:
1. I'm making progress on getting my onhand unread books whittled down. I'll never be really good at it though. Just got to 507 when I started at 519, but keeping myself in check, so that's a good thing.
2. I've read 9 women on my goal for the year of 10 twentieth Century women authors.
3. I'm way ahead on my mysteries challenge. Apparently I set the goal too low. 23 of 15 and it's only the end of June!
4. With The Wrong Box, I accomplished my goal of 5 nineteenth century titles for the year. I am allowing myself short stories for this challenge - Balzac!

I'm surprised I've done so well. Can the rest of the year be as good?

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "We're coming in to the year's halfway mark!


Halfway!!! Wow!

My 1/2 way review:

1. read 110 books - this is going to be met soon. We've had long stretches of 'lock-down' so I've had time? I don't know if that is really true though, maybe it's just more short books or audio books (then I can double up). Anyhow, the numbers are up.

2. read at least 1 big fat classic - boo.... this has not happened. I do think of it, but never schedule it in.

3. the A-Z classic author challenge - Yikes... I'm not doing well on this at all. However, I'm not feeling bad about it. I've read quite a few books that could easily qualify for this, so if I'm feeling like I need to 'look better on paper' (lol) I could sub in those books.

4. read books remaining on my 2019 + 20 randomizer lists from 1001 GR group - this IS a disappointment. I've slotted some of these books in for RwS challenges, but not got to them. They are ones I actually want to read too... :(

5. series:
a) catch up with most recent installments in Jussi Alder-Olsen Dept. Q series, Elly Griffiths Ruth Galloway series => YAY! I've caught up with these

b) read books 13 to 20 of Alexander McCall Smith No. 1 Ladies Detective agency => slowly, slowly - I just read #14

c) continue with Louise Penny's Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series; Ian Hamilton's Ava Lee series, Jo Nesbo's Harry Hole series, etc.... => yes and no, also slowly, slowly

6. read at least 2 non- fiction per quarter - super behind on this, only 1 read (for both quarters) so far

7. Mysteries challenge! Work on this. I've picked up inexpensive Kindle versions of some old mysteries, now I need to read them. => also slowly working on this

8. I used the passive approach for whittling down my hard-copy TBR pile(s) for 2020, and it worked okay. For 2021 I'll try to be more mindful of picking from the piles first. => I am actually making a dent, but it's small and hard to see.... ha, ha....

Rosemary wrote: "My goal for 2021 will be another approx 25 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list, to bring my total to 650.

I also challenge myself to achieving mega finishes in all the RwS seasons!"

I'm on track with my goals! I'm at 643 with the 1001 books already. Having those style points last season definitely helped! Thanks for that!

I hit the mega finish for winter and spring, and I have defined it this season as completing all three subchallenges, which should be achievable.

I have, again (!), given up on reducing my number of on hand unread books. Amazon had a promotion this summer that I couldn't refuse. On the other hand, I'm looking forward to the books I chose, so it isn't all bad.

My library had a used book sale last month. So there goes the few spaces I had cleared out of my book shelves. It's a chronic problem or pleasure, depending on how you look at it.

It doesn't look like I'm going to finish the 2021 list on time this year.... but here is the Around the Year in 52 Books list for 2022....which I will strive to work through:

THE 2022 LIST see- https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

1. A book with a main character whose name starts with A, T, or Y
2. A book connected to a book you read in 2021
3. A book with 22 or more letters in the title
4. A book that fits your favorite prompt that did not make the list
5. A book by an author with two sets of double letters in their name

6. A book with an image of a source of light on the cover
7. A book related to psychology, neuroscience or the mind
8. 3 books set on three different continents - Book 1
9. 3 books set on three different continents - Book 2

10. 3 books set on three different continents - Book 3
11. A book from historical fiction genre
12. A book related to glass
13. A book about a woman in STEM

14. A book with fewer than 5000 ratings on Goodreads
15. A book without a person on the cover
16. A book related to Earth Day
17. A book from NPR's Book Concierge

18. A book by an Asian or Pacific Islander author
19. A book that involves alternate reality, alternate worlds, or alternate history
20. A fiction or nonfiction book that is set during 1900 -1951
21. A book with one of the Monopoly tokens on the cover
22. A book with a Jewish character or author

23. A book that features loving LGBTQIA+ relationship
24. A book related to inclement weather
25. A book less than 220 pages OR more than 440 pages
26. 2 books with the same word in the title - Book 1

27. 2 books with the same word in the title - Book 2
28. A book that won an award from Powell's list of book awards
29. A book set on or near a body of water
30. A book related to mythology

31. A book published at least 10 years ago
32. A book where the main character is a female detective/private eye/police officer
33. The next book in a series
34. A book with an academic setting or with a teacher that plays an important role
35. 2 books related to flora and fauna - Book 1

36. 2 books related to flora and fauna - Book 2
37. A book that uses all five vowels in the title and/or author's name
38. A book by a Latin American author
39. A book from the TIME list of 100 Best YA Books of All Time

40. A book related to one of the 22 Tarot Major Arcana cards
41. A book with a theme of food or drink
42. A book with a language or nationality in the title
43. A book set in a small town or rural area
44. A book with gothic elements

45. A book related to a game
46. A book with a non-human as one of the main characters
47. A book with handwriting on the cover
48. A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads in 2021 or 2022

49. A book connected to the phrase "Here (There) Be Dragons"
50. A book that involves aging, or a character in their golden years
51. A book published in 2022
52. A book with a time-related word in the title

This list is created by the group members, after suggestions and votes.

Rosemary wrote: "My goal for 2021 will be another approx 25 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list, to bring my total to 650.

I also challenge myself to achieving mega finishes in all the RwS seasons!"

Achieved! I just posted my fourth mega finish (technically there wasn't one in the summer, but I did all 30 tasks), and I'm on 655 for the 1001 books :)

Rosemary wrote: "Achieved! I just posted my fourth mega finish (technically there wasn't one in the summer, but I did all 30 tasks), and I'm on 655 for the 1001 books :)"

Excellent! Just superb!

Rosemary wrote: "Rosemary wrote: "My goal for 2021 will be another approx 25 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list, to bring my total to 650.

I also challenge myself to achieving mega finishe..."

Good going!

Rosemary, Wow!

Rosemary wrote: "Achieved! I just posted my fourth mega finish (technically there wasn't one in the summer, but I did all 30 tasks), and I'm on 655 for the 1001 books :)"

Well I feel really stupid now because one of my books was disallowed so I don't have the fourth mega finish yet. But I still have time, I should get there as long as nothing else goes wrong :)

The Pop Sugar Challenge for 2022 is now out....see-https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

REGULAR
1. A book published in 2022
2. A book set on a plane, train, or cruise ship
3. A book about or set in a nonpatriarchal society
4. A book with a tiger on the cover or "tiger" in the title
5. A sapphic book
6. A book by a Latinx author
7. A book with an onomatopoeia in its title
8. A book with a protagonist who uses a mobility aid
9. A book about a "found family"
10. An Anisfield-Wolf Book Award winner
11. A #BookTok recommendation
12. A book about the afterlife
13. A book set in the 1980s
14. A book with cutlery on the cover or in the title
15. A book by a Pacific Islander author
16. A book about witches
17. A book becoming a TV series or movie in 2022
18. A romance novel by a BIPOC author
19. A book that takes place during your favorite season
20. A book whose title begins with the last letter of your previous read
21. A book about a band or musical group
22. A book with a character on the ace spectrum
23. A book with a recipe in it
24. A book you can read in one sitting
25. A book about a secret
26. A book with a misleading title
27. A Hugo Award winner
28. A book set during a holiday
29. A different book by an author you read in 2021
30. A book with the name of a board game in the title
31. A book featuring a man-made disaster
32. A book with a quote from your favorite author on the cover or Amazon page
33. A social-horror book
34. A book set in Victorian times
35. A book with a constellation on the cover or in the title
36. A book you know nothing about
37. A book about gender identity
38. A book featuring a party
39. An #OwnVoices SFF (science fiction and fantasy) book
40. A book that fulfills your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading Challenge


Advanced

41. A book with a reflected image on the cover or "mirror" in the title
42. A book that features two languages
43. A book with a palindromic title
44. A duology (1)
45. A duology (2)
46. A book about someone leading a double life
47. A book featuring a parallel reality
48. A book with two POVs
49. Two books set in twin towns, aka "sister cities" (1)
50. Two books set in twin towns, aka "sister cities" (2)

Ed, there is a 2022 Personal Challenge thread here:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

FINALLY ...getting around to posting my completion of LAST Year's Around the Year in 52 Books challenge. I expect to finish the 2022 challenge very soon.

*****COMPLETED 6/2/22******

THE 2021 LIST
✔1. A book related to “In the Beginning...”-series #1- Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney-3/15/21
✔2. A book by an author whose name doesn't contain the letters A, T or Y- Biloxi Blues by Neil Simon 3/6/21
✔3. A book related to the lyrics for the song "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music- Maybe the Moon by Armistead Maupin-4/15/21
✔4. A book with a monochromatic cover-Gigi: A Comedy in Two Acts by Anita Loos-3/9/21
✔5. A book by an author on USA Today's list of 100 Black Novelists You Should Read- Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley-4/1/21-
✔6. A love story- Hard Rain by Irma Venter-2/24/21
✔7. A book that fits a prompt suggestion that didn't make the final list-Book originally not in English- Our Lady of the Flowers by Jean Genet 1/1/21
✔8. A book set in a state, province, or country you have never visited-Cote D'Ivoire- Aya of Yop City- 3/24/21-112p-pub 9/16/2008
✔9. A book you associate with a specific season or time of year- Dog Days by Jeff Kinney-3/26/21
✔10. A book with a female villain or criminal- Double Indemnity by James M. Cain-3/28/21
✔11. A book to celebrate The Grand Egyptian Museum- Mountolive by Lawrence Durrell-6/7/21
✔12. A book eligible for the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation- Hotel Silence by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir-12/6/21-
✔13. A book written by an author of one of your best reads of 2020- Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson-8/10/21
✔14. A book set in a made-up place-Hogwarts- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling-2/10/21
✔15. A book that features siblings as the main characters- The Ersatz Elevator by Lemony Snicket 3/23/21-
✔16. A book with a building in the title- The House by the Medlar Tree by Giovanni Verga-5/28/21
✔17. A book with a Muslim character or author- Double Blank by Yasmina Khadra 6/26/21
✔18. 3 books related to "Past, Present, Future" - Book 1-PAST-- Medieval Japan The Three Arrows and the Servants and the Snow by Iris Murdoch-3/23/21
✔19. 3 books related to "Past, Present, Future" - Book 2-PRESENT- That Was Then, This Is Now by S.E. Hinton -12/3/21-
✔20. 3 books related to "Past, Present, Future" - Book 3-FUTURE- The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.-5/18/22
✔21. A book whose title and author both contain the letter "u"- Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya 3/3/21
✔22. A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads- A Summons to Memphis by Peter Taylor-7/17/21-
✔23. A cross genre novel- graphic historical novel- Girl in Dior by Annie Goetzinger-7/7/21
✔24. A book about racism or race relations- March: Book Two by John Lewis- 4/2/21
✔25. A book set on an island- The Ballad of Peckham Rye by Muriel Spark- 3/5/21
✔26. A short book (<210 pages) by a new-to-you author-102p - The Shoemaker's Holiday by Thomas Dekker 1/10/21
✔27. A book with a character who can be found in a deck of cards- several Kings and Queens in Arabian Nights: More Marvels and Wonders of the Thousand and One Nights, Volume II of II by Jack D. Zipes-10/13/21
✔28. A book connected to ice- Winter by Christopher Nicholson-4/11/21-
✔29. A book that you consider comfort reading- The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves-2/27/21
✔30. A long book- The Last Chronicle of Barset by Anthony Trollope-10/29/21
✔31. A book by an author whose career spanned more than 21 years- Three Blind Mice and Other Stories by Agatha Christie-3/19/21
✔32. A book whose cover shows more than 2 people- My Brother's Husband, Volume 2 by Gengoroh Tagame-3/2/21
✔33. A collection of short stories, essays, or poetry-poetry- What Kind of Woman: Poems by Kate Baer-2/13/21
✔34. A book with a travel theme- Around the World in 50 Years: My Adventure to Every Country on Earth by Albert Podell-1/8/21
✔35. A book set in a country on or below the Tropic of Cancer-Australia- The Plains by Gerald Murnane-3/14/21
✔36. A book with six or more words in the title- A Brief Conversion and Other Stories by Earl Lovelace-1/26/21
✔37. A book from the Are You Well Read in World Literature list- The Sea by John Banville-4/21/21
✔38. A book related to a word given by a random word generator-my word"OVER"- Three Stars Over Luanda by Patrick Hughes-6/7/21
✔39. A book involving an immigrant-Patience Portefeux in The Godmother by Hannelore Cayre 1/14/21
✔40. A book with flowers or greenery on the cover- Spring Garden by Tomoka Shibasaki- 12/1/21-
✔41. A book by a new-to-you BIPOC author- How We Fight For Our Lives by Saeed Jones-1/30/21
✔42. A mystery or thriller- For Your Eyes Only by Ian Fleming-1/6/21
✔43. A book with elements of magic- Redemption in Indigo by Karen Lord-1/19/21
✔44. A book whose title contains a negative- Untold Night and Day by Bae Suah - 6/7/21
✔45. A book related to a codeword from the NATO Phonetic Alphabet-India- A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth-.-9/17/21
✔46. A winner or nominee from the 2020 Goodreads Choice Awards-Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia-3/19/22
✔47. A non-fiction book other than biography, autobiography or memoir- Cat Talk: What Your Cat Is Trying to Tell You by Carole C. Wilbourn-6/2/22
✔48. A book that might cause someone to react “You read what?!?”- Sodom and Gomorrah by Marcel Proust-5/2/21-
✔49. A book with an ensemble cast- A Murder Is Announcedbook:A Murder Is Announced|16298] by Agatha Christie-1/3/21
✔50. A book published in 2021- The Many Lives of Pusheen the Cat by Claire Belton- 9/1/21
✔51. A book whose title refers to person(s) without giving their name- The Father by August Strindberg-1/11/21
✔52. A book related to "the end"- end of the Alexandria Quartet--Clea by Lawrence Durrell 3/8/22

Good job!