All About Books discussion

In which I dance my way through my own and the libraries' shelves, sometimes returning to old favourites, sometimes exploring new topics, always on the lookout for a really good book.

For 2022, I designed some milestones to help keep me motivated and bring a bit of a gamification factor into my reading (because why not). These are not challenges in that I want to achieve all of them (though some definitely are part of my yearly reading goals), only see where my reading falls in '22. User Wreade1872 was a huge inspiration for this, so thanks again Wreade! But now without any ado whatsoever here they are, my possible achievements:

Got Shelf?: Complete all unread books you own.
Good Reads: Read 70 items.
Quantity over Quality: Read 12000 pages.
Well-Trodden Paths: Complete 4000 pages of Rereads.
Inkspell: Write 25 reviews.
Quota: Read 36 books by female authors. 28.12.
It's A Spectrum!: Read 10 LGBT+ books/stories.
Facts For Future: Read 10 non-fiction books. 10.11.
Soundwave Rider: Listen to 24 audiobooks.
Reading In A Hurry: Read 12 short stories or anthologies.
Globetrotter: Read 20 books that are not originally written in English. 20.12.
Reignite The Flame: Reread 10 books you own and have read only once before. 25.10.
Pleased To Read You: Read 15 books by new-to-you authors. 16.05.
Have We Met?: Read 5 new non-sequels by authors you've read before. 07.05.
But, Seriously: Read 8 books in series you've already started. 18.04.
Dustcatcher: Read 10 out of the 50 oldest books on your Goodreads TBR shelf.
All Is 1. Except 0: Read 25 items available in digital format. 11.06.
Support Your Local Dealer: Read 35 items from the library.
Silver Screen: Read 4 books that are being/have been adapted for the screen. 17.04.
Time Traveler: Read books from 10 different decades. 24.07.
Would That I Were A Bibliopole: Read 2 books from the 1600s or before.
Obstinate Reader: Read 3 books from the 1700s. 28.10.
Assume The Slantindicular: Read 4 books from the 1800s. 28.08.
Mere Fandangle: Read 5 books from the 1900s. 28.03.
Post-Post-Post-Modern: Read 6 books from the 2000s. 18.03.
D&J Catch-up: Read 4 books for the D&J Catch-up Challenge. 20.09.
It's A Bird! It's A Plane!: Complete 36 books for the D&J Challenge.
Listmaker's Delight: Read 10 books from any followed book list.

Sounds fun Sam! Good luck with your challenges!

awesome idea 👏🏼

The challenges sound really interesting Sam, best of luck with them.

Complicated!!! Good luck with it!

Impressive! Looking forward to some of the reads you select in 2022!

The reading year started out slug-like, as it often does for me. I bridged some of it by reading a couple of short stories which will help me towards my "Reading in a Hurry" goal.
Only today have I completed my first physical book of 2022, Perfume by Patrick Süskind. I first read this approximately 18 years ago, so it was time to revisit this brilliant story.

ACHIEVEMENT
I completed 6 books published in the 21st century, thus unlocking "Post-Post-Post-Modern". I obviously had no idea how many books I would read that were published realtively recently (6 out of 17 in total is a lot more than I expected), and consequently will increase the number of books to read for this task for next year.
The books were:
- Tuesday's Gone
- Line of Sight
- Convenience Store Woman
- The Shadow of the Wind
- Delicious in Dungeon, Vol. 10
- Who Fears Death
I enjoyed a good portion of them, actually only Line of Sight was the one not-in-a-good-way standout book. Who Fears Death was marvellous, I read Convenience Store Woman in one go, I was really pleased with where Dungeon Meshi went ... it was a good batch overall.

I enjoyed Convenience Store Woman Sam - it was odd but very engaging!

I felt very similar about it, Greg. It was more entertaining than making a critical statement, which is totally fine but I had not expected.

ACHIEVEMENT

Not much of a surprise after the last one: I have completed 5 books published in the 1900s, achieving Mere Fandangle. The bar was again too low. Ah, we live to learn.
- The Color of Magic
- The Light Fantastic
- Forrest Gump
- Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
- La secte des égoïstes
To think that I read so many Discworld novels, but never the first two ... inconceivable! But now I am actually glad it took me so long. Discovering Pratchett's early work, with its sci-fi elements and some incongruencies compared with his later novels, wouldn't have been as much fun, had I not known where he went with his creation in later installments.
My favourite out of this batch, however, is without question Perfume, a reread (after 18 years) for me, and so superbly written the other books pale in comparison.

ACHIEVEMENTs

I binged the Avatar comics after introducing the series to my boyfriend. To balance this out I picked up an old audiobook and there you go: Another to tasks are complete.

Silver Screen: Read 4 books that are being/have been adapted for the screen.
- Forrest Gump
- Die Farben der Magie
- Das Licht der Phantasie
- Das Licht der letzten Tage

But, Seriously: Read 8 books in series you've already started.
- Eisiger Dienstag
- Die Farben der Magie
- Delicious in Dungeon 10
- Das Licht der Phantasie
- Avatar 2: The Search
- Avatar 3: The Rift
- Avatar 4: Smoke and Shadow
- Avatar 5: North and South

ACHIEVEMENT

"Have we met?" unlocked (Read 5 books by authors you already know - no sequels allowed.):

Once Upon a River: Another masterfully narrated novel by Diane Setterfield. She is just so readable. I'm not a farytale reader, but I enjoyed this a lot.

Classic Science Fiction Stories: An anthology featuring many authors I had read before and some new ones to discover.

To Be Taught, If Fortunate: A lot less likeable than Becky Chambers' Wayfarer series, this was very slow and less focused on the connection between the characters a lot more about "bigger" themes. The ending made up for the very slow pacing.

The Drowned World: Ballard's first novel was the low point in this batch. I hate-loved Highrise intensely a few years back and was excited about the themes in this "climate change"-y book. But it was very slow and Ballard's style hadn't fully formed, so there was not much in there for me and I put the book down.

War Diaries, 1939–1945: Astrid Lindgren's war diary was more disturbing than I anticipated ("I fear the Russians." feels very much like something out of a contemporary text) and provided more insights into a beloved author's perspective and life. It is hard to rate a book like this: It is not a literary text and wasn't meant for publication as far as I know. But I got something out of it and I am glad I was able to get my hands on it.

ACHIEVEMENT

"Pleased to read you" unlocked (15 new-to-you authors):

Line of Sight | Goblin Market | The Lottery | Die Ladenhüterin | Forrest Gump | Maria: or, The Wrongs of Woman | Das Schloss Otranto | Chéri | Who Fears Death | Classic Science Fiction Stories | Giovanni's Room | The Promise | Imbalance | Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Lost Adventures | The Wool Trilogy

Favourite out of the batch: Who Fears Death
I will definitely return to Nnedi Okorafor.

I forgot an ACHIEVEMENT, unlocked on vacation 11.06.

"All Is 1. Except 0" unlocked (25 items in digital format)

Eisiger Dienstag | Die Ratten von Perth | Goblin Market | The Lottery | Das Bildnis des Dorian Gray | Was der Fluss erzählt | Avatar 1: The Promise | Das Licht der letzten Tage | Avatar 2: The Search | Avatar 3: The Rift | Avatar 4: Smoke and Shadow | Avatar 5: North and South | Mein Leben als Pavian | Avatar 6: Imbalance | The Lost Adventures (Avatar) | Die Menschheit hat den Verstand verloren | Silo | Team Avatar Tales | Katara and the Pirate’s Silver | Toph Beifong’s Metalbending Academy | Suki, Alone | Unsichtbare Frauen | Wölfe | Die Geschichte der Bienen | Das innere Auge

And another: Time Traveler unlocked (Read books from 10 different decades.)

2010s: Eisiger Dienstag
2000s: Der Schatten des Windes > reread. okay
1990s: Die Schule der Egoisten > reread, a real letdown
1980s: Die Farben der Magie > early Discworld novels are ... wild
1960s: Tree and Leaf > reread, loved it!
1950s: Giovannis Room
1940s: Die Bibliothek von Babel > another not so great reread
1890s: Das Bildnis des Dorian Gray
1860s: Goblin Market > nice enough, but by far not as queer as I wanted it to be.
1790s: Maria, or: The Wrongs of Woman > to think how much of the story is autobiographical!

ACHIEVEMENT

Assume The Slantindicular: Read 4 books from the 1800s.

Goblin Market
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Hands Around
The Count of Monte Cristo

and one bonus read: Lotti, die Uhrmacherin
I mention this because it was a delight and is underappreciated.

ACHIEVEMENT

D&J Catch-up: Read 4 books for the D&J Catch-up Challenge.

The Color of Magic
Wool Omnibus
Kings of the Wyld
The Galaxy, and the Ground Within

ACHIEVEMENTs of the last couple of weeks

Facts For Future: Read 10 non-fiction books.
I completed this task today! I try to reduce my non-fiction tbr and run a little side-challenge specifically for that, but why stop at ten? My secret goal ist to get one or two more books under my belt before this year's end. Titles were:
Mein Leben als Pavian
Die Menschheit hat den Verstand verloren
Unsichtbare Frauen
Das innere Auge
Reisen im Licht der Sterne
What if?: Was wäre wenn?
Tree and Leaf (a reread but so much fun!)
London: The Biography (Alas, a DNF)
Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls
Berlin - Moskau: Eine Reise zu Fuß (this one was a real highlight!)

Reignite The Flame: Reread 10 books you own and have read only once before.
The goal is to maybe update my opinion on some books I have brought with me for multiple moves but haven't read more than once. And voilá! I got rid of a couple of books I didn't enjoy the second time around.
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (still so good!)
Die Schule der Egoisten (not still so good)
Die Bibliothek von Babel
Das Licht der letzten Tage
Mein Leben als Pavian
Wölfe
Reisen im Licht der Sterne
Tree and Leaf
Der Schmied von Großholzingen
Nimona

Obstinate Reader: Read 3 books from the 1700s.
This didn't go so swell. Two DNFs. But also one quite interesting read and three books down the TBR list, so it was worth it. DNFs first:
The Castle of Otranto
Candide
Maria: or, The Wrongs of Woman
I guess I'm not the best at reading satire :D

I managed to unlock two more achievements, by completing the Globetrotter task (read 20 books not originally written in English) and the Quota task (read 36 works by female authors).

Since there is not much time left and I don't think I can complete another task, let's see how close I got. These are the unfinished tasks::

Got Shelf? Read all your TBR. The statistics on this one are totally against me, what with all the incoming new books over the year and such. But you never know, maybe someday I can read all my TBR and end the year on a TBR of zero. I'll carry this task over to my 2023 challenge.
It’s a spectrum! Read 10 LGBT books/stories: I got close for this one, but was a bit too lazy to seek out fitting reads. I could still read two short stories to complete the task, but this runs kind of against what I was trying to do with this idea. This is a task I will re-use in 2023.
Dustcatcher: Read 10 out of your 50 oldest TBR books: Another close call. I read 8 of the oldest books I shelved on GR, and War and Peace was one of them. Enough said, I'm satisfied.
Support your local Dealer: Read 35 library items: I'm kinda surprised I didn't conquer this one, but there are only five books missing. I might adjust the number slightly for next year, depending on my focus (library or TBR reduction).
Would that I were a Bibliophile: Read 2 books published before 1700: This is my worst turnout, I haven't read a single book for this. Will try again next year.
It’s a Bird! It’s a Plane!: Read 36 books for the D&J Challenge: This didn't feel like a main priority in 2022, so I only read 26 books that fit the categories in this challenge. Anyhow, I always join the fun.
Listmaker’s Delight: Read 10 books listed on a bookish list you follow: I got 8 out of 10, which isn't too bad.
Inkspell: Write 25 reviews for books you have read: Half-way thorugh the year I decided I didn't want to write reviews on GR anymore, so I got as far as 11.

I had a lot of fun doing this little challenge for myself and as mentioned above will do it again next year. Here's the link.