Reading with Style discussion

Are you even thinking about 2024 yet? Please share!

1. Reduce number of onhand/unread books. My 2023 strategy was the first time I actually had some success with this. This year my goal is to acquire at least 1 fewer than I read the month before. Started the year with 551 on hand.

Read versus Acquired
Dec 7 versus Jan 6
Jan 12 versus Feb 7
Feb 11 versus Mar 9
Mar 11 versus Apr 9
Apr 9 versus May 8
May 8 versus Jun 6
Jun 7 versus Jul 5
Jul 7 versus Aug 3
Aug 7 versus Sep 6
Sep 9 versus Oct 8
Oct 9 versus Nov 8
Nov 9 versus Dec 6

2. Whittle away on the Lifetime 19th Century reads, Trollope and Balzac. 5 is the goal, but we'll see if I continue to think that is doable. [Started 2024 19thC at 49 read]

Trollope: 1
19th C: 3

1. read 120 books

2. read at least 2 big fat books (optional to be a classic) >I'm a little nervous about this as it is double last year's goal(!), although I think it is doable.

1 down! - Mason & Dixon
2 completed with: Amelia

3. read books remaining on my 2019, 20, 21, 22, 23 randomizer lists from 1001 GR group (Drop City; Infinite Jest; The Good Soldier Sjevk, Night and Day, Gosta Berling's Saga, Blue of Noon, Closely watched Trains, Mr. Vertigo, Vineland, Living, The Singapore Grip, Gormanghast, The Hive )

sub goals for this:
a) make an actual physical list for wallet, in case I happen to go into a 2nd hand book store(!), for the books that I can not access through library (and don't want to pay a lot of $$ for)
b) read Titus Groan, in order to move onto Gormanghast

READ: Gösta Berling's Saga ; Closely Watched Trains, The Singapore Grip


4. Continue to work away at the series I am reading (currently 13, with one in the wings).

mediocre progress here

5. read at least 2 non- fiction per quarter (I would like to up this, eventually to 1 per month)

1stQ = 6!
2ndQ = 4!
3rdQ = 2
4thQ = 3

6. Mysteries challenge! Continue to work on this.

7. Continue to whittle down the RL TBR. This year be more formal in my accounting by noting how many actually read and moved on per season.

I did try, but still not very formal approach.....

I'll organize this more later....
but I plan to work on a lot of my outstanding challenges....and start the new 52 Weeks , Pop Sugar and Boxall challenges...without any expectation of completing them on time. I've been concentrating much more on reading books I've had on my lists for quite a while.

My goals will continue from 2023's:

1. Read at least another 25 books from the 1001 list, bringing my total to 775.

2. Read at least another 20 books from the mysteries challenge, bringing my total to 100.

3. Reduce my on-hand TBR below 190 and keep it there (currently 203).

My goals:

1. Reduce number of on hand/unread books. (Stolen from Elizabeth but a continuation of my last year's goal). I will be using my Want to Read shelf as it is where I store any owned physical book as well as my Kindle shelf.

# Books on Shelf
Want to Read - 195
Kindle - 82

2. Finish old games and clear old shelves. I have a lot of old games that are languishing on My Books shelves.

3. Finish the mystery challenge. Currently I have 41 books to go (25 prior to 1960 and 16 since 1960). Four are already planned.

I will refine these goals closer to year's end as the numbers may change, and I need to figure out the specific # of books to read for each goal.

Finish 80 books.
Read 1 or 2 Italian books.

Welcome, Esther. Let us know if you have questions about the Readding with Style challenges.

Esther wrote: "Finish 80 books.
Read 1 or 2 Italian books."

Thank you Elizabeth, nice meeting you :)
Okay, I’m new to Goodreads and am discovering different groups these days. I’ll ask you if I have questions later.
With bests,

I feel as if I've done well with the 2 goals I established for 2024.

I got the on hand unread books from 551 to 523.

I didn't get 5 for my 19th Century reads, but I did get 3, and 1 Trollope. I have this on next years goals, too, and we'll see how I do.

My goals for 2024 were:

1. Read at least another 25 books from the 1001 list, bringing my total to 775.

I did well with this one - I seem to have read 55 books from the list, which is more than one a week! I'm not sure how I did that, but I think a number of them must have been audiobooks.

2. Read at least another 20 books from the mysteries challenge, bringing my total to 100.

Not so well done here - I have reached 93 on the mysteries challenge.

3. Reduce my on-hand TBR below 190 and keep it there (currently 203)."

I'm on 192 and currently reading two books that I should finish before the end of the 31st, so this will be a close one.

2024 was a bad year for me, or so I thought. I reduced my # of reads from 140 to 125, not even imagining that I would reach that level. Tonight I am at 130, which astounds me. I think a lot of it had to do with sitting in waiting rooms, then exam rooms, waiting for a doctor to show up! 😉