Here are my finds for this week…
What have you found on the web lately?
In December I
Additionally I
This month I am planning to
As for the challenges I participated in…
Mount TBR Challenge:
I didn’t read all of the ten books that I first planned to read (in fact I read two), but nevertheless I reduced my TBR pile considerably. So I call it a success.
Narnia Reading Project:
FAIL! My own project, too. But, after the first book I gave up. I suppose you have to read Narnia for the first time as a kid and not as an adult.
2012 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge:
My goal was 56 book minimum and I read 62. Success.
Venice in February Reading Challenge:
Started one book and DNF’ed it. Fail.
Tea & Books Reading Challenge:
Planned to read two books and finished one. Fail.
If you would like to see what challenges I joined for 2013, go here.
My TBR pile and the book buying ban:
When I started the ban in June I had 65 books waiting to be read that I owned already. Today that number is 43. I haven’t read all of those in the meantime, but I purged the pile a bit more and got rid of some books that I know I won’t read. Apart from some gifted books and a few swapped ones I haven’t acquired a single book since June. I am proud of myself.
I additionally created a “read maybe” shelf on Goodreads which is exclusive, where I put books I might read in the future and don’t want to forget about, but I don’t consider seriously just yet. The to-read books include 22 books on my wishlist.
Goodreads status now:
I am pretty happy with this.
How about you? How did your challenges / buying bans go?
OMG, I feel embarrassed.
Today I received an email (like probably 5 million others) asking me to vote for the best books in various categories in the Goodreads Choice Awards 2012.
My short evaluation of the various categories (I am aware that I can nominate books if I wish to, but for now let’s stick to the ones already nominated):
All the rest I will cover with a cloak of silence. It seems the Goodreads Choice Awards are not for me. Some book blogger I am!
I decided today that my Goodreads lists (i.e. my TBR pile also) needed to be purged. I know many of you will laugh about me when I say that my TBR list contains 140 books, but to me this seems quite a lot and needs some downsizing – and a book buying ban to boot.
I had a closer look at my TBR list and found that I keep adding books that I hear or read about which are unlikely to ever get read by me. I switched a lot of them over to my “read maybe” list, which is a euphemism for “think about it and probably discard the idea”.
I am sad to say that six Narnia books went that way as well. I know, it is my own project and I am not giving it up completely, but the first book so disappointed me that I can’t be bothered to continue at this point.
OK, so where does this leave me? My TBR list is down to 124 books, 44 of which are the “probably never” kind. I should make this hopeless shelf exclusive, shouldn’t I? So 80 books to read, which sounds do-able. 15 of those books I do not own yet, which means I have 65 books at home waiting to be read. Perfect!
Until I have read a significant number of those 65 books I won’t buy another book. What would a significant number be? 20? 20 sounds good to me, that is almost 30%!
Oh, swapping is allowed, btw, simply because sometimes the opportunity comes along to swap a book that I have been searching for and it would be stupid not to to grasp it, wouldn’t it?
OK, the ban has come into effect as of now… Anybody care to join me?
Why do people befriend other people on Goodreads? I can imagine only a couple of reasons.
I received an email from Goodreads (like all the other 153.701 participants) that I will get a 2011 reading challenge badge for my GR profile IF I reach my target in the 2011 Goodreads reading challenge. .
I want that badge!
But I am afraid I won’t get it.
Somehow I bit off more than I can chew. Of the 100 books I targeted I read 62 and that is wrong already because there is a number of DNFs included in this. I will set next year’s target considerably lower. Even though I will be participating in the Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge.
Did you participate in the GR reading challenge? How did you do?