Summer reading!

certifiedcrepe

Is anyone planning on setting a challenge for yourself such as reading one book every week for the rest of the summer? I guess this applies slightly more to students as we have a long summer, but people who work could too if they have the time I guess! I would just love to hear what you're all planning.

Hailshimmer

Hi there..

Don't know about anyone else,, but when i get started i can easily read 2-3 books a week.. ..
but at the moment i'm stuck to find a good book to get into..

fusuf

I bought The Lord of The Rings complete edition in Easons on sunday. So I'd doubt I'll get through that by the end of the week! But yeah I plan to read much more over the summer like I used to.

lovercase

i plan to travel this summer.No reading plan~

I don't really need a "challenge" to read
I love books and will eat them as often as I can get my hands on a new one

if that means 3 in one weekend and none for a couple weeks... that's how it is

Giselle

The challenge is getting through all the books I've downloaded to my Kindle but haven't read yet, while resisting the urge to download yet more because I like the look of them. I'm hoarding books, and at this rate I'll never get through the ones I already have!

Like Bluewolf I can get through several in a weekend if I'm in a reading mood, and then let weeks go by when I'm either too busy or not in my happy reading place.

OakeyDokey

I have a yearly challenge set for myself I'd like to read about 50 books this year at least which I know I can easily beat. I'm the same as Giselle, I have lots of book already on the Kindle but still download more instead of getting through the first lot :rolleyes:

certifiedcrepe

Me too! I have 89 on my Kindle and I have only read one fully. Will tackle the rest when the Leaving Cert is over.

echo beach

OakeyDokey wrote: »

I'm the same as Giselle, I have lots of book already on the Kindle but still download more instead of getting through the first lot :rolleyes:

Discipline folks. Make a rule. You have to read a book before you can download another. If you have a big backlog make it two or three before you download.
I had to do this with 'real' books as I always had several unread ones. It is harder to force myself to do the same with e-books, because the overlooked ones aren't sitting on my bedside table to make me feel guilty, but it just takes willpower. It is like trying to stick to a diet.

tomyhome

Reading shouldn't be a challenge, should be a pleasure! I was on holidays and was very sick but managed to read 9 books during recuperation!! I have 2500+ books in my back room, everything from Patricia Cornwell, Lee Child, Biographies - Alan Sugar, Ronan O'Gara, Barrack O'Bama, to Ann Rule. These are all going on sale in aid of Down Syndrome during our HB Ice-Cream party on the 16th June. Hope people will get the same pleasure from these as I did.... Cant manage a Kindle, prefer the feel of turning the pages...
Olivia

echo beach

tomyhome wrote: »

Reading shouldn't be a challenge, should be a pleasure!

I think we would all agree with that but sometimes life, work, family, etc. get in the way of our pleasures and it can help to have a target to keep you on track.
It is a way of moving reading back up the list of priorities.

wilkie2006

Giselle wrote: »

The challenge is getting through all the books I've downloaded to my Kindle but haven't read yet, while resisting the urge to download yet more because I like the look of them. I'm hoarding books, and at this rate I'll never get through the ones I already have!

Like Bluewolf I can get through several in a weekend if I'm in a reading mood, and then let weeks go by when I'm either too busy or not in my happy reading place.

I'm exactly the same; I'm a real hoarder. It'd be handy if I liked Kindles because over the last few years I've been buying about 20-25 (physical) books a month (although not getting around to reading them all, unfortunately). Whatever about the expense (which is considerable, even though I often visit second hand shops), the quantity of books in my flat is becoming a little bit overwhelming. I'm moving soon and I'm not quite sure how I'm going to manage...

MagicMarker

echo beach wrote: »

Discipline folks. Make a rule. You have to read a book before you can download another.

Hmmm, I have about 10,000 ebooks on my hard drive, not sure how this would work with me.

tomyhome

Don't know about books on the hard drive, but for anyone who has hoarded.... why not have a book sale, 50% to charity and 50% to put towards some new books!! €2 each or 3 for €5.... Books are so expensive, people are always happy to buy them second hand....

OakeyDokey

tomyhome wrote: »

Don't know about books on the hard drive, but for anyone who has hoarded.... why not have a book sale, 50% to charity and 50% to put towards some new books!! €2 each or 3 for €5.... Books are so expensive, people are always happy to buy them second hand....

Kindle + Free ebook classics = :eek::eek::eek::eek:

I have made myself a Summer plan and I'm going to stick with it and see how it goes. Not going to download any until I finish what's on the Kindle. It's going to be hard!

x_Ellie_x

I'm actually trying to read 52 books this year (one for every week). So far I'm on book #36 so far.

judgefudge

x_Ellie_x wrote: »

I'm actually trying to read 52 books this year (one for every week). So far I'm on book #36 so far.

Congrats, thats impressive! I'm sorta doing the same thing only with 50 books in a year. I'm only on number 17 though... In my defence one of the 17 was Infinite Jest.

echo beach

MagicMarker wrote: »

Hmmm, I have about 10,000 ebooks on my hard drive, not sure how this would work with me.

You are going to be so busy just reading the titles and trying to put them in some sort of order that you won't have time to read any of them.:D

Pick ten or so, even at random, and read them before you even look at any of the others.

Red Hand

I'd read a fair bit...could often have two or three books on the go at the one time. One in the car, one at my house and another in my jacket if bored.

PurpleBee

Surely when you give yourself quotas like that you're just putting yourself under pressure to read things quickly that perhaps you shouldn't be reading quickly. I would suggest that a far better policy would be to set aside a specific amount of time for reading instead. Who cares how many books you've read? I don't.

judgefudge

PurpleBee wrote: »

Surely when you give yourself quotas like that you're just putting yourself under pressure to read things quickly that perhaps you shouldn't be reading quickly. I would suggest that a far better policy would be to set aside a specific amount of time for reading instead. Who cares how many books you've read? I don't.

I just find it helps to keep me motivated to read. I still read the books properly and enjoy them thoroughly. My job requires a lot of reading so if I didn't have some sort of 'pressure' behind me I think I'd probably let it slide. Plus there are so many books I want to get through...

x_Ellie_x

If I didn't keep track I'd still read that much anyway. I read everyday. I only read one book at a time and when I finish one, I pick up another the same day. I've been an avid reader since I was a young child. I only started keep track of what and how much I was reading purely out of curiosity (Goodreads is great for this btw). In 2010 I read 48 books, 2011 I reached 58, and it lookes like I'm going to beat that number this year. I've just started book #37. I've been reading some pretty long books as well... I read Gone With the Wind (1011 pages) just a few weeks ago and the average size of the books I've been reading have been 600-800 pages.

Grievous

x_Ellie_x wrote: »

If I didn't keep track I'd still read that much anyway. I read everyday. I only read one book at a time and when I finish one, I pick up another the same day. I've been an avid reader since I was a young child. I only started keep track of what and how much I was reading purely out of curiosity (Goodreads is great for this btw). In 2010 I read 48 books, 2011 I reached 58, and it lookes like I'm going to beat that number this year. I've just started book #37. I've been reading some pretty long books as well... I read Gone With the Wind (1011 pages) just a few weeks ago and the average size of the books I've been reading have been 600-800 pages.

Cool site, I am aiming from 100 this year, and am 50 deep so far. Need to pull the finger out I do.

Queen-Mise

I don't have quite 10K books on the hard drive - still have a couple of thousand. I am reading about five books a week so kinda getting through them. My aim though is between the lighter reading to finish two of the Hitchens books I have started and I also want to read either Les Miserables or Brothers Karamazov.

EDIT: On Goodreads (this is probably very sad) - I would love to have some idea of the books i have read in my life. So I am ticking the books I have read as I go along while adding the ones I am currently reading. At the moment, am upto 489 books - but I must have read thousands of books in my life. Probably a fools errand - but keeping me amused at the moment !!!!!

EDIT 2.0: Books upto 552 (I added in all the Enid Blyton books I read.... Loved those books as a kid).

johnayo

Queen-Mise wrote: »

I don't have quite 10K books on the hard drive - still have a couple of thousand. I am reading about five books a week so kinda getting through them. My aim though is between the lighter reading to finish two of the Hitchens books I have started and I also want to read either Les Miserables or Brothers Karamazov.

EDIT: On Goodreads (this is probably very sad) - I would love to have some idea of the books i have read in my life. So I am ticking the books I have read as I go along while adding the ones I am currently reading. At the moment, am upto 489 books - but I must have read thousands of books in my life. Probably a fools errand - but keeping me amused at the moment !!!!!

EDIT 2.0: Books upto 552 (I added in all the Enid Blyton books I read.... Loved those books as a kid).

Congrats on reading so many books. I am just curious if you ever read a book twice without realising it at the time. I'm sure it would happen to me that way.:rolleyes::rolleyes:

Callan57

I'm no longer in college so I read for pleasure and IMO that means no targets, no objectives and absolutely no competitive challenges (I get enough of that at work:()

Thus far this year I have read 54 books ranging from The Spellman Files to War and Peace .... I have about 30 books in a pile waiting to be read and loads more on my Kindle.

Book I've read and know I will not re-read I bring to the Oxfam shop but unfortunately I have a tendency to come away with almost as many as I bring in to them but at least I do my bit to keep books in circulation & the joy dispersed