Monday, February 17, 2020

Setting Reading Goals

DEBORAH CROMBIE: A blog I follow (Modern Mrs Darcy--highly recommended if you haven't discovered it!) recently suggested ways to get more reading into your life—all great ideas! But it wasn’t just more reading, it was ways to help you reach 100 books a year, or whatever your yearly reading goal might be. There were also a lot of tips for keeping track of your reading, from using Goodreads to Excel spreadsheets.


 All this made me realize that I have NEVER set a yearly reading goal! At least not since elementary school summer reading challengers! Since then, I have just...read. I am always reading. There is not a day when I don’t get in at least a few pages of at least one book--reading feels as necessary to me as breathing. But I’ve never been very good at keeping track of what I read. My few attempts at keeping a book journal have failed miserably. I have no idea how many books I read in a year. Out of curiosity, I added up what I’ve read halfway through February--nine books, if I count the one that is fifty pages from being finished (Bernadine Evaristo's GIRL, WOMAN, OTHER, which I have loved!) and that is partly because I was reading through a series. That number will not, I fear, get me to 100 books a year!

I can see some advantages, however, to having a BOOK PLAN, an organized reading agenda. I imagine I would read more non-fiction (despite my good intentions, most of my non-fiction reading ends up being research material), more important books (those big literary novels I seldom get around to), perhaps more classics. 

But as authors, we have so much “required” reading, books by friends, books for blurbs, books by authors with whom we are sharing events (I have four on my nightstand for the upcoming Virginia Festival of Books at the end of March,) that it sounds daunting to set more fixed parameters. (I have discovered, however, that I read more when I read on my Kindle. As much as I love paper books, I read faster on the digital page, and I carry the Kindle with me literally everywhere.)

What about you, REDS? Do you set goals? Do you keep track of what you read, and if so, how?

HALLIE EPHRON: I’m up to the top with “required” reading, too. I just finished a book I might never have read but for the fact that I’m sharing an event with the author, Christopher Bollen, at Porter Square Books this Wednesday evening. The book is A BEAUTIFUL CRIME and it’s about a pair of grifters, set in Venice...starts out noir and ends up a love story. It blew me away with the writing and with the surprising twists and turns in the story. *Literary* thriller, writ large. 

I’m also reading an advance copy of Wendy Coris Staub’s riveting forthcoming thriller, THE BUTCHER’S DAUGHTER. Can’t wait to get back to it, in fact.

Whenever I do an event at a bookstore I ask what their customers are reading (and loving) and I try to pick up a copy of the book most enthused about. That’s how I ended up with THE NICKEL BOYS. My daughter saw it sitting in my office, waiting to be read, and nicked it… waiting for it to come back.

Reading goals? I wouldn’t know what to do with them. Maybe when I retire…


RHYS BOWEN: I have a TO BE READ pile on my night stand but that’s about as close as I come to a reading goal. My big hurdle, like Debs and Hallie, is required reading. A long string of books to blurb and then research materials for what I plan to write next. I do enjoy non fiction especially travel literature and biographies. Right now I am writing about Venice in the nineteen thirties so I’m working my way through Donna Leon to remind me of the feel of Venice. I find myself saying “ oh yes. I know that bar/ book shop. Very satisfying. 

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Goals? HA!  My goal is to be able to sit in a chair (or wherever) and read without any conscience pangs that I ought to be doing something else. But while on vacation last week (sigh) I managed to read three books I was asked to read--and whoa, what a joy! True fun to read THE SWAP by Robyn Harding and THE WIFE STALKER by Liv Constantine (both perfect beach books--someone traveling with me said at one point: Whoa, Hank, you haven’t budged in an hour!) and the debut WAITING FOR THE NIGHT SONG (trust me, you heard it here first)--as well as getting the fun of starting Michael Sears already-stellar-after-six-chapters TOWER OF BABEL. And bugging my editor for the new Rachel Howzell Hall. Oh, and Jennifer HIllier’s LIttle Secrets. WOW.

And yes, the nightstand tower is as close as I’m getting to a goal. Oh, after Mary HIggins Clark’s death, I realized I had never read WHERE ARE THE CHILDREN, which I admit, I devoured in one sitting.

SO. Goals. Not by number at least. I don’t keep track of what I read...I have too many lists already!

LUCY BURDETTE: I don’t have goals either, though like the rest of you I read every day. I have stacks instead. After working on the computer all day, I really want to read what I want to read to relax. I would hate for it to feel like another job, or something to feel guilty about. So I’d balk at having a list of required reading. I keep a rough list on Goodreads and Bookbub, but it’s by no means complete!


JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: In the past two weeks, I’ve done ZERO reading, which may be a world record. Even when I had newborns, I used to keep books of short stories in the bathroom to get a five-minute fix. The reason for my drought? I am a full 15 days into the H1N1 virus, and it’s kicking me right when I tend to read - in the evening.

Thanks to having gotten the vaccine, I have half a day when I feel capable of doing things. I write, I walk the dog (if necessary), I perform a few feeble acts of huswifery. (A few. Seriously, don’t come over unless you really like dust bunnies.) But my fever starts to rise by 4pm, and I get more and more achy and tired. I’ve been heading up to bed by 8-9pm, but even the THOUGHT of reading is exhausting. A couple nights ago, I had Alexa play Maine Classical, and I was too tired to listen to music.

What was the question? I think you all know the answer. Even with the help of the magnificent Celia Wakefield, Professional Organizer, reading goals are a bridge too far for me.

DEBS: Oh, no, Julia!!! Please take care of yourself! We are all sending you healing thoughts--and if we were closer we'd tackle your dust bunnies!

READERS, we're batting for zero here. Help us out! Who sets reading goals, and how? And please share any tips for getting in more words in a day!

67 comments:

  1. Oh, Julia, get well quickly . . . sending you lots of healing thoughts.

    Well, because I read, I do the Goodreads Reading Challenge every year. [And, yes, I always read more than I commit to reading at the beginning of the year.] But before this Goodreads challenge thing appeared in my life, I simply read. I don’t have any plan for what I read [except, of course, for reading all the Jungle Red ladies’ books] . . . I share library books with a friend, so whatever he gets I read . . . it’s always an adventure.
    Truthfully, I have a teetering to be read pile and I don’t care if I have a goal or not as long as I have a book to read . . . .

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  2. I read for pure pleasure. It is my escape. I set no goals but I did start keeping track of what I read several years ago. In my luddite fashion I record in a spiral notebook. I admit to getting semi-anxious when I have a pile of library books and several Netgalley ARCs waiting for me. I will still have an embarassment of riches once I plow through the books with a deadline.

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    1. I have a book journal where I write down the titles of books on the days I start and finish reading them. I agree that the notebook is a treasure!

      Diana

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  3. I set goals. Not quite as big as the goals you are talking about. My goal is a third of a book a day on week days, which generally translates to 100 pages a day. (If the book is significantly longer than 300 pages, I add on more days.) That usually brings me to two books a week and roughly 100 books a year. So it looks like the big goal everyone is talking about to everyone else, but it is a goal I can concentrate on. Throw in some picture books, middle grade books, and audio books, and my Goodreads challenge comes out around 125 a year, but I always set it at 100 to start the year.

    On work days, I read on my breaks and lunch. That gets in just over half of my daily goals. The rest comes in the evening, usually as soon as I get home from work.

    I actually don't get as much read on weekends as you would think. I'm either off doing other stuff or I'm just being lazy.

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    2. As to what I read, I have lists of books I've agreed to read for review, so when I have time to slip in a read for myself, I almost don't know what to pick since I have so many books I've bought that I haven't gotten around to reading yet that are just calling my name.

      And get well, Julia!

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  4. I keep track of what I read on Goodreads and on my reading schedule list. I have reached 100 before, but I'm a slow reader, and it seems life has gotten in the way of my reading for a few years lately. But, that's okay. I am reading plenty of great books. I schedule the books I review first on my reading schedule list, and then I add in books from series I'm trying to catch up in or start and books I've had to delay. I am also these days trying to do some reading with my daughter, and I'm enjoying that a lot. My reading schedule list isn't as rigid as it might sound. It's rather fluid, with me adding or moving books around on it, except for the books I review.

    Even though I do keep track of what I'm reading on Goodreads, and before that in little journals, I'm good at remembering what I read. It's interesting to me that I'm getting a bit forgetful about some things in life, but not my reading. Oh, and I print out my Goodreads challenge list (and cover pictures) of books each year. I'm keeping those printouts and my previous little journals together so that my kids and grandkids can look back at what I read someday. Of course, I'm going to require they look through them before the lawyer hands over their inheritance. Hahaha!

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  5. Oh, heck. I do meant to add that I hope that horrible flu is gone soon, Julia. I'm so glad you had the flu shot to help lessen the severity, but you're having plenty to get over even so. That feeling of not being able to do anything, even listen to music is a bummer for sure. Please keep taking care of yourself and getting your rest.

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    1. The fact I'm not on here until 2:25 EST is proof that I'm resting, Kathy!

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  6. I Do a little of both. I do set reading goals, often based on reviews I've read of books (and always including a re-read or two of some favorite treasure); but I've also got a TBR pile that's dangerously out of control. I believe that was one of the goals when Goodreads was founded—both to receive recommendations from readers one knows/trusts, but also to keep track of what one is reading and what one wishes to read.

    I'm planned out through June at the moment....!

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  7. It doesn't seem fair that one can get the shot - AND the flu! Feel better soon, Julia.

    Like others here, I don't track my reading and my only goal is to keep up, a little, with books my friends write. I was delighted to devour Joanna Schaffhausen's new All the Best Lies over the weekend, and Rhys's new one is next on the stack. With lots more in the wings after that. Onward!

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    1. Thanks, Edith. It does seem a bit unfair, but then I compare it to when I had the flu 10 years ago WITHOUT having gotten the shot - two weeks in bed followed by pneumonia! This is not nearly so severe.

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  8. I set my goal for the year and keep track of it via Goodreads. I aim for 52 books (one per week) each year. Last year I got 75 books read.

    I don't have a specific words per day to get read, I just read and hope for the best. It probably helps that I don't necessarily have the most active social life so I can read more than someone who spends more time out of the house than I do.

    I'm reading Carlene O'Connor's Murder in an Irish Pub right now and will hopefully finish that in a couple of days.

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  9. Sending virtual chicken soup, Julia! Hope you feel better quickly. There is no justice in this world, is there?

    No goals, just a compulsion to read. Before we started building a new home I used to read close to 300 books, mostly mysteries, a year, post-retirement. But the last couple of years have not been as filled with fiction; I spent a ridiculous amount of time looking through websites like Houzz and Pinterest, plus books and magazines of house plans, instead. So far this year, I've read 31 novels, but also I've been working my way through a book on relationships that my daughter recommended, The Five Love Languages, by Gary Chapman; a title on minimalism; and Jess Lourey's How to Write Your Life (which I've been nibbling on for more than a year).

    At the same time, I'm taking a landscaping class, so I've been surrounded by books on landscaping when I'm not reading fiction. These are not read, per se, as much as they are perused, so do they count?

    Unlike Kathy Reel, I can't remember what I've read and what I haven't read, since I read so fast. Unless I'm reading for discussion, a la book club, as soon as I'm done with one book it's on to the next, with little deep thought about it, I'm afraid. The only way I can really keep track is by looking in my electronic libraries, and my "finally read" pile.

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  10. I always "just read" until 2017. That year, for some reason I no longer remember, I started tracking what I read in an Excel spreadsheet. In 2018, I took the Goodreads Book Challenge, and have each year since then. And each year, I have exceeded my original goal. But for the last couple of years, I have focused more on expanding the breadth of my reading, and I'm still working on that goal. Like Debs, I'm not naturally drawn to non-fiction and I have to make an extra effort to read it, though I often enjoy it once I do. And as much as I love mysteries, I have been trying to incorporate other types of fiction as well.

    For me, the way I read affects my choices, too. I am in the car a lot for work and listen to audiobooks for most of my long drives. Sorry, publishers, but audiobooks are just too expensive to invest in if it's something I anticipate reading only once, so that part of my reading is limited to the (thankfully!) large selection available through the online database my library subscribes to. In practice, that means my reading will always be heavy on cozy mysteries. (Not a complaint -- I would certainly read a lot of cozies anyway, just maybe not QUITE as many.) My time for reading with my eyes is much more limited. I try to read a little as I eat my lunch each day, then some in the evenings that I'm home and on weekends. That is where I try to squeeze in many of the Reds books, and many of the other good books discussed here.

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  11. Julia, sending battalions of germ-fighting thoughts your way! Hope they help!

    No goals for me except one--read whatever takes my fancy in whatever order I choose. Lots of mysteries, natch, but also nonfiction, memoir, biography, science, YA, cookbooks, literature--whatever. I too have a reading friend with whom we exchange thoughts on new-to-us authors and pass books back and forth. But no planning aforethought here.

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  12. Sorry the flu still has you down Julia. I spent the weekend with a horrible cold, but no fever or other flu-like symptoms and that was bad enough. I’m headed to work today so we’ll see how that goes. Not sure I can talk enough to teach classes!

    My required reading is actually grading, but that definitely cuts into my pleasure reading time. In the past I kept lists of what I read— even had an Excel spreadsheet— but somehow that got dropped along the way. I don’t set reading goals for myself. Like most of us here, I read every chance I get. I already have lists and goals for work, so I try to keep the pleasure reading pressure free!

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    1. Thanks, Cindy. I have a voice, I'm just not sure I can stand up for an hour to lecture!

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  13. I don't have a list of what I've read but 100/year is only 2/week so, I read that and more easily.
    As Deborah:"... reading for me feels as necessary as breathing ".
    I read for my pleasure so, like Lucy : " I would hate for it to feel like another job, or something to feel guilty about " .
    Julia, I'm sending good vibes your way for a hasty recovery.

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  14. Get well soon, Julia!

    I do set a goal for the Goodreads challenge each year. I'm behind, but I'm sure I'll make it up - maybe now that I've got this draft under control. I like to see the little progress bar fill in.

    I also maintain a "loose" TBR list on Goodreads, although I mostly use it so I don't forget a book. But I'm not a slave to it. If I see something I want to read, I do. Right now, I am reading Agatha Christie's autobiography. I kept going into Mystery Lovers and saying, "I really want to read that" and I finally bought it! I'm not very far into it (she's still talking about her childhood), but she has such a charming and delightfully friendly voice I'm sure I'll enjoy it.

    Hank, I can't believe you'd never read WHERE ARE THE CHILDREN? It's one of my favorites.

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    1. I haven't either! Off to order it.

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    2. I never did either. I started it once and -true confessions -found it too scary. :-(

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  15. No reading goal for me -- just reading. I always have several books on the go -- one for the bus, one or more for bedtime reading, and likely a few options in the bathroom. I have a notebook in which I jot down titles and authors I want to explore or to keep track of.

    Julia: I'm so sorry that the flu got you. Do rest up and feel better soon!

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    1. Thanks, Amanda. And I loved your blog the other day. It gave me "furiously to think" as the saying goes.

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  16. Healing thoughts to Julia!

    I'm deep in difficult revisions now, so I'm reading a random page or chapter, but that's all. I'll make up for it when I'm enduring long flights later this year. I order new releases from the library system. Before I return a stack of books, I write a brief review on Goodreads. I also keep a "toolbox" file, copying out passages from books pertaining to what I'm struggling with in my own writing. I learn about new releases from social media, my Writers Who Kill blog mates, and the weekly Murder by the Book email.

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    1. Margaret, you are the most organized so far today!

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    2. Thanks, Margaret. And maybe you could teach us an online class on how to organize our reading...

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    3. Margaret, I try to write brief reviews on Goodreads too.

      Diana

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  17. Feel better soon, Julia. So sorry you got the nasty.
    I do the Goodreads reading challenge but only as a way to keep track of what I've read; I really don't care how many books I read. I like to read slowly but now that most of my books are coming from the library I feel pressured to read them as quickly as possible (within reason) so they can go back and I can get more.
    I do like to keep track of what I read and so I find myself doing what my mother did - I write the title on a calendar when I have finished the book. The calendar was free from the bank and it's very easy to grab. I also do a spreadsheet with authors as well as titles but it is getting a bit out of hand after only 3 years. Hope someone has a better system I can use. At one time I had planned to use index cards to record all sorts of stuff about a book but that quickly went by the wayside.

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  18. I used to keep track of my reading. I think it was my fifth grade teacher who made us make a list of every book we read. Once I started numbering those books, I started setting goals. I think she wanted us to read ten, or maybe 20 books for pleasure during the school year, but I racked up something like 75. Then I set a goal for the summer at 50 (my mother got next to no chores from me that year) and 100 for the next school year. By the time I hit those goals, I had some other new passion, so I just dropped back to reading for fun. Like Deb, I always have at least one book going. Right now I have three active reads. I likely hit 100 a year, but I have long since stopped keeping lists.

    And Julia, don't worry about actively listening to that music. Just let it wash over you. You'll sleep better, and the dust bunnies will enjoy it, too. I hope you feel better soon!

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    1. Ha! I love the idea of the dust bunnies being lulled to sleep, Gigi.

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  19. I do the Goodreads challenge every year because it’s a good way to keep up with the books I’ve read...then. I just read. My goal is somewhat arbitrary— most of the time I go over my goal, and if I don’t meet my goal, it’s no big deal.

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  20. I'm stunned by so many goal makers (and keepers) here. Wow. Impressive.

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  21. No reading goals for me. I pressure myself in so many other areas that I want to avoid that in my reading life!

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  22. Not to boast, but I don't need a reading goal. Twice I have read 200+ books in a year. BUT the downside is that I'm a fast reader, and I don't retain as much as I would like. I've been tracking and rating what I read since 2006, which helps me remember which authors I particular like and whether I have read a certain book, but not the details. (I once didn't realize until I was three-quarters of the way through a book that I had read it the previous year!)

    For the past three years, Lesa Holstine has offered me the opportunity of writing a "my favorite reads of the previous year" post for her blog, Lesa's Book Critiques. The first year was difficult for the reasons stated above. So I started to write a mini-review of each book I finished it. Now I can easily pick out my favorite reads of the year, based on my personal rating and my mini-review, and writing the post is so much easier.

    Thanks to a couple of book clubs, I have found some books I might not have otherwise. I am a member of the Casual Book Club (a Meetup in San Jose), and rather than pick one book for all to read, we pick a theme and then report on what we've read. That led me to read Stephen King's The Institute (October--creepy reading) and my current read, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (classics). The Barnes & Noble Book Club led me to read Ann Napolitano's Dear Edward, which will probably be one of my favorites this year.

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  23. I set a couple of modest reading goals this year involving a few series I want to read and with the intention of getting more non-fiction reading done. But I didn't set a numerical goal (afraid of failure maybe?). A few years ago I started keeping a list of what I read each year and do wish I'd started doing it much, much earlier in life. Julia, feel better soon.

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  24. Goals? Well yes. I have a general aim for 100 books a year, but if I only get to 89 (last year) I'm okay.

    The other goal is fewer rereads, because there are so many new books, aren't there? Or new-to-me books. But it always ends up at 30% rereads each year. But I realize it's because sometimes I just need a relaxing comfort read, such as Agatha Christie, D E Stevenson and L M Montgomery. (e.g., I read The Blue Castle every summer.)

    So as you may have deduced, yes, I keep track, since 2010. A book journal, with a few thoughts about each book, and a rating out of 5.0, so I can remember what the heck it was I read last week (!) At year's end, it all goes into a spreadsheet, for analysis.

    As to finding books to read.... Jungle Reds are big enablers. Plus, frankly, a lot of other book blogs I follow with joy.

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  25. Shalom Reds and fans. Julia, trusting that you will get well soon.

    When I got my first laptop connected to the internet, I found a site called Library Thing. It allowed me to make a personal catalog of all my books. I thought it was great and I spent a lot of hours putting the names and information about all my books until I reached the limit of a free account. They also offer each month, free ARC’s in exchange for reviews. I participated in that a few times over the years. Then somehow, I found Goodreads. I believe that Goodreads is now owned by Amazon. These happenings occurred at the same time that I discovered that my local free public library was offering more and more things online; e-books, audiobooks, and videos. I also found that Amazon was a good source of books both electronic and print. I purchased a few audiobooks from Amazon but generally Audible (also owned by Amazon) is too pricey. I started keeping a running tally of what I read and listened to. I am a slow reader and also even retired, I don’t have as much time to read as I would like. I think last year, I read about 18-20 books. That’s about a book every three weeks. I made a resolution (resolutions are not my strong suit) to read more and play on the internet less. As I age, I have gotten very forgetful. So unless I note it down, I have no idea of what I’ve read or what I hoped to read for whatever reason. I am currently reading one non-fiction e-book purchased from Amazon at a discount, one audio book, writing by a Red, and one e-book borrowed from one of my library’s proxies (with a due date). I also started a project of reading the entire Bible in a year’s time. That plan was downloaded from the internet and I have four bookmarks that keep track of my progress. So far, so good.

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  26. First, Julia, sending healing wishes your way. So sorry to hear how sick you are with the flu. I may go and get a flu shot in your honor. It is terrifying that you got the shot and still are so sick.

    Deb, I do have a strategy for reading more. We are both retired and the kids are grown and raising their own kids. Every morning I awaken before my husband, or even our dog. So, I get up, make coffee and go down into the family room to read until everyone else is up. Sometimes for 2 to 3 hours! This way I get through 2-3 books each week, sometimes more if I'm reading cozy mysteries. I am a fairly slow reader and absorb quite a bit of the stories I read. Still like to reread authors whom I love.

    Goodreads...hmmm, haven't really explored Goodreads so no goals there. I have, however, set a goal and I'm doing great. I am reading Jungle Red Writers and a few other mystery series, some which I've found on this blog. I am having the time of my life reading your books, including those that you've written many years ago. Reading until I catch up and can be excited for your next releases.

    Once again, thanks to all of you for sharing your stories and your dynamic characters with us. I am not alone in saying how much richer I am for the time I spend with your books!

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    1. Judy, I often read Jungle Red Writers in the mornings and often discover new to me authors from guest posts by authors or from author interviews.

      Diana

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    2. Thanks, Judy, and it's not too late in the season to get the flu shot! I shudder to imagine how knocked out I would be if I had been completely unprotected when I got the virus.

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  27. I just wandered over to Goodreads where I saw I read 113 books last year, on Kindle anyway. I probably read another half dozen ARCs. Oddly enough, both the shortest and the longest ones I read were by Stephen King. I try to review most of them, only a sentence or two, but I limit that to either authors I know (and like) or books I think should be candidates for the Booker Prize. I don't review books I didn't enjoy. Probably I didn't even finish reading them, being in the twilight of my years, why waste time. The two criteria are mutually exclusive of course :>)w good many writers who deserve to be shortlisted at least!

    All in all, on Kindle, I read 40,200 pages, that's an average of 355 per book. I don't set a goal anymore although I used to, on Goodreads. I paid no attention to it until the end of the year, curious more to see if I'd guessed right than if I'd met it. Usually I exceeded it.

    I don't believe I read more in retirement that I did when I worked. I've always been a bedtime reader, 2-3 hours every night. But I did think that e books have made my reading easier and faster. I know I used to have to stop when my eyes got tired and the print began to blur. Now I just crank up the font, adjust the lighting and color -- have the newest Kindle Oasis that allows me to warm up the lighting -- and I keep on reading.

    I just finished the newest Jane Harper, THE LOST MAN, and have started on THE PASSAGE, by Justin Cronin, which I've read years ago. My new year's resolution is to reread some of those books I've forgot, that I already own, and save 10-15 bucks. Adds up!

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  28. Every January 1, four friends and I embark on a reading challenge, the sort that gives you categories, not titles. (I've just finished "a book with maps," and I'm currently reading "a book with a bird on the cover.") The best part of the challenge is comparing lists at the end of December. So far, in four years, no two of us have read the same book!

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    1. What a fun challenge. Do you occasionally want to read your other friends' books ?

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    2. Deborah, your books have maps :-)

      Diana

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    3. Connie, this sounds like a fun reading challenge.

      Diana

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  29. Late to the party again!

    Julia, hope you feel better soon! Please take care of yourself.

    Regarding reading goals, this is really tough! One year I did not meet my reading goal so I decided not to set a reading goal. This is easier said than done because Goodreads keep on asking me to set reading goals. So I set a reading goal of 20 books for the year and I already read 19 books! And I am reading several books now for different book clubs on Instagram.

    Just finished ABOVE THE BAY OF ANGELS by Rhys Bowen and loved it. And I finished a re-read of LEAVING EVERYTHING MOST LOVED BEHIND by Jacqueline Winspear with a book friend. Currently reading THE SECRET OF THE OLD CLOCK (Nancy Drew #1) by Carolyn Keene, THE SCENT KEEPER by Erica Bauermeister, and PARKER PYNE INVESTIGATES by Agatha Christie for an Agatha Christie book club. I am Hoping to finish IN THE MIDST OF WINTER by Isabel Allende before the end of the winter.

    THE HYGGE HOLIDAY by Rosie Blake is a wonderful light reading and I love it so far.

    And I have so many books from the library, including HEAVEN AND HELL by David Talbot, a non fiction book about the author's experiences with a stroke.

    Reading challenges is a mixed bag. I want to enjoy reading books without worrying about a set number, which is why I set such a low number over at Goodreads.

    Diana

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    1. You're not later than me, Diana! Thanks for the good wishes.

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    2. Julia, thanks! When I feel sick, I find myself watching movies instead of reading books. Though I still read the English subtitles when watching movies. Jungle Red Writers is usually my first read of the morning while drinking almond milk coffee Before I read the newspapers. Though I do not always comment right away.

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  30. Like Kathy, I'm a slow reader but reading has also always been an escape. I read for pleasure and if I made goals, even if the goals were just for me, I think the pleasure and adventure would go away.

    I'm sorry you're ill, Julia and fully can commiserate with the lack of energy to even the simplest think like listening to favorite music. Hope your energy starts returning soon. Baby steps and morning naps, that my advise along with all the medical stuff.

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  31. Julia, sending healing thoughts your way.
    If you read on a Kindle, and have it connected with Goodreads, it will automatically keep track of how many books you read.

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