In the new year one of the things that I want to do is give a little more focus to my reading, make it organised and keep track of what I read and want to read. Am doing the keeping track bit on Goodreads. Having used the website for the better part of 2011, I find it a good way to add and keep track of all that I am reading. I like the interface, the reviews and recommendations. Besides, it's the only one that's gotten me to actually regularly update even though I have librarything and Shelfari accounts.
Attacking the former has taken quite a bit of thought. The idea of a reading challenge first caught my attention when I came across a reading challenge 2011 post on a blog that I follow. That was in early 2011. Through 2011, I made a promise to read more since I'd noticed a sharp decline in how much I had been reading lately. There was a time I used to easily finish a book a week. What I found as I neared the end of 2011 was that I had no idea whether I'd actually managed to up my reading or not. That's when I started keep serious track of my books on goodreads. I am happy to say that I did read more in 2011. By how much I don't know. As 2011 neared its end and I saw the books piled up in my cupboard as well as those in my "to read" list on Goodreads and my wishlist in flipkart, I decided I'd set myself a few goals in 2012.
While as Rehab was telling me when we were discussing this, reading should be effortless and free wheeling, I want to have clear goals for reading this year because there are many things I've wanted to read but I've just not gotten around to them or gotten through them. One of the things that tends to happen to me when I am reading is that there are books that I just give up on - either after a few pages or when I have been half way through. And then there are books I've bought on recommendations and then promptly forgotten about. And lastly there are books and authors that I've been wanting to read for a while but they keep getting pushed to the bottom of my lists and the back of my mind!
So with all of that in mind, I've been browsing around looking at reading challenges and I've finally decided to make my own reading goals based on everything that's been piling up and include a couple of online reading challenges that appealed to me as a part of that.
Now that I've given you enough of a background (whether you want it or not) to why I want to set myself a reading challenge (with many many small subsets) for 2012, I shall get down to actually stating the unfinished business that I hope to finish.
The Universal Set
Read 52 books in 2012. I want to get back to reading at least one book a week if not more this year. If I succeed in this, I shall aim to make this a habit every year and slowly increase the number of books. Having browsed a lot of book blogs over the last couple of days, I don't think reading 52 books in one year makes me a very huge geek as some people would like to believe ;) . Relevant some people, you know who you are so please take note. In fact I've realised 52 books just puts me at the bottom rung of the ladder of geekiness. Sigh!
Read for a cause
As a part of my read more books this year mission, I've also decided that I will put aside a fixed amount of money (as of now I am thinking Rs. 100-200) per book that I read. At the end of the year, I hope to use this money to buy books for the library of a government or municipal schools given that these schools often don't have good library facilities if any at all. I am still to figure out how exactly I'll go about this but I have till December to do that. This will also hopefully be motivation for me to read more than that target of 52 books and help me make that an enduring habit.
Mount TBR Challenge - reduce the To Be Read Pile in my book cupboard
I picked up this challenge while I was browsing online for reading challenges that would help me with my reading goals for 2012. To see the challenge and it's rules click on the link above. I plan to climb at least Pike's Peak (read at least 12 books from my personal library bought before 1st Jan 2012 that I have not read yet). The 12 books that I definitely want to finish this year are (in no particular order):
Attacking the former has taken quite a bit of thought. The idea of a reading challenge first caught my attention when I came across a reading challenge 2011 post on a blog that I follow. That was in early 2011. Through 2011, I made a promise to read more since I'd noticed a sharp decline in how much I had been reading lately. There was a time I used to easily finish a book a week. What I found as I neared the end of 2011 was that I had no idea whether I'd actually managed to up my reading or not. That's when I started keep serious track of my books on goodreads. I am happy to say that I did read more in 2011. By how much I don't know. As 2011 neared its end and I saw the books piled up in my cupboard as well as those in my "to read" list on Goodreads and my wishlist in flipkart, I decided I'd set myself a few goals in 2012.
While as Rehab was telling me when we were discussing this, reading should be effortless and free wheeling, I want to have clear goals for reading this year because there are many things I've wanted to read but I've just not gotten around to them or gotten through them. One of the things that tends to happen to me when I am reading is that there are books that I just give up on - either after a few pages or when I have been half way through. And then there are books I've bought on recommendations and then promptly forgotten about. And lastly there are books and authors that I've been wanting to read for a while but they keep getting pushed to the bottom of my lists and the back of my mind!
So with all of that in mind, I've been browsing around looking at reading challenges and I've finally decided to make my own reading goals based on everything that's been piling up and include a couple of online reading challenges that appealed to me as a part of that.
Now that I've given you enough of a background (whether you want it or not) to why I want to set myself a reading challenge (with many many small subsets) for 2012, I shall get down to actually stating the unfinished business that I hope to finish.
Read 52 books in 2012. I want to get back to reading at least one book a week if not more this year. If I succeed in this, I shall aim to make this a habit every year and slowly increase the number of books. Having browsed a lot of book blogs over the last couple of days, I don't think reading 52 books in one year makes me a very huge geek as some people would like to believe ;) . Relevant some people, you know who you are so please take note. In fact I've realised 52 books just puts me at the bottom rung of the ladder of geekiness. Sigh!
Read for a cause
As a part of my read more books this year mission, I've also decided that I will put aside a fixed amount of money (as of now I am thinking Rs. 100-200) per book that I read. At the end of the year, I hope to use this money to buy books for the library of a government or municipal schools given that these schools often don't have good library facilities if any at all. I am still to figure out how exactly I'll go about this but I have till December to do that. This will also hopefully be motivation for me to read more than that target of 52 books and help me make that an enduring habit.
Mount TBR Challenge - reduce the To Be Read Pile in my book cupboard
I picked up this challenge while I was browsing online for reading challenges that would help me with my reading goals for 2012. To see the challenge and it's rules click on the link above. I plan to climb at least Pike's Peak (read at least 12 books from my personal library bought before 1st Jan 2012 that I have not read yet). The 12 books that I definitely want to finish this year are (in no particular order):
- Birth of the Prison - Michel Foucault
River of Smoke - Amitav Ghosh- Madness and Civilization - Michel Foucault
- Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
- Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoevsky
- The Happiness Project - Gretchen Rubin
- The Idiot - Fyodor Dostoevsky
- A Dead Hand - Paul Theroux
The Black Book - Orhan Pamuk- Museum of Innocence - Orhan Pamuk
- Neti Neti - Anjum Hasan
Zen and the Art of Motocycle Maintenance - Robert M. Pirsig
Some of these books are also a part of some of other reading goals but these are the first 12 books I could remember (without looking at my bookshelf) that I want to finish. If I manage to get to the top of Pike's peak by April 2012, I shall try and make it to Mt. Vancouver too (25 books out of my personal library bought before 1st Jan 2012). While I have plenty of books to finish at home, I am not aiming for Mt. Kilimanjaro just yet (50 books) because there are books that I want to read that I will either buy or borrow from a local library. Plus I want to keep some room for surprise reads.
Read some classics
I started reading classics when I was in grade 8 and then I think forgot about them by the time I got to grade 10. So I want to go back and read some Jane Austen (I haven't read Emma yet), Charlotte Bronte (Jane Eyre and Villete), Goethe (Faust), Dante (Divine Comedy) and whatever else catches my fancy here.
Read the books that I've marked to read on Goodreads/Flipkart in all my book browsing of last year
Defnite ones here are going to be:
Slaughterhouse 5 - Kurt VonnegutSmall Gods - Terry Pratchett (I've been wanting to read Pratchett for the longest time!!!)- Wee Free Men - Terry Pratchett
The Declaration - Gemma Malley- Faust - Goethe
The Secret Lives of People in Love - Simon Van Booy- 1Q84 - Haruki Murakami
- Abarat - Clive Barker
- One thousand and one nights - Hanan Al-Shaykh
War Music - Christopher Logue
This is another challenge I came across online. Now, I totally get the idea of a comfort book. There are books that I have read millions of times and I love going back to when I am feeling off - Gone with the Wind, Thornbirds, Lord of the Rings, The Fountainhead... there are many. So I am looking forward to trying some books that others love. I am still researching the books in the list on the challenge website. The only one that I know I am definitely going to read as of now is Jane Eyre. I shall update this bit in the next couple of days as soon as I have decided which five I am going to read!
UPDATE: Here are my five comfortable books to read in 2012:
Read some books released on 2012
UPDATE: Here are my five comfortable books to read in 2012:
Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte- Mists of Avalon - Marion Zimmer Bradley
- The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
The English Patient - Michael OndaatjeThe Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer
I've realised that even in 2011 or the years before that, I've hardly read any book released in that year. So I'm going to keep my ears and eyes open for new releases and try a few!
Phew! Now that I am done writing this, I shall get down to reading once I get home ;). I'll be posting some reviews of the books on this blog, if I feel strongly enough about the book that is and I'll definitely be keeping track on Goodreads and hope the size of the read list grows!
My thoughts on all the books I am reading this year are HERE
PS: I am definitely behind on how much reading I need to do. But hopefully, will reach closer to that goal of 52. **Fingers Crossed**
PPS: A Little catching up has happened. I hope more does. Not much progress on the lists up above though (A little, not much).
PPPS: Woohooo! Some catching up happening and I am enjoying crossing out some of the books mentioned about at least. Though I do have a writing backlog now. But I much prefer that to a reading backlog.
My thoughts on all the books I am reading this year are HERE
PS: I am definitely behind on how much reading I need to do. But hopefully, will reach closer to that goal of 52. **Fingers Crossed**
PPS: A Little catching up has happened. I hope more does. Not much progress on the lists up above though (A little, not much).
PPPS: Woohooo! Some catching up happening and I am enjoying crossing out some of the books mentioned about at least. Though I do have a writing backlog now. But I much prefer that to a reading backlog.
2 comments:
very interesting blog for all of us...........
Thanks for joining in on the Mount TBR challenge! Good luck reducing that pile.
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