Submitted by Penrod_Pooch t3_12573yc in books

I have the book "Marple" which is a collection of 12 short mysteries using Agatha Christie's Miss Marple character written by modern authors. I've read 5 or 6 of them, skipping a few that I simply didn't like and skimming a couple of others. Can I put the book on the list of books I've read this year or do you think it's cheating unless you read the whole book?

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Sir-Siren t1_je2sdrt wrote

If you’re done with it, it’s read. Sounds like you at least looked over the ones you didn’t finish

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FortuneTellingBoobs t1_je2syz0 wrote

I support you marking it as read. There are die-hards who will insist skipped pages or late DNFs don't count, but just like a relationship-- if you gave it your best go and just couldn't commit, it's still a notch on the bed post IMO.

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GeeksOnTrial t1_je2t0hp wrote

Normally, I'd say when you've actually read through 100% of it, but a collection of stories is a little different. If you have valid reasons for not reading every story, I say go ahead and mark it "read" in your mind, no point forcing yourself to endure something you don't enjoy.

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MetaI t1_je2t9nf wrote

It’s totally up to you of course. And it depends on what for and why you’re tracking the number of books you read. It’s not like reading challenges are this sacred, centralized idea that you can meaningfully ‘cheat’ on.

It sounds self-evident, but if you are tracking books you’ve read every word of, don’t count it. If you’re tracking books you feel done with, count it. If you’re using it just as a log to track what you’ve read in a given year, count it. If you’re doing a fun challenge with friends, ask them, or count it, or don’t.

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LittleSillyBee t1_je2tkeb wrote

You can also track each story individually. Often the stories exist as their own entities. Numbers will be higher, but you will track each you read. (Source - in the middle of reading 'Midwinter Murder' short stories and in same boat ;) )

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TemperatureRough7277 t1_je2tnjr wrote

If you mark a book as read on Goodreads and you didn't read every single word Jeff Bezos himself will step out of a mirror in your house and murder you in the night.

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viper_in_the_grass t1_je2uba1 wrote

You can. You're not going to jail for it. You can also not read anything from a book and mark it read. Turns out neither is a crime.

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LeeAnnLongsocks t1_je2vmkb wrote

Anything I read to the end is 'read', even if I skip a few paragraphs here or there (rarely). Anything else is a DNF, whether I quit after 5 pages or 200.

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CrazyCatLady108 t1_je2vxud wrote

my annual goal is both books and pages. so i count the short story collection as read, even if i did not read all of the stories, but i mark the page amount as a % of the stories read. so if i read 12 of 20 stories and the whole book is 700 pages. i 700/20*12 and list that number.

counting pages keeps me from choosing short books just to meet the goal.

but ultimately it is up to you and what you feel comfortable doing.

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aurjolras t1_je2wgrh wrote

This is what I think but I don't count endnotes, acknowledgements, etc. Just the main body of text. I also skip introductions for classic novels because I expect them to reveal the plot and I would rather not know in advance

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prudence2001 t1_je2xqf3 wrote

You be you. Nobody cares what you consider 'read'.

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nocountry4oldgeisha t1_je2xxxj wrote

I'd say, if you read enough to give a reliable opinion, it's read. If someone were to ask you "How did you like it?" and your natural response is "I didn't really read enough to decide," then you didn't read it.

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Bridalhat t1_je2z7sj wrote

I don’t but I really don’t care what anyone else does. I do occasionally read essays or whatever that I will give fractions to, but that I just my own odd fun thing.

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HildaMarin t1_je2zuqm wrote

If you told me you read it and later I found out these shocking details I would not be shocked and be okay. If you said you read it all or such then I'd feel it was misrepresented ... in the hypothetical universe where anything like this conversation takes place.

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Pipe-International t1_je33gne wrote

I personally couldn’t live with the fact I marked it as ‘read’ when I didn’t.

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Unrulydandy t1_je36oxy wrote

For me, if I read around 60% or so of a book I consider it read.

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minimalist_coach t1_je3oseb wrote

Your goal, your rules. I personally don't count a book read unless I read it all, but I don't think it's cheating if you count a book that you read the parts you wanted to read.

I set a variety of reading goals each year and I like to be clear on my own rules for myself, but I also reserve the right to change the rules later if what I set up stops working for me.

When I participate in a reading challenge and my reading log, I only count books that I've read from start to finish. However some goals that I set for myself I will count partially read books. For example, this year I have a goal to read or DNF the last 20 books that are on my physical shelf and that moved with me 3 years ago. If I start the book and decide I don't want to finish it, it goes into my pile of books to get rid off and I check it off my list.

I recommend you decide what your goal is for that book and then log it in whatever manner feels right to you.

I'll say I do like that I can mark a book as DNF on Storygraph. You can also create a shelf on GoodReads for partial reads or DNF books, but only if you feel the need to keep a record of it.

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Handyandy58 t1_je3szdy wrote

No one is paying attention to how many books you say you've "read." The only person this number matters to is you.

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SunlessChapters t1_je3u7jh wrote

You can. You can go through and add every book you've ever touched to your read list. There are no set rules and there shouldn't be. Ultimately, don't get sucked in the rabbit hole of racing through books to hit a reading goal or page count. All of that is just a bonus fun Stat to track and you can track it however you please.

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mitkah16 t1_je3ygqs wrote

I did that with Dexter’s series.

They are 8 books. I read 5 and a half. On the 6th I didn’t want to continue as they were so boring after the 3rd and quite not interesting anymore.

I marked 6, 7 and 8 as read and asked my partner for a summary (we have a book club between ourselves)

With short stories/anthologies/collections, I wouldn’t see it bad to mark the book as read even if you skipped few. The book is done for you and you judge it to yourself from the ones you got to read

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MinimumProcess1346 t1_je4rat9 wrote

You are reading for yourself, not for anyone else. You can consider it being read. However, I've been doing a project in my diary drawing a bookshelf full of the books I've read. Tho I only draw the fully finished books in them 🤷‍♀️ I could draw the unfinished books on it as well, bit I would feel like some kind of an impostor tbh

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PeterchuMC t1_je6aufz wrote

Personally, I consider a book fully read when I've read all of it. But I've also abandoned a few books partway through and I still consider those read but enough to realise that I don't like it.

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Baconsommh t1_je7b006 wrote

When I have read at least the main part of it - not necessarily including prefatory matter, introduction, foreword, acknowledgements, notes, appendices, index, addenda, errata, corrigenda, & suchlike.

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anachronic t1_je7ctjt wrote

I'm not trying to be mean here or anything, but why does it matter?

Nobody's keeping track except you.

If you read half of the short stories and the other half don't interest you, why force yourself to read them? Life's too short. Move on to something you like better.

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