What is your favorite book challenge?

Submitted by Pineapplebruh97 t3_10iqlh4 in books

Hi! First time posting here! (I apologize if I’m not following the rules and for posting on mobile. Also, for the grammar)

Okay, so, my goal is to read 23 books in 2023. They have to be books I’ve never read before and a loose rule is they can’t be part of a series with a continuous story. Example: Harry Potter wouldn’t work but the Disney Twisted Tales would.(Of course, exceptions apply)

But that got me thinking: What book challenges are you doing this year? Or what are your favorite ones?

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[deleted] t1_j5g0o5z wrote

[deleted]

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minimalist_coach t1_j5g8eje wrote

Please don't feel bad about how many books you read. I had to retire to finally get to read a lot of books. When my kids were little we were planning a vacation and I told them my one and only condition is we needed to go somewhere that would allow me enough free time to read a book cover to cover.

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HappyLeading8756 t1_j5h25ey wrote

And that's okay.

In 2021 I read 48 books.

Guess how many in 2022? Around 8.

Reading is so personal, that there's no point in comparing yourself to others.

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f-ingsteveglansberg t1_j5j57et wrote

A book a month is about 1 book more than 50% of the population read in a month.

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scottishfoldwannabe t1_j5ghgdh wrote

You’d be surprised to know there are people who read over 150 books a year (granted they’re book bloggers but still discouraging at times).

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Mom_V t1_j5iie5k wrote

My goal is to read at least one page every day. Hopefully I can read more, but if all I can muster is one page, then so be it. Last year I managed to read 13 books that way. :)

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Violet2393 t1_j5ipnkx wrote

Don't worry about the number of books you read. The number is less important than what you got from those books. Personally, I try not to focus too much on how many books I read, because I find that encourages me to stay away from books that are slower or take longer, and those are usually my favorites at the end of the year.

Just like everything else, social media has turned reading into something where you compare yourself to some "ideal" of a reader. There's no such thing. The most important and valuable thing about reading is the relationship you build between yourself and the book.

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Agitated-Aardvark-55 t1_j5kx5gl wrote

I set a goal one year of the number of books I wanted to read. Problem is, I like to read long books and I struggled to meet my goal. I’m not going to do that again.

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mmillington t1_j5l7xwn wrote

When I read something long, like 700+, I plan to take a whole month to read it.

Though I usually finish early, it’s so nice to dedicate a whole month of reading to one book.

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DeborahJeanne1 t1_j5kh9dy wrote

I don’t set reading goals. I see many readers want to top the number of books they read the previous year, but imo, that takes all the fun out of reading. I read because I love to. 2020 and 2021 I read nonstop. I don’t know how many books I read, but I always had a book open in my spare time.

2022 was totally different. I was given short notice that my rental agreement would not be renewed. I ended up buying a house (I’m so over shitty landlords), I packed up to move, then unpacked, and came out of a short-lived retirement and went back to work.

I’m still not totally unpacked, so I feel guilty if I sit down to read for even 30 minutes because there’s so much yet to do.

The other issue is, you have it in the back of your mind that it’s all about numbers. You may find yourself rushing through a book without really absorbing what you’re reading. You read just to finish the book and move on to the next one, scratching another line on the tree adding to the number of books you’ve already read.

This all defeats the purpose of reading. Read because you love to, not because you want to top yourself.

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missly_ t1_j5jmt69 wrote

I wanted to do the 52 books challenge (1 per week) a couple years ago, but last year I set my goal to 24. A lot more realistic, but I still read 16 and a half. I'm trying again this year! And I'm trying not to get depressed over that :) also, somebody said some people read over 100 books a year. Lol, it must be very tiring. 150? I don't know if I believe that, unless they have eidetic memory or read short books lol

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DeborahJeanne1 t1_j5kinec wrote

I totally agree with you. Some people throw out unrealistic numbers. Impossible numbers! You have to eat, sleep, most people work. How does someone read 200 books a year?

Don’t get depressed over the number of books you read or don’t read, because frankly, if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is.

There are only 365 days in a year. Reading 200/year sounds impossible - unless they’re third grade golden books 😁

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mmillington t1_j5l8hek wrote

A lot of the high numbers I’ve seen are people who listen to a lot of pop lit audiobooks while they’re at work. And they listen at like 2X speed.

I’ve been listening to the Dresden Files books on 2X before bed, but I can’t take audiobooks for long.

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DeborahJeanne1 t1_j5lzvku wrote

I thought that might be the case, but that’s not reading! Listening to a book is no different than listening to a documentary on TV. I do that when I’m cleaning the house.

I’ve tried listening to audiobooks while driving to a vacation spot, but my mind wanders and I find myself continuously rewinding. However, I never considered that reading in the true sense of the word.

In my opinion - and it’s just that - someone who listens to audiobooks and speeds it up to finish quicker- is doing it to pad their numbers. They are deluding themselves if they think it classifies as reading.

And before I’m downvoted by those who don’t agree, just look up the definition of reading: “the action or skill of reading written or printed matter silently or aloud.” Similar alternatives are “browse through, look through, glance through, leaf through, flick through, skim through” - but no “listen to.”

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mmillington t1_j5msmxd wrote

Yeah, I think of it as listening to a theater performance more than “reading.”

The only time I can really follow an audiobook is if I’ve read the print version first; otherwise, like you, my mind just wanders off.

When I do long, laborious home projects like refinishing floors or painting walls/fences, I listen to some classic science fiction like Snow Crash, The Forever War, or The Doomsday Book.

Aside from the Dresden Files audiobooks, the only time I’ve listened to the audio as my first time through was last year with Finnegans Wake. I had the audio going in my headphones while I actively read along. It really helped having the Irish pronunciations. Next time I read The Wake, I’m going without the audio now that I have a feel for it.

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cursed-core t1_j5k7xjw wrote

Hey it is okay despite my challenge this year I only read three last year!! It is good that you are reading either way.

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Ireallyamthisshallow t1_j5gcbsc wrote

My free time to read dwindled massively over the years to the point where I was barely reading at all (especially if I wanted to relax any other way). Audiobooks really made a huge difference to me, because I can listen to them doing a lot of the more menial tasks in life (cleaning, traveling, exercising) where I can devote my attention but can't physically hold a book.

I don't do this thing where people listen to them at x500 speed, I just listen at their standard speed and get to enjoy and consider books once again. I got through 70 last year.

I still always have a physical book on the go for bed times, but it's a slow burner.

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Trick-Two497 t1_j5gsbgf wrote

I have a list of books I read in high school (back in the '70s) and my goal is to re-read them as an adult. Also reading other books that weren't in my school curriculum, but were in other school curriculums.

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Fast-Chest-3976 t1_j5grkq4 wrote

I’m doing the challenge on good reads where you set yourself a certain number of books to read each year, I’m doing 60 this year

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StrawberryFields_ t1_j5gjmpw wrote

The Vladimir Nabakov Challenge.

To read a few books but read them lovingly and with the attention they deserve.

> “What a scholar one might be if one knew well only some half a dozen books."
In reading, one should notice and fondle details.

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LoreHunting t1_j5i3ahp wrote

Fondle? A strangely intimate reading style you’ve got there. xD

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Zikoris t1_j5g7wy5 wrote

In addition to the newly-minted r/365book bingo challenges, I have three I'm working on this year:

  • Backlog Challenge, where I finally read all the older works by three favourite authors, Mercedes Lackey, Neal Shusterman, and K.J. Parker. It's a lot of books but I try to do at least one per author every week, so I'm making progress.

  • Complete the Pot Thief Series Challenge. I've been meaning to complete this series for a while, so I'm slotting in one per week until it's done. I have another series planned for after I finish it.

  • Read 50 Nonfiction Books Challenge. I did this last year and found it so enriching to my life to be just constantly learning about all sort of different topics.

For straight numbers, I do a 365 book challenge because it's a nice round number.

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InvisibleSpaceVamp t1_j5gezce wrote

I have saved a challenge from the German sub which looks like a lot of fun. It doesn't focus an numbers but asks you to pick books based on the cover, release date, home country of the author, setting, genre that is new to me, re-read ...

I'm using this as a guideline to work through my TBR. Doesn't make sense to buy a new one just because it has a purple cover of course.

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Morgan8198 t1_j5gyex0 wrote

This year I’m trying to read 40 books, and I want to expand beyond memoirs and romance (pretty much all I read last year). So far I’m 6 books in, and I’ve read sci-fi, thriller, romance, and YA fiction. It’s been fun so far!

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IamEclipse t1_j5hbzlv wrote

My goal in 2022 was to simply read the books I got for Christmas. I ended up reading just over 20 books throughout the year.

My goal for 2023 is 50 books, and as of this comment, I have read 8 books so far this year.

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CWE115 t1_j5hndmn wrote

I’m doing several:

The We Didn’t Start the Fire Challenge from @erraticelle on IG

Taylor Swift’s Midnights on StoryGraph

12 Books from 12 Friends

Around the Year

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SheepskinCrybaby t1_j5imhi8 wrote

12 books from 12 friends is such a nice idea (‘: If you hate a certain one would you ask them for a new suggestion, or ask a new friend for a new book?

Either way, thanks for mentioning, might get my friends to do this! A plus, I’m sure, if they’re irl friends and can loan you the book personally!

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CWE115 t1_j5jd9qy wrote

I don’t have enough friends that read, so I’m using a 12 books from 12 friends group on StoryGraph. I will select a book from each month’s options and read it. If I’m lucky, I’ll already own it or the library will have it available.

I’m also willing to use a rec from people I follow on IG if I really needed to.

The best thing about challenges is they aren’t contests. You don’t lose if you can’t read as many books as someone else.

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MarieReading t1_j5fz16m wrote

I find book challenges and tbr's limiting. I tend to embrace what I'm curious about at the moment rather than saving it for another day. Carpe diem is my reading style/challenge. It's honestly the mindset that got me through some dense classics.

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trishyco t1_j5i51d2 wrote

I do the Popsugar Reading Challenge every year.

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pineapplesf t1_j5fuvko wrote

Normally I just to a certain number per year. I've tried around the world challenges but they are pretty tedious. Someone on 365books set up bingo and I think it's been super fun!

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Emanreztunebniem t1_j5ge9b6 wrote

i found out about r/52book just before new year, so i’m super ambitious and set myself the goal of 52 books. every book counts, if i read it from start to finish (so no text books from uni)

idk how much i read last year (didn’t track) but the year before i got 45, so i’m optimistic :)

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mcrawfishes t1_j5i53v1 wrote

10 Books 10 Decades from Reggie Reads! Just 10 different books in 10 different decades. The StoryGraph app has a good mix of community-made reading challenges!

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cursed-core t1_j5k908o wrote

Hey if you don't have books lined up may I recommend Stranger in a Strange Land from the 60s? It is outdated but is just a wild read.

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mcrawfishes t1_j5machx wrote

Oh this has been on my list!! I finally read Dune a couple weeks ago so now I’m on a sci-fi kick again. I’m at 5 books so far this month, so I’ll definitely have some duplicate decades anyway!

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scottishfoldwannabe t1_j5gh0pu wrote

My book challenge sounds underwhelming compared to the rest, but I just keep track of my reading on Goodreads and my goal is 60 books this year (I hit 61 last year but that’s including novellas and series).

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lillykat25 t1_j5h4pc9 wrote

I’m doing the same thing! I’ve never used Goodreads before so I’m trying to track my reading this year. My goal is 50 books this year because I’m starting a new full time job and I know there will be weeks where I just don’t want to read anything.

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scottishfoldwannabe t1_j5h54ps wrote

Best of luck with the new job and your reading goal! Goodreads is really handy but takes some getting used to (it’s easier to navigate on desktop I find, but it’s more convenient to be used on a phone).

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LoreHunting t1_j5i3208 wrote

r/Fantasy’s bingo! I’m at 19/25 right now, and am looking forward to wrapping it up before the new bingo comes out in April. The system of each square having a specific theme really does wonders for making me read more broadly (even if, ultimately, it’s restricted to speculative fiction).

Maybe this sub could try making something like that. Would be cool!

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Yo_Techno t1_j5inlls wrote

This year I have a word count goal and not book total. When I do book totals I always err on the side of shorter novels just for the sake of hitting my goal and start feeling impatient when getting through one takes longer than expected. So this year my goal is 1.5 million words (12-15 avg length books)

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Much_Sea6500 t1_j5je2g2 wrote

The number of books is not as important as the content you grasp from any number of books you read.

I am currently doing the Proust challenge wherein I'm trying to complete all 7 books of in search of lost time by Marcel Proust this year!!

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KiwiTheKitty t1_j5fvowj wrote

r/Fantasy has a book bingo I've been having a ton of fun doing this year! It goes from the beginning of April to the end of March, so there are a few more months left in this year

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minimalist_coach t1_j5g82xs wrote

I love reading challenges. I posted recently about the challenges I've participated in recently and others have shared their challenges.

https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/z8gypn/i_know_some_of_you_are_looking_for_a_new_reading/

Since I joined StoryGraph this year, I've joined a few other challenges:

Book Hoarder: has 5 prompts to help me tackle my physical TBR pile

2023 Reading challenge by Millisabv with 12 prompts to promote diversity

A cozy mystery challenge with 20 prompts for cozy mysteries

Crime Queens Crime Read with 9 prompts focused on crime novels

Leave the comfort zone with 7 prompts based on my Storygraph stats

The Linzthebookworm/Logophile challenge with 5 levels and up to 60 prompts for a variety of genres and authors.

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OldSkool369 t1_j5iidux wrote

Personally, I’m thrifting as many memoirs and classics as I can and reading them or re-reading them as much as possible. The key here is the thrifting so I can see annotations and side comments other people may have left in there, just so I can get different perspectives on what’s going on. (Feels less lonely, I suppose? Also budget-friendly!)

(Not sure if you’re taking requests but I highly recommend We The Animals by Justin Torres! It’s a quick read, but incredible and was life-changing for me.)

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Violet2393 t1_j5ir312 wrote

Not really challenges, but I have some goals this year:

- Re-read favorite books I've read before (aiming for 1 per month)

- Read books I own but haven't read yet (also aiming for 1 per month)

- Get books mostly from free libraries, public libraries, and physical bookstores and only buy online as a last resort (and buy from bookshop.org when I do)

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Andrewartist t1_j5ivj1m wrote

I put all my unread books, about 60, on scraps of paper and into a big vase. I pick from there and read what I’m told

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Luna_3000 t1_j5iyr2a wrote

One year I challenged myself to exclusively read books by women and/or indigenous Americans and it was great. Sometimes I have a numerical goal, or to finish a series. This year is quantity only because I hated how much time I was wasting listening to garbage podcasts and instead am throwing that time at audiobooks. Happy reading!

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DahliaDubonet t1_j5sjiw4 wrote

That’s my goal! I want my list at the end to be as inclusive as possible and have really enjoyed challenging myself with that!

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rmujicab t1_j5j5u9b wrote

One classic a month... Just that. The rest is whatever I want to read at the moment.

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DeborahJeanne1 t1_j5klw3y wrote

I’m trying to read the classics myself. I started Oliver Twist 3x last year before I finally finished it. I want to read The Complete works of Dickens but that style of writing slows me down. I want to read the Iliad and the Odyssey. The Hunchback of Norte Dame. Frankenstein. Phantom of the Opera. I would even like to tackle Shakespeare. I bought the book of complete works of Longfellow.

Classics can’t be rushed. Reading shouldn’t be rushed. A good book is savored, like a glass of good wine. Take your time and enjoy the books.

Having said that, a friend of mine has the most appropriate screen name: 2manybooks2littletime

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mmillington t1_j5l73mx wrote

My goal this year is to not let the length of a book play into my decision of what to read.

I’ve read 100+ books in each of the past three years, but I have 20+ unread books at least 700 pages long. I often find myself reaching for a book and wondering if I could instead read 2 or 3 books in the time it’s take to read one long book.

In the past two year, the 700+ page books I’ve read have consistently been my favorites of the year.

I’m three days into my first 700+ of the year, The Tunnel by William Gass,_ and it’s a beautiful, dense beast. It’s been on my shelf for three years, and I’m so glad I finally started it.

In addition to this approach, I each year pick an author and read as much of their work as possible, aiming for completion. Last year was Roald Dahl, and this year will be either China Miéville (four left unread) or David Foster Wallace (three unread). Next year will be Theodore Dreiser, the most famous author from my hometown.

I also read each issue of Poetry Magazine and McSweeney’s.

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Whatstheretosay44 t1_j5icmt3 wrote

Read all the books in Zola’s Parisian cycle. They are completely separate novels

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walterwhitecrocodile t1_j5ifjs7 wrote

in 2021, my goal was to read 24 books, i read 25.

In 2022, my goal was 30 books, i read 32.

In 2023, my goal is 12 books. Yes, I'm deliberately trying to read less books, not more. I want to REALLY enjoy what I'm reading at a leisurley pace.

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SneezlesForNeezles t1_j5j1cfn wrote

I have a handful of yearly challenges; 150 books, 30 physical books, a genre challenge and 10 countries. Then an overall challenge of one for every country, but that will plug along slowly!

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thecutestnerd t1_j5j2nwk wrote

I have a goal of reading 100 books in 2023. I’ve already read 20, so I think I’ll keep the pace and maybe exceed it.

Now to find more things I actually want to read lol! I don’t want to read something just to check it off.

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joonsbluecrab t1_j5jfo3u wrote

last year i did bingo reading challenge from Goodreads, where you get randomly generated card with various genres so i got to explore them.

this year i am doing a challenge to read around from different countries, as diverse as it gets. it's pretty fun browsing books and learning more about authors.

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MonetWeeping t1_j5k40u9 wrote

Last year I read 122 books and this year I just want to read at least 123. I use to average a book a day and for some reason last year I couldn't make myself read. I started off the year strong but by June I'd was going weeks without picking up my kindle, in 4 months I only read 3 books. So far this year I'm up to 24.

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cursed-core t1_j5k7rdq wrote

My book challenge is to read 52 books I haven't read before, basically one for each week. They can be any book, any subject (hell I knocked out a pagan method one a bit ago).

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cherrylabour t1_j5k8v1e wrote

I actually just made a Niche fantasy/sci-fi/horror reading challenge for myself on storygraph yesterday! It focuses on diversifying the books I'm reading every month. It has 13 prompts, so my minimum goal is to read 1 that might check off a prompt per month.

My bigger goal is one book a week until I lose steam lol.

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lpgainey t1_j5kgx9g wrote

I’d love to try the read my height challenge. But I’m 6’3” and that is a lot of books…

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DeborahJeanne1 t1_j5kog08 wrote

The Complete Works of Dickens. The style of writing is a hard read for me, but I’m determined to read his entire collection of stories. It took 3 starts before I finished Oliver Twist, and while I knew the dynamics of the story, I never knew the ending until I actually read it all the way through. The more I read, the easier it became.

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j1l2w3 t1_j5kusn3 wrote

I set my goal on Goodreads for 20 books. I am hoping to read more than that, but we'll see. I am going to read through as many books on my shelf as possible, as I have not read most of them yet. So. I won't be buying anymore books this year, until they are all read

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rturns t1_j5lipmw wrote

It was amongst friends, but the challenge was to "Actually buy, read, and discuss "Moby Dick".

...and it was awesome!

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headphonehabit t1_j5rv567 wrote

I always participate in the Goodreads challenge. My goal is 48 this year.

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mbattiest44 t1_j5s1aty wrote

I use Goodreads/StoryGraph primarily and set a number of books goal there.

Last year I joined a Facebook group and the host provides 30 prompts and a monthly bonus prompt. I have enjoyed that challenge because most of the prompts are pretty basic and typically don’t require too much research to find a book that fits.

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