26-ish books in 2022

[StColumbofNavron]

Roll up, roll up ...

Shiny new thread for 2022.

I am setting my target at 25 this year.

I want to read at least a min of 5 in hardcopy and at least 4 non-fiction.

@MaggieCassidy

I’m in!

I read a miserable total of 9 books last year due only to my phone addiction skyrocketing throughout the pandemic. I normally read in the region of 20, which can absolutely be increased with less phone and more determination! 💪

I’m starting off with a little book my DD bought me for Christmas - The Cat Who Saved Books - Sosuke Natsukawa which, 1/3 of the way in, is proving more engaging than the other short Japanese cat-themed books I’ve read in the last few years!

I’m also reading Shakespeare for Every Day of the Year with 365 sonnets/quotes and a commentary every day but obvs that’s going to take a while.

I’ve got Circe - Madeline Miller and The Silence of the Girls - Pat Barker lined up next.

I usually like to have a non-fiction on the go too (nature/science/art/motivational) but I think I’ll stick to one at a time whilst I’m getting back into the swing of reading.

@Weepingwillows12 I’d also like to read Dave Grohl’s biography and Ariadne this year.

I loved Circe, have you read The Song of Achilles by the same author? I adored it.

@ExtremelyDetermined

What do you all do about books you were part way through on 1st Jan, do they count? What about those you didn't finish (I wouldn't typically count these but it may be interesting to discuss them on the thread even so).

There aren’t really any “rules” so you can do what works for you. Personally I count books in the year that I finished them, which works well here because then I can discuss them in this year’s thread.

I don’t count DNF books in my total, but would mention them here - finding out what others don’t enjoy is just as interesting as finding out what they do enjoy. Amazingly I did not have a single book that I didn’t finish last year - hoping to be as lucky again this year!

@ExtremelyDetermined, we have no rules. Judge as you see fit. Personally, I count books I finished this year even if I started them last year. I wouldn’t count a book I didn’t finished, but you won’t face the chop if you chose too. I don’t really read audiobooks but I don’t think I would count them (for me) but almost everyone does and that’s fine. I count children’s books I read with my DS3 because they are substantive but others wouldn’t.

1. Vanity Fair, W M Thackeray
I was a bit meh about this most of the time. The present narrator is fun and interesting and I enjoyed his asides and seeming understanding of the difficulties faced by women. We follow Amelia (mercantile and privileged, bound by duty and decorum) and Becky Sharpe (bohemian, charismatic, fun and swinging by the seat of her pants) as they face ups and downs in their lives and how each manages the crisis they face. There wasn’t enough Becky for me, though I was rooting for her.

I'm in! Managed 37 last year. A mix of fiction & non fiction books & audio.
Finished my first for the year last night. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid which i really enjoyed.
Next on my list is either Just Ignore him by Alan Davies or Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas.

1. Freckles by Cecelia Ahern.

The first book I have read by this author. A fairly light and enjoyable read about Allegra from rural Ireland who has moved to a Dublin suburb for work and family reasons. The central theme was interesting and I enjoyed how Allegra worked through a process of getting to know herself and her nearest and dearest. Some of the more minor characters/events were a bit stereotypical but not really to the detriment of the book. My main niggle was that there is a lot of speech but no speech marks and often in the middle of a paragraph which slowed me down a bit in places as I hesitated over whether something was spoken word or not.

Gosh, already feel a little out of my depth on this thread. I struggle to find stuff on kindle as it offers a lot of low brow stuff which I actually even struggle with that. Perhaps I should start a thread for those who read the modern equivalent of the penny dreadful

I read a mix Lem! I try to throw a few books where I think I should have read them and intersperse with lots of genre stuff. I like golden age crime novels a lot - like a cosy blanket!

Are people counting audio books? I was thinking I would but keep the lists separately.

I also read a mix. Currently reading Rachel's holiday by Marian Keyes. Over half way through and really enjoying it.

@TheSecondLEM I use bookbinder to send Kindle recommendations when they are 99p. Based on whatever I ticked when I signed up I get some mystery, historical romance and then once a week or so I get some writers who would be on my list anyway.

Don’t worry about what you chose. I read lots of different things and you will shortly see that I will be listing a middle school book that I’m reading with DS3. Some of us will buy from the daily deals and you can absolutely bet that means we are reading some low brow stuff.

To illustrate: I have a few books I 100% want to get to this year and two of them I have written down are the next two Bridgerton books. Do you. It’s also worth noting that we all read faster in Jan with the momentum but it does slow right down.

The message really, for anyone reading this is

• please read what you like
• count whatever you want
• no one will judge

I agree, the whole point is to read what you want to read and share that, then we might all find books and genres that we hadn't thought of trying. The only marketing email I am subscribed to is the 99p Kindle deals one, I tend to have a vague list of things I'd like to read in my mind (from threads on here, things people have shared on FB, browsing generally) and it's surprising how often they pop up. I also browse charity shops. I don't have Kindle unlimited though, I don't read fast enough for it to be worth it.

@ThesecondLEM

Gosh, already feel a little out of my depth on this thread. I struggle to find stuff on kindle as it offers a lot of low brow stuff which I actually even struggle with that. Perhaps I should start a thread for those who read the modern equivalent of the penny dreadful

One of the books I plan to read soon is one from my childhood! And not a classic either. It all counts.

I use BookBub for cheap and free kindle/ebooks, it is updated daily or you can opt-in for their emails.

bookbub

For me the whole point of being on this thread is for the encouragement to read more books! We do this by sharing what we've read with others on here, no matter what that book is (or what format it was in). It's not a competition, so it doesn't really matter how many books you read or how fast/slow you read them. So there really is no reason or need to feel out of your depth. Just enjoy reading (whatever you want to read) and then come share your thoughts about it with the rest of us

I seem to have a constant supply of books, as DM, DDad and DD all read books that I like, but not necessarily what each other likes, so I get books from all of them! I don't have a Kindle or listen to audio books, but would totally count them if I did!

@WeeFae Noni haven’t read Song of Achilles but I’ll add it to the list!

Noni = No I !!

Can I join you all?
I have really fallen out of love with reading over the last year and am determined to get back on the bandwagon this year.
I've just started Ordinary People by Diana Evans which I'm struggling with a bit but I'm persevering for now.
I'd be happy to get through one book a month for 2022!

Would love to join in please!

I've set my Goodreads 2022 challenge at 25, I had it at 20 last year and failed miserably.

Have started this year reading The Couple At No.9

1) Career of Evil (strike number 3) - Robert Galbraith.

What a start to the year. Love Strike, love Robin, loved this book. I gave it 4 stars and picked up Lethal White straight away. I thought these books weren’t for me so I’m late to them, I was a fool.

4/5

@MaryasBible - I was late to them too, started about 18 months ago when Troubled Blood came out and have read them in order, finishing Troubled Blood last week, Absolutely brilliant.

I'm so in (as I miss my book group so much since moving😓)

1. The Care of Time- Eric Ambler
Excellent, old-school thriller, from his old mould of "innocent fella dragged into shady and deadly dealings". A very funny scene interviewing an off his tits sheik. Realistic and the villains are likeable, too. 5/5

I'd like to join in with this.

I think I read about 20ish fiction books last year but I am an absolute bugger for starting non fiction that really interests me and then never finishing because something else attracts me and I can't wait to crack it open (yes, I'm flighty). I really would like to have finished at least 5 non fictions this year and am going to aim for 30 in total.

I like the OPs idea of going through the tbr (and tbf in my case) pile and doing some forward planning.

Like most people I read a mix and will be counting physical, digital and audio books.

I'm currently reading Wintering by Katherine May in book form (non fiction)
Am listening to Klara and the Sun (Kazuo Ishiguro) on audio and am also taking part in the War and Peace MN readalong via kindle

Can I join this thread please? I have a New Years resolution to get off screens and read or create more. I sneakily finished a David Mitchell book on New Years Day and I’m now on Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stewart. It’s beautifully written but really depressing. 😩

@PlanktonsComputerWife

You should consider starting your own reading group. I’m in a group that started in lockdown 1. I responded to a message on Nextdoor.com. We have about 12-15 regular attendees.

Hope I'm not too late to join?!

@AColdDuncanGoodhew

Would love to join in please!

I've set my Goodreads 2022 challenge at 25, I had it at 20 last year and failed miserably.

Have started this year reading The Couple At No.9

I set mine at 12 for 2021 after failing my 20-something 2020 goal. I think the lack of pressure helped as I managed 23! This year I've set it at 24, wish me luck!