As you already know if you read my Reading Year in Review post, I was rather disappointed in myself for reading just 35 books in 2008, which was down from the 40 books I read in 2007 (which, come to think of it, was another number I was not thrilled with either). And for the first time, about one-third of the books I read were specifically for the purpose of posting reviews.
I’m not sure I’d want the percentage of “review” books I read to get much bigger than that, to be honest. I still have over 150 books of my own – which, by my definition, means books I bought for myself or received as gifts – waiting in TBR Purgatory, and they tend to get pushed aside for the books that are sent to me for review. And I’ve always preferred having the freedom to choose what I want to read when I feel like reading it; as I’ve said before, that’s a big factor in why I buy books rather than get them from the library, but it’s also part of why I want to limit the number of “review” books I accept, and why I’m not an active participant in book clubs.
With all that said, I find that for the first time I can remember, I feel like setting a reading goal for 2009 – I even mentioned it as one of my hypothetical New Year’s resolutions – but I really don’t want to plan my reading in all that much detail. I have signed up for the 2009 RYOB (Read Your Own Books) Challenge, which does NOT require committing to a list of books ahead of time – just a number. My goal for the challenge is reading 20 books from my shelves this year, not including any books I have received (or will receive) for review. Any book posts that meet the challenge requirements will be identified with a “RYOB 2009” label.
After almost two years, I’ve finally been sucked into a reading challenge :-). Wish me luck!
Florinda, you’re not the only one who resisted challenges. I have too, for many of your same reasons. But, I too have caved and joined one – Dewey’s Books – and am seriously contemplating signing up for at least one more. You’re right … they’ve reeled us in. I figure, the moment it becomes more like a chore and not fun is the moment I’ll stop.
Good luck! I’m trying to steer clear of challenges for a little while.
I’m definitely with you in being disappointed in my reading total this year and how I’ve managed to read strikingly little from my own shelves. All my books are crying out from neglect! I’m hoping do better on both fronts this year. Hope you’re successful in reading your own books, too! 🙂
Challenges always look so fun, but they do limit the flexibility. I’m trying to hold firm at 2.
B&B's Mommy – The idea that it might make reading feel more like work than fun is a big reason for my not doing challenges before, and I’m just dipping my toe in with this one. Good luck with your first reading challenge, too!
Kathy (Bermudaonion) – I haven’t done one before, so thanks for the good wishes. I’m going to do my best to resist jumping in too deep, though!
Megan – The same to you! I love how book bloggers motivate each other :-).
Jill (Softdrink) – And I really like having my reading flexibility, but I’m a little worried now that since I’ve tried one challenge, my resistance will drop quickly!
Reading for pleasure means reading by choice. I like to own my books so that I don’t have deadlines. I make a point of keeping at least one pleasure book around; it keeps me relaxed not to read work-related material at night.
Happy New Year, Florinda!
Daisy – I don’t really have to do all that much work-related reading, so technically all of my reading qualifies as “pleasure” in that sense. But accepting books to review and reading from a list can start to feel more like work and less like fun at times – and that’s NOT a way I want to feel about reading! And your reason for preferring to own your books is about the same as mine.
April – Happy New Year to you too, and hope to see you soon :-)!
I really like the concept of the RYOB Challenge and am glad you decided to join! When I first joined the TBR Challenge, I interpreted to mean reading my own books and for the most part, I stuck to that.
Technically all of the books on my challenge lists this year are TBR books. It’s just that most of them are books that I received for review this past year. I decided to try a new tact with most of the challenges I signed up for. I made a list of all the books I have to read and fit in the challenges around them. The only two exceptions being the 1sts and 2nds challenges, which I signed up for in a heat of passion.
I left some of my challenges open as I go, which will help with those much needed spur of the moment reads.
We’ll see how it goes. Good luck with the challenge!
welcome to the world of book challenges! 🙂
i’m something of a challenge addict. i’m a ‘joiner’ by nature, i think, and i also love to feel challenged. but 2008 saw a lot of unfinished challenges on my list, so i’m trying to limit myself for 2009. (‘trying’ being the operative word.)
i hope you’ll enjoy the RYOB Challenge – and that it helps you achieve your goals!
happy new year!
Wendy (Literary Feline) – I’m hoping that I’ve picked up a bit about managing challenges from reading other people’s experiences with them :-).
It makes sense to me to fit the challenges you join to books you’re already intending to read anyway, unless you don’t actually have any books that would qualify and/or really want to try out a different genre or something.
Good luck with your challenges too!
Alisonwonderland – I’m really not much of a “joiner,” come to think of it; maybe that’s another reason I haven’t done a reading challenge before. I think this may be a good one to start with, though.
Happy New Year to you too!
Happy New Year and good luck with your self-imposed challenge which btw is a GOOD ONE. 🙂
Yasmin – Happy New Year to you too, and thanks for the good wishes!
Good luck with your challenge! My books have been neglected terribly the last few months – between review copies and library books I just don’t get the chance to read my own 🙂
Joanne – It’s getting silly, and I have to do something about it :-). Thanks for the good wishes!
I have been considering participating in a few challenges this year, but, like others, I don’t want my reading to seem like work. Whether I make it “official” or not, I definitely need to participate in the RYOB challenge! I am trying to do that now, and it is so hard to stay away from the library!!
Dreamybee – I really don’t go to the library, so for me it’s more a question of reading the books I already have in the house and not adding so many more :-)!