2016 Reading Challenge

ALynnPowers · Post by **ALynnPowers** » 29 Dec 2015, 12:32

Scott wrote:Hey, everyone, I want to make sure the reading goal tracking features with Bookshelves here at OnlineBookClub.org are better than at Goodreads. I have the advantage that the moderators and I can listen to each of you one on one and take your feedback and suggestions to learn exactly what you would like to get out of it. I'm not sure if people would like to get harassing email reminders to add books to their to-read shelf if they haven't been adding them in a timely manner... ?

I'm trying to brainstorm more ideas. Please throw out as many suggestions or requests as you can!

Honestly, I love Goodreads for this exact Book Goal tracking feature thingymadoodle (yes, that's the official title), and I guess this is what makes it so good for me:
1. There is a smart phone app that's super easy to use and I can update it anywhere.
2. It's like a one click thing. I just open the app and my list of books currently reading are right there. I click a button that says "I'm finished" and then I click on the rating I want to give it and it's automatically updated on my goal list.
3. It keeps track of the days I read it.
4. I can add comments/reviews about the book when I give it a rating (optional).
5. I can see at any point how many books I have read and what percentage this takes me through the goal (plus there is a progress bar for the those who enjoy visuals of such nature).

All right, that's all I've got for now.

Bigirimana Celestin · Post by **Bigirimana Celestin** » 29 Dec 2015, 13:42

I think my reading goals in 2016 is 52 BOOKS with a written review.

katelacecarter · Post by **katelacecarter** » 29 Dec 2015, 19:04

I love this idea as well!
I'm really not sure what to set mine to, as I've never kept track before and come August I'll be back in University classes and likely have much less time.
Three a month would certainly be doable, but seems a little lax.

Suggestions? I read pretty quickly.

littleboo50 · Post by **littleboo50** » 29 Dec 2015, 21:48

What an awesome idea! I will definitely have to figure out how many books I read this past year first as well!

gali · Post by **gali** » 29 Dec 2015, 22:46

katelacecarter wrote:I love this idea as well!
I'm really not sure what to set mine to, as I've never kept track before and come August I'll be back in University classes and likely have much less time.
Three a month would certainly be doable, but seems a little lax.

Suggestions? I read pretty quickly.

Try for 50 books. You can always lower it if you fall too far behind.

rssllue · Post by **rssllue** » 29 Dec 2015, 22:59

Or up it if you spring ahead!

gali · Post by **gali** » 29 Dec 2015, 23:07

rssllue wrote:Or up it if you spring ahead!

rssllue · Post by **rssllue** » 29 Dec 2015, 23:21

Post by **bookowlie** » 30 Dec 2015, 09:43

Scott wrote:Hey, everyone, I want to make sure the reading goal tracking features with Bookshelves here at OnlineBookClub.org are better than at Goodreads. I have the advantage that the moderators and I can listen to each of you one on one and take your feedback and suggestions to learn exactly what you would like to get out of it. I'm not sure if people would like to get harassing email reminders to add books to their to-read shelf if they haven't been adding them in a timely manner... ?

I'm trying to brainstorm more ideas. Please throw out as many suggestions or requests as you can!

I look forward to seeing how the goal tracking features will work here. On Goodreads, a few of the review books I've read aren't even on there even if the book is already published and being sold on Amazon. As a result, my GR totals are always a little lower than what I actually read, if that makes any sense.

Add that to the fact that I don't diligently add books when I start and finish them. I tend to add a few at a time to get caught up. Goodreads has this feature that shows today's date as the date you added the book. Since I don't add a book until I've already read it, my book info always look weird. For example, I might add a book today and update that I started it 6 days ago and finished it today. However, the "date added" throws the whole thing off since I didn't add the book when I started it. I actually had an author once post a Goodreads comment that he found it suspicious that I finished a book 15 minutes after adding it. Since it was an OBC review book, I was particularly embarrassed. I had to reply and explain the way Goodreads' add/start/finish columns can look confusing when people first add the books after they've finished it.

Whew....long story! The reason I mentioned this is to show how Goodreads' features don't work well unless someone is diligent about adding a book right at the point they start it.

Sarah G · Post by **Sarah G** » 30 Dec 2015, 16:48

Good luck to everyone next year

madisonhj_9 · Post by **madisonhj_9** » 30 Dec 2015, 22:13

This is great! It's hard as a college student to find time to read for fun but I am going to try and set a goal for myself in hopes that it will force me to find time!

CTurtle · Post by **CTurtle** » 31 Dec 2015, 13:02

I think that I would really like to start keeping track of the new authors that I have found and try to continue to follow them. I mean, there are certainly authors that I have been following for years. However, as of recently, and certainly with the use of reading books online, I have more of a tendency to read someone once, perhaps like the book, but never seek to explore other books by that author. Something about digital books makes the authors more forgettable. Am I alone in that?

-- 31 Dec 2015, 13:04 --

I would also like to become more adept at using this site to my advantage (in addition, to my previously posted goal)!

JadePhenix · Post by **JadePhenix** » 31 Dec 2015, 18:28

I've never challenged myself to read x-amount of books before. However, 2016 sounds like as good of a year as any to start! I want to shoot for the stars and say 100, but I'll be realistic and say 50.

KNewton · Post by **KNewton** » 31 Dec 2015, 22:58

My reading goal is set pretty low this year, at 26 books. A friend of mine wanted to do a specific challenge together and she's just getting back into reading. However, I am going to try and read more. Also, my goal is read more challenging books than I normally would. For example, my book goal this year is to read Moby Dick all the way through.

doyle5 · Post by **doyle5** » 01 Jan 2016, 02:18

I'm going to school full time and working a full time job...so my reading goal this year is really low. Only 24. But I figure two books a month is decent.