HAS ANYONE REACHED THEIR TARGET?

I still have 5 books to read but I think some other people have already reached their 50, or 100, ...
TELL US!

Yes, I've passed all three of my targets - I've read:

111 / 100 books (total)
52 / 50 new books
36,611 / 30,000 pages

I considered raising my challenge, but decided not to - to just keep track of how much I read the rest of the year instead of having a new, higher goal.

106/100 (total)
2 re-reads / 104 new books
no idea how many pages!

Like Bluesalamanders, I decided not to "up" my target any, but to just rack 'em up and see how many I ended up with come the end of the year.

116/100

I've read almost all new books, with a few exceptions. I also decided not to raise the challenge because I wasn't sure how much I'd be reading during the school semester. I'll just see how much I do and use it as an estimate for a new challenge next year.

Well, I did raise my challenge, and now I'm sorry. I am at 93 books right now - well within range of 100 books for the year. My new target of 150 looks pretty unlikely, however.

Yep, my target was 65, which I hit yesterday. I don't plan on raising my goal, I'm just going to keep on reading like I have been. And technically I've read more books than that, since I don't count rereads, and I reread all the Harry Potter books several times this year.

Up to 37.....counting......

My goal was to exceed last years, which was 84 books.

I am at present reading Book 105.

105/84

I have now rasied my goal to 120.

Do not know number of pages. But some of the books are over 1000 pages each. I think most average 300 or so pages. I never counted that. I know if a book is 300 page or less; for that book is one for an afternoon. I do not count rereads.

73 books in since April 18th. My original goal was 50. I didn't really set a new goal, just seeing how it goes. This has been a slow month with only 6 books. With only 3 days left, unlikely I will add more than 1.

I passed my original 50 target, and am closing in on my 100 target.

Reached my 100-book target and am now gunning for 150 books.

Getting there. I'm on book 44 of 50 but with book 45 I'll have passed my goal of 15000 pages.

"Stay on target...stay on target..."

I'm almost there - currently reading my 49 of 50 with October, November, and December still to go. I'm actually shocked that I managed to get to 50 now that I've finished grad school. I thought it would be so hard - but its actually easier now that I am reading things other than 500-page academic tomes on obscure (yet fascinating!) aspects of Middle Eastern history.

I passed 50 a few months ago; I'm at 221 for the year now.

I reached 50 this month; I'm at 52 now. I have not revised my goal, I'm just going to consider this challenge completed! I think I'll end the year somewhere around 65.

This is the first year I've tracked what I read, so I had no idea whether this goal would be achievable. It sounded ambitious to me in January! And I have to admit, I know am reading more than I did last year. I'm also reading better books ... thanks in great part to LT.

Congratulations everyone above.
Do you think that recording your reading on this group made a difference?? Did you read more than you expected? (Some did - see above.)

I've also reached my goal of 50 this month. The number of books I finish this year will be my goal for next year.

This is also my first year tracking how many books I read and I am pretty surprised that I've read so much. Can't wait to see how many books I finish!

I have always kept a reading diary, simply because over time I would forget what I had read. This is the first time I set myself a goal, however, and I have really enjoyed the challenge.

16 amanda

I have no idea if I'm reading more than I normally would. I mean, I have read more this year already than I did last year, when I started keeping track, but I also had both more stress and a little more free time (funny how that has worked) this year, both of which have probably contributed.

Keeping track does make a difference in what I read, because I choose to make it do so - I used to mostly reread books (I'm not exactly sure when that started). Last year, a third of my reads were new, this year so far half. Maybe I'll shoot for two thirds next year. That might be about the limit, though, since rereads are necessary for me (one, in times of great stress, and two, to fully appreciate a book).

(edited for better phrasing)

I reached my 50, then decided to raise it to 75, then 100. I've read about 105 books this year now :) Next year I'm going to start with 100.

I set my goal at the number of books that I read last year, 83. I am not there yet, but I am ahead of pace at 65 1/2. I am pretty sure that I will finish my current book before the end of the month, leaving me with 17 books over 3 months, which is less than 6 books for month. Since I have 10 books this month, and 11 in August, I feel pretty confident that I will pass my "goal" even given the busy month of December.

I don't think I have read any more due to the challenge, because I don't really view it as a challenge. I compare from year to year, but that doesn't motivate me to read more. What motivates me is how interested I am in the book I am reading, plus the knowledge that there are so many more books that I want to read! I do have a spreadsheet that I use to keep track of what I read, but I like to have this forum to write down my thoughts on what I read.

I don't think I have read more due to the list making, but I think I have read more of a variety due to the recommendations and conversations on this site.
There are books here I would never have chosen if they hadn't been reviewed and discussed favorably, and a lot I would never even have heard of.
I am currently working on all the Pulitzers, the 1001, and just what ever sounds good. A much bigger scope than my original mystery only reading.

Like lindsacl above, I had never kept any count of the books I read before, and I had no idea whether 50 books per year was in line with my usual pace or not. As it turns out, I hit 50 around the first of September, and would have done so a little sooner but for some unexpected traveling and family care duties. I think now that I have "made the goal" I am consciously trying to fit in more reading time to see if I can get to 75 by year's end, because now I know that that IS a challenge for me. (I'm at 57 now.) I do admit to choosing my books a little more carefully, knowing that I'm going to make a list that others (mostly strangers, so why do I care??) will see. A little vanity creeps in! But seriously, participating in this challenge, and following what other people are reading has improved my selections, and exposed me to countless titles I might not have known of before. On my thread (I'm in...) I have previously noted that writing about each book as I finish it has made me a more careful reader. I believe I'm getting more value from my reading experiences through doing this.

#21 and #23

I think I will make that part of next year's goal, to jot a little something down about the book I just read. At the moment I just give a rating out of five stars but I'd like to elaborate on that. Not a review per se, but some impressions.

>24 sandragon: et al, when I started the challenge I had just joined LiveJournal because a) I wanted to start a "reading journal" and it seemed like a good medium, and b) the 50bookchallenge is a "community" on that site. Because I write reviews of each book on my blog (and also paste the reviews into LT), my thread in this group has turned into just a list, with links to my reviews. I know that's boring, but I just can't maintain another "thing."

I have really enjoyed writing reviews, and find that also enhances my reading experience. I think about my review as I'm reading, and I retain much more of what I've read this year. Sandragon, I think jotting down impressions is a great idea, too.

My goal was 25 books in the period April 16 - Oct 16 (six months). I'm at 24 with two-plus weeks to go so I'm pretty sure I'll make it.

My commute changed several times during this period and since the commute is when I do most of my reading, that had a big effect! Now have maybe 20 minutes per day to read -- 10 minutes each way. Not really enough. :( Otherwise I'd probably be up to 30 by now, at least. oh well. I still think 25 in six months is damn good considering my crazy life. :)

Yup, finished book number fifty this past week. Interesting exercise, I've never tracked how many books I've actually read from start to finish before.

Has anyone reached their target this week? Or close to finishing?

I reached my goal this past week. I'm going to keep reading (of course!) and continue keeping track but I don't think I'll bother upping my goal.

I just passed my goal in pages (15300 and counting) but still need to reach my goal of 50 books.

Crikey sandragon! You're crazier than I am, with your page-counting!

My daughter's school requires students to read 25 books in a school year. As the kids get older, the number of pages that "counts" as 1 book increases. Now she is in 6th grade (age 12), and her teacher has simply stated the requirement in pages: 25 books x 150 pages per book = 3,750 pages.

So now an entire classroom has gone crazy counting pages!

I'm not sure I like that idea, lindsacl. It's one thing to keep track of how many books kids read (we did that when I was in school, though it was one month, not the whole year) but to require them to read a certain number? And what happens to the kids who don't (or can't)? No, I'm not sure I like that at all.

I set a goal for 25 books for the year, but I'm almost finished with 22 so I may make it to 30 books. Being a single mother that works nights makes it difficult to read as much as I'd like to.

#31 - amandameale: Only out of curiosity. This is the first time I've ever kept track of my reading at all, by books or pages. It's been interesting to track my reading habits this year. And I haven't included audiobooks or chapter books I've read to my 7yo in the count, although I've kept track of them. And no way I'm going to try and track the picture books read to the kids.

I just recorded my 50th book today which was my goal. I was pretty sure that I would reach it as I had read more than that last year but I didn't want to feel pressured to read a certain amount.

I didn't read any more this year because of the challenge because I have recorded my books for many years now. If I don't, I don't remember them!

I am not going to increase my goal number but will try to read more than last year. I have a rough idea of how many books I read last year so I don't think it will be too difficult but I am not sure.

I think that next year I may increase my goal to 75 books but I haven't decided yet.

Reached my target this past weekend. Target was 25 books by Oct 16th, actually read 26 books by Oct 7th, so go me. :)

I'm going to continue reading of course, and will continue using LibraryThing and my tag "read in 2007" to see how much further I get. But am not going to explicitly set a new target (yet).

>33 bluesalamanders:: bluesalamanders, I see your point. I don't know whether you live in the US, but I'm pretty sure the 25 books requirement is a state-specific adoption of the federal "No Child Left Behind" program. Don't even get me started on that ...

The good thing is that the kids can count books read in the classroom i.e.; with their reading group. And from what I have seen, the teacher is very understanding and supportive and appears to work with the kids on an individual basis. There are good signs that she would support those who struggle to meet the reading requirement.

38 lindsacl

*stabity stabity* NCLB is evil. Yes, I'm in the US. And my mom is an elementary school teacher.

It sounds like that teacher is doing the best she can in a...less than ideal situation. That's good to know.

I have reached my target as well. I aimed for 50 which I hit a while ago so then I changed it to 75 this year which I just hit too! Will see how many I get to and then go for something a little higher next year hopefully. It's amazing how quickly the numbers add up...

My original goal was 50 books, but now my goal is 75, and I've got about six left to go on that one.

I've also done the '15,000 pages' thing.

I hope to read Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace by the end of the year as well.

I reached my goal about 3 months in, so I upped it to 100. Now I have had some changes in my life and I am not getting as much reading done. I am at 77, and while my year won't end until April, I would like to end it in December and start fresh in January.
I would say the push is on, but I don't want to choose books based on that. I have started on the Pulitzers and I plan to just carry on with that, with the occasional deviation to the 1001 (they sometimes are the same).

My main goal was mostly to read more than last year since I was disgusted with the fact that I had read so little. Only 7 books with 3 of those being in December alone (that's when I realized I had read so little).

This year I had doubled the amount I read last year around August and am now at 17 books read. Unfortunately, I'm realizing this was possible because I was in between undergraduate and graduate school. Now that I'm in graduate school my reading has stopped entirely.

So, I completed my main goal of reading more than last year but I doubt I'll reach the 25 books in a year goal. Although, that was quite an arbitrary number. But we'll see what happens. I really do want to read! :)

I have reached my goal of 50 and am currently reading #55 so I have revised my goal to 75 books or 50 new books - no re-reads because 13 of the 50 are books I've re-read.

I reached my goal of 87 books read back in August and have bumped my goal up to 120. I should make it...but I hate to admit it, I have been watching more movies lately. LoL.... back to the books.

bump

I set out to read either more books or more pages than last year. I'm almost at my pages total, (64,849/69,196), but I doubt I'll read as many individual books this year as I did last year.

Thanks Christina.

BINGO! I've ready my 50!

Congratulations Amanda! No wonder you were searching for this thread the other day !!

Oh lindacl, I was searching in the interests of humanity, not for my humble self.

I'm on #24 and almost halfway through with it so I will make it to 25...I upped my goal to 30 so let's see if I can pump out 5 more books in 2 months. I'm a slow reader so it maybe a little iffy.