Introductions!

A space for us to get to know each other!

I'm Jim, 61, husband of 38 years, father of a son gainfully employed creating our robot overlords, who reads pretty much anything. We're in central Maryland with roots in Louisiana. I like to read (obviously), cook, trail bike ride/kayak with mrsdrneutron, and want to learn to fly fish. There's probably bourbon somewhere in there too. Of course, LT is a big time sink, but mrsdrneutron seems to have come to terms with my LT addiction...

I'm Robyn, 46, wife of 5 years, mother of a daughter who is trying to figure out what to do with her life. I love to read, primarily science fiction and fantasy but I joined some book clubs and I put my name in the hat for the early reviewer books to get some variety. I've got three medium large dogs and three cats. I'm debating a Discworld reread in 2024, or maybe Xanth, woven in among my TBR list. For the end of 2023 I am finishing a four volume romance and waiting for the ER book that I am expecting.

My thread
https://www.librarything.com/topic/356126#n8325317

I'm Jeff, halfway through my 57th year. This will be my 12th year in the group. I'll read just about anything. I'm in the Los Angeles area. I live with my wife, daughter and 3 cats. We like to hike, we'd like to travel more, and of course reading. Like Jim, I think my wife has come to terms with my LT obsessions. I guess there's worse obsessions to have. I'll come back and update this post with my thread link when I get it created.

My name is Mary and I'm a librarian in western Massachusetts. I'm part of a large family (oldest of five), single, and live in my own home.

I like to read fantasy and science fiction, historical fiction, contemporary fiction, a smattering of mystery and romance, nonfiction about books and history and... basically, pretty widely and eclectically.

Outside of reading, I enjoy watching sports (football, hockey and tennis in particular), I dogsit as a side hustle, I knit for fun (usually gifts for friends and family), and research genealogy (as very much an amateur, but I'm learning).

My 2024 thread is here.

I'm Dee, a librarian in rural Nova Scotia turning 50!!! this year. I live with two evil cats in a house that looks like it might be a craft store.

https://www.librarything.com/topic/356131#n8325680

I’m Gail, a gleefully retired teacher. Widow with one son.

Living the dream here in a Florida condo. Favorite genres are mysteries, particularly Golden Age British mysteries; natural history with an emphasis on sea life and felines; Victorian literature, history, and culture; medieval life. This past few years I’ve greatly increased my science fiction and fantasy reading—not especially hard when starting from zero.

But truly almost any subject can draw my attention, especially if it’s presented with humor. I rarely read anything that could be classed as a romance.

Hi my name is Adrienne, I'm turning 53 this year, I live in Brisbane Australia, have 23 yr old twin boys (Declan and Riley) who both love to read. Riley moved to the Gold Coast last year so we don't see him much anymore. I am a Teacher Aide, last year I was lucky enough to be transferred to a brand new school that opened, it was an amazing opportunity to be a foundation member and to be included in the planning stages.

I love reading a wide range of books.

I start the year with great intentions then I get very busy with life and work and became very lax in getting on the boards. Hopefully this time around I can keep up a bit better.

My name is Cyrel and I am a retired visual art teacher living in Toronto, Canada. I do love to read historical fiction, history, some dystopian works and graphic novels and of course lots of fiction. I did see more films before the pandemic and am now just getting back to going to movies in person. I am active in many volunteer committees. I also spend a lot of time at a pottery co-op that I belong to where I create mainly sculptural clay work.

My name is Cécile and I'm in Ottawa, Ontario. I'm 52, mom to a rising star Harpist (Kyra Charlton if you're ever in Montreal!), and governance professional for the federal government. I read a little bit of everything with a fondness for detective stories.
I've also taken up birding and photography and love this new connection with nature!

I'm Tony. Just retired (I still find it strange that I won't be going back after the Christmas holiday) after 35 years and 1 term as a teacher in West Yorkshire in the UK all at the same school. I enjoy reading/listening to crime/mystery (I'm a big fan of Golden Age writers), science fiction, historical fiction, natural history, science and travel writing but I also dabble in other genres. I'm very much a mood reader and I might have 10 or more books on the go at any one time, dipping into each one as the mood takes me. I hope to finish more than 75 books in 2024 and reduce my tbr a bit; it currently stands at several hundred books. Apart from reading I enjoy hiking, swimming, saunas (so relaxing) and going to the local pub (especially the Wednesday night quiz).

I'm Madeline, a retired visiting nurse, living in Rockville, Maryland, USA. I keep busy by BookCrossing and stewarding a Little Free Library which my husband built ten years ago. I love to try out new recipes, so you can often find me dabbling in my kitchen. I've been a member of LibraryThing since 2006 and am mostly known here for the TIOLI Challenges.

Please come visit my thread when you get a chance.

Hi, I'm Cindy 76 years old retired living in northern Indiana. Dave my SO and I have been together for 35 years. The love of collecting books and of reading plus outdoor activities has brought us together. I have one daughter, 3 grandsons and 2 great grandsons. I have been a member of LibraryThing since 2007. Mysteries are my favorite genre. Do try to squeeze in fiction also.

I am Paul Cranswick indiscriminate book lover aiming to focus more in '24.
Married to Hani (SWMBO) with three grown-up children Yasmyne (26), Kyran (24) and Belle (19) and now with one granddaughter Nami (Pip) born to Yasmyne in August last year. Currently I live and work in Kuala Lumpur (KL) but I am expecting this to change in the coming weeks and months. In KL, my long suffering maid, Erni, keeps the coffee flowing as I try to assist in the completion of the World's second tallest building.

Hello!

I'm Emilie, a veterinary nurse in Michigan USA, and a long-time 75er. I live with my husband, Rhodesian ridgeback, cat, and mustang pony. Aside from reading, my free time is spent at the barn.

I'm back again to log - mostly horse books and romance I think. There will be some juvenile fiction, YA, non-fiction, fiction, animal books, and mixed genres in there as well; for the past few months I've been trying to alternate genres between reads. Some years I'm chatty and others the book 'reviews' are just a line or two.

Here's my 2024 link.

Hello I am Mary! i have been a member of L.T. since July 2011. I love it here, making new friends and getting great reading ideas. I turned 75 a few months ago and am mother to 4 daughters who have long since flown the coop and grandmother to 9, 4 boys and 5 girls all living far away. I love books and read fiction, and lots of non fiction, kids books and graphic novels, mysteries and lots of cookbooks too especially the new ones hot off the publishers press! Almost all is from the library system. I swim daily and have a black standard poodle who needs walks every day too. I love being outside, gardening and being close to the ocean living on Vancouver Island. We are about to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary in February.

My thread for 2024 is here

Hello! I'm Tess and I am a hopeless bibliophile for which there is no cure! In the past, I've read more than I have posted and did not keep up with this group. I promise to try to do better. I'm a retired high school history teacher and now a part-time adjunct history professor. This semester I will teach American History II (1870-current).

I've been married for 47 years and live on 2+ acres in Ohio where I try to grow, harvest, and preserve food organically and sustainably. This past year I have taught a small group of women how to pressure can as well as use the "whole" cow, pig, or turkey. I also dehydrate food such as mushrooms and peppers. I render my own lard and tallow and use the bones to make bone/marrow broth. I am a fan of farmer's markets. This year I will have a no spend January/February; meaning I will not purchase any major items from the grocery but live from my pantry. I will allow myself about $5 per week for fresh fruit & vegetables. This week I spent $1.79 on lettuce, .79 for a cuke, .99 for a green pepper, $1.99 for cherry tomatoes, and 1.00 for avocados. I have left-over carrots & celery from Christmas so there will be salads aplenty. Next week will be fresh fruit week. I will often share recipes from my pantry. This year I canned: 87 pints of green beans, 24 quarts of tomatoes, 16 pints of salsa, 5 pints of sweet & sour sauce, 80 pints of chicken, 20 pints of carrots, 20 pints of potatoes, 20 pints of sweet potatoes, 12 quarts of chicken broth, 18 quarts of vegetable broth, 10 quarts of beef bone broth, 16 pints of peaches, 6 pints of cherries, 8 quarts of apple pie filling, 20 half pints of applesauce, 8 pints of turkey, 16 pints of stew beef (some flavored Italian), 10 quarts of vegetable soup, 8 quarts of navy bean/ham soup, 10 quarts of green pea/ham soup, and 20 half pints of jam. (strawberry, blackberry, and raspberry) My nemesis: bread! I can bake a great loaf of sourdough, wonderful with lots of butter. However, I want to make a good sandwich bread and thus far my bread is too soft, chewy, and thick to be sandwich bread. I hope to conquer the bread in 2024!

I have 2 sons in their 40's and 7 grandchildren ranging in ages from 7-23. Thankfully, I have grandsons in their 20's who just drop by to see gramps and grandma---so every Sunday entails baking cookies for the cookie jar. If people don't leave my home with a dozen cookies, I have failed! My husband is only mobile with a walker, so I get lots of reading accomplished. Not surprisingly, I prefer historical fiction reads for pleasure, but also academic reads from various history journals. I plan to participate in the non-fiction reading challenge and maybe the War Room challenge.

Link to my thread: https://www.librarything.com/topic/356276#n8330198

Hi all!

I'm PawsforThought, and most people on LT call me Paws. I've been on LT for 11 years and a member of the 75's community for 10 of those. I live in the northern parts of Sweden and am rushing towards middle age (there's a round-numbered birthday coming up in 2024). My hope is to find new flat and be able to move back to my home town of Umeå in 2024. We'll see - the queues for flats are dizzyingly long.
I have massive commutes to and from work and a fairly stressful situation both at work and at home right now, which means I haven't really had the energy nor concentration to read much in the past year. Hoping things will improve in 2024.

I read a lot of fantasy, science fiction, classics, children's books and Golden Age mystery novels. Other stuff makes its way to my TBR pile too, though.

My 75'ers thread can be found here.

I'm also a member of the Needlearts group. If you want to see what I'm working on, feel free to pop over to my thread there.

Hi im Vivian im 13 i love cats im also adhd i love to talk i like sans aus worrier cats my fav animal is the tiger im a tiger libra i also like minecraft

Hi, I'm Jennifer in Phoenix. It's great to get reacquainted with lots of LTers here.
I read across genres, with mysteries, travel and general fiction being favorites. I read lots of horror and review them on my Substack, Autumn Lives Here. I'll be hosting two ScaredyKits and one MysteryKit this year.
I'm in Vegas about five times a year, as my mom lives there. I'm married and just had our 20th anniversary, and we have a boxer named Coral.
https://www.librarything.com/topic/356256#n8331945

Hi, I'm Amanda. I'm a work-from-home accountant of two kids (9-year-old son AJ and 8-year-old daughter E) living in the wonderfully wet Greater Seattle area.

I read romance, science fiction, fantasy, mystery, and non-fiction. A lot of what I read comes from my wonderful local libraries.

My thread

Hi! I’m Juli. I have a bad habit of showing up every January and then disappearing partway through the year. We’ll see how 2024 goes.

I’m retired and live in the suburbs of Vancouver, WA with The Hubster and two very spoiled Siberian cats (Steve and Sophie).

Hey! I'm Leslie, a mom of two lads who've flown the nest but the dog sticks close and the spousal unit is chatty. I'm looking forward to a big travel year so no great expectation that I'll achieve 75 this year. 2023 was my first year trying this challenge and I really enjoyed it so going for the experience more than the bragging rights I guess!

I'm a random reader: I gravitate towards action or non-fiction history but am in 3 book groups which force me to read stuff I'd never pick up on my own. So there's fluff and deadly boring serious stuff going on simultaneously on my reading table. I like all formats. Really didn't enjoy English Lit classes as a student so I'm enjoying "discovering" classics while reading contemporary fiction. And there's always lots of submarines in my reading lists.

75 in 2023 thread here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/347330
75 in 2024 thread here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/356304

Hello! I'm Ursula, and I've been in (and out) of this group for some number of years. In 2023 I actually hit 75 books, which is unimportant in the scheme of things but felt pretty good nonetheless.

My husband and I are seemingly nomadic Americans (he's a mathematician, and academia is what it is). We're currently living in Germany and we will probably be here for a few more years.

In reading, I pretty much choose books by the cover (digital loans from the library via Libby) so I am never quite sure what I might end up with. I also listen to a ton of music and post about that. I'll talk to myself about it, I don't mind, but if you're ever moved to comment on that it's welcome too! Look, it was hard enough writing the intro at the top of my thread, come read it there and look at some cats, etc.

Hello, I'm Kristel and I've been a member of LT since Aug 14, 2010, when you still paid to be a member and I've been a member of the 75ers since 2017. I also have a presence on Litsy and GR. I belong to 2 in real life book clubs.

I love books, love lists, love drawing, love family and love God.

I am a widow. My husband died in 2021. I fully retired during his illness so retirement just sort of happened but I can say I don't miss working. I was a Psychiatric CNS but I've let all that go and "it's okay" I have two adult children, both married. I have two granddaughters from my daughter and they are a great joy.

I live in Minnesota and spend a few months in Florida. I hate the drive but love the sunshine.

My name is Linda, and I am a retired paralegal, although that says very little about me these days, as my work life came to a close eight years ago. Since giving up the legal grind, I have kept busy with volunteer work centered around libraries, cemeteries, and genealogy. I live in Northeastern Pennsylvania, with my husband @flamingrabbit and our sweet kitty, Molly O'Del. I've been on LT since 2005, and my reading tastes are pretty eclectic, with American literature being my primary love. I've been hosting the American Authors Challenge in the 75'ers group since 2019; the first of 2024's threads should be in the Wiki. New participants are always welcome!

Here's where I'll begin my own 2024 reading record.

I'm Laura. I'm retired, and live in an 18th century farmhouse in northern Virginia with my husband and our 9-year-old terrier mix Alys, and puppy Ellie (born Oct 2023). Ellie interrupted our predictable routine of gardening, home projects, reading, and (for me) knitting but she has also brought a lot of joy to our life and we know things will settle down as she grows up.

I've been on LT since late 2006, and 2024 is my sixteenth year in the 75 Book Challenge Group. I read mostly contemporary fiction, with the odd classic thrown in. Last year I added more nonfiction to my reading diet and enjoyed that immensely, so I will continue to seek out nonfiction titles this year.

My thread is here

This will be my thirteenth year in the 75 Challenge Group and I will mark my seventeenth Thingaversary in May. My user name reflects my address when I joined LibraryThing and, although I've moved house twice since then I haven't changed it.

Although retired I have two part-time jobs: I spend two days a week working with my s-i-l at his small printing business - specialising in funeral orders of service - and six hours (usually more) spread over a week on the admin of Christ Church, West Didsbury, currently in interregnum. Our grandson, Toby, now three, spends two days (and often more) with us, which is a joy but exhausting. My mother, now 84, lives close by and, although mostly independent, she is starting to need more help.

Reading 75 titles in a year has never been a problem for me and I used to regard 200 as easily achieveable but family and work commitments have definitely cut that down - it's been 180 for the last two years. Of course it's quality not quantity that counts but quality is subjective and quantity is indisputable...

Those of you who have followed my past threads will know that they are not very busy and, although I am full of good intentions, I have rather fallen by the wayside in past years, but it's a New Year so I have New Resolutions!

My new thread is here.

I’m Brandon from a small town in NC, attempting to try this challenge again this year! The past few years have been full of responsibilities and priorities which created a challenge to read but things are smoothing over now. Some other hobbies include video games, anime, coffee and photography. My favorite genres are science fiction, fantasy and horror. Any recommendations are appreciated!

Link to my thread: https://www.librarything.com/topic/356450

Hello, I'm Richard, an over-60 disabled lectoholic/biblioholic with a ten-year-old blogging habit. I've been on LT for seventeen years, in the 75ers for foureteen, and a massive reader for fifty-seven.
My thread is here:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/356119#n8334273

Hi, I'm Catherine. I'm in my 40s and from the UK. I've been on LT since 2007 and in the 75ers on and off since 2008. More off than on, in recent years. And it's been a long time since I made it through a whole year without abandoning my thread when I got distracted with something else, but I am trying again.

Most of my fiction reading tends to be fantasy, rom coms and chick lit, and classic crime. Non-fiction tends to be politics, history and popular science, although I'm reading a lot on health and nutrition too at the moment.

My other current main interests are knitting, working out, gaming and D&D (although I'm an absolute amateur at the last two compared to my partner, who pretty much introduced me to them.) I also like to cook, and don't mind getting outside for a hike now and then.

My thread is at https://www.librarything.com/topic/356339

Hi I’m SandDune and this is my thirteenth year doing the 75 Book Challenge. I'm a retired 62 year old accountant and live with my husband (and Staffordshire Bull terrier Daisy) just north of London. We are very recent empty nesters as our son Jacob has just finished university and moved in with his long-term girlfriend Caroline.

I read mainly literary fiction, classics, science-fiction and fantasy. As far as non-fiction goes I’m interested in a number of topics, in particular books about the environment and nature. I’m learning Welsh at the moment so I’m also trying to read books in Welsh, although still only ones designed for learners at the moment.

Apart from reading I love travelling, eating out, and going to the theatre. Since my retirement I've been enjoying craft activities, particularly crochet. I dabble in family history from time to time as well. I'm also getting more and more concerned about environmental issues: I'm a member of the local Green Party and have been quite involved in campaigning on climate change.

My thread is here:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/356469#n8334655

Hi, I am Rhonda, AKA Banjo. I live in Portland, Oregon, with my wife, our 27 year old daughter; and three cats. I am a social worker, working in community mental health.

I think that I mostly read literary fiction, but in general my reading is fairly eclectic.

My thread is here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/356496

Hope to see you there!

I'm Lori, an academic librarian, genealogist, and cross-stitcher who is owned by three cats. I live in East Tennessee. Mystery is my favorite genre. (I really like European settings.) I also enjoy historical fiction. I read a variety of genres, although sci-fi and fantasy are not my cup-of-tea, and I really don't enjoy espionage, legal thrillers, or drug-related crime fiction that much. I also read non-fiction. I'm especially interested in history and genealogy, needle arts, cooking/food, and Christian books. I also participate in a book club at work where we'll just read one book over the course of the spring semester with a discussion usually led by one of our English faculty members. I participate in a women's social history book club which meets online once a month as well. (A couple other LTers participate in the same group.)

My thread is here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/356365

Megan here- a rapidly-approaching-50-year-old New Zealander harbouring a teen, a tween, a lovely other, a cat, and 2 guinea pigs (named Tupac and Derek). My shelves are heavily loaded with still-to-be-read books, and I like it that way. I only keep the ones I love, and almost all others are second hand ones waiting for their time to shine!

I am working 2 part time jobs, one at a university, doing casual research contracts (social research on things like food security, outdoor recreation, or tourism trends), and the other is around 20 hours a week as a research analyst for a consultant. We mainly do engagement analysis for local government in Wellington, Melbourne, and Sydney. I am often on the go, and have taken to audio books lately to dull the noise both in my head and in my house!

I have been a member of this group for a decade and some years, and last year only managed one thread's worth of conversation, but 48 books :)

Here's my thread! https://www.librarything.com/topic/356523#n8335839

Hi, I am Camaho. I live in Hanover, Germany. I used to read almost fiction only. Nowadays I love non fiction books, too. The older I get the more I am interested in power structures and gender.

I think I joined the 75 book challenge once a few years ago, but I did not stick to it. I hope I will this time. I am amazed at how many of you have been taking part in the challenge for years. I am glad to join the group.

Hi everybody, my Name is Thomas, I am 62 years young and happily married for more than 38 years.
I live in a small town in northern Baden Wuerttemberg, Germany.
Whenever I have time, I love to read. I'm interested in almost everything, with a focus on crime/thrillers, SF, horror and also fantasy.
In this wonderful group I have learnt about many great books that I would never have noticed without it - Thank you!
My 2024 thread is here.

Hello Everone! I'm back for my 16th year in this wonderful group. I hope to do better this year in keeping up my thread and visiting other threads. I tend to lurk a lot on threads, and I will try to comment more this year.
I joined LT on 1-1-2009, so it's my Thingaversary. Lots of good reading, and an astronomically expanded TBR pile. I am approaching my mid-70's, retired about 10 years from my career as an attorney, mostly enjoying our six grandkids. Our 5 kids have ended up with 3 in NYC, 1 in Houston, and 1 five minutes away from us here in Florida, where we moved 3 years ago from Seattle. I was born and raised on Aruba where we lived until I was 16. I graduated from high school in London, then moved to New Orleans, where I met my husband of almost 53 years. We lived in that unique city for 18 years before heading to Seattle, where we lived for 35 years. I am still not loving Florida, which is not my politics at all. My husband had a bone marrow transplant nearly 5 years ago now, and much of our life is taken up with medical stuff. He refers to himself as a "science experiment."
I like to read literary fiction, but not always the latest stuff. I often choose books from the 1001 list, but I am not a completist in that regard. I also like to read translated fiction, but somehow I seem to end up reading from the same countries over and over (France and Japan I'm looking at you). I should try to diversify, but I usually fail geographic challenges. I read a fair amount of crime fiction, and a smattering of science fiction as well. I also read a healthy proportion (20%-30%) of nonfiction.
I try to review everything I read, even if it means, as just occurred in December 2023, writing more than 50 reviews in the last two weeks of the year. I vow, as I do every year, to try to keep up with my thread better this year, and not to get behind on reviews. I welcome visitors, and try to respond to everyone.

Hi Everyone!

I'm Arlie, a retired software engineer, about to start my fourth year of the 75 books challenge. I'm Canadian, but live in California, USA, where I moved in pursuit of career opportunity in 1997. My household consists of two retired adults and one aging dog. We also feed an ever changing menagerie of stray and feral cats.

I read about 60:40 fiction and non-fiction; the former mostly SF/Fantasy, and the latter mostly science and history, with sprinklings of biography, economics, politics, and whatever else catches my fancy.

I enjoy writing mini-reviews of every book I read; these will appear in my thread, and sometimes also be posted on the book's review page.

Outside of LibraryThing and reading, I play bridge (face-to-face and online), and various computer games. I've got an ongoing project of getting control over the masses of stuff that have accumulated since I bought this house in 1997. (See https://www.librarything.com/topic/356425) And I'm trying to cook more, and healthier, eating ready-made a lot less.

My thread is here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/356637

I wish everyone a happy year of reading.

Despite an uncharacteristic failure to make 75 books is 2023 I am back for 2024.

My name is Erik. I am a lawyer in Minnesota. My passions besides books are travel, theater, soccer and nature. I primarily read non-fiction but it is by no means exclusive.

My 2024 thread is here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/356640

I'm Susan.

Now 75 and still reading as many books as I can, very heavily weighted toward F&SF and women authors.

I live in Los Angeles and love it - the low key social variety and the choice of restaurants which deliver.

I like thinking and planning fiber craft projects, doing and finishing not so much.

I collect not books - though I'm up for Kindle bargains - but miniature tools and dolls.

I live with my husband Mike, adult daughter Becky, and their dogs Gizmo the pug and Nutmeg the French bulldog. Nutmeg is the head of household.

My 2024 Thread is here

Hi! My name is Anita ( figsfromthistle) and I am in my mid 30's and live in Canada. I enjoy reading almost anything I can get my hands on and read based on my mood and what I have available in my library and the public library. I originally found LT for cataloguing books and have been blessed to find the 75ers group. I became more active in the social part in 2021 and have found wonderful book recommendations, and amazing people.

And here the other Anita, 60 years old and adding one more year next month. Married with Frank since 1984, and living in Lelystad, the Netherlands. I have been hanging around in this group a few months after finding LibraryThing in March 2008. I skipped one year (2013), when my reading dropped to almost nothing. My reading is going way better since 2016.
I read (almost) everything, from childrens and YA books to more serious literature, mysteries, historical fiction, fantasy, and I try not to forget to throw some non-fiction into the mix.

You can find my thread here

I am Helenoel, a former long term member of the 75ers who fell off last year. I retired from professional geology, and am now working on slowly decluttering home and book collections, improving my weaving and other fiber indulgences, and spending more time with my retired geologist husband. I doubt I will get to 75 books, but will make a good try. It is good to see familiar names in the messages.

Hello everyone! I'm Natalie. I have participated in the challenge on and off over my 15+ years on LT, and consistently over the past several years.

I'm located in Seattle, where I live with my husband and dogs. I do most of my reading curled up on the couch with my retired racing greyhounds Otter and Kermit, or listening to audiobooks while doing chores and walking the dogs.

I read mostly fiction, with a heavy emphasis on fantasy and sci-fi, romance, YA fiction, general fiction/literature, a scattered mystery here and there, and the occasional non-fiction title.

You can find my 2024 thread here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/356230

Hi, all! I'm known around here as foggi. I don't know exactly how many years I've been doing this -- upwards of 10? I joined LT in 2006, so I've been around the site for a while. I generally read 150+ books a year: fantasy, mystery, romance, historical and literary fiction, children's and young adult, with the occasional memoir, graphic novel, etc. thrown in. Basically, I read pretty broadly. I'm a children's librarian, so I'll sometimes post about picture books I'm using for work. My husband and I live on a farm in eastern Ohio, so during the growing season you'll hear all about my garden, and year-round you'll hear about our dog, Lottie. Come visit my thread for more info!

https://www.librarything.com/topic/356702

Heyla All.
I'm Lirleni aka Vik-Thor. (and you get major points if you know where I got Lirleni from. :)
Been around LibraryThing since 2006. Never been extremely active anywhere I am at online... Fairly introverted both online and in meatspace. :)

Mostly read Science Fiction and Fantasy, Alternate History, some general science, and some romance and/or erotica.

56 years old, living in St. Louis MO metro since ~ 2012, Phoenix metro for most of the early 2000s. Originally from southern Illinois, so a lot closer now. Getting interested in genealogy. Been with my husband since late 2001.

https://www.librarything.com/topic/356774

Hi all, I'm Shari, I've been on LT since 2006, and doing book challenges here since 2011 in the 50 Book Challenge. I'm changing it up this year to join this group. I'm mainly a sporadic lurker, so we'll see how it goes. I'm 41 and a lifelong New Englander. I like to travel (both armchair travel and in real life, when I can), and the outdoors. I work in payroll, and just started a new job, after 17 1/2 years at the same company, a big transition I'm still adjusting to. I like to make up book challenges for myself, and two of my friends and I have been creating a fun reading challenge for ourselves the past few years, with various prompt categories, to try to branch out and read new, interesting things.

Hi, I'm Irene. I'm a retired librarian, and I've been on LT since 2008, but I joined to catalog my book collection. Unfortunately, RL intervened, and I still haven't finished cataloging my books, but continue to work on it sporadically. I did not get involved in the social aspects of LT until last year, when I returned to the site after a long absence to track the books I've been reading since I retired. I found the 75ers at that time, and have really enjoyed meeting folks here.

I'm married, living in central NC. No cats, unfortunately, because my DH is allergic. But we enjoy feeding the birds in our backyard. I've grown some vegetables in the past, but haven't gotten much going in recent years. I hope to return to the gardening this year. I also love baseball, especially the Cubs.

Growing up, I loved reading classics, some for school, but most for my own enjoyment. I also read a lot of science fiction and fantasy when I was young, but haven't kept up with it over the years, so I've got a lot of catching up to do in that genre. I've got a large collection of nonfiction, mostly history, that I've collected over the years, and I'm trying to concentrate on reading much of that. I enjoy a wide range of genres but especially enjoy historical fiction. I didn't actually have much time to read books while I was working, so I have a lot of recent fiction to catch up on. I have also realized there are some classic children's books that I somehow missed while growing up, and I need to read them as well. Last year I joined a RL book club mid-year, and this year I'm starting with a second one which reads challenged books, which means I may not get as many books read off my own shelves as I hope to this year.

We were out of town and without much Internet access for almost two weeks at the end of 2023, so I'm late getting my own thread set up. I'll return here once I do that to add the link.

ETA: Here's the link to my thread: https://www.librarything.com/topic/356877

I'm Roni, 74 and retired. I moved back to central Kansas 2 years ago to be near family after my husband died. Before that, we were in San Diego for 42 years and I was active in craft shows and farmers markets after retirement with pottery and wirework jewelry and some sewing and crochet. I had to cut back on a lot of that what with the major move, and then getting my pottery studio set up here, but I am still doing two shows a year.

I joined LT in 2007 and found this group in June of 2008 and have participated ever since, although much more sporadically the last 3 years. I hope to get back in gear this year both with being on the threads and with more consistently logging my books read and acquired. 2023 is really the first year since I started when I did not do at all well with this, or keep up my stats. I used to read around 150 books a year, but in 2022 I read 80 and 2023 I read 90. With my new house, garden, and family and an actual social life--well, it gets in the way of reading somehow. I read mostly science fiction and fantasy, with some mystery and romance, and try to get a dozen nonfiction books in a year. About a third of my books are usually rereads, as I love to revisit favorites. I've been dipping into Kindle Unlimited for cozy fantasy reads, so I have a lot of DidNotFinish samples, but have found some good ones. I'm still having trouble engaging with the more challenging reads that I used to love.

Oh, and cats. There have to be cats, 3 brothers who came back with me.

My thread is here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/356580

I am Aulelia Morris-Kane. I am a current educator in Georgia. I live at home with my husband and our 2 dogs. I joined LT to help sort out my books, since I could never remember if I had already purchased a book at home or just thought about it. And there are a few duplicates that have made it through, but they have different covers at least. I love beautiful book covers, edges, and end papers so I am a sucker for a special edition. It also means I have several copies of favorite books since I love them so much.

I am a book dragon and my goals this year are to read more of the books I purchase in a year! I need to read more to support my book hoard!

>51 auleliam: LT has saved me a fortune by helping me to avoid duplicate purchases.

My name is Blair, retired and living in Connecticut with my greyhound, Miley.

I read just about anything, mostly non-fiction, with an emphasis on history, but have lately added more fiction. I do enjoy a good cozy mystery, as well as the classics (let's here it for James Fenimore Cooper!).

I ran into LibraryThing a few years ago when I wanted to organize my non-fiction books and decided to shelve them by Dewey number (like, all the 900's together). Finding out that Dewey is now proprietary, I decided MDS was a good way to go. I have yet to add all my books to LT, but, I think, my shelves are pretty well set, except for the six feet of books I have yet to read (not counting ebooks, which, as I like the "Delphi Complete Works of... series, would add up to quite a few feet if in print form).

I kept track of my 2023 reads, 50, and thought I could do 75 in 2024 if I tried. In addition to my just liking to read, in October I joined a book club at my local library, which will be 12 books right there. Inspired by a recent PBS series on Agatha Christie, I have a list of 12 of her works, cited in the series, which I intend to read.

Looking forward to the challenge.

>53 twogreys: Hi Blair! I don't think our reading tastes overlap too much, but our dog tastes do -- I have two greyhounds of my own. Stop by my thread to see pics of Otter and Kermit :) Welcome to the challenge!

>54 curioussquared: Very cool about the greyhounds! You should be able to see a pic of Miley and me on my profile. Looks like we share all of 4 books. Well, maybe more once I load all mine.

Hi everyone! Nice to meet you all.

My name is Princess. I'm 28 and from Asia. I just learned about this website two days ago. I joined because of the 75 books challenge for 2024. I hope you guys have a wonderful day!

Hello, my names Owl. I would like to keep my age and where i'm from a secret for now. I love fantasy, horror, mystery, and whatever, except Romance. I have a lot of cats, which includes a Torbie named Tawny.

>57 Owltherian: Hi Owl, welcome! What's a Torbie? We currently have 3 cats. One of our past cats was a Tortie. Is a Torbie a variation, or a different breed entirely?

>58 mahsdad: A Torbie is a Tortoiseshell Tabby mix.

>59 Owltherian: Very cool. Thanks!

>60 mahsdad: you're welcome!

Hi, my name is Gerard (or Ger) and I currently live in upstate New York. I recently graduated with a Master's degree in English. The dream I had was to pursue a PhD in Literature eventually, but I was struck with an experience of intense burnout. At the moment I'm studying for a paralegal certificate, and hope to return to my research in the near future. I mostly read historical fiction, classics, and philosophy. However, I do try to throw in some science fiction here and there. I decided to join this group when I discovered the 75 Books challenge. Excited to be here. :)

>62 Ger78: Welcome Ger! My names Owltherian, but you can call me Owl

>62 Ger78: Thanks Owl! Hope you're doing well

I'm mad at my friends and a person on here (in a diff group altogether) but other than that I'm doing quite well.

>62 Ger78:
Welcome, Ger! There’s always a lot going on around here, so jump right in! Have you started a thread yet? My current thread is here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/356557#

Good reading to you!

Karen O

>66 klobrien2: Thanks so much! I do plan on starting a thread; just thinking about how I would like to organize it :)

Oops, I shouldn’t have deleted that. For a second there I thought I was in the wrong group.

I was asking if it’s too late to start a topic here in 75?

>69 dianeham: Absolutely not too late. Anytime is the perfect time to join and create a thread. Welcome!

>70 mahsdad: Thank you. I think I’ll do that. 2/29/24 seems like a good time to start.

I'm Hans, 61, single male from the Netherlands, but with 9 fosterkids in Indonesia, and 2 in Nepal (now all grown up),, regular traveller to Asia, especially to Indonesia.
Am living in the famous area of the Zaanse Schans (windmills), currently in between jobs.

I like collecting banknotes and stamps, old photography, love genealogy and royalty, am a big supporter of the Tibetan case, Taiwan Independence and Love Israel. Politics in books I only like when it is autobiography by the way.
I read many genres but stay away from anything occult/dark, books with bad language/curses, and I absolutel love detectives in a historical setting, from Agatha's 50s to Brother Cadfael in the middle-ages.
Oh, and..... If I have the chance to buy paperback or hardcover, I always go for the hardcover edition, if possible with dustjacket :D

Thread:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/358979#n8450312

Hi everyone!

So, I thought I introduced myself but I didn’t! So I’ll do it now!

I’m Kelly, KB as you’ll see! I’m a 30 year old wife, mother and stepmother from Australia! Outside of that, I’ll be found working as an academic who as of 23 Feb this year, submitted my PhD! (Still really excited about that, sorry!)
Also really importantly, I’m a fur mum to a greyhound (a retired racer).

I have been a reader as long as I remember. Always got in trouble for reading with a torch under my doona at night.

Found LibraryThing and then found this challenge! I wanted to read more, given I read daily for work but haven’t read a book in what felt like forever!

That’s me, forgive me if I don’t get back to you quickly, I try my best to check where I’ve posted but I have a memory like a sieve 🤣🤣

>73 KB23: Hi, Kelly! Welcome to the “75ers”!

Karen O

>74 klobrien2: Thanks, Karen!

>73 KB23: hi Kelly! Congratulations on the PhD! That's a big accomplishment. Glad to see you here.

Hey all! Been reading this year already but only found LT today, so figured I'd introduce myself. I'm Jordan (Verix, for my furry alter-ego), an IT guy from British Columbia, Canada. I'm getting back into reading this year after mostly losing the thread of it during my undergraduate degree, and have set a goal of 32 books which I'm on track to blow by. The 75 books might be a bit more than I can chew, but Mama didn't raise no quitter.

I was a reader for much of my school life - Harry Potter, Percy Jackson and Ranger's Apprentice were constant companions growing up, and I picked up sci-fi with books like Ender's Game and Foundation in my teens. These days I'm trying to branch out into other genres (mysteries, romances and thrillers are all on my shelf) but still feel most at-home in the speculative fiction or fantasy/sci-fi wings.

I'll start a thread for myself shortly, and talk about the thirteen books I've made it through so far this year.

>77 VerixSilvercrow: Hi Jordan; welcome aboard.

My name's Renee and I've been kicking around LT since 2008. I live in southeastern Wisconsin where I survive on 26-28 hours per week as a bookseller. I have two cats (Bertha and One-Eyed Jack, aka Jack) that I adopted in 2022 after losing my last surviving cat, Sweet William (aka William), to pancreatitis a few months before.

I was full-time at the bookstore I've worked at since 1995, but in 2014 they cut my hours so I wouldn't be eligible for health insurance. I didn't make enough to keep a car running, so I parked mine in 2017 and now use the bus to get to and from work. My vision isn't great, and during my last visit to an eye doctor I was told if it got any worse I wouldn't be able to renew my driver's license anyway. The bus isn't optimal, because of how long the commute time is. I live 25 minutes by car from my job, but round trip takes 2-3 hours depending on time of day and day of week.

I've been told at my current rank I'm eligible for more hours if I want them, but commute time turns a 40-hour week into 60 to 70 hours. From 1995-1998 I worked 70 hours a week between two full-time jobs. It did horrible things to my body and brain. And my manager doesn't like me. He's often critical, nasty, or bullying. Being around him isn't great for my health, either.

In addition to 29 years at the bookstore, I worked 9 years in desktop publishing. And I worked 25 years as a costumed interpreter at a living history museum. I've cooked on woodstoves, churned butter, chased escaping farm animals, and once set myself on fire doing laundry. But only once. All this makes me sound older than I am, but most of the jobs were concurrent, not consecutive.

I spend lots of time daily on two things: puzzles and Duolingo. Some puzzles I do in print, and some online. On Duolingo I've been studying French, Italian, Spanish, Norwegian, and Greek. I've always loved languages and when I was younger I had penpals everywhere from Trinidad to England to France to Italy to Greece to Malaysia to New Zealand.

I love history. Most of my reading is history and historical fiction of all kinds. Science also pops up. Politics. Fantasy more than science fiction. And I read middle grade and some young adult titles, too. Work is one of the reasons I read so widely.

I'm opinionated, honest, fair, and a goody two shoes. My biggest dislike is cults: religious (those full of discrimination and intolerance), corporations (Amazon, Apple, Disney, etc.), and personalities (like Trump and other dictators and wannabes). In reading, horror and true crime are what I avoid.

I've popped into other people's threads, but only just now created my own. So, officially here now, hello.

>79 ReneeMarie: Howdy! Welcome.

I'm Cassie, 54, living in South Central WI. After 20 years of holding an MLS in Library Science and never finding a library job, I now have two part time jobs in local public libraries and I couldn't be happier. With *that*, anyway.

I have an adult son who is trans, I live with my husband of 7 years and my stepson, and my feline overlords Honipi and Kissa.

I write fanfic, I collect fountain pens, I will read almost anything, but I won't finish something that doesn't grab me (life is just too short and I'm not getting graded). My preference is to read in the margins, so I'm always on the lookout for LGBTQIA+ and not cishet white male writers. Which is not to say I won't read them (Jay Kristoff is a favorite author, as is Jim Butcher, Mark Dery, and William Gibson) but they really need to be extra-recommended for me to take that chance.

I have been on or moderated panels at ConVergence, ChiCon, and WisCon (where I currently serve as one of the ConCom members).

I got into F1 Grand Prix racing via my husband, so we spend time watching that, but I also really enjoy women's rugby -- the Black Ferns are my team!

This past year has been an amazing one for me, starting with realizing the dream of a lifetime and spending January driving through New Zealand, and then getting the library jobs. I'm really happy to be here!

I said Hi over on the welcome thread. My daughter speaks of herself as agender and has associates and dates mostly within LGBTQIA+ groups.

On LT the tag most used is LGBTQ+ if you want to use it when deciding whether to start a book. When I am reading for year long challenges I always look first for authors I haven't read and secondly for non-white, non-cis-male authors.

It's been many years since I've attended SF conventions, since COVID I've not even gone to our small local Thanksgiving weekend one, though I hope to make it to the 50th one this year.

About a year ago I started reading and writing fanfic. It's been very interesting. Do you post on AO3, and which fandoms?

>81 Cassie.Phoenix: Welcome! You should find congenial community here, and a LOT of book recommendations. If you read a few reviews of books you're already familiar with, you'll soon be able to tell whose reactions line up with your own. Happy reading. New Zealand...that IS a dream of a lifetime!

I'm Kerry, retired but with two part-time jobs and a four year old grandson, Toby, living in Cheshire, England. It feels fairly amazing that this is my fourteenth year in this group and I shall mark my eighteenth Thingaversary in May. When I imported my Excel file into LibraryThing it was just for more efficient cataloguing, I had no interest in the social side at all. Well that soon changed!

Reading 75 titles in a year has never been a problem for me and I managed 227 last year. Of course it's quality not quantity that counts but quality is subjective and quantity is indisputable...

Here is my 2025 thread