Do you take the Goodreads Reading Challenge?

Goodreads Reading ChallengeI’m probably just a sucker for competition, but last year I signed up for the 2013 Goodreads Reading Challenge, and this year I’m back for more.

I’ve always been a bookworm anyway, but it’s kind of neat to catalogue your books for the year, to look back at the covers of the books you read, and to feel satisfied with your virtual list – whether or not you meet your reading goals. And wow, I even know I read 12,053 novel pages in 2013. How cool is that? : )

I really enjoy Goodreads. It’s a great way for me to check out new books, learn about authors I hadn’t heard of before, and see what others think about books.

Goodreads Reading ChallengeParticipating in the reading challenge is just a way for me to check in more regularly with the site.

And you, readers? Do you use Goodreads? What do you think? Do you participate in the annual reading challenges?

Whether you do or not, may your 2014 be filled with wonderful books!

12 Comments

  1. Asiaelle on January 24, 2014 at 7:25 am

    I didn’t sign up for the challenge on GR but I’m hoping to stick to at least one per year and try to record it.

    Happy reading!

  2. Jay Dee on January 24, 2014 at 8:01 am

    I’ve taken part every year since I joined. In 2012, I challenged myself to only 12, read 14. Last year, I challenged myself to 25, read 23. This year, my goal is 30. Hope to do it and more!

  3. Catherine on January 24, 2014 at 8:12 am

    I probably should but don’t! I know I’d enjoy it. I put up reviews occasionally and sometimes review for Trip Fiction. I read loads of book reviews and many books. If I didn’t write I’d read a lot more!

  4. winterbayne on January 24, 2014 at 2:57 pm

    Yup, I did it last year and read over 100 books. I also read over 100 short stories which I never listed on GR. This year my goal as always is 52 books in a year.

  5. Chris on January 24, 2014 at 7:00 pm

    Strangely, I’ve still not yet signed up for GR, let alone for the reading challenge. I’m afraid it would be another online time sponge for me. (Being active on GR, that is. I’d never call reading a time sponge. It’s a great way to spend time!)

  6. kimberlysullivan on January 27, 2014 at 9:23 am

    Thanks for the comments, everyone! Glad to see so many on GR. Wow, Winterbayne – 100 books? Hats off to you! Happy reading in 2014.

  7. Claire 'Word by Word' on January 28, 2014 at 9:43 am

    A book a week was the first challenge I set for myself in 2012 when I first signed up and that hasn’t really changed, though I tend to read about 60 or so a year, well those Camus essays were only about 50 pages long.

    I’m doing my first read-along this year, I don’t like reading obligations generally, but Pushkin’s Eugene Onegin was given to me by my husband years ago yet I couldn’t convince myself to read it, so the idea of reading it at the same time as others appealed and it’s been great, 2 chapters a week, I’ll be finished in early Feb and I’m loving it.

    I think Goodreads is an excellent way to maintain a reading library and to see who else has read what we have read or want to read and what they thought and I am sure it’s great for promoting authors, with a much wider range of offers than any bookshop or journal or newspaper review section can cover.

    With people talking at the moment about #readwomen2014 for the first time I decided to look at what I actually read by gender and country, as I really had no idea and that was quite revealing as well, I discovered I read books by authors from 22 countries last year and 70% were female authors.

    Have you gone that extra step and looked at gender and country of origin?

    • kimberlysullivan on February 11, 2014 at 9:28 am

      GREAT tip, Claire! I’ve taken a look at #readwomen2014, and I’ll be following this year. I already skewer heavily towards female authors. It seems the more they’re ignored by mainstream publications/book reviews, etc. the more I read them. : ) Great initiative for 2014. Thanks for this!! And thanks for all your fantastic book reviews I read on your site and through GR.

  8. evelyneholingue on February 4, 2014 at 3:04 am

    I’ve never done it, although I should give it a try since I love to read. I’m impressed by some of the comments above. I never count how many books I read per year. I read by twos: one for YA and one for adults. Some can work for both age categories. Some months are better than others. Cheers to your reading!

    • kimberlysullivan on February 11, 2014 at 9:30 am

      Thanks, Evelyne. Nice that you mix between adult and YA. Ah, yes, I understand completely about some months being better than others. For me, summer beach reading is always a favorite! Wishing you a wonderful reading year.

  9. wordfoolery on February 10, 2014 at 2:57 pm

    Only signed up to Goodreads last week but yes, I’ve taken the challenge for 2014 (aiming for 70 books). Loving the site so far.

    • kimberlysullivan on February 11, 2014 at 9:32 am

      Oh, good to know! Will be looking for you on GR then! BTW, just finished another Tana French novel, and it was great to often find myself thinking of you with all the good Irish expressions you’ve taught me through your own writing. I found myself thinking ‘Oh, yay. I know what banjax is!’ : )

Leave a Reply Cancel Reply