Project 2010/52

[DragonHeart]

What does it stand for?

Year 2010, 52 Books.

That is my minimum reading goal for the coming year. I can read a book in a day under the right circumstances, yet I never seem to read quite as much as I should*. I certainly have enough unread books piled up to make this goal attainable.

This thread will be the record of my progress. If anyone wants to join in, feel free.

~DragonHeart~

*Note that I do actually enjoy reading, I'm just characteristically unmotivated.

[Victoria]

I will join in as well. =D I have a lot of unread books that I need to read. ^_^

[Leksandar]

I'm in too.

[Unknown Entity]

I've not read as much this year as I've previously had (college being my first excuse, MSN and games being my second, and sleep being the third), so it'll be good to set myself a target.

On a lazy day, I can finish a book. The last book I finished in a day was Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - being in a caravan for a weekend when it rained constantly, and my MP3 running out of juice helped.

There are quite a few books I'd like to buy after Christmas too, so I'll have plenty to read. ^^

My completed list of books, for those too lazy to venture through the thread:

Book: Sabriel
By: Garth Nix
On: 27th of January at 11pm.

[DragonHeart]

I don't even have anything for an excuse, though I'd call college a valid reason, education being important and all. I spend entirely too much of my time doing nothing. I hang around on the Internet lamenting how bored I am. Well this year, every time I catch myself being ridiculous like that I will turn the damned machine off and go do something.

I have five unread books stacked right next to my computer. Upstairs I have entire trilogies sitting on the shelf gathering dust when I have yet to crack open the cover of the first book. Not so long ago those same books would have been read the day I acquired them, or week if I bought more than one at a time. I'm trying to bring that habit back before I end up with a house full of unread books.

~DragonHeart~

[DragonHeart]

Happy New Year everyone! Project 2010/52 has officially started!

And I can already add to my list. XD I stayed up way too late last night to finish a book and since it was after midnight when I hit the end, I will count it towards my total. I'll probably come back and update this post as my running tally as I finish books. Feel free to do the same, though you can do a new post for each new book (or books) you read as well. I intend to do both, myself.

Project 2010/52: Book List
1. 1/1 Captain's Fury by Jim Butcher - Epic Fantasy
2. 1/3 Princeps' Fury by Jim Butcher - Epic Fantasy
3. 1/11 First Lord's Fury by Jim Butcher - Epic Fantasy
4. 1/30 The Electric Church by Jeff Somers - Science Fiction
5. 1/31 Unleashed by John Levitt - Urban Fantasy
6. 2/1 Watchers by Dean Koontz - Horror
7. 2/6 Sympathy for the Devil by Holly Lisle - Urban Fantasy
8. 2/7 Sleipnir by Linda Evans - Urban Fantasy
9. 2/8 King's Property by Morgan Howell - Epic Fantasy
10. 2/10 Blood Engines by T. A. Pratt - Urban Fantasy
11. 2/14 Union of Renegades by Tracy Falbe - Epic Fantasy
12. 2/15 The Mountains of Mourning by Lois McMaster Bujold - Science Fiction (novella)
13. 2/17 Alanna by Tamora Pierce - YA Fantasy
14. 2/17 In the Hands of the Goddess by Tamora Pierce - YA Fantasy
15. 2/21 Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History by Scott Andrew Selby, Greg Campbell - Nonfiction
16. 2/22 Ilfayne's Bane by Julia Knight - Romance Fantasy
17. 2/25 Love is my Sin by Julia Knight - Romance Fantasy
18. 3/1 The Summoner by Gail Z. Martin - Epic Fantasy
19. 3/4 Amberlight by Sylvia Kelso - Fantasy
20. 3/24 Riversend by Syliva Kelso - Fantasy
21. 4/2 The Drowning City by Amanda Downum - Fantasy
22. 4/14 Cyberabad Days by Ian McDonald - Science Fiction
23. 4/17 Lyonesse: Suldrun's Garden by Jack Vance - Fantasy
24. 4/18 Swords and Deviltry by Fritz Leiber - Fantasy
25. 5/02 Swords Against Death by Fritz Leiber - Fantasy
26. 5/08 Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie - Dark Fantasy
27. 5/16 Columbine by Dave Cullen - Nonfiction
28. 5/30 The Man-eaters of Tsavo by John Henry Patterson - Nonfiction
29. 5/30 Tiger by Jeff Stone - YA Fantasy
30. 5/30 Monkey by Jeff Stone - YA Fantasy
31. 5/31 Flight of the Dragon Kyn by Susan Fletcher - YA Fantasy
32. 6/3 Destiny by Alex Archer - Action-Adventure/Paranormal
33. 6/5 Clockwork Heart by Dru Pagliassotti - Steampunk Romance
34. 7/3 Everlost by Neal Shusterman - YA Paranormal
35. 8/8 The Surgeon by Tess Gerritsen - Crime Thriller
36. 8/10 The Apprentice by Tess Gerritsen - Crime Thriller
37. 8/14 The Sinner by Tess Gerritsen - Crime Thriller
38. 8/15 Body Double by Tess Gerritsen - Crime Thriller
39. 8/15 Vanish by Tess Gerritsen - Crime Thriller
40. 8/19 The Mephisto Club by Tess Gerritsen - Crime Thriller
41. 8/21 The Keepsake by Tess Gerritsen - Crime Thriller
42. 8/30 Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson - Epic Fantasy
43. 8/31 Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins - YA Science Fiction
44. 9/5 Children of Amarid by David B. Coe - Epic Fantasy
45. 10/10 How to Become a Straight-A Student by Cal Newport - Nonfiction
46. 10/11 Zeitoun by Dave Eggers - Nonfiction
47. 10/22 A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines - Classic Literature
48. 11/14 The Flock by James Robert Smith - Thriller
49. 11/18 Wild Cards and Iron Horses by Sheryl Nantus - Steampunk Western Romance
50. 11/20 Blaze of Glory by Sheryl Nantus - Superhero
51. 11/25 The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett - Fantasy
52. 11/30 The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston with Mario Spezi - True Crime
53. 12/5 Red Dragon by Thomas Harris - Thriller
54. 12/6 The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris - Thriller
55. 12/11 Hannibal by Thomas Harris - Thriller

~DragonHeart~

[Padraic]

I was wondering is it too late to join? I haven't been reading as much as I would like to, and how much I used to read so I want to get back on track... My main goal would probably be to read the Lord of the Rings Trilogy...

Also congrats on finishing a book already!

[DragonHeart]

It's never too late to join. This is a personal goal I decided to share, anyone who wants to set the same goal or even alter it to suit their needs is more than welcome to. The thread is for support. XD And hopefully, motivation.

If you want to try for all 52, that's great. If you think you can only handle say, one book a month and want to do 12, that's great too. I tend to be overly ambitious with this sort of thing, mainly because I am a fast reader and could easily reach this goal if I would just put the time in.

~DragonHeart~

[Padraic]

Is that a challenge? 52 seems a lot and a little at the same time. I know how you feel about the book in a day (completly possible) so if you do that you have only 52 days... although one per week would leave an extra 19 books. that seems like a good pace to me.

[DragonHeart]

Indeed, but just because I (or anyone else, for that matter) am capable of reading a book in a day doesn't mean I actually will all the time. That's only if I have between 6-10 hours of uninterrupted free time to work with. That sort of time is a rare luxury. One book every 2-4 days is far more realistic, particularly when I consider that reading is only one part of my free time. If I spent every spare moment all year reading, I could easily double my goal and still probably end up surpassing it.

However, my goal is to read more, not to burn myself out on reading.

I'm not sure what you mean by 19 extra books though. There are 52 weeks in a calender year. The number wasn't arbitrary.

That said, I am about two-thirds of the way through my next book and intend to finish today. I'll update my list upthread when I do.

~DragonHeart~

[Padraic]

Yeah sorry about the 19 extra I did some crazy math which somehow got me to that conclusion -_-'

Anyway I finished my first book... a little late though...

Heart's Blood of the Pit Dragon Trilogy/Jane Yolen/Jan 10th 6:00 PM 2010

[DragonHeart]

I've read that book, it was a few years back though. And when I got it I hadn't realized it was the middle of a trilogy so it was rather confusing, to say the least. Someday I'll go back and read the first book.

Anyways, I'm adding another book to my list. First Lord's Fury, the sixth and final book of the Codex Alera. I am sad to say it was rather disappointing. The book felt rushed and somehow less personal than the others. It's like one review I read, as though it was the end of a long day at the office and he was just rushing to get it done and out as fast as possible. I hate it when authors squander potential like that, though I'm sure it had more to do with his contract deadline than anything else. Doesn't make it any less irritating.

Despite the less-than-satisfying conclusion, the series is still a worthy read for any epic/military fantasy fans. I particularly liked the concept of the furies and the way Butcher handles nonhuman races, especially the Canim. They don't feel at all like humans in costume, unlike so many other fantasy races. A lot of great characters too, though I feel like they were downplayed a bit too often in favor of the novel's equivalent of special effects.

~DragonHeart~

[EvT1991]

HOLY C*** WHAT A GOOD IDEA!!!

*Joins*

im hoping to at least read one (non school issued) book per month

(i dont read "books" at all lately (im so ashamed of myself ))

[Padraic]

1.Heart's Blood of the Pit Dragon Trilogy/Jane Yolen/Jan 10th 6:00 PM 2010

I have finished yet another book, The third book of the trilogy... I finished it last night but only got to post it now because I recently got back from a school ski trip.

Heart's Sending of the Pit Dragon Trilogy/Jane Yolen/Jan 15th 2010

[Unknown Entity]

Finished my first book of the year. At this rate, I don't think I'm doing very well at all. I guess I'm just getting warmed up.

Sabriel / Garth Nix / 27th of January at 11pm.

[Padraic]

haha don't worry, I'm on the same boat as you, I haven't touched my third book yet >.< when by today I should've finished my fourth....

[DragonHeart]

I'm about halfway through my fourth. I could have been done with it two weeks ago but I'm not sure if I really like the book. While I don't generally have a problem with language, this one is just a bit too vulgar for my tastes. Just doesn't seem necessary. I'll probably still finish it, though. Eventually. XD

ETA: Finished it, not a bad book, just a bit outside my usual range.

~DragonHeart~

[DragonHeart]

Getting through the book I mentioned was all I needed to get back on track, as my updated list reflects. I'm rather pleased, actually; one month into the Project and I'm even a little ahead. I'll probably take a break for a couple days though so I don't start to burn myself out. Spending too much time immersed in words puts my brain in overdrive.

~DragonHeart~

[EvT1991]

im about halfway into my first book: gears of war: aspho fields. good read, just short on time... when i go to missoula (the place i go to, to go shopping once a month) ill probably buy the second one.. cause i burn through the book when i have time..

[DragonHeart]

Another update. =O This is probably more than I read in the entire first half of last year. Getting an ereader has done wonders for my reading productivity lol, with a little help from Suvudu and the Baen Free Library.

I'm also more glad than ever that I went with the Nook and not the Kindle, given Amazon's latest fail. I won't be buying from them again.

~DragonHeart~

[DragonHeart]

How's everyone doing with their reading? I think I've read more in these past two months than the entire first half of 2009. The Nook is really making a huge difference in my reading productivity. I even take it to work with me to read on my lunch/dinner break.

I do want to try reading more books in different genres, though. Over half of my list is fantasy in some form or another.

~DragonHeart~

[Padraic]

I finished my third book... finally... I got a lot more to do to catch up.
3. Warriors: Omen of the Stars; Book One;

[DragonHeart]

My reading pace slowed down a bit last month, for obvious reasons. Still on track as long as I finish my current book soon, which I will. One of the hardest parts of this project is figuring out what to read next. If the book is part of a series it's not so bad, unless the series is still being released, as is the case with the last few books I've read.

~DragonHeart~

[Treize]

I think that I would like to join too because I really haven't been reading as much as I would like, and this might motivate me a little. 52 may be too many for me since I am starting a little late, so I'll go for 40, or maybe just start off with some shorter books. ^^

I almost always have reading to do for my literature class, so those are really the only books that I've read so far this year. Here are my first few.

1. Hamlet - William Shakespeare - Do plays count? Anyway, I thought that this was pretty good. It is better than some of the other plays I've read from Shakespeare.

2. The Metamorphosis - Franz Kafka - I liked this novella. The whole book is pretty weird, but it is interesting. The ending is pretty sad, though.

3. The Stranger - Albert Camus - I thought this book was okay. I liked the first half, but then the ending got a little out of hand.

4. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad - Heart of Darkness is actually pretty good. I have to admit that the second half is more interesting than the first, but the whole novel was well written. The ending was actually good! =D

5. Cry, the Beloved Country - Alan Paton - I really liked this book. It is significantly longer than the other works that I've been reading too. The novel was just amazing until part three. The ending was such a cliffhanger. Gertrude was awesome until the part where she abandoned her child.

6. Ethan Frome - Edith Wharton - This is the book that I'm going to start next. It sounds like it could be interesting with the protagonist having this passionate love for his sick wife's younger cousin. <_<

---

Project 2010/52: Book List:
1. 1/? Hamlet - William Shakespeare - Play
2. 2/? The Metamorphosis - Franz Kafka - Novella
3. 2/? The Stranger - Albert Camus - Short Novel
4. 3/? Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad - Novel
5. 3/? Cry, the Beloved Country - Alan Paton - Novel
6. 4/12 Ethan Frome - Edith Wharton - Novel
7. 4/29 Death of a Salesman - Arthur Miller - Play
8. 5/18 The Sign of Four - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Novel

[Padraic]

[QUOTE=Treize;1261731] 1. Hamlet - William Shakespeare - Do plays count? Anyway, I thought that this was pretty good. It is better than some of the other plays I've read from Shakespeare.

If Plays count, I read Romeo and Juliet a while ago, same with another Warriors book

4. Romeo and Juliet/ William Shakespeare
5. Warriors Super Edition: Bluestar's Prophecy. (Very Good by the way )

52 books, I've only read 5... I'm almost a tenth of the way there...

[Treize]

I just finished reading Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton this morning. I thought it was okay, but the whole I love my wife/cousin's cousin thing got old after 50 or so pages. It had a good beginning and end, but the middle dragged on a little. Also, why do over half of the books that I read for my literature class have incest in them?

I'm not sure what book I'm going to read next. I think I'm going to stop by the library tomorrow to check out a book. I'm not reading the next piece for my literature class until next week, so I should have time to read something in the meantime. I'm thinking about a mystery novel because they tend to be on the short side, and I haven't read one in a long time.

EDIT: I just picked up The Sign of Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I haven't read a Sherlock Holmes book in a few years, so I thought it might be a good read. It's looking to be pretty good, so far, but I'm not very far yet.

[DragonHeart]

Of course plays count. Basically if it comes in book form, it counts. The last book I read was a short story collection. Anthologies, novellas, plays, they all count. The goal is basically to read more; doesn't much matter what. You could include manga if you wanted to.

I'm still running a bit behind, though I am more or less on track. A lot of the series I've been following are between releases and I'm having a hard time finding new material. Basically, I don't know what I want to read but I'll know it when I see it. XD

~DragonHeart~

[Kaiden]

I'm still running a bit behind, though I am more or less on track. A lot of the series I've been following are between releases and I'm having a hard time finding new material. Basically, I don't know what I want to read but I'll know it when I see it. XD

~DragonHeart~

Thats how I end up spending hours in a book store, cause I will read the first chapter(or couple) of books to see if I wanna buy/read it.

[DragonHeart]

Exactly. At least with my Nook I don't spend hours in the store...I just spend hours browsing B&N online and adding tons of samples lol. I've probably got ~300 samples on it and I'm always adding more. If I'm in the mood for a particular type of book I'll track down as many as I can find and add them all. Then by time I pick one of them out and read it, I'm in the mood for something else...and so on. I'll never get to them all, probably. That's why I try to go by recommendations. XD

~DragonHeart~

[Padraic]

I finished my fifth... thats about a months worth... I gotta catch up... hopefully I will, especially with all the reading I'm doing in my classes...

5. The Wave (I don't have the book so I have no more info on it... Good book though)