club The Great Reading Thread of 2023

[Scaly Freak]

This thread is first and foremost for reading. We love books here, of course we do, that kind of comes with the territory. But more importantly, we love to read, and that is what this challenge thread is about.  

 

We have a small number of rules that we respectfully insist that everyone who joins this thread do their best to follow:

 

First of all, Rule Zero: Anyone who wants to join, can join at any time during the year. There is no enrollment end date, and no reading minimums of any kind.

 

Now for the rest of the rules:

 

1. Any reading counts as reading. This means we are not required to read books. Any reading material is acceptable reading material, including but not limited to graphic novels, blogs, poetry, philosophical treatises, newspaper articles, periodicals, sheet music, and anything else anyone can think of. All reading counts as reading.
2. Audio books count as reading. If this rule isn't self-explanatory to you, please see Rule #1.  (And if that doesn't make sense either that's fine - audiobooks still count as reading.)
3. Everyone reads at their own pace and level. Reading goals are personal, and while we freely give and take inspiration from each other, we don't compare our goals to each other. This isn't a competition.
4. Everyone reads for their own reasons, and every reason for reading is valid. Again, take inspiration from others, but don't compare yourself to anyone. There are as many reasons for reading as there are readers, and just as many reading goals, and that is exactly the way it should be.
5. Enjoy the reading challenges and have fun with them! This is the most important rule, that no one should ever feel pressured to compromise on. If keeping up with your reading challenge causes more stress than it relieves, do what you need to do to restore that balance to where the reading challenge is a haven again.

 

And that is it. Please tag fellow readers as you come across them in your travels across the greater NF community, and never forget to honor Rule #5.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Online Bookstores:

 

• https://www.thriftbooks.com/ - An online thrift store for books, new and used.
• https://bookshop.org/ - Online bookstore that works with independent local bookstores all over the world. A portion of the proceeds go to support a local bookstore of your choice.
• https://www.booksandcranniesva.com/ - An independent bookstore. Based in Virginia, US, but ships to anywhere.
• https://www.betterworldbooks.com/ - Seller of used and discounted books. For every book sold, they will donate a book to a literacy initiative/nonprofit in need.

 

Reading Resources:

 

• https://www.goodreads.com/ - A community site for reading. Track your reading, create wish lists, read and post reviews, and connect with other readers. Some of the regulars in this thread are active there as well.  
• Open Library - Exactly what it sounds like: A non-profit, open source, digital public library, whose ultimate goal is to make all the published works of humankind available to everyone in the world.
• https://thepalaceproject.org/  - Unfortunately appears to be US-only. If anyone is able to make it work in other countries, please let us know! Anyway, this app uses your zip code to give you a list of all books that have been banned where you live, and lets you borrow them and read them in the app. 

[Artemis Prime]

Yay, thanks for doing this again @Scaly Freak

 

My reading plan is always a bit loose, but instead of focusing on numbers this year, I have some particular books I'm looking forward to. For starters, I plan to read the Stormlight Archives, as I've somehow missed them up to this point, as well as the City Watch series within Discworld. Samantha Shannon is releasing the prequel to The Priory of the Orange Tree in February, which I'm really excited about as I loved that book.  I also just recently discovered T. Kingfisher and am looking forward to reading more of her.

 

On the nonfiction front, I got The Sacred Enneagram for Christmas and have really enjoyed the first couple chapters. I've also been meaning to read White Trash by Nancy Isenberg for a while now, and plan to bump it to the top of the TBR for 2023.

[MaeradCase]

7 minutes ago, Artemis Prime said:

the City Watch series within Discworld

I might see to reading the remaining books in that series since I invested in the paperbacks. X)

 

I'm starting off the year by spending my three-day weekend reading through the book I composed in November to make sure it's got enough substance to endure the process of editing. Already 2/3 through!

[Jupiter]

Thanks, @Scaly Freak! I didn't quite reach my goal last year so I'm going to aim a little lower this year and go with a goal of 50 books. 

[Scaly Freak]

56 minutes ago, Artemis Prime said:

I also just recently discovered T. Kingfisher and am looking forward to reading more of her.

 

Her books are amazing! She is one of my absolute favorite authors, and I am very happy about my newly-started collection of Saint of Steel in hardcover. What have you read so far?

[Defining]

As always, thank you for starting the thread!  I have no idea what to do with a reading goal this year. I find myself going through binge sessions and then returning to 'old familiar' materials to refresh, and then feeling frustrated at not finding new stuff to read that I can really get IN to. Will have to put some thought into it...

[Artemis Prime]

2 hours ago, Scaly Freak said:

 

Her books are amazing! She is one of my absolute favorite authors, and I am very happy about my newly-started collection of Saint of Steel in hardcover. What have you read so far?

Nettle & Bone was the first one I read, then A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking. I'm not much for horror, but so far her fantasy has been really enjoyable for me. 

[juliebarkley]

I spent a chunk of today building a list of authors, because my theme for this year's reading is short stories. A novel is a commitment, but a short story lets you sample an author in a lot less time. I figured, maybe I could try for one author a day. So I've got old authors, like Charles Dickens and Arthur Conan Doyle, new authors like Stephen King and Neil Gaiman, lots from the early days of scifi and detective fiction, and lots in between.

 

Speaking of, if anyone has a favourite author that I should absolutely have on the list but might not, let me know! I was trying to hit people who were influential in their field, famous in general or in their own country, or not well-known but should be. (Plus a few thrown in just because they seemed interesting.) My list is weighted heavily towards scifi because of the history of the genre, and could use some balance. The only requirement is that they have to have written short stories that are similar to their full-length work.

[Waanie]

6 hours ago, Artemis Prime said:

Nettle & Bone was the first one I read, then A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking. I'm not much for horror, but so far her fantasy has been really enjoyable for me. 

A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking was such a cute book . I found it light and funny, although it did feel like a children's book.

 

Anyway, from today on I have a library account again, so I will go to the library this afternoon to borrow some books . I have no idea yet what, since I have no idea what they have, but I'm sure I'll be able to find something interesting.

[Artemis Prime]

55 minutes ago, Waanie said:

A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking was such a cute book . I found it light and funny, although it did feel like a children's book.

It definitely read young to me, but it was an excellent fun read for over Christmas and I really appreciated the creativity of her magic. Plus Bob the sourdough starter was fantastic. 

 

Nettle & Bone was also great, but it felt a bit underdeveloped to me. It was a purposeful choice on her part, I think, as it gave it kind of an archetypal tale feel, but it left me wanting more. Agnes got my best character award in my end of the year book review with my sister.

[Scaly Freak]

7 hours ago, Waanie said:

Anyway, from today on I have a library account again, so I will go to the library this afternoon to borrow some books . I have no idea yet what, since I have no idea what they have, but I'm sure I'll be able to find something interesting.

 

It's a library. They have everything.

[Rhovaniel]

Ooh, this is an awesome thread, hi! Since I have several books on my to read or reread goals for winter, I figure it makes sense to have reading goals. I tend to re-read old favourites again and again, like a comforting blanket or returning to a second home. This year, much of my reading will be non-fiction, thanks to my thesis. But I want to make it a goal to find and read 5 new fantasy books. Five, because of my other commitments (looking at you, 30,000 word thesis glaring at me) and fantasy books tend to be hefty. Fantasy because I love it. I love the escapism and the wonder and the magic of it all, and I don't read enough of it. 

[Rhovaniel]

16 minutes ago, Scaly Freak said:

 

It's a library. They have everything.

I really wish this was true. Many libraries here don't have all that I could wish. Especially in terms of non-fiction

[Scaly Freak]

45 minutes ago, Rhovaniel said:

I really wish this was true. Many libraries here don't have all that I could wish. Especially in terms of non-fiction

 

That's often true of my library here as well... they don't have everything within their own buildings. However, they have the ability to contact other libraries and retrieve what they themselves do not have, so since they have indirect access to practically everything, I'm giving them that.  

[Waanie]

1 hour ago, Scaly Freak said:

That's often true of my library here as well... they don't have everything within their own buildings. However, they have the ability to contact other libraries and retrieve what they themselves do not have, so since they have indirect access to practically everything, I'm giving them that.  

It's basically the same here, but most of the books they have are in Dutch and the selection of SciFi and fantasy is... lacking. Still, I want to support them financially as well, so I see it as a gift to charity with a side benefit of a few borrowing books here and there .

[Asha Phoenix]

Thanks, @Scaly Freak!

 

My goal this year is 5 books. Starting with an autobiography and then going to try and knock some books off my TBR list.

[Heidi]

On 1/2/2023 at 2:12 PM, Rhovaniel said:

I really wish this was true. Many libraries here don't have all that I could wish. Especially in terms of non-fiction

But have you explored the magic of inter-library loan? 🤔

 

 

[Heidi]

I have no reading challenge this year, same as last year.  

But i love seeing what everyone is reading, and hearing what they think about this or that.

 

Last year I reread Boys & Girls Together and really enjoyed it. I’m currently halfway through Elizabeth Finch  and I adore it, even though most days I’m too tired to pick it up and read by the time I log out from work. My brain definitely needs a break after ten - twelve hours of heavy cognitive lifting.

 

Here to cheer you on and to share the good news of libraries everywhere. 

❤️ 

[KB Girl]

I'm really excited for a reading challenge this year! Finally feel like I can read something other than fan fiction again- but I haven't exactly figured out what the challenge should look like for me yet. There are a couple non-fiction books I have bought or borrowed sitting in a pile next to the couch, so I should probably start there- but I would really like for that to just be a start. 

[Rhovaniel]

On 1/4/2023 at 2:04 AM, Heidi said:

But have you explored the magic of inter-library loan? 🤔

 

 

I mean, I haven't, but I don't think my libraries do inter-county loans and when I check the library website for a specific book, It'll search all the libraries in my county. My university library does have that though, but between other universities so unless I'm after something non-fiction, it's not happening. It is why I delight in finding a book I'm after in charity shops. Cheap, second hand and I FOUND IT, FINALLY! Instant dopamine hit  

 

 

 

 

[Scaly Freak]

3 hours ago, Rhovaniel said:

I don't think my libraries do inter-county loans

 

*gasp* Blasphemy!!

[Scaly Freak]

[MaeradCase]

17 hours ago, Rhovaniel said:

It is why I delight in finding a book I'm after in charity shops. Cheap, second hand and I FOUND IT, FINALLY! Instant dopamine hit

... Have you heard of Thriftbooks? I tend to go looking for one or two books, but order three or four because I make sure to check out with $20 worth of books to get free shipping. They do have newer books closer to market price, too, and some textbooks. I love browsing and finding the books I want.

[Heidi]

Look, I'm just saying, would it be horrible if I crawled into a hole armed with a half-dozen books, a candle-lamp, and some blankets and didn't come out until Spring Equinox?
No, no it would not.

[Gemma]

On 1/1/2023 at 8:08 PM, Artemis Prime said:

  I also just recently discovered T. Kingfisher and am looking forward to reading more of her.

 

 

I do love horror,  and I just finished What Moves the Dead last night - now I am actively searching out everything else she has ever written, because that was beautiful! 

 

 

I don't have any specific reading goals for this year, beyond re-visiting some old Shakespeare favorites. I really like the No Fear Shakespeare series of books that puts the Bard's words adjacent to everyday English translations; I've just dived into The Tempest. And for my commute I've got the audiobook of The Name of the Rose from my library - I've been meaning to read it forever and just never got to it.