50 Books in 2021!

[Adventine]

It's time to start getting ready for the 2021 edition of this challenge!

Post your list of completed books here, to stay motivated and find new reading suggestions from other Mustachians.

[diapasoun]

Ohhh yes. \o/

[cangelosibrown]

Joining this!  I'm so inconsistent with reading books, I would love to have some small accountability. I definitely haven't hit 50 books in a year since my son was born.

[Raenia]

I'm in!  My target is 100 books for the year.

ETA: Setting some more specific targets for the year:
 - At least 25 Nonfiction books
 - At least 25 from TBR List
 - 5 books on Philosophy (focus on natural rights)
There will be some overlap, naturally, but I want to go into the year with some goals beyond just "read fast."

[maisymouser]

50 books feels ambitious for me, but count me in! Looking forward to seeing what is on other people's lists.

[asauer]

Yay!  I've been looking forward to this post.  I have 90 books on my TBR and am ready to go!  In 2021, I am going to change a few things about how I read.  I'm embracing more of a 'mindful reading' approach.  Not speeding through books, but really reading, reflecting and absorbing.  I'm using a bullet journal to capture my thoughts on what I read.  Additionally, I'm setting a page limit for book breakups.  If I'm not interested in a book after 50 pages, I'm going to break up with it and not read it any further- I tend to feel guilty when I don't read the whole thing but let's be honest, I do NOT have time for things that I don't like (when I can avoid it).

[grantmeaname]

I'm in. Dunno how many I'll read - this year is 104 but it's feeling like quite the chore sometimes, plus the pace is keeping me towards shorter books.

edited to add: I made it to 104 today - not a day early - and will try and do 52 next year.
2018 | 2019 | 2020

[triple7stash]

Wow, 50 books is way above my usual. I’m normally around 9/year, but maybe this will motivate me to bump up! It will be good to also bounce book ideas. A friend just bought me a A Promised Land, but not sure it’s totally my cup of tea.

I love the

Additionally, I'm setting a page limit for book breakups.  If I'm not interested in a book after 50 pages, I'm going to break up with it and not read it any further- I tend to feel guilty when I don't read the whole thing but let's be honest, I do NOT have time for things that I don't like (when I can avoid it).

I also love the idea of a breakup limit! I too feel obligated to finish a book once I start it.

[Adventine]

My own book breakup limit is 10%. I got the idea from Stephen King's own criteria for deciding if he wanted to finish reading a book or not.

If, after 10% of the way in, I'm not motivated enough to keep reading, I move on to the next book.

That way I have a "fair" limit that applies to both long and short books.

[triple7stash]

Seems like a fair limit. If it’s good enough for King, it’s good enough for me :)

[MrsSpendyPants]

I'm aiming for 26 (one every two weeks).  Starting with The Dark Materials trilogy.  I remember loving it in high school and DH is eager to watch the series but I told him to wait until we get through the books.

[dblaace]

I'm in. Not going to make it in 2020 but I read more books thane I ever have in a year.
Hoping 2021 will be better.

[Need2Save]

Hi there. Lurker from the 2020 thread here who is diving in. I have to thank you all in advance for inspiration and book ideas over 2020.  I've never come close to reading 50 books in a year, but I'm going to give it a try in 2021.

[StarBright]

Following for book recs :)

My own reading has fluctuated wildly the last couple of years but was basically non-existent for last three quarters of 2020.

[bbqbonelesswing]

I'm in! In 2020 I made it to 40 books. I'm hoping to get more reading in this coming year, and I got a nice haul for the holidays, so should be off to a good start. My first of the new year will be The Evening and the Morning by Ken Follett.

[CodingHare]

I'm in!  Feels like its been ages since I managed to read fiction.  I joined a bookclub so I now have 12 books lined up for the year, plus a few recommendations from friends.

I highly recommend the Libby app if your library supports it, an excellent money saver and no trips to the library to drop off books!

[SquashingDebt]

I'm in!  My goal is 100 books again, but I pay more attention to total pages read to account for different book lengths.  My goal this year is 30,000 pages (about what I read the past 2 years).

[Frugal Lizard]

I am in - I made it to 40 books in 2020 which was a huge milestone for me.  I used to be a big reader (at least a book a week) but grief and resulting trauma took reading away from me for a while. My ability to read improved greatly over the year. I am now finding solace in reading again.  I love this thread where I can find books to try out, especially now that we are back in lockdown and have to do online ordering and curbside pickup at the library once again.

[hal]

I’m in, partly for the wonderful recommendations for others and to give myself some motivation. I think I’m 2020 I read about twenty books, so I’ll have to see how this year goes.

[lazycow]

* Books I own
JANUARY
*1. Dark Matter - Blake Crouch (reread)

[redhead84]

I am in again! I set my goal at 84 books. I read 85 last year, but I don't want to feel pressure to hit a certain number by the end of the year, and 7 books per month feels comfortable.

[cangelosibrown]

Here we go:

1. Sapiens by Yuval Harari   -- 4/5, very interesting.
2. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles 4.5/5. Absolutely delightful book, just exactly what I (and I'm guessing everyone) needs right now.

[Serendip]

1) Arctic Dreams, Barry Lopez--beautifully written, dated terms and descriptions but a wonderful read, had me dreaming of muskox
2) In Praise of Paths: Walking Through Time and Nature, Torbjorn Ekelund --an 'okay' read, not as interesting as Erling Kagge's take on walking
3) A Mind at Home with Itself, Byron Katie--needed a little spiritual woo-woo to start my year

[maisymouser]

JANUARY:
*The Idle Beekeeper (Bill Anderson)- complete
*Talking to Strangers (Malcolm Gladwell)- in progress
*How to Be an Antiracist (Ibram X. Kendi)- in progress

[asauer]

Here we go:

1. Sapiens by Yuval Harari   -- 4/5, very interesting.
2. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles 4.5/5. Absolutely delightful book, just exactly what I (and I'm guessing everyone) needs right now.

I LOVED Sapiens!  Do you have the next book Homo Deus on your TBR for this year?  I'm hoping to get to it in Feb.

[asauer]

Here are my first three for the year:
1. Assaulted Caramel (fiction, cozy mystery)- finished
2. Soul of an Octopus (non-fiction, natural science)- currently reading
3. The Poison Squad (non-fiction)- on deck

[cangelosibrown]

Here we go:

1. Sapiens by Yuval Harari   -- 4/5, very interesting.
2. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles 4.5/5. Absolutely delightful book, just exactly what I (and I'm guessing everyone) needs right now.

I LOVED Sapiens!  Do you have the next book Homo Deus on your TBR for this year?  I'm hoping to get to it in Feb.

I have a (admittedly not very strict) one book per author per year rule, to prevent me from going too far down rabbit holes. I really enjoyed Sapiens, but the quick summary of Home Deus doesn't sound quite as appealing to me. I'm sure I'll still read it in 2022 though.

[Adventine]

Here we go:

1. Sapiens by Yuval Harari   -- 4/5, very interesting.
2. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles 4.5/5. Absolutely delightful book, just exactly what I (and I'm guessing everyone) needs right now.

I LOVED Sapiens!  Do you have the next book Homo Deus on your TBR for this year?  I'm hoping to get to it in Feb.

I have a (admittedly not very strict) one book per author per year rule, to prevent me from going too far down rabbit holes. I really enjoyed Sapiens, but the quick summary of Home Deus doesn't sound quite as appealing to me. I'm sure I'll still read it in 2022 though.

But what's wrong with going down rabbit holes, as long as you enjoy the ride? ;)

[asauer]

Here we go:

1. Sapiens by Yuval Harari   -- 4/5, very interesting.
2. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles 4.5/5. Absolutely delightful book, just exactly what I (and I'm guessing everyone) needs right now.

I LOVED Sapiens!  Do you have the next book Homo Deus on your TBR for this year?  I'm hoping to get to it in Feb.

I have a (admittedly not very strict) one book per author per year rule, to prevent me from going too far down rabbit holes. I really enjoyed Sapiens, but the quick summary of Home Deus doesn't sound quite as appealing to me. I'm sure I'll still read it in 2022 though.

Now, that's discipline!  It's rabbit hole city over on my list.

[cangelosibrown]

But what's wrong with going down rabbit holes, as long as you enjoy the ride? ;)

There's just so many books, and I have so little time to read them!

[sui generis]

I'm in again.  I almost doubled my books read in 2020, to mid-60s...this year, I'd like to be more careful and thoughtful with my reading, but still hit about 50.  I feel a little like I cheated, because I finished the last like 10-15% of a couple of huge books just after the new year, but here we go:

1. East of Eden, by John Steinbeck (Jan 2). Glad I gave this author another chance after disliking Grapes of Wrath.  Can't quite put my finger on it, but it's now a favorite.
2. A Promised Land, by Barack Obama (Jan 5). He really is a good writer.

[diapasoun]

1. The Farthest Shore, Ursula K. LeGuin (own, pre-2021). Fantastic book and actually my favorite of the trilogy, I think.

2. Christmas Days, Jeanette Winterson (own, pre-2021, re-read). I love this book to bits. If you like ghost stories/stories with a touch of the supernatural and you want some Christmas-themed reading, get this book. Also it has some nice recipes in it!

Goals:

2/52 books read overall
2/15 books I already owned pre-2021
0/6 natural history books

Currently reading:

The Biology and Ecology of Giant Kelp Forests, David Schiel
The Fellowship of the Ring, J.R.R. Tolkien
Robbergirl, S.T. Gibson

[Zhiantara]

I lurked last years thread and was inspired to get back to reading. Now my goal is to reduce the stack of to-be-read books, and to finish 26 books (one a fortnight). Books for work will count because I only get to read them if I do it in my own time.

So here goes:

1. The House of Islam: a global history, Ed Husain. Really good overview of the history, basic tenets, strengths and problems of Islam, written by a devout believer.

[StarBright]

I definitely feel more like myself when I read! After a great start in 2020, I only managed a dozen or so books between March and December. Onwards to a better 2021!

1. On Writing by Stephen King
2. Red at the Bone by Jaqueline Woodson (I will need to reread the end of this one again. I was getting sleepy as I finished and I think I need to soak in more of the beautiful writing.)

ETA - If people are ever looking for book recommendations, I have found the monthly "what are you reading?" post at GoFugYourself to be an A+ recommendation list. I pick up two or three good recs every time, of which "Red at the Bone" was one. 

[asauer]

Ok, 2/90 done.
Finished: Assaulted Caramel, Soul of an Octopus.  Can I tell you how much I LOVED Soul of an Octopus?!  I normally pass my hard copy books to someone else but I'm definitely keeping this one.

Starting Poison Squad tomorrow.

[Linea_Norway]

Erling Kagge: Å gå (Walking)

[dblaace]

1.   The Tumor: A Non-Legal Thriller - by John Grisham
2.   True Places - by Sonja Yoerg

[Linea_Norway]

Leif B. Lillegaard: Hvis dere finner oss (In case you find us).

[markbike528CBX]

My own book breakup limit is 10%. I got the idea from Stephen King's own criteria for deciding if he wanted to finish reading a book or not.

If, after 10% of the way in, I'm not motivated enough to keep reading, I move on to the next book.

That way I have a "fair" limit that applies to both long and short books.

There are few books that I've gotten to 50% or so and just quit.   
The only "good/classic" book among that list is 20,000 Leagues under the Sea by Jules Verne. I just couldn't get past the Victorian era tediousness.
I'm a science fiction fan and I understand that Verne could not make reader assumptions that sci-fi authors today take for granted, but still....

[markbike528CBX]

Following for book recs :)

My own reading has fluctuated wildly the last couple of years but was basically non-existent for last three quarters of 2020.

I searched, and could not find the Marine Corp Commandant's Professional Reading Program list on prior year threads.

A lot chewier than you would imagine for an excessively stereotypical jarhead.

2019 examples:
The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology" R. Kurzweil
"Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon" K. Zetter    - really scary overview of malicious hacking, as well as the specific story.   2020 list too.
Thinking Fast and Slow" D. Kahneman   2020 list too.  Great book on investing psychology - as can be seen in this forum, not all our acts are rational and/or in our best interest.
Starship Troopers R. Heinlein  - I remember reading this at age 17 and thinking " this is both a great story and a 200 page political tract"
Ender's Game O. Card

2020 list
https://www.marines.mil/News/Messages/Messages-Display/Article/2386702/revision-of-the-commandants-professional-reading-program/

[Splashncash]

Thanks for starting the new thread, @Adventine!

I finished 2020 with 70 books read but not sure if that is an anomaly because I never tracked my reading before. I love all the recommendations I get from this thread so joining for 2021 but the reading year has started very slowly.

1. Christmas Bells by Jennifer Chiaverini (I started this before Christmas...)

[Splashncash]

Joining this thread to help motivate me to read whole books again. Seems to be a skill that is Currently reading True Grit by Charles Portis. Haven't seen the movie ... would you recommend it?

I loved the book and enjoyed both versions of the movie.  I would recommend watching it after finishing the book.

[okisok]

I'm in! I lost track and stopped posting in 2020, but I was at 59 as of 6/4/2020, when I ran out of pages in my book journal and forgot to post here. My goal is to actually post them all here this year and see where I get.

The book breakup 10% is a good idea!

1. The Heiress of Linn Hagh--British murder mystery in early Victorian times

2. Virgin River--Nurse practitioner with Tragic Backstory (TM) moves to small town to heal

3. What Your Clutter is Trying to Tell You-great book about clutter triggers

4. Stray: A Memoir of a Runaway--author left home at 16 and made questionable choices

5. Perhaps She'll Die--murder mystery in rural Oklahoma spanning two generations

6. The Nesting Place--only home decor book I've ever liked. She lived in 14 homes over 18 years and wrote the book about a rental. Motivated me to actually do some decorating.

Currently reading:

Miss Graham's Cold War Cookbook--woman sent to post WWII Germany ostensibly to teach during rebuilding, but actually to spy using recipes as coded messages. 1/3 way in and enjoying it, even though I had sworn off Tragic World War II Novels this year.

The "Me Me Me" Epidemic: A Step-by-step Guide to Raising Capable, Grateful Kids in an Over-Entitled World. Only a few pages in and it's interesting.

Up Next:
The Glass Castle
Mud Season
Daphne

[ahptex]

I'm in again. This has been such a fun challenge for me the last few years, and I love seeing everyone's reading lists. I get great ideas!

Here's what I've read so far:

(1) Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
(2) The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron
(3) Sex and Vanity by Kevin Kwan
(4) We are Called to Rise by Laura McBride
(5) Gathering Moss by Robin Wall Kimmerer

[StarBright]

Following for book recs :)

My own reading has fluctuated wildly the last couple of years but was basically non-existent for last three quarters of 2020.

I searched, and could not find the Marine Corp Commandant's Professional Reading Program list on prior year threads.

A lot chewier than you would imagine for an excessively stereotypical jarhead.

2019 examples:
The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology" R. Kurzweil
"Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon" K. Zetter    - really scary overview of malicious hacking, as well as the specific story.   2020 list too.
Thinking Fast and Slow" D. Kahneman   2020 list too.  Great book on investing psychology - as can be seen in this forum, not all our acts are rational and/or in our best interest.
Starship Troopers R. Heinlein  - I remember reading this at age 17 and thinking " this is both a great story and a 200 page political tract"
Ender's Game O. Card

2020 list
https://www.marines.mil/News/Messages/Messages-Display/Article/2386702/revision-of-the-commandants-professional-reading-program/

Thanks so much for this list! These are not my typical wheelhouse, but I love reading new things so will probably pick up a couple.

[Adventine]

Strong start for the first two weeks of 2021:

1. Humble Pi: When Math Goes Wrong in the Real World by Matt Parker
2. Educated by Tara Westover
3. The State of Affairs by Esther Perel
4. Agent Running in the Field by John Le Carré
5. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

[markbike528CBX]

Following for book recs :)

My own reading has fluctuated wildly the last couple of years but was basically non-existent for last three quarters of 2020.

I searched, and could not find the Marine Corp Commandant's Professional Reading Program list on prior year threads.

A lot chewier than you would imagine for an excessively stereotypical jarhead.
..snip.....
2020 list
https://www.marines.mil/News/Messages/Messages-Display/Article/2386702/revision-of-the-commandants-professional-reading-program/

Thanks so much for this list! These are not my typical wheelhouse, but I love reading new things so will probably pick up a couple.

John Walker (one of the founders of Autodesk, so heavy on software, science, engineering) has a list.
http://www.fourmilab.ch/documents/reading_list/               2001 to present.
-- later years has such well written and lengthy reviews that they are possibly worth reading as substitutes depending on your interest and time.

If you get through one or both lists, I got nothin' else for ya :-)

[dblaace]

   1. The Tumor: A Non-Legal Thriller - by John Grisham
   2. True Places - by Sonja Yoerg
   3. The Poet - Michael Connelly

[zinnie]

I’m in! 50 is a pretty ambitious goal for me but I just FIREd, so if
I ever have the time it’s now 😉

1. The Gene by Siddhartha Mukherjee—this was great! He’s a good storyteller and made the science really interesting.

[cangelosibrown]

Here we go:

1. Sapiens by Yuval Harari   -- 4/5, very interesting.
2. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles 4.5/5. Absolutely delightful book, just exactly what I (and I'm guessing everyone) needs right now.

3. The Stranger by Albert Camus -- 4/5. Such a bizarre book. A horribly unlikable narrator, but not in any of the usual ways. Really makes you think.
4. Half a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. 4.5/5. So so sad. It's rare you see historical fiction with quite so much punch. I've now read all of her novels, and that makes me sad too.