New Group: Read 50 Books In One Year

Join my new group at read50books.gather.com 

I've seen some of my fellow bloggers take on a challenge of reading 50 book in one year, and so I've decided to give it a try as a New Year's resolution. I've always enjoyed reading, but in recent years the time I've been able to devote to reading books has varied. I've gone through some times when I do almost no reading for enjoyment, and other times where I'm reading steadily. I've wondered if a conscious effort with a definite goal might be helpful.

Since I'm going to the effort to read 50 books, I would also like to review them here on Gather.

I created this group at the suggestion of a fellow Gather member who commented on my first review. I'm pleased to see that others have expressed interest in taking up the challenge. This group will be a place where we can support each other and share reviews, lists, and suggestion on the books we are reading.

Anyone is welcome to join, whether you'd like to try for 50 books in 365 days or not. The group welcomes all book reviews and book suggestions, as well as tips, lists, and encouragement about meeting our reading goals. Off topic articles will be declined, however. I'd like to keep the group as focused on the topic as possible.

A few things to keep in mind about the 50 book challenge: This isn't a race or a competition. There are no prizes, although I would suggest that there are certainly rewards to be gained from reading more, as well as the satisfaction of setting a goal and meeting it (or the lesson of failing to meet it!). I am not imposing some strict definition of what constitutes a book. That's up to you. You may start the challenge whenever you prefer, so don't feel like you've missed a week of 2008 and you're a week behind. Start now and finish by 1/7/09. Or start whenever is good for you.

I'm hoping that in some small way, this group will encourage people to read more, and I look forward to conversing with my fellow book-lovers.