Fifty books. Fifty movies. One challenge. One year. The best New Year's resolution you're going to fulfill in 2015.
Rules.
- Read 50 books.
- Watch 50 movies.
Frequently Asked Questions.
No really, what are the rules? It's that simple. Read 50 books you've never read before. Watch 50 movies that you've never seen before. Doesn't matter if it was filmed in 1939 or written in the seventeenth century. If it's new material for you, it counts!
[*]Do I win something? An expanded mind.
[*]Can I lie? The sheep can smell lies.
[*]Who tracks my progress? You do. I'll keep everything organized so everyone can easily see your amazing taste in media.
[*]What counts as a book? Resident bookworm Mumei says a book is longer than 100 pages. But really, it's up to you.
[*]Do comics/graphic novels count? Of course! How you want to count them is up to you. They're quicker to read, so most of us might count a "run" as a book. Say you're reading a few of the Saga trade paperbacks. You might want to count four or so as a single book. Use your best judgement!
[*]What if it's really, really long? If it's more than 500 pages, feel free to count it as two books. But if it's 1000 pages, don't count it as three.
[*]What counts as a movie?A film around 90 minutes.
[*]What about tv showsWe're gonna go with no. A lot of folks keep track of the tv seasons they watch, in addition to movies.
[*]What about school textbooks? As far as academic/research/school material goes, my rule is, if I read it cover to cover, I count it as a book.
[*]I haven't seen this movie/read this book in a decade. Can I count it? It's up to you, but it's a bit frowned upon.
[*]Why sheep? It's the year of the ram!
Hints and Tips (Shamelessly stolen, I mean, provided by Tragicomedy).
- Prioritize reading early and often! Participants in last year’s thread watched twice as many movies as they read books, since the time commitment and mental effort tends to be significantly less on the film front. Theoretically, you could binge watch all 50 movies in a month or two and be done with that aspect of the challenge. If you’re reading a regular 300+ page book, that is unlikely to hold true on the book front.
- Avoid “dead time.” My wife gets hooked on HGTV programs because when they finish an episode they cut straight to the next one without a commercial break. That’s their hook, and it’s quite effective. Treat reading the same way. Finish a book knowing what you want to read next and try to start it immediately. Even reading 10-15 pages might be all it takes to get you immersed in your next book.
- Read every night as you fall asleep, or find time to squeeze in a chapter or two during break times at work. If you can read ~30 minutes to an hour a day, you should be able to finish the challenge quite easily (and maybe even early).
- Lists can be super helpful! Goodreads, in particular, is a great way to track what you’ve read and what’s in your queue to read next.
- Consider picking up a Kindle or e-reader of your choice. One very common trend you’ll hear among e-reader users is they actually read more and at a faster pace than they do with physical copies of books. That has certainly been my experience.
- Check out some classics. Some stuff may be dated, but there are a ton of gems out there ready to be discovered by a younger generation.
- Find your niche! I’m a science fiction and fantasy guy. I can blast through a 1K page fantasy book faster than I could ever finish a 300 page love story. Feel free to expand your horizons but know what’s in your current wheelhouse.
- Ask for suggestions in this thread and monitor what others are enjoying. A few of the very best books I read or movies I saw were direct recommendations in last year’s thread.
- Similarly, if you’ve discovered the best book/film ever, shout it from the rooftops! You might just sell us all on our next story.
How to Sign-Up and Update your Progress.
- Make a post in the thread. This will be where you keep your list. Come back and edit it when you want to add something new. I'll be linking to everyone's list in the next post.
- Post your updates with the following format:
Pau - 37/50 books | 31/50 movies
Please use the INDENT tab to help me find your updates!
I'm going to be going through the thread for updates every last day of the month, so there's no need to post every single time you finish a book or movie. If you can, try to post your monthly progress all at once. That doesn't mean you shouldn't discuss what you're reading and watching throughout the year.
I'll also be starting each month with a recommendation list in case anyone needs somewhere to get started. If you have any suggestions, let me know!
Good luck!
I'll also be starting each month with a recommendation list in case anyone needs somewhere to get started. If you have any suggestions, let me know!
Good luck!
Archives and Links.
2012 | 2013 | 2014
52 Games. 1 Year. Challenge (2015) Video game version of the challenge.
Goodreads Nice way to keep track of what you're reading and creep on other participants.
Letterboxd Keep track of what you're watching.
Credit.
To the lovely Karkador for the lovely logo.
Tragicomedy for the tips and hints that were so useful it was pointless to rewrite them!