A Few Reading Reflections
I have been trying to make some sense out of my reading of the past year, but nothing coherent is coming to mind. Time to go for the tried and true bullet points!
- This was a really busy year and as can be expected with really busy years, I read less. I think my count was 160 last year. That dropped to 130 books this year.
- The J months were big reading months for me. I read 18 books in January, 19 in June, and 20 in July, but it all caught up to me. I read considerably less in August and only 1 book in September.
- By my count this year, women topped my reading list. Out of 130 books 58% (76 books) of them were by women. I had actually thought the number was going to be greater, but it seems that the men kept pretty good pace. I guess it just feels like the authors I am always talking about are women.
- 44% of my reading this year (56 books) was either historical fiction or books where half the narrative is set in an historical time. Who’da thunk it?
- Now this is embarrassing, where did all my non-fiction go? I love non-fiction, but only 7% of my reading list from last year (a measly 9 books) fell into that category. I would like at least 25% for the year ahead. I noticed that in my list swap challenge list, all of the books that I chose for myself, but one, were non-fiction. I guess I was unconsciously trying to remedy a deficiency. Luckily I also have some other good non-fiction that I will be reading in 2011 as well.
- I would like to see my backlist numbers get a little bit higher, but it’s not too shabby at 42% (55 books). I think with the reading that I have planned for next year, things will even out to at least 50/50 if not slightly higher.
- Thanks to Gayle I read one (you read that right), one, short story collection when we read Jumpha Lahiri’s Unaccustomed Earth. I have a few collections I have been giving the eye, but I just don’t read short stories the way I used to. Oh, I did read a few here and there in my investigation into Sherlock Holmes. Love those!
- I also didn’t read as much YA this year as I have previously. I’m not sure why that is, but only a quarter of my reads weren’t adult reads, and that included middle grade and early readers. Interesting. I will see how that develops. 25% isn’t a bad number by any means, I’m just used to it being much higher.
- 56% (73 books) of the books that I read were sent to my either by the publisher, author, or picked up at an industry event like BEA, book release parties and the like. I like that I read almost equally between my own books and review copies, and that wasn’t even me trying on my part, it’s just how it worked out.
ETA: Actually I read two shorts story collections. I listened to Zora Neale Hurstons’s short stories on audio. They were fabulous.