Another year is done and I've managed to pull together some end-of-year numbers that reflect the kind of reading year 2009 was for me. I find that I was fairly consistent from month-to-month with my reading but that I had extended periods during which nothing really impressed me as being even remotely special. Sometimes when that happens I think I'm more to blame than the authors because I do seem to go in streaks of mediocre books vs. really good books. I wonder how much a reader's mood has to do with his reaction to a book, even to a classic?
Anyway, here's what 2009 looked like for me:
Number of Books Read = 124I don't usually start the year with reading goals, but I think I'll do that this year without getting extremely specific about my aims. In general terms, though, I hope to read more from the rest of the world, a little more nonfiction, more short story collections, a series or two, more classics and more from some of my favorite genres. That should be vague enough to give me an alibi for whatever I fail to do by this time next year.
Fiction = 86
Nonfiction = 38
Novels - 85
Short Story Collections = 1
Memoirs = 11
Biographies = 9
True Crime = 4
Essay Collections = 2
Sociology = 5
Business = 2
Health = 1
Education = 1
Current Events = 3
Written by Men = 80
Written by Women = 42
Co-Authored = 2
Abandoned = 10
Review Copies = 79
Translations = 4
E-Books = 7
Audio Books = 7
Author Nationality:
British = 13
Irish = 1
Canadian = 2
Spanish = 1
Iranian = 2
American = 105
An awesome year, Sam. Your numbers are impressive. I hope 2010 is as great a year for you if not better, reading and otherwise.
ReplyDeleteYou did have a terrific year, although . . . actually, it's still 2009. Are you just assuming you won't finish any more books?
ReplyDelete79 review copies! Wow. I'm impressed. I'm still getting only one to three a month, though I am being much more picky about what I ask for thesedays.
ReplyDeleteI hope you have a wonderful 2010 -- reading and otherwise.
ReplyDeleteLoved your stats, the breakdown. I must get mine together. Very surprised at how you read so much more fiction than nonfiction this year.
Happy New Year!
What an interesting year end post. I like your stats; I may steal a few of your categories for next year! I seem to have streaks of mediocre reading as well, when nothing appears terribly impressive. This year I was superbly fortunate and could hardly limit myself to a top ten, though. I also like your reading plans - vague directions are always good.
ReplyDeleteI always start the new year with goals or plans (as I like to think of them) and then go off and read something else! :) You had an impressive reading year. I really would like to read more NF--maybe next year. Happy Reading in 2010!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ted. It's always good to hear from you. Here's to a great year in every way...
ReplyDeleteBookFool, I pretty much could already tell where I would end up - and my count turned out to be correct, in the end...although I barely finished number 124 before we left for a New Year's Eve party. :-)
ReplyDeleteC.B., I got pretty picky this year but so many interesting books were made available to me that I couldn't resist them. I have to cut back this year, though, (way back) because I'm not being able to get to some other reading I want to do. I never thought I'd say that...
ReplyDeleteSuzi, the fiction/nonfiction ratio is not too out of line for me. I really love novels and they eat into my time to the point that I have to consciously work the nonfiction books into my schedules. But since I love biography and history, that's not real hard to do if I think about it.
ReplyDeleteMelanie, I do think it's the reader's state-of-mind that puts us into those stretches of time during which nothing feels "good."
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't do me much good to post specific reading plans; they never happen. I have the same success rate with all these challenges that so many bloggers seem to thrive on.
Have a great year, Danielle. I'm starting to look at plans as a starting point, and the vaguer, the better, they seem to work out. It makes it much easier for me to explain my failures at the end of each year.
ReplyDelete