As I said in the previous post, this has been a year of distraction for me... primarily political. As a result, it has not been especially productive in terms of reading or blogging.
- My overall numbers are the lowest - ever.
- I did not accept any books for review.
- I did not join any challenges - not even the goodreads challenge.
- I participated in only a handful of events and readalongs.
- I did not write formal book reviews, opting instead for one paragraph reaction/ratings included with my weekly wrap-up posts.
- I pretty much read what I wanted, when I wanted.
Number Of Books Read
46 - the lowest number, ever (I won't blame it all on politics... this was our first full year of retirement and life seems busier than ever!)
Fiction/Nonfiction
56% / 44% - the same as last year
Female/Male authors
80% / 20% - a record!
Also worth noting, all of my favorite books of 2018 were written by women.
New authors/ tried-and-true authors
50/50 split - I've been less adventurous than usual
In translation
none - How is this possible??*#@!!
Classics
4 - positively dismal :(
Audiobooks
29 - 17 audio only, 12 read/listen combinations
**over 60% of my reading included an audio component this year, the most ever. More walking is a good thing!
Shortest & longest book:
Lift by Kelly Corrigan, 96 pages
The Duke's Children by Anthony Trollope, 840 pages
Most popular & least popular book:
(based on number of goodreads ratings)
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman - 324,105 other readers
I Can't Complain: (All Too) Personal Essays by Elinor Lipman - 977 other readers
Repeat authors:
Meg Wolitzer - 3 books read this year
Anthony Trollope - 3
Min Jin Lee - 2
Kelly Corrigan - 2
Elin Hilderbrand - 2
2018 bookish highlights:
- Finishing our #PalliserParty
- Nonfiction November
- Visiting The House of the Seven Gables in Salem, MA
- Lakeside Musing's 10th anniversary (which I failed to celebrate!)
Plans for 2019:
- continue reading literary fiction, classics, and nonfiction... but MORE of everything!
- post weekly updates
- join a few fun events (like Nonfiction November)
- participate in Karen's Back to the Classics Challenge
- read more of my own books
- participate in readalongs (Did I really not do one with Care this year?)
Thank you all for reading and talking about books with me again this year.
Happy New Year 2019!
Well, you did try to do a read-along--remember the disastrous Mysteries of Udolpho/Northanger Abbey?
ReplyDeleteI buried myself in reading this year and hit a new personal goal without trying. Not going to hit that again for a very long time, I suspect.
Amy - Haha... that's right! I've mostly tried to blot Udolpho from memory ;-)
DeleteGlad you'll be back to nonfiction next year! And I haven't read that Kelly Corrigan - I want to read everything she ever wrote!
ReplyDeleteSarah - Lift isn't as good as Tell Me More, but you'll want to keep your tissues handy for that one, too. I'd like to read The Middle Place and/or Glitter and Glue next year.
DeleteEven with all the distractions, it looks like you still had a great reading year! I read a lot of nonfiction this year, and I want to continue that next year, so hopefully we can share some recommendations!
ReplyDeleteAngela - I hope to keep my nonfiction numbers high again in 2019. There are so many titles on my list!
DeleteThis year was distracting, but reading 46 books is really good! Good luck with next year’s plans. Happy 2019!
ReplyDeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Thanks, AJ!
DeleteThat made me smile to read you are busy due to retirement! My husband retired officially 2 days ago. We are already enjoying extended RV trips and I hope to fully retire in 3 years.
ReplyDeleteDon’t get me started on politics! Grrr
Thank you for all the great book suggestions, I enjoy reading your blog. Happy new year to you and yours!
Tina
xo
Tina - I hope he's enjoying his retirement so far. It's an adjustment, but overall a happy one. Wishing both of you all the best for 2019!
DeleteIt's not a competition so numbers don't really matter. I had to ban my husband from reading about politics during the holidays so he'd be pleasant. Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteLOL! "Husband Dear, put away that book and have a beer." :D
DeleteKathy (and Care) - We had a "no politics" rule during the holidays. I took a break from the news for a few days, too. Made for a much pleasanter week :)
DeleteHappy 10th anniversary! I remember that you were one of the first book bloggers I 'met' (and the first one I actually met!) It's something for all of us to celebrate. :)
ReplyDeleteAudrey - Thank you! I feel like I should have made some mention of the anniversary on the blog, but I completely forgot about it, lol. I've only met a handful of other bloggers and I'm so glad you're one of them :)
DeleteGolly, I was thinking the SAME thing. How did I not do ANY readalongs this year!??!
ReplyDeleteand I think I will do that Popular/Least popular idea. I didn't even create my usual spreadsheet so my pie charts are going to be real work tonight. or tomorrow. or this upcoming weekend.
DeleteCare - Maybe we'll read a classic sometime this year...or maybe something just for fun? I'm finally reading the copy of Standard Deviation you sent (last summer?) and enjoying it. Thanks, again.
DeleteYou still had a great year! Isn’t it amazing how we are busier in retirement? (3.5 years for me and 6 for the hub)Here’s to a happy healthy 2019!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Diane. We're enjoying every day of retirement. Happy 2019!
DeleteYou've had a busy year, JoAnn, with lots of adjustments. And you traveled quite a bit or at least was not in New York off and on. I suspect that once we are both in retirement (at least 7 years off, though I guess I'll say that I'm retired), life will change somewhat. Anyway, hope that 2019 will be a great reading year for you. I'm going to shoulder your mantle of reading what I want when I want. We'll see if I slow down or speed up. Ha!
ReplyDeleteKay - I hope you have wonderful 2019 reading what you want, when you want! We were on the go so much this year, so I'm not really surprised my reading numbers were down. And I definitely wouldn't trade those experiences for higher reading numbers! Happy New Year :)
DeleteWell despite less books read, sounds like you had a great year! And, a belated congratulations on your 10th bloggiversary. That is something to celebrate no matter when!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Iliana!
DeleteThank you JoAnn :-) A happy and a blessed 2019 to you too!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jessica :)
DeleteI read less than usual this year too. I'm sure you'll bounce back. I feel retirement means more activities & busy times. I'm trying to re-set priorities this year for more reading etc. less computer! Happy 2019 to you!
ReplyDeleteSusan - More reading and less computer sounds like a good thing... that would help my numbers, too!
DeletePolitics is distracting and it has surely taken up too much time in my head in the last 2 years. All of my favorite reads were written by women too.
ReplyDeleteStacy - I didn't consciously set out to read more books written by women, but that's what happened last year. Usually I read 55-60% female authors.
DeleteVicki - Can't believe I never read her before last month. I'll be checking out her earlier work, too.
ReplyDelete