Here’s my year in books (with thanks to the Goodreads record keeping tool):
I read 93 books in total. According to Goodreads, that’s 27,856 pages. The longest was Foer’s Here I Am, at 571 pages.
Of those, 70 were by female authors and 23 by male authors.
Twenty-one books were by Australian authors (20 female authors and just one male author) and the rest were from America, England, Canada, Italy, Sweden, Japan and Germany – I’m looking forward to the Around the World in 80 Books reading challenge which will get me reading more widely.
I read 58 books from authors that were new to me in 2016. My favourite new discoveries were Elizabeth McKenzie, Sara Stridsberg, Rebecca Harrington and Kent Haruf (yes, I’m late to the Haruf party).
Of the 93 books I read, 25 were first published in 2016. I thought my penchant for new releases was curbed this year by my commitment to reading what I already owned but perhaps not…
I read ten non-fiction books (five of which were memoirs). My favourite was McCracken’s heartbreaking memoir, An Exact Replica of My Imagination.
Of the books I read, only 13 were hardbacks (the rest were e-books). I listened to nine audiobooks which was a new experience for me this year (some were better than others but the standout was Flannagan’s The Narrow Road to the Deep North).
I read mostly contemporary literature plus memoirs, historical fiction, a couple of thrillers, a few books that fall into the lad-lit/chick-lit category and two YA novels.
Last year I was too scared to count how many books I had bought – not so this year because for the first time ever my TBR stack is smaller. Yay me.
Tomorrow I’ll post my 2016 Top Ten. I know you can’t wait.
Congratulations on the reduction in the TBR. I love the way Goodreads does a round up for us of the year’s reading too.
Well done, I wish I could say the same, My TBR continues to grow.
What a great way of listing what you’ve read, and I don’t care how late you are to the Haruf party – you got there!
Great work! Looking forward to your top ten. I realise I need to do some sort of post, will try to get something up, about my reading year. Maybe I missed some of your posts but did you like The Rehearsal? What did you think of The Narrow Road to the Deep North? I think I remember you liking The Signature of All Things (fingers crossed, I really liked); I haven’t read Toni Jordan’s new one but really really liked Addition. And what did you think of Sarah Vos?
Well done Kate. Can only confess to three of your listing, although I told several people about “Rush Oh!” and they all really liked it as much as me. I did read several books this year outside your listing, the best being the wonderful “All the Light We Cannot See” and the beautiful but heart-breaking “The May Beetles” by Baba Schwartz. I think my tasters are somewhat different from yours – the latest Rankin and McCall Smith bring many cheers – but your regular reviews are always fascinating and inviting. Thank you so much!
It looks like a very good year. There is a good variety. WTG We have some books in common. I am currently reading The Girls and will check out your thoughts after I am done reading it.
I’ve only read 12 of your 2016 reads…so, I look forward to perusing your “top ten” listing for a few potential TBR’s. Of the 27,850 pages that you ingested, it was the 368 pages of Wallace Stegner, “Crossing To Safety”, that I personally enjoyed reading the most.
I joined the Haruf party this year too….and would love to read more of his backlist.
Kate, I review a lot of books for good reads as well and would love to follow you but I’m not sure how to do this. I am Mainlinebooker. Would you be willing to friend me?
Lani
We must be willing to let go of the life that we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us
Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning to dance in the rain!
“I have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library” Jorge Luis Borges(1899-1986) When it’s over, I want to say: all my life I was a bride married to amazement.
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Hi! I’ve sent you a friend request via Goodreads – see you there!
I love yearly reading summaries. Mine should be done later this week.
I WISH I could say my TBR was smaller. But mine is always fluctuating throughout the year because I get in these weird moods and delete a whole bunch that I determine somehow that I’ll never read. But I’m planning on keeping much better track of what I do purchase and whether or not these are getting read sooner rather than later. Or never. haha
Did you count them up to get your male / female author breakdown and new authors etc? I don’t think we can get that from Goodreads can we?
A great mix of books there. I’d like to read some non-fiction this year… well, not many but I SHOULD read a memoir or two surely!
I just count them. I’m sure some people have clever spreadsheets for quick analysis but I’m not that organised!