1. Micro-histories have crazy long titles.
2. Graphic novels and comic books are a really great way to pull yourself out of a reading slump. So are poetry collections.
3. Being mindful of what you are reading really does make a difference. Before this year I thought I was actually reading rather diversely, but my average percentage of non-white authors generally hovered around 20%, which is pretty abysmal. This year, it's around 40%, which I'm much happier with. Next year, though, I'd really like to hit at least 50%.
4. I know categories about people's race or nationality or gender don't come close to telling their whole story. At this point, though, they're the best measurements I have to keep track of my reading. I would gladly take suggestions to make this better.
5. I'm very late to the game, but Grey Wolf Press puts out incredible titles.
6. I still don't consider audiobooks reading. You are listening to a great story, yes, but to me, the physical act of reading and the physical act of listening are completely different. I see audiobooks as more in line with movies or television. I also have a very difficult time focusing on an audiobook while doing other things, which may be why I don't enjoy them. I did see one video discussing adult coloring books used while listening to audiobooks, which I may try during this year's audiobook portion of the Challenge.
7. I need to expand beyond reading books by American or British authors--over 70% were from these two countries. I really need more Middle Eastern and Latin/South American books next year, as well as more from Africa and Asia. I also need to read more from indigenous peoples. Again, in previous years, I thought I was reading diversely; now...not so much.
8. I still read overwhelmingly literary fiction.
9. I'm not one for romance novels. I used to be; as a teenager I devoured Danielle Steele novels, but now, I just can't keep interested long enough. (Maybe I'm just not reading the right ones.)
10. I am a sucker for a good paranormal story. Give me witches, vampires, werewolves--as long as it's well-written and tries to go beyond the normal tropes. (Not really a zombie fan, though.) This is something that I tried to downplay for several years because of outside opinions, but I've decided I'm too old to worry about what anyone else says anymore. I'm reading what I love.
11. Ditto for re-imagined/retellings of fairy tales.
12. I tend to read a lot of back-list books rather than new releases. Unless they're by one of my favorite authors, or a very special circumstance, I tend to wait until they come out in paperback.
13. I read more e-books than I used to, but the percentage is still very small. I'm ok with that. I tend to only buy e-books of titles I'm mildly interested in, or that aren't available in another format. It's not my favorite way to read; I prefer to actually hold a physical book in my hands and not worry if I have enough battery life.
14. I didn't have a lot of books recommended to me this year that I read. In past years, a good chunk of what I read depended on the recommendations of a few people; now that I'm no longer around those people, I've struck out more on my own. That's not to say I won't read recommended books; I just haven't had the desire to.
15. For some reason, my reading more than doubled this year. I have no real answer for it; even if you take out all of the graphic novels/comic collections, I still doubled my yearly average of about 50 books per year. And it's not like I'm being a hermit; I think we are out and about more than we ever were before we moved. It's a strange phenomenon, but not one I'm complaining about.
16. BookTube has introduced me to some amazing authors and books that I didn't know existed. There are people vlogging about every genre, and there's a personality for everyone. I highly recommend checking it out. (Warning: It can become addictive.)
17. For 2016, I'm contemplating participating in three reading challenges: Book Riot 2016 Read Harder Challenge, the PopSugar 2016 Reading Challenge, and the Bustle Reading Challenge that focuses on women and people of color. There will be some overlap, but I think it will push me even more.
All in all, a wonderfully bookish year, and I'm looking forward to 2016!!
And in case you're curious:
2015 basic stats:
135 books read
32, 766 pages
Average length of book: 243 pgs
Average rating: 3 stars (out of 5)
Total books written by people of color: 50 (37%)
Total books written by women: 67 (50%)
No comments:
Post a Comment