Tuesday, January 3, 2012

The reading one for 2011...

First of all, I wanted to say that I may have given the wrong impression about my future plans for 2012.  Reading back over the last post, it seems to me that I implied no book talk.  And...surprise, surprise, that will not be the case.  I'm a reader.  Of course, I will talk about books.  What I meant to say was that I will do no "formal" book reviews.  By formal, I mean with a summary and long narrative regarding characters and setting and such.  I like talking about books and I know that my reviews included some very informal parts detailing why certain books "spoke" to me.  In the future, I'm tossing out the summary.  Anyone interested in the book can click over to another site and read the summary.  My book talks will be about what I liked or didn't or what that particular book brought to mind - what story from my life I remembered.  I hope that will be a better means of sharing my thoughts.  I might say "if you like this one, you might try this one".  So, yes, there will be books.  Just not all the time.  And not every book I read.  And with no set format.

Looking back at 2011 and my reading, oh...my...word...what a totally weird year.  I felt like I was on a teeter-totter - up, down, up, down.  Kind of dizzying and a bit nauseating.  I read 97 books and had to just slap myself down to keep from rushing to try to finish 100.  It's just a number I kept telling myself.  Years ago (not sure how many), reading 100 books a year would have seemed crazy.  I think I read 30 or 40 or 50, in a good year.  And then, the internet happened and finding other book people and hearing about how very many books they read in a year.  Me, I had to try to keep up.  Which is ludicrous.  Who cares?  I'm never going to be one of those people who reads 300 books a year (and I love the fact that some can do that).  Seriously, why do I torture myself as if reading a specific number is like joining the Ironman competition?  So, 2011 was the year of seriously awful book slumps.  I hope to never be there again or never so many in one year.  Here's the scoop on what I read:

97 Books
59 on Kindle
28 Personal
6 Audio
4 Library

91 by women
6 by men (serious disparity there)

26 Romance
26 Mystery
21 Young Adult
21 Literary
3 Christian fiction

Not sure what all this says about me, other than the male/female writer landslide.  That's the worst it has been.  I know that I tend to read more women than men - usually about 1/3 to 2/3.  Maybe the romance books tipped it.  Whatever.

My favorite book of the year:


A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny

Runners up in order read (each touched me personally in some way):

Left Neglected - Lisa Genova
Every Last One - Anna Quindlen
Night Road - Kristin Hannah
The Red Thread - Ann Hood
Learning to Swim - Sara J. Henry
Daughters in Law - Joanna Trollope
Faithful Place - Tana French
A Share in Death - Deborah Crombie
Joy For Beginners - Erica Bauermeister
Fallen - Karin Slaughter
The House at Sea's End - Elly Griffiths
The Arrivals - Meg Mitchell Moore
The Mother-Daughter Book Club - Heather Vogel Frederick
The Future of Us - Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler


My goals for 2012 are as follows:

1. Read often
2. Enjoy
3. Repeat
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15 comments:

  1. I LOVE this post.
    Although I'm not counting anymore, I know that I have this huge disparity as well. Frankly, most men don't write about what I want to read about. That's it. Most of 'my' men writers are mystery or nonfiction writers or writers for young people. I've got a few coming up this year who are fiction writers, so we'll see how I like 'em!
    I didn't do any book fav. lists, but I've read and enjoyed three on your list - the Crombie, the Moore, and the Trollope.

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  2. Me again. What I meant to say is I am counting - that is, I take note of how many I read, but I've stopped paying attention to the categories.

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  3. If you say what you like/dislike about a book it is as good as a review.

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  4. Your goals are wonderful! Exactly what I wish to accomplish in 2012. (It made me smile when you said you had to beat yourself down regarding reaching 100 total. I can totally relate.)

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  5. I'm looking forward to reading Learning to Swim, The Violets of March (currently reading The Bungalow) and The Arrivals. I'm so happy to see them on your list!

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  6. Excellent post, Kay. I read 83 books this year, as many as I've ever read I think. I'd never attempt 100 as I know I wouldn't make it. And I'm also thinking, 'What would be the point?' It's not a competition. I'm even thinking I'll read less next year, not stop reading but stop not taking my time with a book, stop rushing from one book to another without a day or two's break to think about things. It's crazy. So, if next year I read 60 books rather than 83... I think I might find myself feeling quite happy about that.

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  7. So glad to see Louise Penny hit the top spot. She's in my top list too, although I'm earlier in her list. I also liked Joy For Beginners and the Anna Quindlin book. Good luck with your 2012 goals.

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  8. I haven't read any of your favorites, but many of them are on my wish list because of you :) That is quite a male/female diparity. That is one stat I didn't take the time to figure out for myself but I always think it's interesting. Before I started blogging I read way more men, now it's 60-40 women.

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  9. Way cool to be on your list - glad you found my novel, and enjoyed it.

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  10. I shouldn't worry about numbers, either, but my, oh my, was this a slow year for me! Less than 50. Less than 40, I think. (Still working on that year-end list). But like Nan said, I love this post. I love the way so many book bloggers are embracing the freedom to write about the books they've read in a less formal manner than they have in years past.

    Lots of familiar titles on your favorite's list. Left Neglected, Every Last One, Faithful Place, Joy for Beginners, and The Arrivals. Off to make a note of the others for future reference. :)

    Here's to a year of reading bliss!

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  11. I adore your 2012 reading goals! :)

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  12. This is a very thoughtful post and what a great list of books. I am reading Fallen right now and plan to read The House at Sea's End next.

    Have a great 2012 no matter how many books you read or how many reviews you write!

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  13. Everyone should have your goals!

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  14. Excellent goals! Plan to take Quindlen's book on vacation next week.

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  15. Wow! 91-6? ;)

    I've heard SO much about You Know When the Men Are Gone and would love to read it. My brother-in-law (in Iraq now) is stationed at Fort Hood.

    ENJOY!!! That's the most important part. :)

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Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting! It's always nice to chat. Have a good day with lots of fun reading and a little chocolate doesn't hurt either!

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