Let's look at my reading habits up to this point for 2016. According to goodreads, I've read 57 books so far.
Fiction vs. Non-Fiction: This one is no surprise. I read mostly fiction (48 books); I dabble in non-fiction (9 books).
Format: Again, no surprise. I like my books. I don't even own an e-reader or an ipad. I'm so old-fashioned.
Source: I was pretty pleased with this outcome. I've been making an effort to #ReadMyBooks that are sitting on my bookshelf at home. I think this shows that I'm sorta kinda maybe making a dent in those stacks.
Genre: I know I read an assortment of genres. I enjoy mixing it up. I guess this (again, sorta kinda maybe) shows that is true. Heavy on the crime/mystery/thrillers.
Ratings: I think this is the category that surprised me the most...the fact that I am happy to give away 4star and 5star ratings. Then again, it doesn't surprise me all that much. I am weird about book-bashing (I don't like to do it all that often). So, I'm probably generous in that department. And, I am pretty good about knowing what I'm going to enjoy.
But, on a different day, or in a different hour, I may have picked The Cartel by Don Winslow, or Please Come Back from the Moon by Dean Bakopoulos, or I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson, or The Pearl That Broke Its Shell by Nadia Hashimi, or, or, or...
Best in Non-Fiction: Not My Father's Son by Alan Cumming
Biggest Surprise: The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan; I honestly did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did.
Best Series Started: I think the only series I've started (I've read several series books, but not the start of one) is Tana French's "Dublin Murder Squad", and I've only read the first book - In the Woods - but I do plan to read more.
Best "New to Me" Author: I've been pretty lucky; I've read several fantastic books by authors that are new to me. I'll go with Clare Mackintosh (I Let You Go) for a couple of reasons: I liked this thriller so much that I've put myself on the library's reserve list for her new release before it has even been released (I See You), and she replied more than once to a tweet that I mentioned her...so, you know, she's kinda sorta maybe my best friend now.
Most Memorable Character: Without a doubt, Shorty from The Thicket by Joe R. Lansdale
Most Thought-Provoking: Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall, Denver Moore, and Lynn Vincent I actually said so in my review on goodreads:
"Uplifting, heartbreaking, and thought-provoking. Culturally and socially, this book is educational. Morally, this book is inspirational. Lessons of love, faith, forgiveness, change, philanthropy, and more. I respected the honest (sometimes brutally, painfully honest) description of the pain and suffering of a terminal illness. It made the other parts of the story carry merit and truth...parts that a reader could assume were sensationalized or exaggerated. For any person of faith, read this book. For others, read this book. Everyone, read this book."
Book lovin' bloggers, I'd love for you to
Did you learn anything new about my reading habits?
I love this post! I'm totally going to "steal" it one day ;) I don't own an e-reader either, although I have been known to read a book here and there on my phone. I much prefer physical books though! And I prefer hardcover over soft (mostly because they look prettier on my shelf) :) Nothing wrong with giving out 5 star reviews! I know some people who are really strict and rarely give out a 5 star. If the book entertained me, kept me up late, or fulfilled some reading need, that's all care about! I also rate each book individually, not against other 5 stars. Kind of like picking a favourite book - favourite when? Today...tonight? Depends on the genre...mood, etc!
ReplyDeleteThis is such an amazing idea for a post, but I'm faaaar too lazy to make all those graphs.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE the Tana French books so much. They get better as you go through the series.
I'm planning to write a post for your reading challenge later! A bit late because I had no time to blog Sunday or yesterday. I've just done the post for Megan's, but now I actually have to do some work!
This is so fun!!! Did you pull the stats off of Goodreads, or did you count everything manually? I've been making tons of pie charts lately for an infographic project anyway, so I'm definitely doing this.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that you did like The Royal We makes me consider reading it. It wasn't one I had any interest in, despite how much everyone liked it, but who knows? Maybe it would be my biggest surprise too.
I love this post! I also love to read a physical book so much more but will make an exception when none of my library holds have come in yet!
ReplyDeleteSo did you get that info off of Goodreads? The pie charts? I'm such a number nerd & love that kind of info - I've got to see what it says about me.
ReplyDeleteBecause you loved The Royal We so much it has made me want to read it. I know it isn't a normal one for you. I would say my fiction vs nonfiction would be similar to yours.
ReplyDeleteLove this and will definitely be borrowing/stealing the idea from you and Emma. I like both e-books and physical books. I prefer physical books for browsing purposes at the library or bookstore. Amazon is great but it's just not as fun. :) But I buy e-books over physical books because I lack storage space. I enjoyed I Let You Go too and I love it when an author responds to your tweets. They become my besties too. :)
ReplyDeleteI saw this on Emma's blog, too! I'm going to do this at the end of the year since my reading pattern isn't quite as impressive as you guys ;) I'm impressed you only has one dnf! I hate to quit books so I doubt I'll too many come Dec. I have Out of the Easy on my to-read list!
ReplyDeleteSame question as Rebecca Jo: Did you make these graphs or can you find them on goodreads??
this is the best! i love looking at my stats. also, have i mentioned how happy i am that you liked the royal we? lol. you really do read a wide variety of books (although to be fair, crime/mystery/thrillers covers a lot of different types of books!). for the most part i rate books based on enjoyment, and i am pretty good at gauging what i will like, so i think that is why i give out 4 or 5 stars more freely. i have to really hate a book to give 1 or 2 stars, and i always feel bad about it!
ReplyDeleteI totally need to do this! I have a feeling that I'm right there with you about reading mostly mystery/thrillers, obviously fiction, and being pretty generous with my reviews too. I would love to see how I fare in the ebook versus regular book versus audio book category!
ReplyDeleteFascinating. You made the pie charts?
ReplyDeleteI like knowing about habits and what makes me tick, but data scares me lol.
I love this! Interesting to see how many different genres you've read.
ReplyDeleteThis is an awesome post! I love all this data. Wish I was better at rating books and stuff to do my own!!
ReplyDeleteThat is interesting about how many 5 stars you bestow. But, if you feel a book is 5 star worthy, then why not give it 5 stars? Rating are so subjective anyway. I've sometimes find myself looking back on books that I rated as a 5 years ago. Many of those 5 star books, wouldn't get a 5 star rating if I were rating them now. But, at that time, they were a 5 to me. I think as we get older and our reading experiences grow, that our subjectivity changes as well.
ReplyDeleteI'll definitely steal/borrow this idea for an upcoming post in the next week or so! I'll be back to work by then and will be too exhausted to come up with creative things on my own. This looks like an easy peasy kind of post. Right up my alley for this time of year! Have a good one!
I know mine would be 4 & 5 star review heavy, as well as thriller heavy too!
ReplyDeleteI love this idea! I'm pretty nerdy, so I enjoyed the charts. :-)
ReplyDeleteAs some others have asked, did you pull the information directly from Goodreads or did you just count it up? I looked at Goodreads after I read this post, but couldn't figure out where you would get the stats. And did you make the pie charts or were you able to pull them off Goodreads (or something similar)? I guess I figure if they do offer the stats, they might offer quick and easy charts ... But I clearly have no idea.
My book vs. ebook would be 100% book. I've still never read an ebook.
I like that you've been mixing up your genres as well. Even if only 1%-2% fall under a certain category, you're still obviously stepping outside of your reading comfort zone in order to pick those books up in the first place. I need to do that more, I think.
I love the idea of this! Will most certainly be stealing, err, borrowing from you and Emily!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you decided to do this! I'm such a nerd because I love these types of posts, especially since you're forced to think through the books you've read and choose some favorites! My TBR just got a teeny bit longer.
ReplyDeleteThis is so interesting, I could just skip the format question because I ONLY read paper books but I wonder about the other categories.
ReplyDeleteI think the Genre graph is most telling about your reading style.