Friday, December 31, 2021

2021 Reading Stats and My Favorite Reads

2021 - I am good at making plans and setting goals but not very good at follow through.  At the beginning of 2021 I set out to track all the places I visited through books and I did a great job for the first 3 or so months of the year but then that all fell apart when I got a bit lazy.  While I read a lot of wonderful books in 2021, I also had my share of disappointing reads and (13) DNF titles.  I also felt like I read too many lackluster psych thrillers and, that I struggled through some instead of adding to my DNF list..

In 2021, I think I got that hang of enjoying being home more as my reading went up by 57%.  I read 212 books in 2021.  I believe my increased stats resulted from reading more kids books (44) and lots of combo reads (eBooks/and/audios) - nearly half of my (75) audio books were combo read/listens.

One stat that surprised me was a similar percentage of print books read mostly off my physical shelves (adult & kids) (32%) and books off my Kindle (eBooks/eGalleys) (30%) Audio books accounted for (38%) of my reading/listening.  Library Books (32%) (print books and audio downloads)

                                       Now for My Favorites

 Top 10's 




 

In 2022, I plan to be more choosy and hoping to focus more on well-written books and more literary fiction from years gone by as well. I like books that make me think, after the final page has been turned and ones that stir up some emotion as I read. I may also have more DNF in 2022 as I no longer want to struggle through a book that is not working. I also plan to purge some unread books from my TBR shelves that no longer seem to call my name.  

I'm still planning on listening to a lot of audios and combo read/listens. The older I get the more tired my eyes seem in the evenings so audios have become a more frequent choice. I have paused my audio memberships for 2022 since I have 32 audios I paid for but haven't listened to.  There are also a lot of free library download options these days as well as free publisher downloads made available to me.

I need to focus on my unread (eGalleys) but, only those that still seem to appeal to me and, not the ones I impulsively requested. I hope to mark many of the oldest unread ones as "did not read" so that I can move forward toward a start fresh.

I'm not planning on joining any formal challenges as I want to be able to read whatever I feel like (exception - my library book group list.)

Have you made any plans for 2022?  I hope I don't miss your "2021 favorite reads posts."

41 comments:

  1. It's a hard lesson to learn I find... to stop after about 50 pages if the book is not working for you. I've definitely become 'far' more choosy in the last 3 - 4 years too and that shows on Goodreads where I mostly give 4 or 5 stars with a few 3s. I think I had maybe one 2 star this year. I'll be looking up some of your favs and hoping to get around to my list within the next couple of days. Happy New Year, Diane!

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    1. Yes, Cath - books equal pleasure not guilt. We should move on if something isn't working. Happy New Year.

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  2. My only real reading plan for 2022 is the same one I have every year: to make it up as I go along. I hope to read some classics and to keep an eye on new and recent releases for likely reading candidates. And, of course, to keep up with the blogs and see the recommendations of others. Happy New Year and happy reading!

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    1. Your game plan seemed to work well for you in 2021 and, I loved getting tips on some books I would have passed on as well. Your well-written, thoughtful reviews are much appreciated. Happy New Year.

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  3. I think you had a marvelous year filled with marvelous reads. I always hope to be a little more choosy each year, and, in general, I think I have.

    Good luck to you! Happy New Year!

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  4. Wow, you had a fantastic reading year. Congratulations.

    I noticed that one of your next-year goals is to read more of the older stuff that you missed when it was new, etc. That's my goal again this year, and I hope to do better on it than I did in 2021. As for DNF books...no guilt here anymore. If they are not working, they are keeping me from reading something that WILL work, so I toss them. I did it 16 times this year, and that's about par for the course for me. Have a great 2022!

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    1. Thanks Sam, I think the older we get the more we realize reading is for pleasure not something to be left feeling guilty about.

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  5. Those sure were some good one! Happy New Year from all of us!!!

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    1. Thanks Brian, Happy New Year and looking forward to a healthy New Year for the humans and the cats.

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  6. Purging books from your TBR shelves that you no longer want to read is a good goal for 2022, as is DNFing the books you're not enjoying. Happy New Year! :D

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  7. Like you, I had several disappointing reads and more 3-star ratings than I remember in previous years. I didn't read nearly as many books as you, though. 212 is pretty incredible! 75 audio books is also amazing. I am so excited about reading Joyce Maynard's latest book. I don't own a copy, but I do have it on audio. Part of me thinks I'd like both, though. I also have The Four Winds, Wish You Were Here and The Absolutist on my TBR shelf for 2022. There are a dozen books on that my top shelf and I plan to read all of them first. I anticipate a lot of 5-star books in January and February! Like you, I plan to have more DNF books, especially audios, if they aren't holding my interest. Life is too short. I'll post my Best of 2021 in a few days. Thanks for sharing yours, Diane, and here's to a happy & healthy 2022. xo

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    1. Les, I knew I listened to a lot of audios but was pretty shocked by the final number -- I do like combo read/listens. Sometimes it works well getting the book from the library when I'm about to begin. That is whu I like to plan a bit a month out.

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    2. Sorry--- too quick with the fingers, wishing you and your loved ones a healthy 2022 -- so important. I love how long we have been blogging friends.

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    3. I also love that we have been blogging friends for so many years! I don't know when we first "met," but I've been blogging since 2006, so that's a long time, isn't it?!

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  8. Even with the DNFs, it sounds like you had a great reading year, Diane. I have not read any of your favorites but several are on my wish list.

    As I was looking over my shelves of books for my TBR poll tomorrow, I realized I should probably go through my shelves again and pull out books that no longer interest me. So, that will be something I do at some point this coming year as well.

    I hope you have a wonderful 2022 in books, Diane (and life)!

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    1. Thanks Wendy, I enjoy going through my visual shelves a few times a year. It is harder for me to clean up my Kindle shelves - time consuming looking uo what each book is about. Happy New Year

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  9. Your reading was Out of Sight in 2021. Congrats on All the books you read. Many really good stories. I must get to the Maynard book! I love seeing your 10 favorites. Very good! And I hope to get to the Franzen too. Happy 2022!

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    1. Thanks Susan, I was pretty happy with the majority of what I read. Crossroads really worked for me but, I fear books 2 and 3 may be a long wait.

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  10. I think most bloggers have impulse purchases that sit on our virtual/real shelves for ages. I recently went through and got rid of a few, which felt good. It's like having clothes in your closed that you never wear.

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    1. It does feel good to purge. I don't have a problem getting rid of stuff (books, clothes, kitchen items etc. that I know I won't read or use.

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  11. My reading/listening since Covid started has been terrible. You one the other hand did amazing!

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    1. Thanks Vicki - audio books have definitely become a new favorite of mine. Maybe 2022 will be a better reading year for you.

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  12. I have a hard time with audio books but will try some more in the new year. I borrowed a ton of books through Kindle Unlimited, and when I canceled the service, the books all disappeared. Saved me time going through them to sort and discard! I have given away over half of my paper books and cannot find anyone else to take them. The library has stopped taking donations for their book sales; they are all full up! Happy reading 2022.

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    1. Harvee, I find paper books harder on my eyes (especially at night) so eBooks and audios have become more popular with me. Our library hasn't had a book sale in 2 years and are not taking donations now either. Happy New Year.

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  13. I loved Transcendent Kingdom as well! You've read some incredible books this year.

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    1. Transcendent Kingdom was one that surprised me by how much I loved it. Glad you did as well. Happy reading in 2022.

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  14. Congrats on your reading accomplishments in 2021, and good luck with your 2022 goals

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  15. Now that my book a day challenge is over I hope to be a bit more selective and willing to give up if it's not working. If I had to finish a book and I was a quarter of the way through I had to finish or start over new which meant too many got read that needn't have. I've got a challenge I'm starting but I'm not saying it out loud because I want no pressure if I decide to let it go after a month. Like you, I'd like to keep it a bit simpler and more selective. I'm adding a bunch of your favorites to my list right now. John Boyne is a favorite so that will come earlier than the others :)
    Happy Reading!
    stacybuckeye

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    1. Hey Stacy, I hope to read more books by John Boyne and have a couple more that I own for 2022. I hope you find your 2022 books very rewarding.

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  16. I haven't read any of your favorites though several of them are high up in my TBR list. I'll need to bump those up. I have a lot of your same goals - DNF what I'm not enjoying, read more audio (in my case, I'll be starting from 0 audios listened in 2021), purge books from my TBR (physical and virtual).

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    1. I think it is good to have a few small goals to focus on - hope 2022 is a great year for you and lot's of books you love.

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  17. I'm trying to get better at DNFing books I'm not enjoying more often. There are so many books that are wonderful that I don't want to waste my time on books I'm not enjoying. You had a wonderful reading year in 2021 and I hope 2022 is even better!

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    1. Thanks Katherine - yes, life is too short to struggle with a mediocre book.

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  18. I'm just getting around to catching up with "Best of" lists and you really had an excellent year!! Count the Ways was my favorite novel of the year, too, and we have a lot of overlap on the rest of the list. I also really embraced the read/listen combo last year... almost 75% of them! Planning a month ahead and using the library was key. In 2022 I'm going to try to not get as caught up in new releases (so many favorite authors had them in 2021) and concentrate instead on books I own and authors I enjoy. Happy New Year to you and your family, Diane. Wishing you all a healthy 2022... so glad we became blogging friends all those years ago!

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  19. Thank you JoAnn! I feel the same way about you - the blogging world has given us new book and new friends - we are lucky. I think it makes the bumps in life easier when we have a network and hobbies we enjoy. Have a happy, healthy as well!

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  20. Sounds like you had a great reading year and love seeing your favorites list! While I do like thrillers I have greatly reduced the number of those that I read. Last year I was called back to more literary fiction. Here's wishing you a wonderful reading year ahead!

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