Before I share my fave reads in the next day or two, I've collated some reading data from 2017 :)
I read a total of 135 fiction books this year, smashing my goodreads goal of 100. 15 of those were rereads, leaving 120 new books devoured.
In 2016 I moved away from YA and read over 80% adult fiction. This year saw me swing back to nearly 50% YA. I love mixing up adult fiction, YA and MG, as it really helps avoid burnout and book hangovers - as does varying the genres.
Ahh, I am such a contemporary girl. I am always on the lookout for great fantasy and historical fiction, but both are genres I tend to have a lot of DNF's in - especially if the world building is complicated or the plot has a slower start. I am really keen to read more fantasy in 2018 and still have a lot on my TBR, plus some of the 2018 releases look really promising. I'll be checking everyone's end of year best-of lists to see which fantasy I need to prioritise.
I am so pleased with the amount of books I enjoyed this year. I am really great at DNFing ~ if I am not enjoying the book, why keep spending time with it? I tend to read to 25-30% and if I'm still not engaged I happily move on to something else (I don't record DNFs in my reading totals).
5 stars means a new favourite book that I loved reading and was exactly perfect for me at the time - they represent my fave reading memories of the year and my fave new characters and literary worlds. 4 stars is also really really good, and all those 3 star reads are all books I liked and enjoyed.
* I marked 15 books as 5 stars, and 46 books as 4 stars ~ so over 60 really great reads tailored to my reading tastes = very happy :D
I am so surprised that a third of my reading titles were published this year. I honestly did not think I kept up with new releases so much. And one quarter from 2016 ~ a lot of these I added to my TBR after seeing other readers 2016 end of year fave lists. I read a lot of books from my library, and most of them eBooks ~ so there is always new releases being added to my library apps. In 2018 I want to keep making time for backlist titles (how far back is backlist??? - 20% of my 2017 reading was more than 5 years old) especially the ones on my TBR shelf.
I read 27 books by Australian authors this year, 20 from UK (and Irish) and only 3 from Europe and 3 from New Zealand. There were so many Aussie books I just did not get to, so my TBR for 2018 is already looking full of Aussie 2017 releases...
I am truly surprised to see nearly 20% of my reading are books from a series. I don't really feel like I follow too many series but here it is. I read 17 #1 books in a series (3 of them were re-reads as I lose my memory between #1 and #2 release dates). I plan to continue with 6 of the series I started this year.
And here is the big difference boosting my reading stats this year ~ audiobooks. In the past I've not listened to more than 10 audiobooks a year, some years barely that. This year I listened to 40 audiobooks - nearly one a week. This is thanks to my awesome library who have such a great range. I also sampled a lot more and abandoned, which is a great way to tear through my TBR, haha. I usually get an hour of listening in a day while walking my dog, plus extra if I'm driving around or doing housework. In October and November I was really sick in bed for weeks and got through 15 audiobooks, lying in the dark. I also listen to them at either 1.25 or 1.5 speed, depending on the narrator.
I also much prefer reading on my kindle but read physical copies for purchases and when my library doesn't have e-format.
My local library is my most valuable reading resource <3
I also read from my shelves (rereads, and TBR books that I've purchased, mostly secondhand, from previous years). And I ask for books as gifts and buy a small handful every year. 'Bought after' are books I read from my library and then bought my own copy for my favourites shelf. This year I added 23 books to my main shelves (bought new, second hand and gifts) ~ I've read all of these. I also have a mini TBR shelf (in my bedroom) with secondhand books I hope to get to in 2018.
How did you guys go reading this year?
I hope you found many more fave books to add to your shelves and store away in your reading memories.
I'll be back soon listing my fave reads of 2017 <3
