One of my favorite yearly blog posts is doing a recap of my reading year. It’s always fun to reflect back on the books that I enjoyed and to think about what next.
So here are the stats for 2014:
My favorites in Fiction: The Woman Upstairs by Claire Messud, Casebook by Mona Simpson, The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri and Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo
My favorites in Mystery: The Strange Fate of Kitty Easton by Elizabeth Speller, The Absent One by Jussi Adler-Olsen and I Will Have Vengeance by Maurizio de Giovanni.
The Numbers:
Total books read in 2014: 45
Books by women: 30
Books by men: 15
Fiction: 20
Mystery: 18
Young Adult: 2
Romance: 1
Graphic Novel: 1
Poetry Collections: 1
Audiobooks: 3
Books in translation: 5 (Swedish, Danish, Japanese, Italian, and Icelandic)
Books from the library: 13
Kindle reads: 19
Challenges participated in: 6
Challenges completed: 0
Another year where my overall books read number went down. What is going on with me? Oh I know, life! Anyway, I’m very happy I continued to incorporate books in translation, poetry collections and I finally “got” into audiobooks. There were some DNFs but I forgot to keep track of those. And, I do wish there had been more classics, more non-fiction and more variety but I think that’s my typical wish. Let’s face it, I do love my comfort books and those are mainly fiction and mysteries.
Let’s see where 2015 takes me. I have not joined any reading challenges yet because I was checking out A Novel Challenge and got a bit overwhelmed with all the variety that is out there. I didn’t do that great on my reading challenges this year but I do have fun making my lists. Ha. Let me know which challenges you are participating in and I may join too.
No reading goals for next year just hopeful for a lot of good reads. Wishing you a wonderful year ahead filled with lots of good books and good times!
I’m so glad you liked The Woman Upstairs — I really liked that book too. I hope you have a fabulous 2015!
I’m happy to see Casebook on your list. I had the narrator’s voice inside my head for day’s after I finished the book last spring. I don’t know that any other narrator had as much staying power as he did.
I’ve also decided not to do any reading challenges or goals next year. Let’s see how well I can still read without any goals. I haven’t read any of your favorite reads – I will have to check them out. Happy New Year!
I love checking out list like that, and of course not to mention having some titles added to my reading list too, hehe.
Hope 2015 will be a great reading year for us all.
Happy New Year, Iliana!
This felt like a slumpy year even though I had good numbers. Reading just didn’t come as easily as it has in years past. Here’s hoping 2015 is a little smoother in the reading department. Cheers, Iliana!
Rebecca H. – Wasn’t it a great book? I really felt like we got to know the narrator and she wasn’t likeable but it’s like I couldn’t look away!
Susan P. – Oh yes, completely. I was sad to close that book that’s for sure.
Athira – Well, I’ve been looking around and have seen some challenges that are calling my name so I may end up doing several after all! haha…
Melody – I know what you mean, having read so many recaps is making my TBR list longer and longer. I love it 🙂
Andi – I hear you. I hope this year will be a better reading year and blog year. I miss blog and blogland and I need to get my mojo back!
I may or may not have signed up for a TON of reading challenges 🙂 I’ve taken the past couple of years off of them and now really excited to get back to them again. I love my comfort reads as well which is also fiction and mysteries so I completely understand! It sounds like you had a really great year of reading- besides I think that it is always quality over quantity when it comes to books! Have an amazing year in 2015!!!!
I hope to read The Woman Upstairs sometime. Good reading and still plenty of books read in a busy year for you! Happy 2015!
I loved the first Speller book–must really read this one next! Your favorites all sound good to me–I have several of them on my own TBR piles! My reading was a bit off, too, but it sounds like you had other things going on and certainly creative activities are a good way to spend your time, too. Here’s too a new year filled with lots of great reading. Happy 2015, Iliana!
These are my favorite posts too. 🙂
I still haven’t read Bridge of Sighs. I loved Empire Falls.
Life does seem to have a way of interfering with our reading. It looks like you had a good reading year just the same.
I haven’t signed up for any reading challenges either. I’m trying not to. I don’t know if i’ll succeed in abstaining. LOL
Have a Happy New Year!
Samantha – Just saw all the challenges you joined – awesome! I hope you have a blast and have a great reading year!
Stefanie – I hope you do get to the Woman Upstairs. Very interesting book! I probably would have read more if I was a bit more organized but my time management skills could use some fine tuning – haha.
Danielle – Wasn’t it good? I was a bit bummed out about this one just because a certain character doesn’t make an appearance but I’m hopeful that if she writes a third book we’ll get some closure.
Literary Feline – The only problem with these posts is that you end up adding so many more books to the lists right? 🙂 I just read your review of Empire Falls and it sounds really good. Probably would love it so I’ll have to add that to my list.