Confirmed Anglophile that I am, it's no surprise that I spend a lot of time in London, but my list looks so... ordinary... I wonder if I can shake it up a bit in 2022?
oOo
This graph clearly shows you how much I've grown to enjoy reading eBooks, particularly in 2019 when I had eye problems and had cataract surgery on both eyes. My Kindle is easier to carry around than a physical book, and I love the convenience of changing the font size and highlighting a word to get its definition.
There will be a new graph when I tabulate my 2022 statistics, since 2021 is the first year that I successfully began listening to audiobooks. How many did I listen to in 2021? Twelve.
I like to call this graph my Magpie Graph because it clearly shows how I have the tendency to focus my reading on the bright shiny, new books that come out. Was there any change from 2020? A little. I read a few more books published pre-2000 and a few less written post-1999. If you want to know how bad it was in 2021, 98 of those 155 books released in 2000 or later were actually published in 2021. Yikes! I would like to see some change in this statistic in 2022!
In past years, my reading showed a summer upswing because I was doing most of my reading while sitting in the pool. With my health issues and problems with my legs, I've spent very little time in the pool, and since I'm in the house, the number of books I read per month is relatively consistent. Would I like to get back in the pool? That's what I'm working toward!
While the number of short story anthologies, police procedurals, and mysteries featuring private investigators showed very little change from 2020, the other categories showed fluctuations, sometimes quite a bit. I read less non-fiction and fiction in 2021 as compared to the year before, while cozies and amateur sleuths dropped by 50%. I'm finding myself less and less enamored of formulaic cozies.
The aforementioned genres/subgenres showed drops, but I read twice as many historical mysteries and thrillers as I did in 2020. Was I trying to escape the pandemic through the books I read? I'm not sure.
There were a couple of slight changes from 2020 besides having 50% fewer Best Reads. I gave fewer A's and more C's to the books I read in 2021. While I still enjoyed the vast majority of the books I read, it would appear that I didn't have quite as much fun. I'm hoping that will change in 2022.
My reading tends to be rather evenly divided between male and female authors, as it was this past year.
This is a statistic that remains fairly stable over the years, although I would like to see me read fewer Advance Reading Copies (ARCs) in 2022. I did read more books I acquired from Paperback Swap this year, which is good. This used to be an excellent source, but when they began charging an annual fee, people left by the thousands, and I don't get nearly as much use from it now.
I don't spend a lot of money on things like clothes or shoes which allows me a larger budget for books (and yarn). Suits me right down to the ground!
My last graph shows another fact that has remained constant over the years: the fact that I really like gathering my family groups of characters around me and only occasionally picking up a book with people I'll only see once and never meet again. Could this highlight some psychological thing deep within me? After all, I was an only child raised by a single parent. I wasn't surrounded by many family members. Hmm... I could be onto something!
You have now officially survived the Graph-pocalyse of 2021. I look forward to sharing another with you after reading as many good books as I can get my hands on here in 2022!
Wow, Cathy! I am, as always, blown away by your record-keeping and charts! So impressive, and you did so much great reading, too. I find your last graph (series versus standalone) especially interesting. I find myself doing the same thing, actually; there's nothing wrong with standalones, of course, and I've read some I've loved. But you really get to know the characters with series, I think.
ReplyDeleteYes, and I'm beginning to think that I hit the nail on the head with my supposition that I gravitate toward series because I grew up as an only child and an only grandchild, raised by a single parent. I spent a lot of time in my own company, and the characters in books became my family and friends.
DeleteI love your presentation of your end-of-year stats. Those graphs really add some pop to the numbers, as well as making it easy to see trends and relationships. I, too, had fewer "favorite books" to choose from than I normally have, and now I wonder if that's one of the reasons I feel compelled to read more older stuff this year than I have in the past.
ReplyDeleteOf your favorites, I've read three of them (and agree with you on all three) and still have the Connelly novel to go. Have a great reading year...again.
You, too, Sam!
DeleteYour charts and graphs are amazing, Cathy! I love them. I love series too and I'm not an only child, but I think I was the only reader in our house growing up, including my parents. The only one of your 'best of' that I've read is The Dark Hours. Loved it. On to 2022 and hopefully, for me anyway, more reading. My numbers were way down. I vow to not be so distracted this year. LOL
ReplyDeleteYou had a lot to distract you last year, Kay; whereas, I think I need a distraction or two this year! LOL
DeleteWow, that is an impressive collection of graphs! I'm not familiar with Chart-Go. I'll have to take a look.
ReplyDeleteI hope they always remain free because their service comes in quite handy.
DeleteAwesome way to sum up your year of reading! I'm so impressed. And I'm looking forward to reading The Scorpion's Tail and The Reading List myself this year. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm looking forward to your reviews!
DeleteI had forgotten about your year-end charts! I do some lookback overview of my own reading, but nothing this involved. (Of course, I also don't have my own reading blog ...)
ReplyDeleteIn terms of book sources, have you tried Thriftbooks? They've been a good source for books that my library doesn't have or can't get via interlibrary loan. Many of my purchases have been older books, so I'm not sure how their prices compare for newer titles, but there's no membership fee.
I'll have to take a look. Thanks for your recommendation!
DeleteI love graph pocalypse! And I haven't read several of your favorites, will have to check them out!
ReplyDeleteI hope you do-- and if you do, I'd love to hear what you think of them.
DeleteI love seeing all your graphs! I am definitely a series reader too. One of my sons was just mentioning to me how he prefers series to stand alones too. If a book has great characters one book is just not enough.
ReplyDeleteI know exactly what you mean! LOL
DeleteI love these charts. Fascinating. While not an Anglophile ( my father's family was Irish), I have read my share of English mystery writers. But I do love crime fiction set in Scotland by Denise Mina, Val McDermid and others. I look at maps and photos and learn so much history and geography.
ReplyDeleteI am looking forward to your reading more global crime fiction this year and I'll check in for suggestions.
And I see you've visited my city pretty frequently. I do read your blog to find books set in other states (and I check the books listed by country or state section. But I'm glad you found so many good books set in New York.
I agree on three of the four best books that I read. I plan to read more of them.
Interesting that you follow so many series. I follow some, but then I want to spread out and investigate new writers and regions. I also have to pick up my global reading.
Thanks for this always interesting blog.
You're welcome, Kathy. Thank you for being such a devoted follower.
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