As I mentioned in last Friday's link round-up, I have to cut back on the amount of time I sit here at the computer, so this year's reading statistics will be graph-less. However, there's plenty of information to share, so I'm going to get started!
Best of 2023 List
I read 120 books in 2023, and twelve were listed as Best Reads. Here they are in the order in which I read them. I've provided links to my reviews.
Out of Bounds by Val McDermid
Sea Castle by Andrew Mayne
Better the Blood by Michael Bennett
The Last Remains by Elly Griffiths
The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb
West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge
A Fever in the Heartland by Timothy Egan
The Mistress of Bhatia House by Sujata Massey
Desperate Creed by Alex Kava
Dead Mountain by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
Blessing of the Lost Girls by J.A. Jance
Kinglake-350 by Adrian Hyland
I like to keep track of the physical locations of the books I read on Zee Maps, and you're more than welcome to take a look. You can zoom in and out, and the markers are the titles of the books I read. The most visited countries or locations were: "At Sea" (I boarded a few ships in my reading), Australia, England, France, and Italy. In the United States, I most often found myself in Arizona, California, Florida, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Texas, and Washington, DC.
Other Stats
Series, 73. Standalones 47. About the same as last year.
Male Authors, 57. Female Authors, 76. While evenly divided last year, I read more female authors this year.
The Genres I dived into the most were: Non-Fiction, Police Procedurals, Historical Mysteries, Thrillers, and Short Stories/Novellas. This is much the same as 2022, although there was a big drop in the number of cozy mysteries I read.
Advance Reading Copies, 42 v. Owned Books, 78. I read fewer ARCs in 2023, which was one of my (un)official goals.
Publication dates. As usual, the vast majority of books I read were published between the years 2016 to 2023. (108 v. 12)
And as far as the formats that I read, 93 were eBooks, 5 were audiobooks, and 22 were physical books. This was a drop in audiobooks and an increase in physical books and eBooks.
Hopefully, next year I'll be back with all my pretty graphs for my 2024 recap. Keep your fingers crossed!
Thanks so much for doing this. It's interesting. I read physical books as my Kindle is not set up. I heard one audio book, but I find reading preferable. I have read many of your recommendations, including on the Best of 2023 list. There are so many new books coming out now that it's overwhelming. I will check in here to see what books are recommended. Happy New Year for good health, books and more.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year, Kathy!
DeleteI really appreciate the effort you put into keeping track of your reading and sharing it with us, graphs or not, Cathy. I admire the breadth of what you've read, too, and your site is one of my best stops for new books/authors. Wishing you and Denis a very happy 2024. All the best to you!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year, Margot!
DeleteWhat a good year of reading! It's fun to see your yearly stats, and your list of best books. I'm looking forward to reading Alex Kava's newest one this year, and Dead Mountain is high on my TBR list. Happy 2024! :D
ReplyDeleteHappy 2024, Lark!
DeleteFantastic year, Cathy. I find these stats to reveal a whole lot about our reading habits and patterns that we would otherwise sort of sense anyway. But there's a lot to be said for how plainly it's revealed by tabulating the actual numbers. Love the graphics and the map. I've been looking for something like that for a while but never found ones I was happy with.
ReplyDeleteZee Maps used to be free, but the cost isn't that much, so it's one way that I indulge myself.
DeleteThere is definitely plenty to see even without the charts and graphs! What a great year of reading. I am hoping to read West with Giraffes in 2024 and possibly The Violin Conspiracy. Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year, Gretchen!
DeleteHappy New Year! I'm word-oriented enough that I did just fine with your paragraphs describing your year in books. Hoping and praying for a happy, healthy 2024 for you and Denis!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kate-- and the very same to you!
DeleteKathy, yours is the second list (out of many) that I've looked at today where I have actually read any of the 'best of' books. Phew! Tracy at Bitter Tea and Mystery had the first list. I was beginning to think that my sad little 55 books for 2023 was bereft of 'good' books! Ha! Anyway, I know it wasn't but I did read THE LAST REMAINS, THE VIOLIN CONSPIRACY, and BLESSING OF THE LOST GIRLS. And thanks for more to add to my 2024 possibilities. Here we go in 2024!!!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to it, Kay!
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