Mon. | Dec. 4 – This Is How We Read #AMonthofFaves– eg. Number of books read so far, genre you read the most from, picture of favorite (or most often used) reading location, most read author, % eBooks, hardcovers, paperbacks and/or audiobooks, hint at what your favorite read of the year is (let us guess), types of books you wish you read more of, month you read the most and least)
# of books read - 144
# of audiobooks - 60
# nonfiction reads - 56
best month - July (20 books) [no surprise as I'm on summer holidays]
least read month - November (6 books) [no surprise, school is super busy by Nov]
My goal this year was to read more nonfiction and I succeeded. At one point, half of what I read was nonfiction. I read many types of nonfiction - science, memoirs, history, graphic novels, feminism, and essays.
Audiobooks contribute to my reading a lot. Getting the free YA Sync audiobooks adds almost 30 books available to read, many of which I would never have picked up. My library is full of all kinds of great books so I generally looked to the audiobooks first for nonfiction options, a simple way to read NF.
I kept up on some series that I like and finished a few excellent trilogies (The Colours of Madeleine and The Last Policeman.) Ongoing series seem to release a new addition each year and I stayed current on Louise Penny, Deon Meyer, Arnaldur Indridason, Rhys Bowen, Karin Slaughter, Jacqueline Winspear, and Susan Elia MacNeal. Cormoran Strike, the PI written by Robert Galbraith, aka JK Rowling is probably the best new series I've read in a while and I can't wait for the next book to be released next year.
Some non-mystery series like The Penderwicks, Lumberjanes, March and The Colours of Madeleine by Jaclyn Moriarty were excellent. Every time I read from the Irish Country Doctor series I get immersed and want to read more.
Another part of my reading was to make sure to read Canadian authors. I decided for Canada 150
to read (at least) 13 fiction and 13 nonfiction books. In eleven months I've read 14 nonfiction books:Canada - Mike Myers
Captured Hearts: New Brunswick's War Brides - Melynda Jarrett
David and Goliath - Malcolm Gladwell (audiobook)
The Massey Murder: A Maid, Her Master, and the Trial that Shocked a Country - Charlotte Gray
Outliers - Malcolm Gladwell (audiobook)
Field Notes: A City Girl's Search for Heart and Home in Rural Nova Scotia - Sara Jewell
Pumpkinflowers - Matti Freidman (audiobook)
Based on a True Story - Norm Macdonald
Susanna Moodie; Roughing it in the Bush - Carol Shields and Patrick Crowe
Not Yet: A Memoir of Living and Almost Dying - Wayson Choy
The Dorito Effect: The Surprising New Truth About Food and Flavour - Mark Schatzker
Sisters in Two Worlds: A Visual Biography of Susanna Moodie and Catharine Parr Traill - Michael Peterman
Marshall McLuhan - Douglas Coupland
Crows: Encounters With the Wise Guys of the Avian World - Candace Savage
and 15 fiction books
Getting Over Edgar - Joan Barfoot
Family Matters - Rohinton Mistry
The End of the Alphabet - CS Richardson
An Irish Country Courtship - Patrick Taylor (audiobook)
Hag-Seed - Margaret Atwood (audiobook)
The Age of Hope - David Bergen
A Tap at the Window - Linwood Barclay
Knucklehead - Matt Lennox
The Lonely Heart's Hotel - Heather O'Neill
Airborn - Kenneth Oppel (audiobook)
A Tale for the Time Being - Ruth Ozeki (audiobook)
Bachelor Brother's Bed & Breakfast - Bill Richardson
Glass Houses - Louise Penny (audiobook)
The Betrayer - Michael Hennessey
The Disappeared - Kim Echlin
The other main kind of book I read would be books people are talking about, whether online or in real life. So, a stand alone book that someone is raving about, and then I look in the library and I am able to find it. (I hate feeling like I'm missing out on something good!) So, Before the Fall, You, New Boy (a Hogarth book - Shakespeare rewritings), Girl at War, My Brilliant Friend, Rules of Civility, and Magpie Murders fit in this category. They are, of course, excellent reads based on my wonderful friends good reviews.
Finally, I try to read books I have already bought. I really don't buy a lot of books, but I economically will search book sales. I got around to reading a good number (18) of previously bought books from my shelves this year. Some were sweet surprises, like Family Matters, and Citizen Vince. Keeping on top of books bought in this year is also a goal.
It's been a great year for my reading. (Also for Candy Crush, which I play while listening to audiobooks.)
