Folks, I cannot believe this year is over. I really just can’t fathom it at all. I remember putting this post together for my mid-year check-in and I was baffled that it was halfway through the year. And now we’re entering 2017 somehow. This has been such a bizarre year all over the place, between politics and celebrity deaths and other kinds of internet drama. I had a pretty great year in my personal life (and reading life), so I’m going to focus on the good and see what 2017 has in store for us. Hopefully something a little better…
As you see in my monthly wrap-ups, I keep my stats updated each time. The spreadsheet I use is definitely the reason for my organization. I use this time of year (in addition to the end of the year) to REALLY go all-out with my stats. It also helps me create new goals or update existing ones. SO HERE WE GO!
All of the Books Read This Year
Totals
Books completed: 160
Books read: 144
Books reread: 16
Books DNF’ed: 6
Books purchased: 66
Books & ARCs received: 84
Pages read: 55,872
Number of different authors: 121
Number of new “favorite” books: 14
LGBTQIA+: 6
Dual/multi POV: 27
Male narrators: 9
Averages
Average rating: 3.81
Average pages per day: 153
Average pages per month: 4,656
Average spending per month: $29.55
Age Targets
Young Adult: 109
New Adult: 9
Adult: 35
Middle Grade: 13
Series vs. Standalones
Number of standalones: 79
Number of books in a series: 87
First in a series: 29
Later in a series: 51
Last in a series: 9
Number of different series: 49
Formats
Hardcover: 24
Paperback: 14
ARC: 44
eARC: 21
eBook: 23
Audiobook: 24
Audio Mix: 16
Genres
Contemporary: 84
Fantasy: 19
General/Misc/Nonfic: 15
Paranormal: 11
Mystery/Thriller: 10
Retelling: 9
Dystopia: 6
Graphic Novels: 7
Science Fiction: 4
Historical Fiction: 1
Authors
Female: 138
Male: 25
Both/combo: 3
Ratings
12
31
55
34
19
5
3
1
Sources
Books read that I own: 20
Books read from the library: 57
Books I preordered: 10
Books I borrowed: 26
Random Fun
Smallest book read: We Should All Be Feminists (49 pages)
Largest book read: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (759 pages)
Most read author: Lemony Snicket (13)
Books read 300 pages or under: 47
Books read over 300 pages: 119
Most pages & books in a month: 7,108 pages from 23 books in April
Least pages & books in a month: 2,519 pages from 7 books in October
I did a full wrap-up in different categories for my midpoint check-in, but wanted to highlight just a few under these basic labels. It’s hard to pick favorites when you have like 250+ blog posts in a year (holy shit).
Favorite Top Ten Tuesdays
- Romance Tropes as Songs | I took some common romance tropes or themes and shared related songs
- Books Feminists Should Read | These ranged from YA to adult to nonfiction
- Characters I’d Revisit in 10 Years | This list was SO fun to put together!
- Favorite Taylor Jenkins Reid Quotes | Her books are perfect and quotable, so this freebie was easy
- Facts About Me & Non-Bookish Things I Love | I’ve loved getting more personal on the blog lately
- Things Books Have Motivated Me to Do | I’ve done this a few times and love it
- Things I Love & Hate on Book Covers | Anything to talk about covers, amirite?
- Bookmark Lit High School | I used this back-to-school topic to share books I’d make required reading
- Favorite TV Shows / Favorite Movies | Two TTTs get personal with other media favorites
- My Halloween Costumes and Book Pairings | Pretty darn proud of my clever TTT Halloween idea!
- Seasonal Book Club Reads | Books I would choose if I had a ~seasonal~ book club
- Holiday Gift Guide: Books I’d Buy My 14 Year Old Sister | I actually did buy her one from this list!
Favorite Discussion Posts
- Drafts I Haven’t Posted | I liked exploring all of the drafts I have just sitting around
- My Harry Potter Experience | Post for Potterhead July included my reading/rereading HP experience
- Exploring Mystery/Thrillers | I talked about my experience and issues with the genre
- Taking the Guesswork Out of My Ratings | How I use a rating report plus my gut feeling to rate books
- The Consequences of Reading Too Much | What happens when I get major reading burnout
- Why I Join and Love Reading Challenges | All of this is still so true!
Favorite Bookish Lists & Recommendation Posts
About book covers…
- Authors Kissed by the Cover Gods | Some authors just get lucky with the BEST book covers
- Super Fitting Book Covers | I love when the cover is spot-on to what’s inside the book too
About upcoming books or blogging…
- Upcoming Books I’m Super Excited For (and Part Two) | I love looking ahead with these lists!
- Book Blog Post Ideas | Lots of people seemed to love this list of post ideas for book bloggers
- YA Books That Sound Like Movies | Some upcoming releases inspired this post
About my favorite books and recs…
- If You Liked This, Read That | A rec list that matched up popular books with underrated ones to read
- 4 Star Book Love | Highlighting books I rated 4 stars and don’t feature or recommend enough
- Favorite Audiobooks | I’m picky about narrators, so I shared some of my favorites!
- Read-Bait #1 | The first post talked about reunions, memory loss, and boarding school
- Read-Bait #2 | This one highlighted fake dating, bucket lists, and family drama
- Top Ten Books with Unique Story Styles | All of those book with quirky formats
Favorite Personal Posts
- Reading in the Summer | I shared some pictures of my reading habits during the summertime
- Fall Goals and Summer Goals | I should keep these seasonal posts going next year!
- Perfect Weekends | A spur-of-the-moment post about my favorite kind of weekends
- Cozy Christmas and Favorite Holiday Books | Some of my favorite holiday books and things!
- Bookish Lego Builds | Showing off my Sarah J. Maas book builds, plus Chris’s Captain Underpants
- Hilton Head Vacation Part One and Part Two | Road trip plans and vacation wrap-up
- 12 x 12 in 2015 | Wrapping up my favorite memories and books from 2015, by month
Favorite Cover Colors
- This Adventure Ends and First & Then by Emma Mills | Double feature of some FAVORITE covers
- Three Day Summer by Sarvenaz Tash | I loved the hippie vibes and colorful cover of this one
- Ask Me How I Got Here by Christine Heppermann | I did two fun outfits for this one
As you know, I love challenges and tend to participate in them quite a bit. I always talk about challenge progress in each of my wrap-up posts, but it’s finally time to share my FINAL NUMBERS. I did such a great job this year and have to say I’m proud of myself for keeping up with these ones.
Completed
Debut Author Challenge
Goal: 12 books ||| Read: 20 books
Firsts – Laurie Elizabeth Flynn
Liars and Losers Like Us – Ami Allen-Vath
The Distance from A to Z – Natalie Blitt
Arrows – Melissa Gorzelanczyk
Dreamology – Lucy Keating
The Way Back to You – Michelle Andreani, Mindi Scott
A Study in Charlotte – Brittany Cavallaro
Winning – Lara Zeises Deloza
True Letters from a Fictional Life – Kenneth Logan
Seven Ways We Lie – Riley Redgate
The Marked Girl – Lindsey Klingele
Scarlett Epstein Hates it Here – Anna Breslaw
Tell Me Three Things – Julie Buxbaum
If I Fix You – Abigail Johnson
Cherry – Lindsey Rosin
The Hating Game – Sally Thorne
The Thousandth Floor – Katharine McGee
How to Hang a Witch – Adriana Mather
Little Black Dresses, Little White Lies
Sometimes We Tell the Truth – Kim Zarins
Contemporary Romance Challenge
Goal: 21+ books ||| Read: 63 books
Firsts – Laurie Elizabeth Flynn
Liars and Losers Like Us – Ami Allen-Vath
The Distance from A to Z – Natalie Blitt
The Score – Elle Kennedy
Arrows – Melissa Gorzelanczyk
Dreamology – Lucy Keating
The Wrong Side of Right – Jenn Marie Thorne
Second Time Around – Beth Kendrick
Linny’s Sweet Dream List – Susan Schild
Wanderlost – Jen Malone
What Alice Forgot – Liane Moriarty
After I Do – Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Way Back to You – Michelle Andreani, Mindi Scott
True Letters from a Fictional Life – Kenneth Logan
Secrets of my Hollywood Life – Jen Calonita
Autofocus – Lauren Gibaldi
The Memory Book – Lara Avery
Right of First Refusal – Dahlia Adler
When We Collided – Emery Lord
Two Summers – Aimee Friedman
The Lost and Found – Katrina Leno
A Season for Fireflies – Rebecca Maizel
Where We Fall – Rochelle B. Weinstein
Just a Girl – Ellie Cahill
Scarlett Epstein Hates it Here – Anna Breslaw
The Selection – Kiera Cass
Ask Me How I Got Here – Christine Heppermann
Out on Good Behavior – Dahlia Adler
On Location – Jen Calonita
The Elite – Kiera Cass
The One – Kiera Cass
The Islanders Vol 1 – Katherine Applegate
Me Before You – Jojo Moyes
Mystic Summer – Hannah McKinnon
History Is All You Left Me – Adam Silvera
One True Loves – Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend – Katrina Bivald
Summer Days and Summer Nights – Stephanie Perkins
Defending Taylor – Miranda Kenneally
Results May Vary – Bethany Chase
The Fill-In Boyfriend – Kasie West
Tell Me Three Things – Julie Buxbaum
In Twenty Years – Allison Winn Scotch
The Islanders Vol 2 – Katherine Applegate
If I Fix You – Abigail Johnson
Nantucket Red – Leila Howland
Game On – Michelle Smith
Sweet Carolina Morning – Susan Schild
This Adventure Ends – Emma Mills
The Year We Turned Forty – Liz Fenton, Lisa Steinke
Paper Princess – Erin Watt
Broken Prince – Erin Watt
Cherry – Lindsey Rosin
Nine Women One Dress – Jane Rosen
The Hating Game – Sally Thorne
The Sun is Also a Star – Nicola Yoon
The Goal – Elle Kennedy
Twisted Palace – Erin Watt
Little Black Dresses, Little White Lies
Top Ten Clues You’re Clueless – Liz Czukas
All I Want for Christmas – Jenny Hale
What Light – Jay Asher
Close Enough to Touch – Colleen Oakley
Backlist Books Challenge
Goal: 20 books ||| Read: 39 books
Hex Hall – Rachel Hawkins
Saga #3 – Brian K. Vaughan
The Dream Thieves – Maggie Stiefvater
Of Beast and Beauty – Stacey Jay
Second Time Around – Beth Kendrick
What Alice Forgot – Liane Moriarty
After I Do – Taylor Jenkins Reid
This One Summer – Jillian and Mariko Tamaki
The Martian – Andy Weir
Secrets of my Hollywood Life – Jen Calonita
Blue Lily, Lily Blue – Maggie Stiefvater
Liars, Inc. – Paula Stokes
Ruby Red – Kerstin Gier
The Selection – Kiera Cass
On Location – Jen Calonita
The Elite – Kiera Cass
The One – Kiera Cass
The Islanders Vol 1 – Katherine Applegate
Me Before You – Jojo Moyes
Throne of Glass – Sarah J Maas
All the Summer Girls – Meg Donohue
The Assassin’s Blade – Sarah J Maas
The Fill-In Boyfriend – Kasie West
Rebel Belle – Rachel Hawkins
Miss Mayhem – Rachel Hawkins
The Islanders Vol 2 – Katherine Applegate
Nantucket Red – Leila Howland
Crown of Midnight – Sarah J Maas
Heir of Fire – Sarah J Maas
Daughter of Deep Silence – Carrie Ryan
This is Your Afterlife – Vanessa Barneveld
The Unquiet – Mikaela Everett
The Burning Sky – Sherry Thomas
Monstrous Beauty – Elizabeth Fama
Winter Street – Elin Hilderbrand
Snow Like Ashes – Sarah Raasch
Winter Stroll – Elin Hilderbrand
Top Ten Clues You’re Clueless – Liz Czukas
The Night Circus – Erin Morgenstern
Flights of Fantasy Challenge
Goal: 20 books ||| Read: 26 books
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – JK Rowling
The Imposter Queen – Sarah Fine
Reign of Shadows – Sophie Jordan
Of Beast and Beauty – Stacey Jay
Dream On – Kerstin Gier
Cruel Crown – Victoria Aveyard
My Lady Jane – Cynthia Hand, Jodi Meadows, Brodi Ashton
The Marked Girl – Lindsey Klingele
Ruby Red – Kerstin Gier
Queen of Hearts – Colleen Oakes
The Vanishing Throne – Elizabeth May
The Forbidden Wish – Jessica Khoury
A Court of Mist and Fury – Sarah J. Maas
Throne of Glass – Sarah J Maas
The Assassin’s Blade – Sarah J Maas
Caraval – Stephanie Garber
Harry Potter and Cursed Child – JK Rowling
Crown of Midnight – Sarah J Maas
Heir of Fire – Sarah J Maas
Cruel Beauty – Rosamund Hodge
Queen of Shadows – Sarah J Maas
Heartless – Marissa Meyer
The Burning Sky – Sherry Thomas
Rise of Fire – Sophie Jordan
Snow Like Ashes – Sarah Raash
The Night Circus – Erin Morgenstern
Almost Finished
Rock My TBR Challenge
Goal: 25 books ||| Read: 18 books
Saga #3 – Brian K. Vaughan
The Wrong Side of Right – Jenn Marie Thorne
What Alice Forgot – Liane Moriarty
Ruby Red – Kerstin Gier
A Court of Mist and Fury – Sarah J. Maas
The Islanders Vol 1 – Katherine Applegate
Me Before You – Jojo Moyes
Summer Days and Summer Nights – Stephanie Perkins
The Fill-In Boyfriend – Kasie West
Rebel Belle – Rachel Hawkins
Tell Me Three Things – Julie Buxbaum
The Islanders Vol 2 – Katherine Applegate
Harry Potter and Cursed Child – JK Rowling
Nantucket Red – Leila Howland
Daughter of Deep Silence – Carrie Ryan
Miss Marvel #2 – G. Willow Wilson
The Amateurs – Sara Shepard
Top Ten Clues You’re Clueless – Liz Czukas
At the beginning of the year, there was a TTT for your 2016 resolutions – bookish or otherwise. I always use that topic to explain the reading, blogging, and personal (but somewhat bookish) goals for the year. I’ll talk about my “progress” on each of these goals/resolutions and let you know if I consider it a pass, fail, or ehhh attempt.
Read less…and give myself time to focus on other hobbies
PASS • I didn’t ask for a reading slump but it certainly happened. I spent most of October enjoying other hobbies like listening to podcasts, watching Netflix and new fall TV shows, and seeing friends. I’m really happy I had that time and need to just get over the fact that I had a slump. I finished my Goodreads challenge without going over too much and that was the whole point of this year – to not feel the constant pressure to read.
Stop messing around with books I’m not 100% interested in
PASS • I finished the year with six DNFs, which is huge for me. There are a few in there that I might come back to at some point but it’s unlikely. I like feeling that I didn’t waste my time on bad books! I hope I continue to keep up with this goal next year because it’s an important one.
Complete all my challenges and focus on personal projects
MOSTLY PASS • I did probably 70% of this one I think. I did finish all my reading challenges! It was tough towards the end of the year but I definitely made it happen. I didn’t really work on any personal projects but did more personal posts on the blog. So I’m happy about that… but I do need to get going on my Nostalgia Project by finishing off a few series I planned to read or reread in 2016. Maybe I’ll work on that TBR for January/February.
Keep up with my general lack of book buying, use the
library a lot, and read books on my effing shelves
PASS • Yes! I spent WAY less money on books this year. I didn’t buy random books when I was at the mall and kept my preorders down to a bare minimum. I’m really happy about that. I had some great friends who lent me books I really wanted to read so I didn’t have to buy them either. My shelves just can’t handle it! With that in mind, I did a good job of reading books I owned and also using the library quite a bit. Big win over here.
Focus on other hobbies instead of reading 24/7
PASS • As I mentioned above, I’ve done a better job of reading less. I felt less pressure to read all the time and used my usual reading time for other things. I spent more time with Chris – going out and doing things, or just staying at home and watching things. I read in the morning before work and at night before bed, but I cut back on other reading time. I focused on TV and Lego and podcasts and other good stuff.
Get out more and see friends
MOSTLY PASS • I did a great job of this towards the end of the year. I was feeling closer with my girls because of some other drama we dealt with, so that was great. I went out with old friends, hung out at their houses, and had a lot of Mexican food with my ex-coworker. It was fantastic but could definitely be improved for 2017 still.
Listen to more music and less audiobooks
PASS • I didn’t think podcasts would take over, but they did. So! Next year that’ll probably be a goal too. My subscription to Apple Music did allow me to listen to more music and less audiobooks. Some mornings I watched Netflix while getting ready instead of listening to audiobooks, which wasn’t exactly what I had in mind… but close enough I guess?
Organize my folders on Dropbox to make blogging easier
MOSTLY PASS • I did go through and finish up my floral graphics folder because sometimes it was hard to find good sets that I needed. I didn’t change anything else though. I moved some of my personal pictures and graphics around too. My Camera Uploads folder is organized by year now. So, I guess this is a mostly pass because I could definitely do some more moving around!
Keep up with my organizational and planning methods
MOSTLY FAIL • My blog planning is pretty good using Google Calendar and my spreadsheet, but I could definitely do some more stuff in my bullet journal. One of my resolutions for 2017 is to really USE my bullet journal for everything I want to use it for. I hope I can keep it up and want to switch to my new one for this year, so I need to actually make it worth it. I’m still not really sure if I care about making this happen honestly.
Post more discussions and original features… and less reviews
PASS • I did a good job of posting more discussions. I created new features and linked up with new memes as well. I lumped reviews together into one post instead of multiple, but still gave ARC reviews their day in the sun. I think I posted maybe 1-2 reviews per week, when my goal was 2-3. So this one is definitely a pass. WOO!
Goals for July – December
I was really impressed with myself for sticking with those goals, so I also wrote a small list of goals to keep in mind from July through December. Let’s see how I did on some of those…
Read more books I own instead of ARCs or library books | Mostly pass
I did a good job of focusing on books I own. I say this primarily because I made a huge push in November and December to finish off the Rock My TBR Challenge. I did use the library more towards the end of the year too, but not enough to derail my progress on that.
Only listen to 2-3 audiobooks per month or less | Pass
Yep! There were a few months where I basically listened to just one audiobook. I got addicted to podcasts in October so it was pretty easy to do less audiobooks. I also found myself enjoying music again since I subscribed to Apple Music for now. So yes! A nice and solid A+ on this goal.
Let myself marinate more on books before jumping to the next one (at least one sleep) | Mostly pass
There were many nights where I finished a book then went to sleep, and didn’t pick out my next book until morning or even a day later. I did marinate more on books because I sort of was reading less overall.
Collaborate with another blogger on something else, maybe a blog series of posts | Fail
Nope. I did the Netflix and Books Tag with Erica back in the middle of the year but that’s it. I didn’t really have any big ideas to collaborate on something, except for the usual Book Buddies reviews. I really would love to make a feature for sometime next year but I can’t decide on what I want to do yet.
Work on a legitimate holiday feature (again maybe with another blogger?) | Pass
I’d have to give myself a mostly pass on this one because I did do my usual holiday stuff. I didn’t really think about a “legit holiday feature” because what even would that be? BUT! I also did a couple of extra holiday posts (like Christmas Coziness) that I usually wouldn’t do. So, a full pass it is!
Find a planning strategy that works for me | Mostly pass
I started being better about my bullet journal at the end of the year. I also integrated some bookish things into it, so that helps I guess. I don’t really need a new blogging organization strategy, except for a way to track ARC publishing dates. I love my spreadsheet and Google calendar. I think that’s enough for now.
Post only 2-ish book review posts per week to have more room for fun | Pass
Yep, I did a better job of consolidating book reviews into one post, while giving ARC reviews a full post alone (most of the time). Because I was reading so much less at the end of the year, I was able to have some weeks with only one book review post. It was kind of nice. Let’s see how I can keep that going next year!
Get better at taking instagram pictures and participate in more challenges | Mostly fail
I did participate in the end of year book challenge on Instagram, but that’s about it. I don’t really like bookstagram too much because I don’t like to take the time arranging props. I did, however, find a style that works for me. I always enjoy taking photos of me reading books or the places I’m in when I read. My instagram is full of cozy pictures in bed or on the couch, or reading with a view on my lunch break. And I’m okay with that.
Finish organizing my Dropbox folders | Mostly fail
I mean, whatever. This wasn’t a priority for me. I did organize things in a reasonable way. I went through and cleaned up some of the graphics folders too. Some tidying but that’s about it.
Start and finish a Netflix show I’ve been meaning to start binging | Pass
I’ve started a few shows and have kind of finished lingering ones, but that’s it. Chris and I started and finished a couple of shorter shows (like Luke Cage and Stranger Things) so I’ll give myself a pass on this one. I didn’t do it myself but I feel like I banged out a few things in general! (I also started/finished The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt within a couple of weeks so I guess that counts.)
Cover an entire bingo card | Pass
YAAAS FINALLY! I did this for the last bingo card of the year that ended in November. I was in spitting distance by the middle of November so I pulled together a random TBR to plan it all out. I’m so glad I finally did it!
For my check-in halfway through the year, I put some goals here (and achieved most of them, as you can see directly above). I’m not sure what I want to say for 2017. I posted my resolutions the other day, so here they are again in a more simplified form.
- Read less and give myself more time to focus on other hobbies
- Reinvigorate my Nostalgia Project and reread more books
- Read books I own, from my shelves
- Expand further beyond contemporary romance
- Crank out some shows on my to-watch list
- Be a bit more spontaneous in general, but make more plans with friends
- Figure out my career path and the possibility of going back to school
- Save up a lot of money and pay down debt
- Stick to a blogging schedule with less posts each week
- Develop long-range blog- and book-related goals
- Link up with challenges each month to show I’m participating
It’s seriously so inspiring to see how you’ve managed to mostly achieve the things on your goals list! I love seeing people check things off 😉 Also, the stats you keep are EPIC. I do keep a spreadsheet, but I definitely don’t have all of that information on hand 😉