Yes, yes I know I'm terribly late with this but better late than never, am I right? You know those years where you have all the best intentions to fix all the mistakes of the previous year but then it doesn't really work out? Yeah, that was 2017. I didn't even get around to posting my resolutions so I don't really have anything to compare myself with. Mostly, I just know I failed epically at the two challenges I set for myself in the beginning of the year. But let's stop with all the doom and gloom; the year wasn't all bad. I had a great rereading stint (even if it meant I wasn't reading new-to-me books...) which was really great and December was an awesome month for reading. But let me stop talking at you and show you some stats!
I also have a bunch of charts for you! (but mostly for me because I'm lost without charts...)
I'm kind of disappointed in myself that I didn't tackle longer books although it was a crazy busy year for me. I only read a small, small fraction of books over the 500 page mark (and 500 pages isn't even that bad!). I'm hoping to do better this year.
The formats are mostly the same as last year. I still haven't gotten around to trying an audiobook yet and I mostly read on my kindle.
As for the series', I feel like this is an ongoing problem. I constantly start new series and then I never finish the series' that I start! I get sidetracked by another series and it's just a horrible cycle. I have a whole list of series' that I'm hoping to finish off this year. I just don't like finishing series' and closing off the world for some reason.
I'm glad to see I have a bit more diversity in my genre selection last year although there's still a lot of fantasy in there (but how can I abandon fantasy?? It's the best!). Overall, I'm satisfied with that spread and I'm going to try and keep up the trend.
The target audience percentages aren't surprising at all to me. I love YA and I think I'll continue to love it for at least the next five years. I am slowly introducing more Adult books into the mix too.
The author spread always surprises me. I don't know how I tend to read books by female authors but that's just how it ends up. I have no qualms with it, though. I do want to read some books by an androgynous author sometime though!
My average star rating for 2017 was 3.97 which I'm kind of happy with. I've been trying to work it down mostly because I feel like I'm always really generous with stars and I rarely ever rate anything 1 star.
But this is exactly what I'm talking about with trying to get my average star rating more balanced! I tend to rate most books with four or five stars which could mean that I'm just really good at picking books that I know I'll like, or it could also mean that I always strain to see the good in everything. I've rated a grand total of two books with one star in my entire reading career which is ridiculous. I'm not sure if I'm committed enough to change this though. I feel like that would mean changing my whole attitude on life which I don't want to do.
The Books:
If you'd like to see the whole list of books I read for 2017, you can see it HERE.
Some notable ones include:
Caraval #1
Rating: 4.5 stars (Review HERE)
This was one of the most atmospheric books I read during 2017! I remember laying on the floor of my room for hours reading this, not even taking a break for food because I was so enraptured. The sequel comes out at the end of May and I'm so excited!
A Court of Thorns and Roses #3
Rating: 4.5 stars (Review HERE)
Ah yes, this year marked pretty much the end of Feyre and Rhysand as protagonists and I'm sad to see them go. Of course, I'm so excited for A Court of Frost and Starlight (that title though!!) but we won't be seeing them as main protagonists in full-length books anymore. They're final full episode went off almost without a hitch (except for that fake death at the end... what the heck, SJM? While I didn't want them to die, I almost would have preferred an actual death. This is the perfect time for an Allegiant moment if you know what I mean!). I'll definitely be rereading this series (and hopefully actually writing a review for the middle one, ACOMAF)!
Standalone to date
Rating: 4 stars (Review HERE)
I've been reading and reviewing Krista Noorman's books for the better part of four years and it's been such a pleasure working with her. I'm never disappointed in her books and she writes such lovely, fluffy (but with a hint of spice) contemporaries that I adore. This is her newest book that I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC of.
Legend of the Liberator #2
Rating: 5 stars (Review HERE)
I've also established a relationship with this author and I've read the first book in the series as well and I have to say, I immediately fell in love. This is one of the hidden gems that you always dream of finding. The second installment didn't disappoint and it's one of the newest additions to my fantasy favorites. This is also one of my few solid 5 star books in 2017 (books rated 4.5 stars are rounded up in the statistics and many of my rereads are 5 stars).
The Queen of the Tearling #3
Rating: 4.5 stars (Review HERE)
This is one of those series' where you either love it or hate it and I absolutely loved it. This is the final book of the trilogy and I have to applaud the author for a perfect ending. It's far from picture perfect and takes a turn you wouldn't expect but strangely, it's rather wonderful. Kind of like the ending of The Handmaid's Tale where it's not the ending you were hoping for but it's perfect all the same. I loved this trilogy so much I bought a hardcover copy of it and I'll be rereading it very soon!
And there you have it! I'll be posting my 2018 resolutions and challenge wrap-ups/goals (I know, I'm so late!!) in about a week. I already have them written in my notebook so I'm a little more organized than last year.
How did your 2017 pan out? Did you meet your Goodreads goal? Do you tend to read more male or female authors? Do your reading tastes focus on a few genres or are you like me with basically everything? Are you also intimidated to start large books? How do you feel about having a high average star rating? What's your average star rating? And do you have my same problem with starting ALL the series' and then never finishing them? Let me know down in the comments!
I think you should be pretty proud of your reading year. Not all doom and gloom at all!
ReplyDeleteI tend to steer clear of long books too - anything over about 450-500 pages tends to vanush into the depths of my TBR pile. Daft really cos I have enjoyed long books once I get into them. I'm just easily intimidated!!
Stephanie Jane @ Literary Flits
Haha thank you, Stephanie! I'm trying to be positive about the fact that if I count rereads, I got really close to my GR goal :)
DeleteIt's the same with me! I really need to stop doing that... I actually need to reread Q (my longest book this year) to write a review for it and I'm both looking forward to it and scared to death of it. It's just so strange. Thanks for stopping by!
Q is over 700 pages and you're going to read it twice?? You have my admiration :-)
DeleteHaha yeah! I actually enjoyed reading it the first time even though it took me the better part of a month. It's a good book to digest slowly so I'm thinking I'll read a chapter a night. It just arrived at the library so wish me luck!
DeleteI was getting pretty burnt out on reading wrap up posts so I welcome this late addition. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with rereading. I love rereading but hardly ever manage it.
ReplyDeleteHaha to be honest, I was a little too and I didn't really have the energy to start my wrap up before December was even over. Wrap-ups always seem like such a daunting task and I have no idea why! It only takes me about two or three hours to pull them together!
DeleteHaha and I love reading new books but I hardly ever manage it! Strange stuff... Thanks for stopping by, Jenny!
If it's any consolation, I am still trying to type up just a few of my best reads of 2017. It is definitely a process- and mine won't even have nice graphs- just my favorite books.
ReplyDeleteI need to read a Sarah J. Maas book or the first of the Tearling books this year. I've had them in my pile forever and I feel like a neglectful book hoarder if I don't pat their pages (even if they're just digital pages) every once in a while.
~Litha Nelle
It's definitely a process... I think that's what's so intimidating about it. It takes me a couple days to put together wrap-up posts (I don't have the patience to work on it for 5 straight hours) because there's just SO MUCH. I wish you a speedy wrap-up process!
DeleteI know the feeling :) I have so many books on my shelf (both electronic and physical) that have been there FOREVER and are so hyped but I never get around to them. Haha at least you can admire their pretty spines and covers on your shelves :) Thanks for stopping by, Litha!
Oh what a lovely recap - I love pie charts so much! I was way too lazy to do one for last years' reads, I'm hoping I won't be that lazy for next year, because these kind of posts are so interesting to read :)
ReplyDeleteI have the same issue about series, I constantly start new series without finishing the ones I started the year before 😂
Haha I do too! It's one of my favorite things about these yearly recaps :)
DeleteOMG it's SUCH a problem!! You wouldn't think bookworms would have a short attention span because we literally sit in the same place for hours reading a book, but maybe we just get swept away with all the new releases. Thanks for stopping by, Marie!
I LOVE posts with stats, and I am loving all of your graphs and the infographic you made! I love that your most read author is Agatha Christie- I've never read anything by her but she's so iconic and I would love to some day. Do you have a recommendation of a book by her that would be good to start with?
ReplyDeleteThank you, I do too! I'm a very visual person so when there are graphs, I'm in my happy place :)
DeleteShe is! That's partly why I started reading books by her and then I got really, really obsessed... I'm hoping to read all the books she's published within the next 5ish years! Personally, my favorites remain Murder on the Orient Express and And Then There Were None. MotOE is a good one if you're looking to be introduced to Hercule Poirot (who is my personal favorite) and ATTWN is really good, puzzling standalone mystery that doesn't have an obvious solution. Personally, I'm a fan of mysteries with big casts that are isolated (island, stopped train, etc) and another one of my favorites in that regard is Death on the Nile (another Hercule Poirot mystery). If you don't like big casts, I'd definitely suggest Cat Among the Pigeons (which is a bit less perplexing with fewer characters) or Cards on the Table (also with fewer characters but it's a bit more complex than CAtP). That was definitely more than one recommendation but there are so many good ones and it all depends on your personal preference! If you're not sure, go with the classic Murder on the Orient Express :)
Thanks for stopping by, Cristina!