Book Stats – Review of 2012, and aims for 2013

I posted about my books of the year a couple of weeks ago here. Now it’s time, as I always do, to take a light-hearted look at the stats of what I read…

Life must be getting busier, as each year I seem to be reading fewer books. I say that firmly with my tongue in my cheek, as I know that if I diverted some of the time I spend mucking about on Facebook playing games etc. into reading, and also not watching afternoon telly on days when I get home early, I’d get a lot more reading done!

So – having consulted my master spreadsheet, up to the time of writing:

  • I’ve finished 90 books this year, vs 93 in 2011, 106 in 2010 and 114 in 2009.
  • The page count is still holding up well at just under 26k, vs 29k in 2011, 26k in 2010 and 32k in 2009.
  • I read the same number of books in translation this year – 10.  Again, I’d like to read more in 2013.
  • Due to my hosting Beryl Bainbridge Reading Week, this was the first year in which I’ve read 6 books by the same author. I also read 4 Adrian Mole books by Sue Townsend, and 3 teen books by Sophie McKenzie to impress my daughter and her friends.
  • Another stat I love to look at is when books I read were published.  I didn’t manage to increase my reading of ones published pre-1960 (my d.o.b.) this year, and am always shocked to find how many shiny new books I manage to squeeze in  – a full 44% percent published in 2012, plus 2 yet to hit the shelves.
  • In genre fiction, this must be the first year that I haven’t read any SF proper. I have read more historical fiction though particularly set around WWI & II – there’s a lot of it about!
  • One area I’ve improved upon is to read more non-fiction having read 6 books of memoir/biography and 5 others.
  • Lastly, I’ve redressed the balance between male and female authors this year. Last year my list was 70% by men. This year it’s almost at parity, with 46:44 male:female writers.

My aims for 2013

  1. Read more!
      1. Read more from my TBR – I’m taking part in the TBR Double Dog Dare, which’ll take me up to the end of March without reading new acquisitions.
      2. Read more old books – particularly those published pre-1960.
      3. Read more in translation.
      4. Read some SF. Mustn’t forget about my first book love.
      5. I’d love to host another author reading week.  I have an idea, possibly for May – more soon!

So, how did your reading year shape up?

0 thoughts on “Book Stats – Review of 2012, and aims for 2013

  1. Nana Fredua-Agyeman says:

    I love stats, don’t know why… perhaps my love for excel and for playing with data. You did great even if it isn’t comparable to previous years’. I read 72 books – the highest since I started blogging in 2009.

  2. Alex in Leeds says:

    Hahaha, it’s lovely to compare charts and stats! I definitely think 2013 is going to see a lot more reviews of translated fiction around the blogs as we all seem to be getting the bug for it, can’t wait!

    • gaskella says:

      I love stats and charts (and love yours too). I’ve ended up being really consistent in the amount of translated fiction I read – between 10-15% – maybe it’ll be more in 2013…

  3. heavenali says:

    I’ll be posting tomorrow about my favourite books and a brief round up of the year. but I will have read 134 books in 2012. Only 20 non-fiction, and only 14 published in 2012 – and one due out early in 2013. I read far more older books these days.
    I love your stats : ) I only keep count of actual books. Good luck and happy reading in 2013. I look forward to your reviews next year.

    • gaskella says:

      I really must stop getting so distracted by new shiny books, even new copies of old books and read more of the ones I already have. I say this every year mind you. However I still plan to join in with your re-reading project briefly. Look forward to seeing your thoughts in 2013.

    • gaskella says:

      I’m thinking of May 6-12, and the author is very much alive, and British, and of course one whom I’ve been wanting to re-read/read more of for ages. That’s the only clue I’m giving at the moment. Tee hee!

  4. cbjamess says:

    I admit, I’ve already started on the TBR Double Dog Dare. I was reading library books, trying to save my TBR stack for Tuesday, but I gave in. Yesterday, I returned a bunch of library books. Technically, they were within the official rules of the TBR Double Dog Dare, but I kept seeing these books in my TBR stack that had been there so long they were starting to look like new books to me.

  5. Lee-Anne says:

    Your lovely charts are striking a deep chord in me… I think I need to get a bit more statistical with my reading next year. Imagining the joy of seeing all those pie charts at the end of 2013 has me oddly thrilled. You are an inspiration! (Also, I never thought of categorising books acording to my birth year, but this is brilliant – I’ve been looking for a way of distinguishing the Modern Classics from the Contemporary).

    Happy New Year and happy reading in 2013!

    • gaskella says:

      Thanks Lee-Anne. I’m old enough that my birth year is a good point to distinguish between broadly contemporary books from modern classics and older ones! happy new year to you too.

  6. Claire 'Word by Word' says:

    Interesting stats, and a good number of books read in my opinion, I hoped to read a book a week and did manage that, I think I am at 69 and can’t imagine being able to fit any more than that in one year.

    Seeing your comment that The Snow Child was your book of the year was enough to get me over here and following, and there’s another benefit of keeping up with the shiny new things 🙂

    I’ve never analysed my reading, but now you’ve all got me somewhat intrigued 🙂

    • gaskella says:

      Hi Claire, and thank you for following. Fairy tales were my first real book love, and any book, ancient or modern, that gives me that tingly magical feeling that the best fairy tales do has to be a winner.

      I’m always intrigued by what comes out of my reading list stats-wise – it’s good bookgeeky fun 🙂

      • Claire 'Word by Word' says:

        It’s interesting, that touch of magic realism in a well written book is something that really works for me as well, I love the ambiguity and the fact that it inspires the imagination of the reader, so that there is no absolute interpretation, something of the magic is allowed to continue. I love a good fable that leaves the learning open to interpretation.

          • Claire 'Word by Word' says:

            I don’t know Ali Shaw, thanks for the tip, another name to add to my reading list for 2013, thank you so much, happy to have found you on this auspicious eve, and I even have a similar 11 year old who likes to draw and wants her own blog as you may have seen 🙂

  7. Karen (at Curate's egg) says:

    I enjoyed reading your stats, but I’ve avoided doing my own. Spreadsheets smack too much of work and I’m very much enjoying my fortnight off.

    Apart from being fascinating reading, the stats do tell us how ’rounded’ our reading has been. My (all-female) book group has a heavy leaning towards women writers. I’m hoping to persuade them to redress the balance a little this coming year.

  8. winstonsdad says:

    great selection of stats ,I must admit male female split is something I find hard to do I tend to read more male writers ,that said last year I did read more female writers than I have done in the past ,all the best stu

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