Reading in 2017

I started keeping track of my reading when I began my blog in 2007. Between then and the end of 2017, I read 498 books. I had hoped to read two more before the new year, just to even out the number, but that didn’t happen. However, my delay in finishing this post has helped me out. I read two books this year already, so now I can say that I’ve read 500 books since starting my blog. And though my numbers were low during some years, the average works out to 45 per year, which is not far off my goal of 52 per year.

As for 2017, I started off the year poorly by forcing myself through a history/travel book that I wasn’t quite in the mood for. I just wanted it done. I got it done, but it took a long time, and it burned me out. It wasn’t the kind of reading that I needed at a time when everything was stressing me out. I did eventually get back in the mood to read, though, and I ultimately finished 27 books (well, 26 books. I read one twice.).

Favorite Book Read in 2017: The Last Legends of Earth by A.A. Attanasio. This is one of my favorite books ever. I read it twice this year. It has its flaws, to be sure, but I love it for its inventiveness and its eerie atmosphere. Also, the author managed to squeeze thousands of years of story line into less than 500 pages, which is amazing. I was hoping to absorb some of the book’s power and bring it to my novel. I think the absorbing part worked. All I have to do now is write the novel.

Worst Book Read in 2017: The Bobbsey Twins on a Ranch by Laura Lee Hope, hands-down. It was outdated in all the worst ways, and it’s the most racist book I’ve ever read.

Biggest Reading Surprise in 2017: Several of the books were surprisingly good, including…

• Hungry Monkey by Matthew Amster-Burton, A
• Tales of the Peculiar by Ransom Riggs, A-
• The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet by Eleanor Cameron, A-
• Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg, A

Biggest Reading Accomplishment of 2017: About a quarter of the books I read in 2017 were nonfiction. This is the highest percentage of non-fiction I’ve ever read in any given year.

Reading Goals for 2018: None. I have no reading goals. I’m giving myself a break. No rules, no expectation. I’m going to scratch any reading itch I get. To start off the year, I’ve ordered a bunch of Barbara Michaels books from the library. I can’t wait to get started on them.

Wishing everyone a wonderful year of reading in 2018,

Chick