Here's to a New Year!
"Out with the old, in with the new," has never been a more appropriate saying than it is for 2017!
Today marks my 7th year with this little blog. Over the last year it has suffered quite a bit with my trying to balance family life, work life, and writing life. Sadly, the writing life has suffered greatly. But as New Year’s Day brings about another year of blogging, I’m committing to a refresh and once again giving it my attention.
My holidays have been a busy one. It was full-on right up until Christmas Eve (everyone who works in retail knows what that is about) but I’ve thankfully been able to have some good downtime to spend with my family and, of course, watch television. Because I’m all about the binge-watching. These holidays have been spent doing a massive Coronation Street catch up but also getting reacquainted with my Netflix account and watching Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, The Crown, and Black Mirror. And of course my beloved British Christmas specials - 8 Out of 10 Cats (Carrie Fisher was brilliant until the end), A League of their Own, The Last Leg, and The Big Fat Quiz of 2016 (my new favourite line to say is “I don’t get it, but I believe it is a functional joke.”)
Though I haven’t been blogging as much, I am still reading. Not quite as much as I used to, but still a lot. And that’s a good thing. Work may be taking up more of my time, but I work in a bookstore so there is absolutely no complaining!
2015 was the first year I started tracking what I read by different categories and it was a lot of fun to compare years. 2016 was the year I gave up on challenges and just read whatever interested in me. I was excited to compare because I wanted to see what the variety in my reading was like when I wasn’t selecting my reading material based on diversity versus when I was making an effort. Here’s a look at my reading in 2016:
83 books read (a far cry from my goal of 105.) That is 13 books less than last year.
26,427 pages read. 957 pages less than last year, so less books this year, but obviously some longer ones.
27% of the books I read were Canadian, down 4% from last year.
77% of the books were written by female authors, up 8%
39% of the books I read were diverse books, up 1%
14% of the books I read were Mystery. This is a genre I really didn't read before 2016 but this is the year I got hooked on the Psychological Thriller.
Now it's time for my Best Books of the Year
FICTION
Bone and Bread - Saleema Nawaz
I Let You Go - Clare Mackintosh
March Book 3 - John Lewis
Wenjack - Joseph Boyden
My Not So Perfect Life - Sophie Kinsella (2017 release date)
NON-FICTION
Troublemaker - Leah Remini
Wellth - Jason Wachob
A Mother’s Reckoning - Sue Klebold
Until We Are Free - Shirin Ebadi
Canada - Mike Myers
A Look Ahead at 2017
Once again, I'm not letting my failings of the year before dictate what I go for this year. I may have only made 79% of my reading goal last year but I'm still aiming high and going for 100 books read this year. I'm also staying away from challenges and reading what interests me but I think that this year I'm definitely going to try and read more non-fiction.
Here are a few of the books I'm looking forward to reading this year:
On the personal front, I have finally decided to jump in and start Bullet Journalling. I was having a hard time finding a planner that would work for me as I want it to be part planner, part journal and so this was the perfect thing. We sell bullet journals at work and I've been admiring them, along with #bujo pictures on Instagram, for so long I decided to jump in and I'm very excited to do so. I'm also looking forward to our yearly road trip and hopefully a few other travels here and there. Road tripping with my husband and two kids is definitely one of my favourite things to do.
Happy New Year and here is to a peaceful and prosperous 2017!
Today marks my 7th year with this little blog. Over the last year it has suffered quite a bit with my trying to balance family life, work life, and writing life. Sadly, the writing life has suffered greatly. But as New Year’s Day brings about another year of blogging, I’m committing to a refresh and once again giving it my attention.
My holidays have been a busy one. It was full-on right up until Christmas Eve (everyone who works in retail knows what that is about) but I’ve thankfully been able to have some good downtime to spend with my family and, of course, watch television. Because I’m all about the binge-watching. These holidays have been spent doing a massive Coronation Street catch up but also getting reacquainted with my Netflix account and watching Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, The Crown, and Black Mirror. And of course my beloved British Christmas specials - 8 Out of 10 Cats (Carrie Fisher was brilliant until the end), A League of their Own, The Last Leg, and The Big Fat Quiz of 2016 (my new favourite line to say is “I don’t get it, but I believe it is a functional joke.”)
Though I haven’t been blogging as much, I am still reading. Not quite as much as I used to, but still a lot. And that’s a good thing. Work may be taking up more of my time, but I work in a bookstore so there is absolutely no complaining!
2015 was the first year I started tracking what I read by different categories and it was a lot of fun to compare years. 2016 was the year I gave up on challenges and just read whatever interested in me. I was excited to compare because I wanted to see what the variety in my reading was like when I wasn’t selecting my reading material based on diversity versus when I was making an effort. Here’s a look at my reading in 2016:
83 books read (a far cry from my goal of 105.) That is 13 books less than last year.
26,427 pages read. 957 pages less than last year, so less books this year, but obviously some longer ones.
27% of the books I read were Canadian, down 4% from last year.
77% of the books were written by female authors, up 8%
39% of the books I read were diverse books, up 1%
14% of the books I read were Mystery. This is a genre I really didn't read before 2016 but this is the year I got hooked on the Psychological Thriller.
Now it's time for my Best Books of the Year
FICTION
Best of the Year - Homegoing - Yaa Gyasi
(I knew back in May when I read this book that it would be my favourite of the year)
I Let You Go - Clare Mackintosh
March Book 3 - John Lewis
Wenjack - Joseph Boyden
My Not So Perfect Life - Sophie Kinsella (2017 release date)
NON-FICTION
Best of the Year - Born a Crime - Trevor Noah
(I can't deny my love for Trevor, this took it to a new level I didn't know existed.)
Troublemaker - Leah Remini
Wellth - Jason Wachob
A Mother’s Reckoning - Sue Klebold
Until We Are Free - Shirin Ebadi
Canada - Mike Myers
A Look Ahead at 2017
Once again, I'm not letting my failings of the year before dictate what I go for this year. I may have only made 79% of my reading goal last year but I'm still aiming high and going for 100 books read this year. I'm also staying away from challenges and reading what interests me but I think that this year I'm definitely going to try and read more non-fiction.
Here are a few of the books I'm looking forward to reading this year:
On the personal front, I have finally decided to jump in and start Bullet Journalling. I was having a hard time finding a planner that would work for me as I want it to be part planner, part journal and so this was the perfect thing. We sell bullet journals at work and I've been admiring them, along with #bujo pictures on Instagram, for so long I decided to jump in and I'm very excited to do so. I'm also looking forward to our yearly road trip and hopefully a few other travels here and there. Road tripping with my husband and two kids is definitely one of my favourite things to do.
Happy New Year and here is to a peaceful and prosperous 2017!
Your favorite book of the year was also mine. Homegoing blew me away. I'm still puzzling over why it didn't get more critical acclaim this year.
ReplyDeleteI also loved American War, which you have in your list of anticipated books for 2017.
I'm so happy to hear positive things about American War. And I agree, I'm surprised Homegoing didn't get more acclaim.
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