We are just a few days away now from ringing out the old and ringing in the new. What better time for those who love books and stories to reflect on what we’ve been reading?
As I have shared before, I love Goodreads and their annual Reading Challenge. The site helps me keep track of my reading and the challenge keeps me trying to read more.
While I will finish reading another book or two before the end of 2016 (I am preparing this post on Christmas), the numbers will not change dramatically from the accompanying graphic.
So far in 2016, I completed 67 books and 14,790 pages. Of those books, I listened to 52 of them (78%) in audiobook format. Oh, how I love my audiobooks. I shudder to think what I would do without them, and I am so disappointed when I learn of a book I want to read and discover the publisher hasn’t put it out on audiobook, as has happened to a number of my own releases. 🙁
Of the 67 books I read this year, a whopping 48% earned 5-star ratings from me. This may have been my favorite reading year in ages. Another 31% earned 4-star ratings and 10% got 3-star ratings. I gave 2 stars to only 3% while 8% received no rating from me. (I have reasons for not rating some books which I won’t go into.)
Picking a favorite or some favorites from among my 5-star reads is difficult, but here are a few in no particular order (I’m just going down my list):Victoria; Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ; The American Miracle: Divine Providence in the Rise of the Republic; Manliness: The Robert Mitchum Way; The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto; Lilac Girls; Esther: Royal Beauty; A.D. 33; The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl; Ava’s Man; Risen; and We Shall See God: Charles Spurgeon’s Classic Devotional Thoughts on Heaven.
I can only hope that 2017 will bring as much reading pleasure as 2016 did. As soon as Goodreads opens up the new challenge, I will be setting my goal and getting busy reading. Whether you use an app like Goodreads or an old-fashioned notebook on the stand beside your bed, I hope you’ll track your reading. When you do, it’s lots of fun to look back at the end of the year.
Happy New Year, everyone. See you in 2017.
~robin
