What a year 2022 was! My reading and blogging both took big hits because of stuff going on in my offline life. If it were not for all the Manga my family talked me into trying, my total of books read would have been much lower. Thank you to all of you for your visits and comments this past year. It means so much to me. I am so glad to be a part of this community and to be able to connect with all of you--whether through my own blog or yours. I have enjoyed visiting with you and look forward to seeing what this year will bring us, both in books and in life.
Some Fun Meaningless 2022 Reading Statistics:
Number Of Books Read: 80
Genres Read:
(Some of what I read falls under more than one genre. Here, I count them under the genre I most identified with the book. Also of note, my categorization of each book by sub-genre using broad definitions).
Fantasy - 23
Manga - 20
Romance - 2Fantasy - 10Crime Fiction - 8
Crime Fiction/Mysteries - 14
Cozies (contemporary setting) - 9 (7 paranormal/fantasy)
Historical - 2 (1 paranormal)Thriller/Gothic - 1Fantasy - 2 (1 historical)
Fiction - 9
Humor - 3Literary/General Fiction - 3Romance - 1Historical - 1Classic - 1
Romance - 6
Fantasy/Paranormal - 2Contemporary - 2Historical - 1Classic - 1
Nonfiction - 3
Memoir - 1History - 1Children's Health - 1
Graphic Novels - 3 (all Fantasy)
Science Fiction - 1
Horror - 1
Of the books I read, 2 were audiobook, 47 were e-books, and 31 were in print (hardcover or trade).
The longest book I read was The Count of Monte Cristo (1276 pages) and the shortest was Uncle From Another World, Vol. 1. (160 pgs)
I will be sharing my all around top ten favorite books read list tomorrow for Top Ten Tuesday, and hope you will stop in and see what they are!
How did your reading 2022 year in reading shape up?
2022 Goals
I did not set a lot of goals for 2022. I took a break from formal reading challenges, but let's take a look at how I did on the goals I did set for myself:
1. Read The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas over the course of the year ~ This was a hard book to stretch out for an entire year. I finished it quite early. I can see why The Count of Monte Cristo is so popular. I thoroughly enjoyed this grand adventurous tale.
2. Catch up on my series reading ~ (inspired by Katherine of I Wish I Lived in a Library) From the outset, this has been a perpetual goal, one that I will continue to work on in years to come. I am happy to say I feel like I did make progress, even if not as much as I might have liked.
3. Read more from my existing TBR ~ Another perpetual challenge as I work my way through my TBR collection. I don't think there will ever be an end to this one. But I am not complaining.
4. Catch up with my review writing and stay on top of it ~ Nope. I failed utterly at this one. I have notes on all I have read and still plan to put together reviews for them, but events this year got the better of me and I was unable to keep up.
Did you set any goals for this past year? How did you do?
★ ★ ★
My participation in reading challenges tends to be all over the place. Some years I go all out, other years I only take part in one or two or even none at all (like this past year). This seems to be the year I am drawn to participate in many. I blame it on those of you who posted the challenges you will be taking on! There is also the added bonus of supporting some of my fellow bloggers who are hosting these challenges. While I would love to participate in everyone's challenges, I know that isn't a realistic goal. And, truth be told, my reading plans already lean in the direction for many of these, so why not join in the challenge fun?
It has been years since I took on a TBR or Backlist Challenge. Considering how huge my TBR collection is, these two challenges will help motivate me to read more of the books I already own.
Mount TBR Reading Challenge, hosted by My Reader's Block ~ Goal: Pike's Peak (read 12 books I already own - prior to 2022)
The Backlist Reader Challenge, hosted by The Bookwyrm's Hoard ~ Goal: Read 10 books from my wish list or TBR pile that have been there since 2021. [Note: I consider TBR books to be books I actually own, hence the use of "wish list" above which are books I would like to read but do not own.]
I seem to read more nonfiction when I take part in Shelleyrae's Nonfiction Reading Challenge. And I really do enjoy nonfiction when I read it; not to mention I have two or three shelves of unread nonfiction I can choose from!
Nonfiction Reading Challenge, hosted by Book'd Out ~ Goal: Nonfiction Nipper (at least 3 books)
I did not read nearly as many historical novels as I normally do this past year and I want to get back to reading them more this year. I love that this particular challenge is fairly broad in scope--any genre works as long as it qualifies as historical.
Historical Fiction Reading Challenge, hosted by The Intrepid Reader ~ Goal: Victorian Level (at least 5 books)
How can I resist a challenge involving reading books in which one of the main themes is books? I like that the rules for this challenge are laidback and loose because I tend to be a mood reader and flexibility is a must.
Bookish Books Reading Challenge, hosted by Bloggin' 'bout Books ~ Goal: Toe in the Door (read between 1-10 books with a bookish theme).
I cannot seem to get enough of cozy mysteries these days, and so I thought it would be fun to take part in Yvonne's cozy mystery reading challenge this year.
Cruisin' thru the Cozies Reading Challenge, hosted by Socrates' Book Reviews ~ Goal: Snoop (10 Cozies of my choice - committing to so many books in one subgenre makes me nervous, but I'll do my best!)
One of my personal goals this year is to read more poetry than I managed to this past year. I am looking forward to taking part in Serena's poetry challenge this year.
Poetry Reading Challenges, hosted by Savvy Verse & Wit ~ Goal: Read 3 poetry collections and a poem a day from A Nature Poem for Every Night of the Year by Jane McMorland Hunter (which I'll have to start later this month--I'm waiting on my copy to arrive in the mail)
COYER Challenge, hosted by Because Reading, Mom With A Reading Problem, and Once Upon a Chapter.
Goal: I am not setting a numeric goal and am going to just have fun with this one.
- Chapter One: It's a Cold Summer (January through April) - Anything goes (any format, any price, no limits)
- Chapter Two: Get On Board (May through August) - It's a board game!
- Chapter, Three: Back to the Beginning (September through December) - Exclusively free or low cost e-books or audiobooks)
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You had a great reading year especially when you consider how busy life has kept you! Good luck with all of your challenges in 2023!
ReplyDeleteCarole - I can actually say I agree with you--with everything going on, and even with my brief reading slump, I did pretty good reading wise. Following my reading moods really helped, I think. Thank you for visiting and all you do!
DeleteSounds like you had a great reading year, manga is always fun! I hope you have fun with your 2023 challenges too!
ReplyDeleteEustacia - I think it's funny how much manga I read this past year considering how new it is to me. I recently read a graphic novel and found myself trying to read it backwards, as if it was a manga. LOL I was so used to reading manga. Thank you for stopping by!
DeleteLooks like you'd a great reading year, Wendy! I don't really have any goals but I'm definitely hoping that I'll read more books this year, considering that I did badly last year. Have fun with all your reading challenges! :)
ReplyDeleteMelody - Thank you! I hope we both are able to read more books this year--especially ones we enjoy. :-) Thank you for visiting!
DeleteGreat reading year and list of challenges for 2023. My daughter likes manga and I remember as a high school librarian that the students were obsessed with it.
ReplyDeleteHelen - Thank you! My daughter is really into manga and cannot get enough of it. I probably wouldn't have given it the try I did had it not been for her, honestly. Her dad likes manga too, so that helps. :-) Thank you for stopping by!
DeleteI look forward to seeing your list of favorites from 2022 because you always read books I know I'll like, too. And I'm going to do Susan's Bookish Books Reading Challenge this year, too. Happy 2023! :D
ReplyDeleteLark - I think Susan's challenge will be fun! I already gravitate towards books with bookish themes. Thank you for visiting!
DeleteYou had a great, diverse amount of reading in 2022. I cringe when I see all the challenges because the tracking can be a lot. I love the challenges but especially COYER because it is such a community.
ReplyDeleteAnne - Books of My Heart
Anne - Thank you! I feel like the first part of the year was devoted slightly more to more serious reads and the rest was for lighter ones. It definitely follows the type of year I had. Yeah, the tracking can be a bit much with so many challenges. My biggest hurdle is posting reviews in a timely manner--and remembering to link them. We'll see how it goes this year. I make no promises. I really like the COYER community too. :-) Thank you for stopping by!
DeleteYou had a great reading year ! Especially with the long Count of Monte Cristo. Wow .... I need to read that one. Good luck with reading goals in 2023!
ReplyDeleteSusan - Thank you! I am so glad I decided to read The Count of Monte Cristo. I can now understand why it's so popular. My husband was reading it too, although I don't think he's finished it yet. Thank you for visiting!
DeleteGood luck with all your goals and challenges. Thank you for joining the Cruisin' thru the Cozies challenge.
ReplyDeleteYvonne - Thank you! I am looking forward to being a part of Cruisin' thru the Cozies (and what a great catchy name for a challenge!). Thank you for hosting and stopping by!
DeleteYou did a great job with your reading in 2022 and you've signed up for some fun challenges for 2023!
ReplyDeleteKatherine - Thank you! I'm excited about seeing where my reading takes me this year. Thank you for visiting!
DeleteI can't wait to see which books were your favorite of the year! Someday, I hope I can read that many books.
ReplyDeleteJenni Elyse - I feel that way when I hear about people reading 100's of books. We all wish we could read more . . . I honestly don't think my total would be what it is without the shorter reads, like graphic novels and manga, and even middle grade books. As long as we enjoy our time reading and what we read, that's the important part. You did great this year! Thank you for stopping by!
DeleteYou had such a great reading year. I haven't chosen my 2023 challenges yet. You picked some good ones!
ReplyDeleteWendy - Thank you!
DeleteYou did very well this year, in spite of what else was going on in your life! 80 books is great! The Count of Monte Cristo has always intrigued me, but it's soooooo long. My current read is over 900 pages, though, so maybe I can do it. Have a great year, Wendy!
ReplyDeleteLes - Thank you. The Count of Monte Cristo was not as challenging a read as I expected. I think I expected something similar to Les Misérables since Dumas and Hugo were compatriots. I loved Les Misérables, but The Count of Monte Cristo was completely different and so fun! I think there was only one section that I felt dragged on too long. If you do decide to read it, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Thank you for visiting!
DeleteHappy New Year Wendy! Love all the variety you had in your reading. Reading about your upcoming reading challenges is making me want to join more! haha... I finished reading the A Nature Poem for Every Night of the Year book and really loved having some poetry to read every day. I did fall off here and there and had to do some catching up towards the end of the year but I appreciated reading such a variety of poets. I hope you'll enjoy it a lot! Here's to lots of great reads in 2023!
ReplyDeleteIliana - Happy New Year to you too! I am enjoying A Nature Poem for Every Night--thank you for recommending it! You are the one who gave me the idea. :-) I imagine there will be some nights I fall behind too. Thank you for stopping by!
DeleteI'm in almost all the same challenges as you except not in the cruisin the cozies. We'll be busy readers for sure! Like you I only did 1 last year so now I'm probably over doing it, but they all sound so interesting. I agree with you that a reading total is just a number and as long as you're reading, that's what's important. Look forward to another year of sharing good books!
ReplyDeleteTerrie @ Bookshelf Journeys
Terrie - I hope we both do well on our challenges this year. We can cheer each other on. :-) Have a great 2023! Thank you for visiting.
DeleteCongratulations on a great year of reading! Good luck with all your goals for the new year, I’m happy you’ve chosen to take part in the 2023 Nonfiction Reader Challenge!
ReplyDeleteShelleyrae - Thank you! I am looking forward to being a part of the Nonfiction challenge this year. I already have several in mind I will be reading for it. Thanks for stopping by!
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