Showing posts with label year in books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label year in books. Show all posts

Friday, 24 January 2025

My Year in Books 2024


 
As the title suggests, here is my 2024 Year in Books!
Overall, I read 80 books last year, and as I know my tastes and stick to what I like, I had a huge percentage of highly rated books over the months. (My ratings are based on feeling and how much I enjoyed the book, not just the technical writing FYI). 2024 was also the year that I unexpectedly rediscovered a love for nonfiction, particularly nature and wildlife-related books and that is reflected in the information in this post.

Here you can find the links to my quarterly round-ups of what I read throughout the year and below are some stats for the whole year.
What I Read Last Quarter // January - March
What I Read Last Quarter // April - June
What I Read Last Quarter // July - September
What I Read Last Quarter // October - December




Total Books Read in 2024
80

Books Per Month
January - 7       (1 of which was Audio)
February - 13       (1 of which was Audio) +1 DNF
March - 5       (2 of which were Audio)
April - 8     (1 of which was Audio) +1 DNF
May - 6     (1 of which was Audio)
June - 4     (1 of which was Audio)
July - 5     (2 of which were Audio)
August - 8     (2 of which were Audio)
September - 5     (1 of which was Audio) +1 DNF
October - 7     (3 of which were Audio)
November - 6     (1 of which was Audio)
December - 6 (2 of which were Audio)  
Total - 80

Most Books in One Month 
13 

Least Books in One Month
4

Pages Per Month
January -  1,578 pages
February -  1,306 pages
March - 1,272 pages
April - 1,154 pages
May -  1,375 pages
June -  1,012 pages
July -  754 pages
August -  745 pages
September - 1,119 pages
October - 565 pages
November - 1,231 pages
December -  750 pages
Total -  12,861

Hours of Audio Per Month
January -  12hr 46m
February -  4hr 19m
March -  10hr 37m
April -  4hr 19m
May -   5hr 59m
June -  16hr 25m
July -  19hr 7m
August -  22hr 51m
September -  8hr - DNF
October -  19hr 5m
November - 15 hr 7m
December -  12hr 54m (+ 10hr 49m completed September book)
Total - 162 hr 18m *

*Most books listen to at 2x speed. Some 1.75. One book at normal speed.

Most Pages in One Month 
January -  1,578 pages

Least Pages in One Month
October - 565 pages

Shortest Book
The Magic Callaloo by Trish Cooke - 32 pages
The Children of Lir by Laura Ruth Maher - 32 pages

Longest Book
Murtagh by Christopher Paolini - 688
Average Book Length
227pages

Most Read by Others
The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams

Least Read by Others
Forest of Forbidden Magic by Eve Wersocki Morris

Star Ratings
⭐️ - 1
⭐️⭐️ - 2
⭐️⭐️⭐️- 12
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- 34
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- 31

My Average Rating
4.2

Favorite Book of Each Month
January - The Golden Mole by Katherine Rundell
February - The Puffin Keeper by Michael Morpurgo
March - Murtagh by Christopher Paolini
April - The Unadoptables by Hana Tooke
May - A Street Dog Named Pup by Gill Lewis
June - Icefire by Chris d'Lacey
July - Wishtree by Kathrine Applegate
August - Footprints in the Woods: The Secret Life of Forest and Riverbank by John Lister-Kaye
September - The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams 
October - Island of Whispers by Frances Hardinge 
November - The Worlds We Leave Behind by A.F. Harrold 
December - Tidemagic: The Many Faces of Ista Flit by Clare Harlow 

Special Mentions
The Life of Birds by David Attenborough
Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell
The Unadoptables by Hana Tooke
The Mountain Rescue Dog by Juliette Forrest
An Immense World by Ed Yong
The Good Bug: A Celebration of Insects - And What We Can Do to Protect Them by George McGavin
Island of Whispers by Frances Hardinge
The Worlds We Leave Behind by A.F. Harrold

Most Read Authors
Dick King-Smith - 4
Mikki Lish - 3
Michael Morpurgo - 3
S.A. Patrick - 3

Published in 2024
15 books

Format
Hardcopy - 62
Kindle - 0 
Audiobook - 18

Previous Year's Goal vs Actual Amount Read.
2024 goal 52 - 80.
2023 goal originally 30, upped to 52 - actual 54.
2022 goal 35 - actual 55.
2021 goal 52 - actual 54.
2020 goal 36 - actual 62.
2019 goal 19 - actual 27.
2018 goal 26 - actual 31.
2017 goal 10 - actual 43.


Check out my previous 'Year in Books':




Friday, 26 January 2024

My Year in Books 2023

 


As the title suggests, here is my 2023 Year in Books and some stats! Another fab year of books, full of animals and magic and welcome escapes to other worlds. Reading on the whole seems to have gained a lot of popularity in the past year especially which is awesome, however I rarely find another person with the same reading tastes as me. As a 33-year-old female, I share my book picks with kids over 20 years my junior...but I wouldn't change it! 

Below are the links to my quarterly round-ups of what I read throughout the year and below are some stats for the whole year.

What I Read Last Quarter // January - March
What I Read Last Quarter // April - June
What I Read Last Quarter // July - September
What I Read Last Quarter // October - December

-----


Total Books Read in 2023
54

Books Per Month
January - 5
February - 6
March - 6
April - 5
May - 4
June - 6
July - 3 
August - 3
September - 4 
October - 4
November - 5
December - 3

Most Books in One Month 
February, March & June - 6

Least Books in One Month
July, August, December - 3

Pages Per Month
January - 1,738 pages
February - 1,441 pages
March - 1,585 pages
April - 1,388 pages
May - 1,683 pages
June - 1,362 pages
July - 1,142 pages
August - 1,152 pages
September - 1,273 pages
October - 850 pages
November - 973 pages
December - 1,196 pages

Most Pages in One Month 
January - 1,738 pages

Least Pages in One Month
October - 850 pages

Shortest Book
24 pages 'A Guide to the Wizards of the World' ⭐️⭐️

Longest Book
576 pages 'Inkheart' ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Average Book Length
290 pages

Most Read by Others
The Wizard of Oz L. by Frank Baum (shelved by 809,882 people)

Least Read by Others
The Bootsie Files (Not listed online, small independent local self-published book)
Toby and the Wizards of Wildhaven by Sally Doherty (shelved by 39 people)

Star Ratings
⭐️ - 1
⭐️⭐️ - 2
⭐️⭐️⭐️- 6
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- 21
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- 23

My Average Rating
4.2

Top 5 Favorite Books of 2023
Leila and the Blue Fox by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
Always, Clementine by Carlie Sorosiak
The Way of Dog by Zana Fraillon
Toby and the Wizards of Wildhaven by Sally Doherty
Five Children On The Western Front by Kate Saunders

Most Read Authors
Peter Bunzl x2
Sally Doherty x2
Jenny McLachlan x2
Carlie Sorosiak x2
P.L. Travers x2

Published in 2023
Fablehouse by E.L. Norry
Toby and the Wizards of Wildhaven by Sally Doherty
Strangeworlds Travel Agency Adventure in the Floating Mountains by L.D. Lapinski
Strong Female Character by Fern Brady
The Witches of Pendle by Yvette Fielding
The Housetrap by Emma Read
The Wildstorm Curse by Eve Wersocki Morris
Moonflight by Gill Lewis
The Bookshop at the Back of Beyond by Amy Sparkes
The Stickleback Catchers by Lisette Auton

Format
Hardback - 4
Paperback - 48
Kindle - 1
Audiobook - 1

Previous Year's Goal vs Actual Amount Read.
2023 goal originally 30, upped to 52 - actual 54.
2022 goal 35 - actual 55.
2021 goal 52 - actual 54.
2020 goal 36 - actual 62.
2019 goal 19 - actual 27.
2018 goal 26 - actual 31.
2017 goal 10 - actual 43.




More than 1 book per month (only just) to equal 54 awesome reads for 2023...well, minus maybe the 3 books that were 1 & 2 stars haha.
I get told I rate too highly but to that, I say, I only choose books that sound good to me. I read to be happy, to escape, to laugh and cry and though I may judge a book by its cover, I have never read a book just because it's popular. 

My 2024 has already started off with some fantastic reads, so here's to lots more 5-star reads and beautiful childrens books!


Monday, 23 January 2023

My Goodreads Year in Books 2022


The quick annual post showing my overall book reading stats for January - December 2022 is finally here! Just as we are almost a full month into the following year. So much to post, so little time! Anyway, it was a wonderful reading year in 2022 full of fantastic books and reading at least a few pages every single day. 
This year I did quarterly update posts sharing what I had read within those three months, my star ratings and highlighting books that stood out to me. You can find those posts all linked below!

Now, I'll let the graphic do most of the talking but to see some extra stats, scroll down!

What I Read Each Quarter
1. January - March
2. April - June
3. July - September
4. October - December




Star Ratings
⭐️ - 0 
⭐️⭐️ - 3
⭐️⭐️⭐️- 5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- 23
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- 24

Top 5 Favorite Books of 2022*
The Bird Singers by Eve Wersocki Morris
The Hobbit by J R R Tolkien
The Last Bear by Hannah Gold
The Secret of Haven Point by Lisette Auton
Willodeen by Katherine Applegate

Most Read Authors
E. Nesbit - 5 books
Christopher Paolini - 3 books
Katherine Applegate - 2 books
John Bellairs - 2 books
Frances Hodgson Burnett - 2 books
Hannah Gold - 2 books
Neil Patrick Harris - 2 books
Philip Pullman - 2 books
J.R.R. Tolkien - 2 books

Published in 2022
Maureen Fry and the Angel of the North by Rachel Joyce
The Tower at the End of Time by Amy Sparkes
Stinetinglers by R.L. Stine
The Ripper of Whitechapel by Yvette Fielding
The Story of Greenriver by Holly Webb
Miss Peregrine's Museum of Wonders by Ransom Riggs
The Secret of Haven Point by Lisette Auton
Waking the Witch by Rachel Burge
I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
The Wild Before by Piers Torday
The Lost Whale by Hannah Gold
The Imagination Chamber: Cosmic Rays From Lyra's Universe by Philip Pullman
Rumaysa: Ever After by Radiya Hafiza
The Bird Singers by Eve Wersocki Morris
A Storm of Sisters by Michelle Harrison

Format
Hardback - 17
Paperback - 33
Kindle - 1
Audiobook - 4


Until sitting down to actually put together those little lists above I had no idea that I'd a) had so many 5 stars, and b) read so many new releases! I only read for pleasure and I rarely force myself to read anything - I can remember DNFing one book about 2 chapters in last year and it went to the charity shop so its rare that anything I do finish ends up being less than 3 stars. I also find myself quite picky when giving out 5 stars and they go to exceptional books only so those that got 4 are still absolutely amazing!
The majority of my reading, as you'll be able to tell, consists of middle-grade, books meant for children and through a quick count I can only spot 4 that don't fit into this category. To me reading is an escape, I want to read about magical lands and mystical adventures, about talking animals and unique people, not depressing, serious adult topics and there are so many fabulous children's authors out there that I will continue that for the rest of my life!

*To choose a top 5 was very difficult and they of course are in no particular order!

There we have it, 2022 in books! Though I beat my goal of 35 and even surpassed what I read the previous year (even if only by 1), my shelves are still full of books I can't wait to get around to. I continue to read every single night in bed, but hope that this year I can try and carve out extra time during most days to read also. I do have quite a few larger books on my 2023 TBR so I have lowered my goal to 21...giving me a fortnight per book so I can prioritize tackling those over 500 pages. 
I'm excited to fall into the pages of all these other worlds and as of today I'm already 4 awesome books into my reading year. 


Previous Years Goal vs Actual Amount Read.
2022 goal 35 - actual 55.
2021 goal 52 - actual 54.
2020 goal 36 - actual 62.
2019 goal 19 - actual 27.
2018 goal 26 - actual 31.
2017 goal 10 - actual 43.

Check out my previous year's Goodreads Reviews:
Mrs' Goodreads Year in Books 2019
Mrs' Goodreads Year in Books 2020
My Goodreads Year in Books 2021


Until next time...
 

Monday, 10 January 2022

My Goodreads Year in Books 2021

 


Oooh, I think this is actually my first book focused post on here since the merge! So way back when at the original start of this blog, I spoke about books and stuff but over the past couple of years, I actually had a dedicated blog for just book-talk. In September 2019, when I re-entered the blogisphere after my break, I didn't return to Underland to Wonderland right away and instead created 'Pages of the Hallows' with my husband. However, after getting back up and running here, having my daily photo blog and with Mr H working so much the book blog got pushed to the side. I still wanted to have those posts and be able to blog about books but all in one place, so I have merged the two blogs. You can look back in the archives here and see all the cool posts we published over on Pages of the Hallows.

Anyway, that long story over, here is my 2021 Goodreads Year in Books!





If you follow along with my monthly 'Life Lately' posts, you'll have seen that I read 10 books in December alone! I was running behind on my goal for the year so seeing as I had finished my Zoology course, completed all running challenges etc and had a little extra time I cracked down on the reading. It meant that I ended up surpassing my goal (even if only by two books)!
In 2020 I read the most books I've read in a year at 62. For that reason, I set 2021's goal at 52 thinking that one book per week was more than doable... It definitely is, however studying and working out, caring for 10 animals, running two blogs, taking and editing a photo and video every single day and all the other usual tasks mean I have to be more intentional with reading time.
We always read every single night in bed before going to sleep - without fail! It was sure a big effect on reading time not having to drive as far or wait for Mr H after work the latter part of this year though.
That all being said and taking into account that I have two more diploma courses, alongside small workshop courses with Cats Protection and my volunteer job on top of everything from last year I have set my goal lower at 35. I may check in here every now and again with how it's going now that the blogs have merged.

What have you been reading lately?

Previous Years Goal vs Actual Amount Read.
2021 goal 52 - actual 54.
2020 goal 36 - actual 62.
2019 goal 19 - actual 27.
2018 goal 26 - actual 31.
2017 goal 10 - actual 43.

Check out my previous year's Goodreads Reviews:
Mrs' Goodreads Year in Books 2019
Mrs' Goodreads Year in Books 2020

Friday, 14 May 2021

Mr H's Goodreads Year in Books 2020

 



So what a year of books! This is the second year doing a post of this kind and this year has so many more books read. I think it's great how Goodreads/Mrs H composes this breakdown of the books with the covers and everything on it.


40 books! 13,918 pages. I can't believe how many books I got through this year. So many of these were great books I got through 2 of the Mistborn trilogy, most of the Harry Potter series and one of my favourite reads Farmer Giles of Ham. I wonder what I will read in 2021... I doubt I'm going to get to 40 books.


Friday, 9 April 2021

Mrs' Goodreads Year in Books 2020



Okay, we're slowly but surely getting caught up! I know this is technically 4 months late but it's better than 6 haha! Anyway, last year I took my Goodreads 'Year in Books' and shared it here in one image so I could look back on it in the future and compare my reading habits. It's in no way a competition but I do like to beat something from the previous year's list be it the total number of books read, total pages or even longest book.
Click here to have a read of My Goodreads Year in Books 2019 and see below for 2020!



Looking back at last year's post I actually said I'd be happy with 40 books read so 62 books read?! Yay! 10 more than 1 per week is brilliant for me and with SO many good reads too - 3.8 is a pretty good average don't you think? Both of those numbers were higher than the previous year, though I didn't bypass my longest book as the year before was 702 pages!
This year my goal is set at 52 and I'm already behind (only by 1 but still), so I don't have high hopes of reading more than in 2020. As long as they are good books and I enjoy them that's obviously all that matters!






Monday, 10 February 2020

Mr's Goodreads Year in Books 2019


Hello there! Its been a while since I wrote a post here and I know its now February but here is my year in books! Me and Mrs H decided to use the Goodreads breakdown for these post as its convenient and looks great. I know compared to some bloggers/readers 24 books isn't alot but I am very happy with that number.





Look at all of those covers!! I read most of these books in the last 6 months of the year and I'm really happy with the amount of reading that was done. I'm in the middle of reading so many series at the moment and the plan is to get through all of them this year! I have set my Goodreads goal at 30 books for this year which I think is a good realistic goal for myself! We are both hoping to start posting on here more again so keep your eyes peeled for that!!





Monday, 13 January 2020

Mrs' Goodreads Year in Books 2019


On my old blog I'd wrap up everything I read and everything I watched (I watched a heck of a lot of movies!) at the end of each year. We have done quarterly summaries of what we've been reading here but I also wanted to do an overall yearly 'what I read' to not only keep a track but also to spur myself on for the reading year ahead.
I thought the best way to show this easily was just to share my Goodreads Year in Books! I really like the little breakdown they give you so as short and sweet as this post will be, here it is...













27 books isn't bad. Definitely nothing to be snuffed as that's over double the months in a year, but it's certainly less than I'd have liked to of read and compared to the 43 I read two years before. Still, we didn't actually start properly getting in the reading swing until after we moved house at the end of June. So... according to my finish dates on Goodreads, only 7 of the 27 were read in the first 6 months of 2019 meaning the remaining 20 were read in the last 6 months.
If I can do 20 in 6 months for 2020 and hit 40 overall for the year I'll be very happy indeed!
Look out for Mr H's year in books post coming soon!