What happens when someone who reads two or three hundred books a year never leaves the house? She reads even more.
Take some research-heavy essays and articles–like my climate crisis article, which was responsible for nearly 70 books. Add nearly-no socializing. And even less vacuuming (cuz who would know). Yup: hard to believe I’ll ever read like this again.
I read when I was sad and I read when I was happy. I read when I didn’t want to think about crises and I read because I wanted to understand them. I read a lot of what I always read, and I read a lot of what I’ve never read. Another indication of how unusual this year has been? Usually my TBR increases by several hundred (last year, 600ish), this year only by about 300 (because I read lots of them immediately ).
GoodReads summarizes some of the stat’s below here. If you are scrolling down these paragraphs in a feed reader, not on the website, the data will not appear; please click through to this post and watch the little widgets add up all the pages like munchkins behind the wizard’s curtain.
2020 = 330 books
In January, I intended to read more books from my own shelves. This barely-there line shows how little I understood my reading year.
Beginning with Alistair MacLeod’s earliest short stories, with plans to read all them, I’ve got seven left to read in 2022.
Shortest = 32
Longest = 912
The 2020 election in the United States inspired my #280898 Reasons Project; that’s how many people sought to keep an old law on the books, that allowed people to be put into servitude if specific criteria were met. I didn’t name the state on my quarterly round-up posts (but you can follow a link through the project page if you’re curious) cuz that’s not so uncommon apparently. And, as I read, slavery wasn’t a thing of the past either. I’d hoped to read 32 books on the subject; I posted about a few more than that, and there were some I didn’t write about here.
My Here and Elsewhere: Between Places reading slipped between the other projects. Much of this reading was incredibly powerful. Because I read fewer books on this subject, and felt so immersed in the other projects, I longed for more time for these memoirs and stories and novels. At the same time, reading about the climate crisis and about how the modern-day practice indentured servitude is directly connected to changes in the flow of human migration…it felt like one Big Reading Project…particularly when this year’s The Writing Life, on Langston Hughes,, touched on enslavement and exploitation.
Much of my reading for Earth Changes, Habit Changes was motivated by my article, but I read a lot of books in search of a great blend of voices, and many more non-fiction works besides (that didn’t suit the piece). The more that I read, the more that I discovered; as quickly as I picked up a stack of library holds, another stack began to form. Early in 2021, there were many weeks in which I read nothing but climate crisis books. Even when the article was in the later stages of production, I was still reading, looking for one more phrase that might highlight someone else who seemed so much braver than I felt.
Quietest months – January and February (2020, May and June)
Busiest months – October and December (2020, August and December)
Translation – 46 (2020=37)
Countries Visited – 55 (2020=31)
Canadian – 81 (2020=110)
Female – 66% (2020=67%)
Literary – 34% (2020=37%)
Non-fiction – 45% (2020=30%)
Writers of colour – 69% (2020=30%)
TBR increased to 9,331 (from 9,021)
So much of what I imagined about 2020’s reading turned out differently in reality. The only part I predicted accurately was the idea of over-turning the habit I’d adopted in recent years, of prioritizing backlisted books.
I wanted to focus more on new books again and I fairly neatly flipped the data there. Instead of about 35% new books and 65% backlisted, 2021 saw about 60% new books and 40% backlisted (anything 2019 and earlier).
EVERYTHING ELSE I predicted? I might as well have been talking about someone else’s reading year. It’s hard to tease out the specific places in which I went wrong because there were so many!
Maybe the biggest gaff was my thinking that I would be writing more and reading less in 2021; actually, I published fewer–frequently longer–pieces and I read far more. (There are a lot of reasons for this; one of them revolves around my policy of reading an author’s backlist when I write about their new book for paid publication which, with an author like Lauren Groff, say, adds a lot of books to my stack in short order.)
Toggle in each category to reveal titles…
Two groups of characters in this year’s reading lodged in my mind. I discussed Opal and Nev’s staying power in my recommendation for The Chicago Review of Books. Here’s what I had to say about Ingrid Persaud’s debut: Set in Trinidad and NYC, focussing on Betty Ramdin, her son Solo, and Mr Chetan—“It boiled down to love.” Persaud’s debut could have been trite: “Everybody family have their own problems.” But “compassion coaxed snippets and stories” and her characters not only touch, but deeply move us.
I loved them both!
Your reading stats are remarkable. I know what an incredible variety of books you have read too. You’re an inspiration.
You’re very kind. It’s been a necessary escape and, along the way, an informative one too. So far, this year is a bit different.
Great first sentence!
I have to tell you that my plan on my lunch break today was to try to catch up on your blog a bit instead of read my book. I started with this post and it took me so long to read my lunch break was over and I didn’t have time to comment! Of course, it didn’t take me an hour… first I ate, then checked my texts, played my daily game of Wordle (lol), but the rest I spent reading This One Post. It was very absorbing and I wanted to soak it all in properly, but it might also give you an idea of what a slow reader I am. Ha!
Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about your 2021 reading. So much goodness. And the differences between last year and this year is so interesting to me. Holy nonfiction! And amazing number of writers of colour!
I’ve added your two favourite books to my list, but can only get one through the library – Opal and Nev.
I love your yearly projects – they’re so thoughtful and HUGE. I’m so impressed that you manage to stick to them so well. I also think it’s great that you read a review author’s backlist as well as their latest. I feel pretty sure not many other reviewers do that. That’s what makes yours so good! 🙂
Right? Who knew! LOL
I keep the toggled categories in there for you: I’m pretty sure you’re the only person who reads them! 🙂
Both of those increases brought many interesting and engaging stories into my stacks. Mostly, I’m content with those proportions, but of course I always think of what I haven’t yet explored. Same for you, I know!
You’d enjoy Ingrid Persaud’s book even more, I think, so it’s kinda too bad it wasn’t the other way ’round, but I’m still excited to think you’ll be making Opal and Nev’s acquaintance soon. I think Rebecca is reading it now, so maybe you’ll get more of a sense from her take on it.
Year before last, I saw a reviewer on Twitter mention that she reads backlists and I was sure that I’d remember her name…but I didn’t. I’m still looking for her! LOL (You’re very kind!)
I feel the same… I’m more drawn to Love After Love! I see that it’s at the Halifax library, so it’s just a matter of remembering to make a written request for it (it can’t be done online). Putting a note in my pocket right now. (I’ve got my library pants on!) 🙂
Are your pockets shaped like card-catalogue cards? Heheh
Phew, the number of books you typically buy in a year must be magic to the ears of publishers. You’re certainly doing your best to boost their income. The number of them you read within the year is seriously impressive. With other bloggers who have reading stats in 000s I often spot that they are reading a lot of manga or YA which are quicker to get through but your reading material demands a lot of attention
I wish I could buy all these, and I certainly used to buy a lot more books than I have in recent years, and used to have a rather sizeable library. But 98% of these were from the Toronto Public Library! The rest were purchased and some of those were second-hand. That’s true: on GoodReads I’ve checked out the profiles of a few other Toronto readers (you used to be able to sort via region, not sure if you still can) and was amazed to see such high numbers but then understood that the kind of reading they like is different. Although, I do have a lot of manga on my list for 2022, so maybe this will be the year I reach 1000. LOL
Wow, that’s a huge total! Do you have a sense of how many hours per day or per week you spend reading, on average? I remember years ago going to a speech by the Barbadian writer George Lamming where he said he reads 8 or 9 hours a day and has done throughout his life, which really amazed me. I guess you probably don’t have time to do that, but I’m just curious about what it takes to get through 442 books in a year.
Your other stats were very interesting too. I was surprised that almost half of your books were non-fiction—from your reviews, I’d got the impression that you read a lot more fiction. But maybe it was skewed because of some of your reading projects, e.g. all those climate crisis books? Anyway, it was great following along with your reading this year, and thanks for adding so many recommendations to my TBR list! Here’s to many more wonderful books in 2022!
Immediately that fact about George Lamming makes me want to read him (which I haven’t, unless maybe the odd piece in Caribbean anthologies); his reading life sounds rich and rewarding, and I am comforted that he managed to publish a lot, too. I’m uncomfortable contemplating just how many days last year were not broken by activity but by reading locations “reading in bed”, “reading in chair”, “reading at table”, “reading on porch”, “reading on park bench.” *scrunchy face* Not every day, but a lot of days. Around certain daily essentials and deadlines: just reading and more reading (and note-taking). Long stretches with pauses, so it’s hard to measure, but maybe half, all tolled? And you’re correct–a lot of the NF was motivated by that article and many of the twelve-hour stints were too; I think the year-over-year increase could be accounted for, in large part, just by the increase in my NF reading (the slavery and Langston Hughes and migration projects too, and I also read many memoirs, particularly about racial injustice in North America). It was invigorating in some ways, exhausting in others: so far I’m really enjoying this year, while reading less.
Ah, your list of reading locations sounds like my ideal day! All I’d add is “reading in hammock” – that is my all-time favourite 🙂 I can also see, though, that it might get exhausting and you might miss other stuff. That was my dilemma when I heard Lamming speak: my first reaction was that I’d love to read 9 hours a day, but then I wasn’t so sure. I wrote about it briefly here: https://andrewblackman.net/2010/02/reading-8-or-9-hours-a-day/
I’m glad you’re enjoying your year so far and finding a balance that works for you!
Ohhh, my partner can confirm that I have longed for a hammock for years. A neighbour has installed one in their front yard, a couple of blocks over, and I never see anyone in it, so you can imagine what I’m thinking.
Thank you so much for linking to that post. It sums up the dilemma perfectly. And I followed a couple of other links, so now I know which of Lamming’s books to read first (fortunately it’s still circulating in the library) and also discovered that you have a signed Austin Clarke-how wonderful! My favourite, FWIW, is The Meeting Place but I’ve mostly read his short stories and fiction, whereas others rec’d his memoirs to you (I didn’t read Membring but also heard a recorded interview/reading, for which he had his glasses!).
Looks like we’ve been posting about books and reading online for about the same amount of time; I’m glad our paths crossed eventually!
I was at about 50/50 current vs. backlist last year; this year I intend to spend more time with backlist books. I’m surprised at your top 2! I enjoyed Love After Love – such wonderful characters and voice – but it went so surprisingly dark it left me brokenhearted. I treated myself to Opal & Nev with some birthday money so look forward to reading that soon.
Hmmm, I’ve never actually thought about what I think the ideal would be. 50/50 sounds ideal, but, then, I kinda get into a mindset and I feel like there is a different feel to reading a certain kind of backlist, and it’s best not interrupted, y’know? Not backlist like earlier Emily St. John Mandel or Lauren Groff maybe, but backlist like Alice Walker and Margaret Drabble? So maybe alternating years (rather than every few years as I’ve been doing)? I’ll have to toy with the possibilities. Or, maybe doing it via authors, so sometimes you just move through time with them? Which is kinda like 50/50. But, then, I wonder if I’d become disenchanted, reading straight through, even one of my MustReadEverything authors, like Penelope Lively, or Rose Tremain? I’m hoping that, by now, most people will have been bored senseless by my musings about backlistness, in this massive paragraph, so that I can sneak in a general spoiler about one of my favourites. I felt the darkness about the son’s realization and experience was organic, it felt so credible and relatable, even though it was hard: it surprised me, yes, but it also felt right. But that other thing, that thing that happens, it just broke me. I wept. Just typing this, I’m tearing up again. That’s why it’s on this list. Now, in case you’re worried, Opal & Nev wasn’t at all like that; I just loved her playfulness with the structure and the multiple POVs. But I have a niggle that the things I loved about it might annoy you. Sometimes a mechanical element, that tickles me, gets under your skin instead.
I guess my reaction to the Persaud was a sort of “how could she do that to her characters?!”
We spend a few hours with her book, but she spent soooo much longer with them: she must have felt crushed.
What a great year of reading! What a number! But I know how thoughtfully you consider your reading so I know you’re not just racing through books. It’s funny how pursuits ebb and flow in different years. I find myself wanting to watch more films and shows this year and get back into being “current” with that type of media, which will probably mean less books finished. And I’m okay with that. I want to read some longer books this year too, which will also impact the final quantity. I don’t know what I’m getting at but I guess in short I just want to keep enjoying my reading and i hope you do too! I can’t wait to see what projects you get into this year.
I feel fairly safe predicting that I won’t have another reading year like that, but I could see, as the end of the year approached, that it had come to eclipse almost everything else, so I was kind of relieved to see the library stacks steadily dwindling. Hopefully I can find the same sense of escape into writing rather than reading this year. I’ve always got ideas about what I want to read, but I don’t actually have any new projects to launch just yet. I’m going to reignite “Fiercely Reading Indie” to coincide with Kaggsy and Lizzy’s Independent Publishers Month #readindies in February though: that’ll be fun! I’ll be curious to hear about your current TV/film efforts now that you’re all caught up with Marvel/HP (as much as one can be caught up with the MCU).
Wowza! So so impressive, and you are such a thoughtful reader too, you aren’t just racing through these to get to a bigger number, which is why this number is even more impressive.
Many people are shocked by my number of 100-ish books a year, but I always have you in mind when I assure them that other Canadian bookworms read much more than me, and I trot out your number around 300 and their eyes get big and wide haha
Tell me, how do you manage to stay optimistic when reading about the climate crisis? I find I can’t read more than one book in a time about it, because I start to feel all doom and gloom about it, and quite honestly, sort of guilty about the children I had – the strain they put on the climate themselves, and the future they are starting down, and the uncertainty of it. Any advice there?
I set goals for habits that I avoid, exercise and films for instance, but I don’t have to do that with books–it just happens. This year too often, when I should have been doing other things. (The dustbunnies have evolved more rapidly than COVID around here.) Yah, I know there are reviewers who don’t read this much, even, but they also don’t read backlists to review and, when I’m working on an essay, I always read a few books where one or two might suffice…all that adds up. There were times during the heaviest research for that article when I was overwhelmed. It was everything: podcasts, films, doc’s, mag’s, books. I recommend Christiana Figueres and Tim Rivett Carnac’s The Future We Choose, very short and realistic but still inspiring book (buy two, if you can afford to, and ask a friend to join you for company) and their weekly podcast, less than an hour, Outrage and Optimism as a reminder that you can be scared *and* still take action, not just wait for what you’re imagining is the worst-case scenario.
Hmm that podcast sounds interesting. Also the Future We Choose – even that title sounds good!
They leave you feeling empowered and determined, while still acknowledging the fear factor. If you try it, LMK! 🙂
What a productive and diverse year of reading you’ve had! I’ve enjoyed following your progress this year – several of the books and authors you read are relatively ‘new’ to me, so there’s always something different to discover. Love After Love has been very popular with our customers and readers, so it’s great to see you highlighting it here.
Wishing you all the best for 2022 – reading-wise and otherwise!
It continues to amaze me, just how different the North American and English lit scenes are, in many ways (and different beyond that, the Canadian and Quebec and Indigenous lit scenes). Love after Love has lingered with me stubbornly and it’s hard to stand out on a shelf of more than 400. Here’s to more great books and livin’ in 2022!
I agree with your focuses: environment, the ongoing injustice of the treatment of Indigenous peoples, ongoing slavery and so on. And I agree that the first best thing to do (for readers) is to read books by the people concerned. In passing, I see today that Canada is promising to spend $40 Billion on ‘stolen’ Indigenous children. In Australia nine tenths of that money would go to private corporations and white bureaucrats, not that a cent has been promised yet. I hope you guys do better.
And I hope my reading in 2022 gives me a glimpse of a fraction of all those writers who whizz by in every post.
Most days, knowing is better than not; avoiding certain topics in my reading doesn’t mean that I’m not thinking about them, not concerned, and I have an active imagination, so I would rather simply read and know. BUT I’ve gone through phases where other aspects of life were overwhelming and I certainly didn’t read as much about challenging ideas and subjects like this. That sum isn’t uncomplicated here, either, as I believe it’s to be administrated through the same channels that have bolstered genocidal policies in the past. Without resolving the sovereignty question, it’s hard to see a pathway to true reconciliation.
I’m really looking forward to reading about your 2022 project (and I have yet to investigate to see why I’ve missed some of your recent posts-maybe tomorrow I’ll go a huntin’).
442 books? Holy smoke! And here I was pretty pleased that I read 88 books, more than I have ever read in a year. You read lots of good stuff too. I hope however 2022 turns out it if filled with great reading!
It really surprised me; I knew the year was different but didn’t know just how much different. Percentage-wise, maybe your reading was similar; it worked out to about 25% more than the previous year for me, which made a certain kind of sense, when I compared my 2021 with 2020’s habits and patterns (for one thing, I hardly watched any TV last year, and I missed that).
Our read of Roots was one of the highlights of my year, and had a massive effect on my reading going forward, as I realised I COULD cope with really quite traumatic scenes OK (not about animals, still, but people). So that’s opened up more books to me. Well done on an extraordinary total, too!
That’s the longest book that appears in my GR summary: I really enjoyed the discussions that you and Bill and I had through the process of reading that tome. Did your other friend ever end up reading it?
I don’t think she did, but I so enjoyed our discussions. I hope we can do Queen later in the year, although I also have The Love Song of WEB Du Bois from NetGalley which is huge, too, following a fictional family from slavery until now in the US.
I looked into purchasing it but it didn’t seem to be in print; I’ll have another look later in the year (and might “luck” into one via a Little Free Library in the meantime…it’s a vintage that shows up often).
That’s definitely on my list, and I’ll look into her poetry too.
What a year you’ve had. I thoroughly enjoyed reading your analysis. Interestingly, we were a bit similar in female percentage (65% for me). I guess I was one who found it hard to focus on reading this year with all that was going on. Of course, my mum’s death in 2020 and dad’s early in 2021 didn’t help. The estate work was part of it, but the sadness too.I think also I felt too obliged to read the books sent to me and they weren’t what I really wanted to read at that time in my life. So I paralysed myself a bit. I’m going to try to be more sensible this year.
Anyhow, I have enjoyed sharing book talk with you and look forward to that continuing. All the best for 2022.
Sometimes sadness can obliterate my focus on narrative too, even TV/movies but especially with books; I can see where your 2020 and 2021 would have left you feeling unmoored and less able to connect with the activities that had absorbed more of your time in the past. I hope your 2022 will be calm and as bookish as you wish. And, yes, to continued bookchat! (Although I only read TWO Australian books and one from NZ all year!)
You raise a very good point about how/whether accepting other people’s reading priorities disrupts your reading, just the idea that you aren’t necessarily choosing material that you’re receptive to, in that moment. After a couple of years reviewing on BIP, the percentage of my reading was increasingly being shaped by publicists who knew that I enjoyed literary fiction and were happy to share their latest “discoveries” and it took a concerted effort to reduce that (to less than 1% of my reading, about the same number of books that I read from my own shelves this year LOL).