Happy New Year Everyone!
I think I am with you all in saying that it is good to see the end of the unqualified disaster that was 2020, and hopefully this year can deliver much better fortunes in our lives.
However, 2020 was actually a very good year for me as far as reading is concerned. I discovered a whole host of fantastic reads across a whole range of genres, and finished a total of 66 books, which is a new personal best!
My Goodreads Challenge target for the year was 52, equating to one book per week. I felt confident of reaching that, but never expected to exceed that goal by such a long way, even accounting for all the time spent at home due to COVID-19 restrictions.
That I managed to read a personal record number of books in a year was down to being able to finish books at a solidly consistent level throughout. There was only one time, during May, when I fell into something of a slump but since then it has been relatively serene progress, even though reading has led to a few rather late nights.
Another difference this year has been the fact I have read multiple books at once far more frequently, while I have started taking part in blog tours and also doing more buddy reads with other book bloggers. All of that adds up to perhaps my most exceptional reading year to date!
For this post, I am looking back on all the books I read in 2020 and have compiled some interesting statistics relating to them, which provide a useful insight into my current reading habits and preferences.
Books Read Per Month
January: 5
February: 4
March: 6
April: 7
May: 6
June: 5
July: 4
August: 7
September: 6
October: 5
November: 5
December: 6
Ratings
⭐ – 0
⭐.5 – 0
⭐⭐- 4
⭐⭐.5 – 2
⭐⭐⭐ – 14
⭐⭐⭐.5 – 17
⭐⭐⭐⭐ – 16
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 – 7
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – 6
Average rating: ⭐⭐⭐.77
Looking back at my 2019 stats, this year contained many more 3-star and 3.5-star reads, indeed more than double the amount. There was one fewer five-star book, but in terms of overall quality, I would say 2020 was a better year for reading.
Genres Read
Crime: 6
Mystery: 11
Thriller: 12
Young Adult: 6
Fantasy: 8
Historical Fiction: 13
General Fiction: 4
Dystopian Fiction: 1
Science Fiction: 1
Mythological Fiction: 1
Middle grade: 2
Non-fiction: 1
Sadly I read no classics this year or found time for more non-fiction. However, I have still taken in a very wide range including an increase in historical fiction and fantasy.
I find that certain genres overlap, for example some of the books I have included in the mystery or thriller categories are aimed more towards a young adult audience. I have just chosen the genre that I feel each book applies to the most :)
Standalone: 46
Series: 20
Pages read: 25,041
Average length: 379 pages
Shortest book read: Calico Thunder Rides Again by T.A. Hernandez (For BBNYA)
Longest book read: The Devil And The Dark Water by Stuart Turton
Books written by BAME authors: 11
Books with LGBTQIA+ representation: 16
Buddy reads: 13
In the last few months I have been buddy reading very frequently, sometimes with two books at once! That represents a sharp rise, and the average number of pages read is up slightly from 375 in 2019. I have also made progress in my long-term goal of reading more diversely, but these numbers confirm to me that I still have more improving to do in this area. There are lots more diverse books on my TBR, so I aim to pick lots of them up in 2021.
How did you get on with your reading challenge? Do you have any interesting reading stats from 2020? Let me know in the comments!
Happy reading in 2021 :)
Stephen Reads Books 