Yeah, I know. I’ll probably get kicked out of the union for saying that. But it’s the truth. So I thought that instead I’d follow the example of Beth Fish Reads and do more of a wrap-up post for the year rather than a Best Of List (though I will be including a short list of books that stood out for me in 2010).
- In 2010 I reviewed approximately 57-59 books (that includes mini-reviews of multiple books in a single post)
- I reviewed books by 50 different authors. 20 books were by female authors & 39 by male authors.
- 21 Books were by authors from countries other than the United States. I read and reviewed books from a total of 8 different countries.
- Only 3 Books were translations. (I am so disappointed by that number!)
- The N0n-Fiction to Fiction split was 15 to 42.
- I attempted quite a few challenges last year… all of which fizzled. Which led me to realize that I’m not particularly good at challenges.
My Top Reads for 2010 weren’t all published in 2010, but that is when I read and reviewed them. They’re the books, usually by authors I wasn’t familiar with, which (in addition to being well written) got me excited. Let’s face it – if you read this blog you’re probably something of a bibliophile. So you understand how wonderful it is to get pitched a curveball every so often. Well, this year at BookSexy was definitely a good year for curveballs! In alphabetical order –
- Bad Marie by Marcy Dermansky
- Censoring an Iranian Love Story by Shahriar Mandanipour
- Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer by Novella Carpenter
- From Away by David Carkeet
- The Hundred-Foot Journey – by Richard C. Morais
- Important Artifacts and Personal Property from the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris, Including Books, Street Fashion and Jewelry – by Leanne Shapton
- The Siege by Ismail Kadare
- Voice of America by E. C. Osundu
What’s coming in 2011? Well, the plan is more of the same – with an emphasis on more. I won’t bore you with the technical changes I’m planning for the blog, but here are a few goals/plans that should most directly/noticeably effect you, the reader.
- Shorter Reviews – I decided to keep the majority of my reviews to 750 words and under. There are a few reasons for this, but the main one is that I noticed in my own blog reading habits that I start to drift & skim on the longer posts. (I’m still only at 402 words on this one, so pay attention!)
- Goodreads – Personally, I like Librarything better. But the fact is that all the cool kids hang out over at Goodreads. 2011 is the year I’m going to dust off and start updating the BookSexy Goodreads page. I also want to join an online reading group, and Goodreads has several that might be interesting.
- Join a Reading Group – Online or in person, I don’t care which. I’ve wanted to join a reading group that meets regularly for the last 10 years and the time for procrastinating is over! My local library group seems fairly active, and meets once a month after work, so that’s where I intend to start.
- More Non-Fiction and More Books in Translation – This was my biggest disappointment when I reviewed the 2010 reading list. Expect to see more of both in the coming year.
And now back to our regularly scheduled program…
