As we kick off 2017, I wanted to take a glance back at 2016. 241 books read — I exceeded my goal (I don’t remember what it was at the beginning, but I revised it a couple of times and still beat it by 6), 444 posts (short of my goal by a couple hundred), I had some good gains in traffic — views and visitors (not as much as the previous couple of years, but that’s better than a loss). I’m also seeing good growth in followers here and on various social media fronts, which is encouraging as all get out.
So here’s my breakdown of books by genre, like the one I did last year. Mystery/Suspense took a hit this year percentage-wise, but not as much as I thought it did. SF and Fantasy jumped up to make up for that. it’s been forever since I’ve read a Western, I guess (at least one that wasn’t a hybrid with Urban Fantasy or SF or something). Theological books went down in actual numbers, not just percent — but I read some big, technical stuff this year that took a lot more time/energy to read, so I’m not too bothered by that. Still, for someone who doesn’t plan too thoroughly, the percentages stay remarkably the same from year to year — tastes (and series I follow) apparently stay the same.
| Genre | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2012-16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children’s | 5 (2%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 5 (0%) |
| Fantasy | 31 (13%) | 17 (9%) | 11 (7%) | 15 (8%) | 12 (6%) | 86 (9%) |
| General Fiction/Literature | 27 (11%) | 17 (9%) | 7 (4%) | 30 (16%) | 30 (14%) | 111 (11%) |
| Horror | 1 (.4%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%0 | 0 (0%) | 1 (0%) |
| Humor | 0 (0%) | 1 (1%) | 3 (2%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 4 (0%) |
| Mystery/Suspense | 61 (25%) | 64 (34%) | 62 (37%) | 63 (33%) | 73 (35%) | 323 (32%) |
| Non-Fiction | 11 (5%) | 8 (4%) | 4 (2%) | 2 (1%) | 11 (5%) | 36 (4%) |
| Science Fiction | 37 (15%) | 16 (8%) | 17 (10%) | 14 (7%) | 11 (5%) | 95 (9%) |
| Steampunk | 2 (1%) | 7 (4%) | 3 (2%) | 3 (2%) | 11 (5%) | 26 (3%) |
| Theology/Christian Living | 33 (14%) | 42 (22%) | 42 (25%) | 37 (19%) | 10 (5%) | 164 (16%) |
| Urban Fantasy | 36 (15%) | 19 (10%) | 20 (12%) | 26 (14%) | 48 (23%) | 149 (15%) |
| Western | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (0%) | 1 (0%) |
- Enough about me. I want to talk about you, who keep me going and show an interest in what I’m doing here and give some thanks to people for thier imact on The Irresponsible Reader (the blog and the person) in 2016:
- Mega-Thanks to Jo Perry and Darrel Drake for helping to push me to their Twitter followers — you’ve probably done more than I have for the health of this thing. I only say that half in-jest.
- Thanks to: A J Blakemont, Alice, allysonj, bbooksmartblog, Book Haunt, Bookstooge (there are times I could feel like I’m writing just for your feedback), Brenton Dickieson, Cate_Beauman, Darrell Drake, debra, Deek Rhew, Dessa, doddyaboutbooks, duskrider3740 , Erin Rhew, Gary, Grace Crandall, Jason B. Ladd, Jayme B, justbusiness1, Karen E. Olson, Kat Knit, Kimberlee Bastain, Laura@125Pages, Lauren Jones, Levi, Marsha, Micah Burke, Nancy, Patty Pope, Paul, Rafael Lovato, Ren, Rich Leder, Roy M. Griffis, rrys, S. C. Flynn, Tom R. Moore, and Vijayalakshmi Harish for your comments/feedback. Keep it up! I really appreciate the time you took to leave feedback. Hopefully you can tell that you’ve shaped the conversation here — it has, I assure you. I need to do better about commenting on other blogs, but WordPress comment sections seem to have it out for me.
- To Stuart M. Perkins, laydenrobinson, Mildew Fairy Reads, Jayme B, Jessica Manuel, One for the Books, Dr. Joseph Suglia, Edmond Sanganyado, natalieslovelyblog, As the page turns.., Fictionophile, Aidan Reid, Haidji, Marve Gandah, JAH, raulconde001, Bibliophage, greenlanddiary, Fernando Ortiz, Jr., ebookbump, the Defined Introvert, mpatraiko, Got My Book, Stormy Vixen, Bijoux Alisoa, Vijayalakshmi Harish, allysonyj, J. L. Gribble, Looseygoosey, extraordinarydog, Senna, Beth from Hello Beautiful Book Blog, Alois Larc, greatestcatpics, Deniz Yalım, bluecloverdust, wanderlustexplored, ThemisAthena, kittensandhumans, Grace Crandall, alittlebirdtweets, kmelerine, Peter Ranger
BusinessandBook, DPNews, Real Tasty Pages, drjohnpatrickkeefeii, Char’s Horror Corner, BrokenTune, Canary, hoveprinting, Krissys Bookshelf Reviews, allmeowedout, belikewaterproduction, FelissaEly, frustratedego, Drew @ TheTattooedBookGeek, TNWTL MOVEMENT, marteenreadsbooks, Contemplative Reflections, Michael Patrick Hicks, Candace L Stauber,doddyaboutbooks, booksfromdusktilldawn, resterrestern, juliahuynhs, Laine The Librarian, William Duarte, My Thoughts, annmariemcqueen1, amecipraba, Larissa N. Takahassi, julianrichmonds, Manuel Antao, BrokenTune, duskrider3740, Shitijsharma, bookcupidity, enjoywanderlust, bluereadergal, wildpuppies and Lowlife Magazine for being new followers (at least for a post or two) of the blog (in one of its forms) this year — the size of this list shocks me, and I hope you all got at least something out of it. (I sincerely hope I didn’t miss anyone) - Hearty thanks to: Goldy Moldavsky, Kevin Smith, Phil Hester and Jonathan Lau, Martine Leavitt, Alan Bradley, Jayne Entwistle, Alex Bledsoe, Christopher Buckley, Scott Meyer, Benedict Jacka,Blake Crouch, Brad Meltzer, Tod Goldberg, Scott Brick, Brandon Sanderson, Danielle Paige, Devon Sorvari, Kevin J. Vanhoozer, Brandon D. Crowe, Carl R. Trueman, David B. Garner, K. Scott Oliphint, Rod Mays, L. Michael Morales, Jax Miller, John Irving, Karen E. Olson, Kevin Hearne, Delilah S. Dawson, and Chuck Wendig, Lee Child, Dick Hill, Luke Daniels, Mary McGarry Morris, Megan E. O’Keefe, Michael R. Underwood, Mary Robinette Kowal, Michael Portnoy, Adelia Drubetski, Noah Hawley, Robert Petkoff, Owen Laukkanen, Patricia Briggs, Reed Farrel Coleman, Matthew Norman, Anna Kendrick, Wesley Chu, John Scalzi, Zachary Quinto, David VanDrunen, J. V. Fesko, Ace Atkins, Amy Stewart, Seanan McGuire, Cynthia Hopkins, Jo Perry, Berkeley Breathed, Bob Proehl, Brenden Fletcher, Cameron Stewart, Craig Johnson, Cristina Henríquez, James E. Adams, David Rosenfelt, Kyle Higgins, Eddy Barrows, Douglas Adams, E.J. Copperman/Jeff Cohen, Elan Mastai, Janet Evanovich, Lee Goldberg, Marilynne Robinson, Faith Hunter, Galia Armeland, Harry Bingham, James Patterson, Marshall Karp, Edoardo Ballerini, Jay Snyder, Joel R. Beeke, Paul M. Smalley, Joe Mantegna, Joseph Finder, Kim Harrison, Maria Semple, Kathleen Wilhoite, Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris, Booth Tarkington, Pat Conroy, Paul Cornell, Tony Parker, Erich Wurster, Joseph W. Smith III, Rainbow Rowell, Rebecca Lowman, Sunil Malhotra, Norton Juster, Norman Dietz, Pierce Brown, Rick Yancey, Shane Kuhn, Tiffany McDaniel, Randall Munroe, Jonathan L. Master, Michael P.V. Barrett, Amber Benson, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Kathe Mazur, Lauren Graham, Ben Aaronovitch, Andrew Cartmel, Lee Sullivan, David McCallum, Pepper Harding, Amy Poehler, Richard P. Belcher, Jr., Marissa Meyer, Benjamin L. Gladd, Matthew S. Harmon, Gerald M. Bilkes, Herman Bavinck, J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, Jack Thorne, Daniel O’Malley, Anthony T. Selvaggio, John William Huelskamp, Maria Semple, Matthew Goodman, Kathe Mazur, Michael W. Goheen, Mitch Stokes, Peter Davidson, Philip S. Ross, Rebecca Konyndyk DeYoung, Robert Galbraith, Robert Glenister, James K. A. Smith, Vern S. Poythress, Wes Bredenhof, Robin Sloan, Ari Fliakos, W. Bruce Cameron, A. Lee Martinez, Michael Koryta, Taylor Stevens, Hillary Huber, Patricia Briggs, and Lorelei King this blog would be nothing without your efforts, your blood, sweat, tears, fears, work, love, dreams, hopes, and words. Your books were my companions throughout this year, and I can’t thank you enough for them.
- More thanks to: Tara R, Roy M. Griffis, Jennifer Wilson, Daniel Falatko, David Harris Lang, Dustin Renwick, Emily Ruben, Erica Wright, John Grayson Heide, Jayme Beddingfield, Joe Klingler, Jonathan Charles Bruce, Kathy Cyr, Kimberlee Ann Bastian, Larry Rodness, Marina Fontaine, Michael Darling, Michael Landweber, Nancy Hersage, Sean McKenzie, Nerys Wheatley, Darrell Drake, Rafael Lovato, Clay Johnson, Rhett C. Bruno, Rick Riordan, Dylan Madeley, Larry Higdon , Grant Bywaters, William Galaini, Adam W. Jones, Anne Renwick, Arthur M. Doweyko, Arthur Nsenga, Shaunakay Francis, C.A. Huggins, C. G. Barrett, Chris Grams, Chuck Waldron, Robert A. Brown, Dale Wiley, Dan Martin, David Ahern, Devri Walls, Olga Werby , Jason B. Ladd, Johnny Newport, Rich Leder, Carl Schmidt, H. Lovelyn Bettison, L. Sydney Abel, Marjorie Thelen, Mark Benjamin, Walt Hackman, C. Esther, Richard Paolinelli, Alan J. Field, Alexa Whitewolf, Daniel P. Swenson, Jessica Dall, J. L. Gribble, Joe Zieja, Josi Russell, Kathy Bryson, Lee LaCroix, Frank Westworth, Nicky Peacock, Robert Germaux, S.C. Flynn, James Hutchings, Hagit R. Oron, Or Oron, Kristi King-Morgan, Connor MacDonald, M. T. Miller, Nathan Ronen, Jeff Faria, Diana Strenka, Vanya Ferreira, Cathy Kennedy, Zoe Kalo, David Belisle, Jason Heller, and Joshua Viola
for the work, the effort, heart, and everything that went into your books — plus thanks for asking me to read your work (either yourself or through your publicist, publisher, etc.). It’s super humbling, I know you all didn’t like what I said, but, I am grateful for the opportunity. - Stian for the graphics help and encouragement, hope I get to fully utilize them soon.
- And you all for reading. Seriously, each time I get a notification of a like, or a share, or a follow, etc. it makes my day. To know that someone took a couple of seconds or more out of their day to glance at this? It means the world to me. Thanks.
Have a great 2017, hope you find plenty of good things to read!
Bookstooge
Every time I start feeling pretty ego-tastic about the number of books I read, I run into people like you or UrlPhantomHive. And your posts, in all honesty, are about twice the technical level of mine. Something to aspire to I guess.
As for feedback, always glad to. Part of that insatiable desire to spew words. Thank goodness I’m not an indie or I’d be pumping out books like once a month. I’d also be one of those writers I love to hate on 🙂
As for wordpress commenting, what is happening to you? I’m always curious about how this place mis-works just so I can be on the lookout. I know I’ve missed comments and stuff, which is why I have my home page bookmarked and I view unlogged in. Call me paranoid!
HCNewton
It’s the strangest thing, I’ll have my blog in one tab — editing something, have someone else’s open in another to try to comment. The comment thing will make me log in to WordPress, which will only work about half the time — and when it does, it logs me out of my blog. I’m sure I’m doing something wrong, but it drives me crazy.
Bookstooge
Are you using wordpress.com or wordpress.org?
HCNewton
Uhhh. You’ve got to be kidding me. Could it be that easy? Something to check after work
Bookstooge
It could be. I still haven’t figured out why they both exist.
Manuel Antao
Wonderful end of the year review. As stated by bookstooge, every time i see something like your numbers (and bookstooge’s) i get mad…lol.
S. C. Flynn
What a great reading year! Well done, sir. And thanks for the mention!
allysonyj
Thanks for the shout-out on your summary blog! I enjoy your surveys of literature, though your reading tastes are not the same as mine (or maybe I enjoy them BECAUSE they are not the same as mine) Keep it up and Happy New Reading Year!