As we kick off 2019, I wanted to take a glance back at 2018. 258 books read (plus comics, picture books, short stories, and the like that I don’t know how to count) — I exceeded my goal (nothing like exceeding an arbitrary number to boost the ol’ ego), 380 posts (short of my goal by a couple hundred, and worse — 15 fewer than 2017, which was down from 2016. This is a trend that I need to reverse). I had some strong gains in traffic — views and visitors — actually, strong gains doesn’t quite cut it. Consider my mind boggled. I’m also seeing good growth in followers here and on various social media fronts, which is encouraging as all get out — not just growth in numbers, but I’m actually interacting with people (and vice versa).
So here’s my breakdown of books by genre, like the one I did last year. Genre labeling is more difficult this year, I read a lot of hybrids, but I tend to go with the overarching genre (for example, Brassley’s The Drifting Lands books are fantasy novels in a SF setting, I went with Fantasy). Mystery/Suspense/Thriller is back to where it should be. Fantasy jumped up a bit, and Urban Fantasy took a dive. 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) — and I had to add a category for Poetry. Theological books went down in actual numbers, not just percent — but I read some big, technical stuff this year that take a lot of 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 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children’s | 11 (4%) | 7 (3%) | 5 (2%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) |
| Fantasy | 30 (11%) | 7 (3%) | 31 (13%) | 17 (9%) | 11 (7%) | 15 (8%) | 12 (6%) |
| General Fiction/ Literature | 22 (8%) | 29 (10%) | 27 (11%) | 17 (9%) | 7 (4%) | 30 (16%) | 30 (14%) |
| Horror | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (.4%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) |
| Humor | 3 (1%) | 1 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (1%) | 3 (2%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) |
| Mystery/ Suspense/ Thriller | 107 (38%) | 102 (37%) | 61 (25%) | 64 (34%) | 62 (37%) | 63 (33%) | 73 (35%) |
| Non-Fiction | 22 (8%) | 10 (4%) | 11 (5%) | 8 (4%) | 4 (2%) | 2 (1%) | 11 (5%) |
| Poetry | 1 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) |
| Science Fiction | 25 (9%) | 27 (10%) | 37 (15%) | 16 (8%) | 17 (10%) | 14 (7%) | 11 (5%) |
| Steampunk | 3 (1%) | 1 (0%) | 2 (1%) | 7 (4%) | 3 (2%) | 3 (2%) | 11 (5%) |
| Theology/ Christian Living | 25 (9%) | 30 (11%) | 33 (14%) | 42 (22%) | 42 (25%) | 37 (19%) | 10 (5%) |
| Urban Fantasy | 29 (10%) | 45 (16%) | 36 (15%) | 19 (10%) | 20 (12%) | 26 (14%) | 48 (23%) |
| Western | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (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 their impact on The Irresponsible Reader (the blog and the person) in 2018:
- Thanks to everyone for your comments/feedback — texts, emails, comments here/BookLikes/Goodreads, tweets, FB comments, even the occasional Face-to-Face conversation. 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. Many of you are pushing me to be better writers — some of you push me to read better books.
- Flattered thanks to (in no particular order): 500words, Ethan Bayes, Haden Clark, Amy Sparks, lynnm2018, Paula Bardell-Hedley, BookieWookie, awritersramblings446569187, Somya Gujjar, LFBooks, andrea bindi, rimpytoor, Jakirra Ballard, Beardy Book Blogger, A D Solomon, spacefaith1 (thanks for the follow, but not linking to that banner pic, sorry), Alicia Reads, Arrowhead Freelance and Publishing, Stephanie, Tim Miller, KL, [there was going to be another name here, but I’m pretty sure it’s merely an attempt to get us all to buy iffy tourist packages to the UK], ankandas, Jess T., steamstefny, millennialdrowning, Merv, Danielle The Bookworm, damppebbles, oddandbookish, Samantha Loves To Read, irevuo, factfictionfake, savageddt, Charlie De Luca, Higginbotham Publications, Carla Alexandra Rodrigues, jstlouise, Sritha Bandla, James Remmer, moviewarden, Eva Newermann, glenn van nostrand, T.Jaye, Tatiana Ketchum, linaprosserr, annhwkns77, Allie Sumner, lindsayjohnna, thisischechewinnie, vibealittle, cagedunn, Aspen Kendrick, atozmom, https://crossfitmomm.com/, jendionne10, figlia dei fiori, Deb / Being Aunt Debbie, Dog Training Guidance, Cristian Mihai, pitchstory, Jordan Peters, A Star on the Forehead, Tiana (The Book Raven), V Ramasamy, dpranita583 (don’t click on that link if you’re hungry, btw), Peg Glover, SAM, http120111324 (which is one of the stranger monikers I’ve come across online, but I’m pretty sure there’s a person behind this), Clarissa, Jenn, Leah’s Bookish Obsession,Johnny, EduPub, Liv Miles, simplymyswank, Adam Wall, RABT Book Tours and PR, Cali’s bookcamp, lifecanbebeautifulyolo, wisdomfromafather, Ola G, francestaylorblg, ingrid baker, blgkaelabl, Equipping, Williwash, angelgwapaxd, SindrElf, mithilamohan0123, Redeemed Three, The Godly Chic Diaries, littleliteraturekc, pinnaclemotivation, wittysarcasticbookclub, AlbertHolmes, The Sunday Feeling, hellotheregigi, Moonlight Snow, Fashion-Creative thinking, jennifertarheelreader, Jenniely, Pinklotus76, Word Hunter, Russell Deasley, february87, Ontheminds, awesomeyou, whinney, Di Salvo Cambiamento, Arganise Campbell, and Shalini 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 (in no particular order): Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris, David Baldacci, Scott Brick, Joel R. Beeke, Harry Bingham, Haya Magner, Miri Leshem-Peli, James Alan Gardner, Nick Offerman, Seanan McGuire, Douglas Light, Francis Portela, Samuel Renihan, Ian Rankin, Gregg Hurwitz, Jody Houser, Pere Pérez, Marguerite Sauvage, Colleen Doran, Preston Randall, Dennis Maley, Thomas Perry, Michael Kramer, Aman Mittal, Charles St. Anthony, Rod A. Walters, Vincent Chu, Sean Grigsby, Benedict Jacka, Gildart Jackson, Michael Allen, Pierce Brown, Peta Lemon, Maria Dasic Todoric, Neil Simon, Max Casella, Peter Michael Goetz, Valerie Harper, Alexana Lambros, Anna Sophie Loewenberg, Jonathan Silverman, Joyce Van Patten, JW Bowe, Katherine Moennig, Alex Wells, Simon Garfield, in60learning, Ryan McGraw, Myke Cole, Joe Ponepinto, David Ahern, B.C.R. Fegan, Lenny Wen, Nurit Zvolon, Rotem Lots-Zaiden, Stephanie Marland, John Hughson, Ali Smith, Sergey Grechishkin, K. J. Howe, Darrell Drake, Marissa Meyer, Stephen Gilpin, Yaakov Malkin, Shmuel Sermoneta-Gertel, Steven Brust, Michael J. Kruger, Kevin Hearne, Tom Rachman, Carolyn Arnold, Walter Kerr, Steve Cavanagh, Barb Taub, David W. Barbee, Mercedes Lackey, Luca Veste, Patricia Briggs, Lorelei King, P. G. Wodehouse, Simon Prebble, Drew Magary, Christopher Lane, Ace Atkins, Cassandra Khaw, Vern Poythress, Rica Newbery, Alan S. Kessler, J. K. Rowling, Jim Dale, Michael R. Underwood, Alex Bledsoe, The Babylon Bee, Jim Butcher, James Marsters, Nicky Peacock, Malka Ann Older, Simon Hall, Stephanie Tromly, Kathleen McInerney, Faith Hunter, Khristine Hvam, Dan O’Brien, Janet Elizabeth Croon, Michael Koryta, Rick Riordan, Michael Crouch, Aida Rascanu, Beatrice Magrini, Ian Patrick, George Guidall, Simon Bower, Paul F. Yeulett, Delilah S. Dawson, Todd Miles, Layton Green, Michael Connelly, Marie Brennan, Susan Duerden, Rhett Dodson, E. J. Copperman, Jeff Cohen, Jenny T. Colgan, Russell Day, Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows, Katherine Kellgren, Ken Jennings, Mark Dever, Luke Daniels, Derek W. H. Thomas, Willie Davis, Jeffery H. Haskell, Reed Farrel Coleman, Dave Barry, Becky Chambers, Lee Goldberg, Beth Mattson, Paul Cornell, Coleman Alexander, Duncan MacMaster, Lisa Lutz, Nick Kolakowski, Jodi Taylor, Chris von Halle, Gail Honeyman, Erica Wright, Joseph Brassey, James Stansfield, M. W. Craven, Andrew Cartmel, Darrin Doyle, Chuck Waldron, Derek & Dave Philpott, Jordan Harper, Amy Stewart, Rebecca BradleyRebecca Bradley, Nicholas Eames, Mark David Zaslove, Fonda Lee, Nicholas Petrie, A. Lee Martinez, Cristelle Comby, Carrie Vaughn, Marguerite Gavin, Jo Platt, J.C. Jackson, Bradley Horner, Jeremy Billups, Jasper Fforde, Emily Gray, Clare Blanchard, Holter Graham, Russel D. McLean, Sinclair Ferguson, Brent Jones, Kevin DeYoung, Cheryl Denise Bannerman, Robert Galbraith, Nevin Martell, Jeremy Arthur, Gail Carriger, Craig Johnson, Greg van Eekhout, Mark Manson, Roger Wayne, Robin Sloan, Therese Plummer, Ruth Sutton, Ben Aaronovitch, Mike Lupica, Andrew Field, Michael Connelly, D. G. Hart, Donald S. Whitney, Joe Ide, Margaret Stohl, Julia Whelan, Gary Raymond, Mark Eglinton, Spencer Quinn, Jim Frangione, Rob Sinclair, Julie Klam, Karen White, Jenn Stroud Rossmann, Arline Cooper, S.L. Huang, Richard B. Gaffin, John Marrs, Jon Rance, Jay Stringer, Napoleon Ryan Heather Wilds, Matt Phillips, Cassandra Gelvin, Christopher A. Hutchinson, Guy Prentiss Waters, Nick Spalding, Sarah Knight, Anna Willett, Oyinkan Braithwaite, Laura Hicks, Gregory Mcdonald, Dan John Miller, Meghan Scott Molin, Ben Sasse, David Rosenfelt, Grover Gardner, Matthew Hanover, J. F. Pandolfi, Steph Broadribb, Lee Child, Betsy Reavley, Mary Oliver, John Burgoyne, Matt Cowper, Jon Voss, GJ Moffat, Nicholson Baker, Bill Todd, Raj Haldar, Chris Carpenter, Maria Beddia, Kurt Scheffler, Janet Evanovich, Winston Graham, Danny E. Olinger, John Owen, Russell T. Davies, Marie Lu and Will Damron this blog would be nothing without your efforts, your blood, sweat, tears, fears, work, love, dreams, hopes, art and words. Your books were my companions throughout this year, and I can’t thank you enough for them (and I hope I get to spend time with many of you again soon!).
- More thanks to all those who requested that I read and talk about your (or your clients’) books. I know how much the work, effort, heart, and everything that went into your books. It’s super humbling, I know you all didn’t like what I said, but, I am grateful for the opportunity. Sorry, I didn’t list you all by name this year, but I’d have forgotten one (am making a better effort on this in 2019).
- Many thanks to David Ahern, Nick Kolakowski, Chuck Waldron, Derek and Dave Philpott, and Matt Cowper for taking time out of your busy schedules to answer a few quick questions with me this year! (Note to self: I did too few of these this year, work on that).
- A special thanks to my wife. Without your support, indulgence and patience this thing wouldn’t exist — and I’d read a lot less (the horror!). Thank you. I love you.
- And thank you all for reading. Honestly, 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 2019, hope you find plenty of good things to read!
