Thank You - The Irresponsible Reader

Programming Note: Over the next few days, I’ll be looking back over 2021—but I’ll try to come up with some new material, too. Many/most others have already done their best-of/year-end wrap-up posts, but I’m a stickler—I can’t start doing this kind of thing ’til the year is over. My brain doesn’t allow me to work that way (I just hate projecting things in general—and some years ago when I just read irresponsibly, but hadn’t adopted the name, the last novel of the year was so far beyond the rest that I can’t start looking back until 12/31 at the earliest).

As we kick off 2022, as is my custom, I wanted to take a glance back at 2021 (may it soon be a distant memory). 307 books finished (plus comics, picture books, short stories, and the like that I don’t know how to count)—my mind is thoroughly boggled! I exceeded my goal (nothing like exceeding an arbitrary number to boost the ol’ ego), too; finishing around 86,000 pages; with an average rating of 3.69 Stars. I only DNF’d one book, which is nice (or could I have enjoyed myself more if I’d done more?).

On the blog front, I put up 562 posts—an all-time high for me—82 more than last year!! I had another year of strong gains in traffic—views and visitors—I’m not big-time (never going to be), but those numbers consistently weird me out (which is why I only look every 6-12 months). My follower count (here and on social media sites) is encouraging and humbling, I really feel like I ought to do more to earn them.

I didn’t have any big blog projects for the year this year—I did finish my trip through The History of Tom Jones, but the follow-ups I thought about never materialized, but may in 2022. I also want to get back to my Classic Spenser series…that one is bugging me. I’ll talk about some other plans soon—maybe, maybe I’ll just put them in place instead.

As is my habit, here’s my breakdown of books by genre (and I’m going to have to change things soon, this chart doesn’t show up well anymore, I just like showing the trends). Genre labeling continues to be more difficult as I’m reading a lot of hybrids (most of us are, they’re being produced more), but I tend to go with the overarching genre. Basically, everything’s the same, with just a percent or two of adjustment. It’s been forever since I’ve read a Western or a Horror novel—and “humor” is pretty useless as a category, as a lot of things I read could be considered that. Once again, for someone who doesn’t plan too thoroughly, the percentages stay remarkably consistent from year to year—tastes (and series I follow) apparently stay the same. I need to devote a Saturday afternoon some time to doing the math to make this chart more useful/attractive. I didn’t expect both Fantasy and Non-Fiction to dip the way they did this year—not at all surprisingly Mystery/Thriller/Crime picked up those percentage points, though.

Genre	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015	2014	2013	2012
Children’s	2 (1%)	5 (2%)	7 (3%)	11 (4%)	7 (3%)	5 (2%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)
Fantasy	20 (7%)	35 (13%)	28 (10%)	30 (11%)	7 (3%)	31 (13%)	17 (9%)	11 (7%)	15 (8%)	12 (6%)
General Fiction/ Literature	22 (7%)	16 (7%)	21 (8%)	22 (8%)	29 (10%)	27 (11%)	17 (9%)	7 (4%)	30 (16%)	30 (14%)
Horror	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (.4%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)
Humor	9 (3%)	2 (1%)	4 (1%)	3 (1%)	1 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (1%)	3 (2%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)
Mystery/ Suspense/ Thriller	117 (38%)	90 (34%)	105 (38%)	107 (38%)	102 (37%)	61 (25%)	64 (34%)	62 (37%)	63 (33%)	73 (35%)
Non-Fiction	22 (7%)	28 (10%)	25 (9%)	22 (8%)	10 (4%)	11 (5%)	8 (4%)	4 (2%)	2 (1%)	11 (5%)
Poetry	2 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)
Science Fiction	20 (7%)	20 (8%)	30 (11%)	25 (9%)	27 (10%)	37 (15%)	16 (8%)	17 (10%)	14 (7%)	11 (5%)
Steampunk	1 (0%)	2 (1%)	1 (0%)	3 (1%)	1 (0%)	2 (1%)	7 (4%)	3 (2%)	3 (2%)	11 (5%)
Theology/ Christian Living	38 (13%)	23 (8%)	34 (12%)	25 (9%)	30 (11%)	33 (14%)	42 (22%)	42 (25%)	37 (19%)	10 (5%)
Urban Fantasy	49 (16%)	42 (16%)	25 (9%)	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%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (0%)

Thanks to the nifty spreadsheet made by the Voracious Reader, I was able to get a few more stats. I find them interesting, maybe you will, too.

I honestly thought that re-read percentage was going to be higher—it dropped by 2% from last year. I expected it to be in the high 20s/low 30s.

Audiobooks also dropped a little this year, as that’s the majority of my re-reads lately, I guess that explains the drop there. Still, that’s another surprise decrease.

Enough about me. Now we get to my favorite part—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 2021:

Thanks to everyone for your comments/feedback—texts, emails, comments here/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 a better writer—some of you push me to read better books. I’m going to give a particular thanks to Robert Germaux, Fiction Fans Podcast, The Write Reads, Bookstooge, Allyson Johnson, W&S Bookclub, Lashaan, Emma, and Noelle for their encouragement, retweets, and interaction.
Flattered thanks to (in roughly chronological order): Priya Prakash, David Donaghe, Leigh Hecking, Dark Corners, thebookinhandsam, jenniereads, Bec @ bec&books, MCG, thisdadreads, mybookishbliss, Masha, mybookishbliss, josbees, rtslaywood, deardailydiary81, Operation X, Siddharth menon, Hannah , Ccoutreach, bookish_renee, unclearer, Zeeshan Amin, Cole Rush, saniya | sunnysidereviews, Esther, ljwrites85, Bethany Waller, tubasarwat, Elias Graves, jakeschubert7, Amanda @ Bookish Brews, Joseph D. Newcomer, Hit-Man Slade, Sheri Dye, evidencemutumbu, wallacepublishing, pranjal Narayan, Angela, Cristina Monica @ Hit or Miss Books, Amy, Anketsu, Marilynn Champion, Mahmoud Dualeh, Tarahaddasa, Inspired, davidlonan1, //Anannya//, pattimouse, doggydogguy, Shannon K Sexton, Carol, Prog.Gaming, Stephanie, EmmabBooks.com, Peat Long, sang, and Beth Tabler for being new followers (at least for a post or two) of the blog 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 all the authors, editors, illustrators, translators, and other people behind the production of the books I spent time with this year—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 else 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.
I didn’t do as many Q&As this year as I intended to, but many thanks to those who took time out of their busy schedules to answer my questions: Matthew Iden, Robert Germaux, Jonathan Nevair, John McMahon, Ian Shane (for the second time), Matthew Hanover (for the third time), Scott Spires, K.R.R. Lockhaven,
I want to thank one more time, those who pitched in with my Strolling Down Amnesia Lane project:
Robert Germaux, K.R.R. Lockhaven, Jeff Quest, and Ian Patrick Robinson.
My son Owen provided a lot of the technical support I needed this year. Owen’s my best editor (sadly, it’s all after I post something…), too, and he’s saved me from looking stupid on more than one occasion.
All my kids have acted as sounding boards this year–helping with some graphics, jokes, themes, etc. A hat tip to Calvin, Carleigh, and Machen, too.
Micah Burke, who handles the tech stuff that Owen can’t and is a great sounding board. I can’t thank you enough. The instant I make a dime on this thing, you’ll get the first nickel!
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 2022, hope you find plenty of good things to read!

The Irresponsible Reader in 2020: Thoughts, Thanks and Stats

By HCNewton

On January 1, 2021

In Calendar Items, News/Misc., Nick Kolakowski

Programming Note: Over the next few days, I’ll be looking back over 2020—but I’ll trying to come up with some new material, too. Many/most others have already done their best-of/year-end wrap up posts, but I’m a stickler—I can’t start doing this kind of thing ’til the year is over—a few years ago, pre-blog, the last thing I read (finished on 12/31, as I recall) just blew me away and was easily the best thing I read that year. Ever since then, I just can’t start to think about it until January 1.

As we kick off 2021, as is my custom, I wanted to take a glance back at 2020. 263 books finished (plus comics, picture books, short stories, and the like that I don’t know how to count)—and that’s with pretty much taking one month off! I exceeded my goal (nothing like exceeding an arbitrary number to boost the ol’ ego), too; around 80,000 pages; with an average rating of 3.77 Stars. I only DNF’d one book, which is nice (and man, it was bad).

On the blog front, I put up 480 posts—128 more than last year!! (and again, that’s with some time off). 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 the level of and amount of interaction is up to the point that my socially awkward self doesn’t really understand it.

I didn’t finish two of my projects for the year—my trip through The History of Tom Jones and my survey of the first twelve Spenser novels. I’m getting back to both of those in the coming days (and I might lengthen the Classic Spenser series by three or four, we’ll see).

In addition to the changes in lifestyle brought on by the global pandemic (perhaps you heard of it), I moved my blog to a self-hosting platform. That created more headaches than I want to think of (comments went down at least 3 times, for example). But I think it’ll be worth it in the long-run. And not just because I can save some money. And then, my family had to move, which was a lot more disruptive than I expected. I know I’ve talked too much about it already, just a little more…in the first decade or so that my wife and I were married, we lived in 6 different places, moving was just a thing that happened. In the next 13 years, we lived in one place and planned on at least two more years there. That’s a lot of inertia to overcome—but we’re almost settled, most of my books have a place to be, and I’ll soon shut up about it all.

As is my habit, here’s my breakdown of books by genre (and I’m going to have to change things soon, this chart doesn’t show up well anymore, I just like showing the trends). Genre labeling is more difficult lately as I’m reading a lot of hybrids (most of us are, they’re being produced more), but I tend to go with the overarching genre. Basically, everything’s the same, with just a percent or two of adjustment. It’s been forever since I’ve read a Western or a Horror novel—and “humor” is pretty useless, as a lot of things I read could be considered that. Once again, for someone who doesn’t plan too thoroughly, the percentages stay remarkably consistent from year to year—tastes (and series I follow) apparently stay the same.

Genre	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015	2014	2013	2012
Children’s	5 (2%)	7 (3%)	11 (4%)	7 (3%)	5 (2%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)
Fantasy	35 (13%)	28 (10%)	30 (11%)	7 (3%)	31 (13%)	17 (9%)	11 (7%)	15 (8%)	12 (6%)
General Fiction/ Literature	16 (7%)	21 (8%)	22 (8%)	29 (10%)	27 (11%)	17 (9%)	7 (4%)	30 (16%)	30 (14%)
Horror	0 (0%)	1 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (.4%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)
Humor	2 (1%)	4 (1%)	3 (1%)	1 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (1%)	3 (2%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)
Mystery/ Suspense/ Thriller	90 (34%)	105 (38%)	107 (38%)	102 (37%)	61 (25%)	64 (34%)	62 (37%)	63 (33%)	73 (35%)
Non-Fiction	28 (10%)	25 (9%)	22 (8%)	10 (4%)	11 (5%)	8 (4%)	4 (2%)	2 (1%)	11 (5%)
Poetry	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)
Science Fiction	20 (8%)	30 (11%)	25 (9%)	27 (10%)	37 (15%)	16 (8%)	17 (10%)	14 (7%)	11 (5%)
Steampunk	2 (1%)	1 (0%)	3 (1%)	1 (0%)	2 (1%)	7 (4%)	3 (2%)	3 (2%)	11 (5%)
Theology/ Christian Living	23 (8%)	34 (12%)	25 (9%)	30 (11%)	33 (14%)	42 (22%)	42 (25%)	37 (19%)	10 (5%)
Urban Fantasy	42 (16%)	25 (9%)	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%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (0%)

Thanks to the nifty spreadsheet made by the Voracious Reader, I was able to get a few more stats. I find them interesting, maybe you will to.

I keep saying I want to re-read more, I’m doing okay on that front, but want that to get higher.

I knew I was listening to more audiobooks this year (just the nature of my work enables me to do a lot of these, plus gym time—before March, anyway), but that it’s the majority of what I “read” in 2020 is pretty surprising. A lot of the “Borrowed” and re-read slices above are tied to that.

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 2019:

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. I’m going to give a particular thanks to Bookstooge, Allyson Johnson, W&S Bookclub, Lashaan, Emma, and Noelle for their encouragement, retweets, and interaction.
Flattered thanks to (in no particular order): Lou des Anges, Don Jimmy Reviews, Žygimantas Krungolcas, penelopeburns, TL Wright, Mugilan Raju, aloysius5, writingeatingwalking, Dora , Hâf, Susan, Shell-Shell’s, travelingcloak, clareblanchardbooks, Store Of Unicorns, jamesdeeclayton, fluffyluggage, waytoofantasy, Betty, Matt Kaster, jellyfishentity, Wednesday Reads, Eamon, Graphic Design Eye, ARJung, Familiar Diversions, Sorry kids, no feet. , WhiskeyintheJar Romance, 99 problems, and a book ain’t one, Just Olga and her books, Burfobookalicious, Linda Hilton, Darth Pedant, brokeassmother, Angels With Attitude Book Reviews, Elentarri’s Book Blog, Lora’s Rants and Reviews , Mike Finn, Written Among The Stars, surjit2009 , Rachel Bridgeman, One Book More, imyril, KetoJENic Vibe, Shreya Roychoudhury, tiffosaur, *Flora*, posssumpapaya, Shayleene MacReynolds, beyondthecryptsandcastles, Uniquely Portable Magic, Daniel MacKillican, J.R.Spiker, Caffeinated Reviewer, Odah Ebubechukwu Nelson, ontheshelfbookblog, Rajesh khanna, sandomina, LDW, just_tommye, Mayank Sharma, youngcreativepress, Oaks CastleCollections, the reading chemist, Quinn Patrick Fernandez, Neriman K., Not Quite Home, Caroline Paquin, SarahSansom, Chiddicks Family Tree, ginnymalbec, Narun Garg, jyvurentropy, Om Prakash Khare, Sakari Lacross, The Apocalypse Daddy, Stine Writing, Murder by Death, EmilyJane1995, Tea With Stevie (which I first misread as “Tea with Stevia” and thought “ew”), Christine, Katie @ Melting Pages, pen2m3, Matt Sweeney, indiefan20, Susan, Bookworm Blogger, wonderouspages, Freda Mans, ellisnelson, Lola, Mary Grace Dañas, DL Orton, johnnyholidayesq, Being Zab, Chris Green Reads!, Frankie | Chicks Rogues and Scandals, Turtle Quotes, Jacob Collins, San, Anketsu, benjamingohs, Umairah @ Sereadipity, writingfest, Elaine Howlin, Cathy746books, Kiara McCabe, educater34 MSc, NickMay, NewDogNewTricks, Ed A. Murray, Evelina @ AvalinahsBooks, Crystena’s Books, Afrin, leighhecking, Morgan, NewDogNewTricks, francescocat, penelopeburns, tensecondsfromnow, beyondthecryptsandcastles, Tannie LowA.C. Stark, Mike Finn , ilaria.muzzi, bookshelflife, angelicreader,consideringthebibletogether, Faith’sPen, Books Are 42 (possibly the greatest blog name ever), The Godly Chic Diaries, ankushmaster, samfsm, Elias Graves, T.Tazaki, samfsm, S.D. McKinley, crimsoncodexebooks, Char, I.F, BookerTalk, Spellbound Librarian, Mina @Stacked, ravensprouts, Ollie, Anna, P.L. Stuart, Masha, Shoppen met Marceline, Dellybird, Anjana, Dr. Ndubuisi E. Ojo, and last but not least, Miss Katherine White 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 all the authors, editors, illustrators, translators, and other people behind the production of the books I spent time with this year—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!). (I typically link to them all, but honestly, who reads it, and it was taking too long to put together the links for all 271 names involved).
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 else 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.
I didn’t do as many Q&As this year as I intended to, but many thanks to those who took time out of their busy schedules to answer my questions: Shellie Bowdoin, Matthew Hanover (again), Noelle Holten, Michael Landweber (again), Reyna Griffin and Jeff Quest of the Like the Wolfe Podcast, Paul Levine (I still can’t believe I was given this opportunity, I’ve been reading him so long), Ronald Hera,
Nick Kolakowski (the fifth time he’s done this!!, Gray Basnight,
and D. B. Borton! I thoroughly enjoyed picking all of your brains and hope I can again.
Owen and Machen, my sons, provided a lot of the technical support I needed this year. Owen’s my best editor (sadly, it’s all after I post something…), too, and he’s saved me from looking stupid on more than one occasion.
Micah Burke…the only reason this thing isn’t smoldering ruins since I tried to migrate to my own host is because of your efforts. I can’t thank you enough. The instant I make a dime on this thing, you’ll get the first nickel!
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 2021, hope you find plenty of good things to read!

Looking back at 2019 for Books and the Blog

By HCNewton

On January 1, 2020

In Calendar Items, News/Misc.

Programming Note: Over the next few days, I’ll be looking back over 2019—but trying to come up with some new material, too. I know a lot of people have already done that, but I’m a stickler—I can’t start doing this kind of thing ’til the year is over (for good reason, I read 3 things that will likely end up on best-of lists after I started seeing “Best of 2019” posts).

As we kick off 2020, as is my custom, I wanted to take a glance back at 2019. 275 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), too; more than 83,000 pages; 378 posts (short of my goal by a couple hundred, but 98 more than last year, so…yay). 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 the level of and amount of interaction is up to the point that my socially awkward self doesn’t really understand it.

So here’s my breakdown of books by genre. Genre labeling is more difficult lately as I’m reading a lot of hybrids (most of us are, they’re being produced more), 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). Basically, everything’s the same, with just a percent or two of adjustment. It’s been forever since I’ve read a Western, although I had one checked out from the Library for a couple of months, but I couldn’t manage to get to it. Theological books went up a tad in actual numbers (thanks to the Vos set). Still, for someone who doesn’t plan too thoroughly, the percentages stay remarkably consistent from year to year—tastes (and series I follow) apparently stay the same.

Genre	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015	2014	2013	2012
Children’s	7 (3%)	11 (4%)	7 (3%)	5 (2%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)
Fantasy	28 (10%)	30 (11%)	7 (3%)	31 (13%)	17 (9%)	11 (7%)	15 (8%)	12 (6%)
General Fiction/ Literature	21 (8%)	22 (8%)	29 (10%)	27 (11%)	17 (9%)	7 (4%)	30 (16%)	30 (14%)
Horror	1 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (.4%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)
Humor	4 (1%)	3 (1%)	1 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (1%)	3 (2%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)
Mystery/ Suspense/ Thriller	105 (38%)	107 (38%)	102 (37%)	61 (25%)	64 (34%)	62 (37%)	63 (33%)	73 (35%)
Non-Fiction	25 (9%)	22 (8%)	10 (4%)	11 (5%)	8 (4%)	4 (2%)	2 (1%)	11 (5%)
Poetry	0 (0%)	1 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)
Science Fiction	30 (11%)	25 (9%)	27 (10%)	37 (15%)	16 (8%)	17 (10%)	14 (7%)	11 (5%)
Steampunk	1 (0%)	3 (1%)	1 (0%)	2 (1%)	7 (4%)	3 (2%)	3 (2%)	11 (5%)
Theology/ Christian Living	34 (12%)	25 (9%)	30 (11%)	33 (14%)	42 (22%)	42 (25%)	37 (19%)	10 (5%)
Urban Fantasy	25 (9%)	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%)	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 2019:
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. I’m going to give a particular thanks to Bookstooge, Paul, W&S Bookclub, Lashaan, Emma, and Noelle for their encouragement, retweets, and interaction.
Flattered thanks to (in no particular order): Asha Seth, rosemikeals42, nikkit321, andrayachristine, Solid lover of poetry, Hannah, workwithlapo and salmanalfarisi, Dalindcy Koolhoven, ailishsinclair, allmyheroesareweirdos, ladolceamara, William J. Fulton, Shawn P. B. Robinson, Davida Chazan, wanderingminds2019, Elle, editorbtg, lollyrugs, Kara Skinner, Blood Rose Books, libarah</a and Matilde Mbulo , Kanwarpal Singh , sara , Tony H , Simon Veith , K. Alice Compeau , deborahkehoe , kelleysdiy , TheArtOfLife , Erwin Wensley , dragonflybooks , virgoebooks , BOOKVENGER-44 , Blair Leftly , upstateasb , vickyofficiallyofficial , amiiiesbooks , Madam Mim , Sonam Tsering , indianeskitchen , Occidentally Orthodox (who may not like a lot of what I post, but I hope he comments) and whovinawrites , Ciidagale Raad , KayCKay , BookaholicBrittany , Crystal Grasso (Ward), Jocelyn , SED MADDY , The Happy Book Blog , Justine @ Bookish Wisps , Ailish Sinclair , flowersinthebrain , tracyvende , Britt Skrabanek , TheReadingNook , Tony Self , Somik Bndopadhyay , Sesame Limited , devouringbooks2017 , theguywiththebook , geekhutdrone , weewritinglassie , crimebookjunkie , David , Kyles , Thomas Neil , Michelle Eddington, Queerying Literature , IM Fletcher, and Bestiality , karishmarele , Aurore-Anne-Chehoke , Sovely Matters , chapterinmylife , Shana Gorian , Caroline Vincent , Tales of alenshy , The Unseen Library , penninkreviews , Diana , miscellanypages , brian2010 , TooFullToWrite , fionac13, lindajacksonblog , Self Development , Vee Aozoraa , happytonic , Elizabeth Ruggiero , adiswings , Kitty Marie’s Book Reviews Blog , rashidul.huda , Lashaan Balasingam @ Bookidote , Naba Kumar Garai , Psychotherapist ,Counsellor, Film Screenwriter,Playwright,Producer – LONDON.UK , Sonam Sangpo Lama , Tammy (great site logo), Curled up with a good book , Kathryn Speckels , ChadeeMañago , 1800PetsAndVets®, Global Books , neoverttun, Isabelle @ BookwyrmBites , KATO NASHIF, William Johnson , tourinfonepal , AKidneyStory , agnieszkaweiner (say that fives times fast), Bill , Aqsa haleem , OwlBeSatReading , bryan_lunsford , Mohit Malviya , jackiesreadingcorner , Patrick Lynn , kbbookreviewer , _forbookssake , thelostwoman, amanja , Steven Colborne , Anthony Day Grandin , Donald Wilson , lisasbooksgemsandtarot , Adrianna , Scarlett Backus, Lee, likeherdingcatsblog , caffeinefocus , intentforcontent , entertainingly nerdy , The Awesome Dad , juniorgareth42, Tom Gamache , proofreadingebooks (the name is making me nervous about my content), Yvonne , Fragilistic , babblingstories , Zoé O’Farrell , kerrimcbooknerd , tracy cole, lidija.biskup, Notes Kecil, Beth Tabler , R., overtherainbowbookblog , simplyclaudianicole , Freedom is the luxury I seek , APB813 , Maya’s Musings , David W , Rain Alchemist , alittlebookproblem , forwarddog , Tim Onayemi , Gehad Gamal , Anton Michaux, Brandi Robbins , Mental Health •Lifestyle •Finance , Kelly Curtis , and (last but not least and whatnot) brainyjaney 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 all the authors, editors, illustrators, translators, and other people behind the production of the books I spent time with this year—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!). (I typically link to them all, but honestly, who reads it, and it was taking too long to put together the links for all 271 names involved).
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.
Many thanks to T Gamache, Steven Max Russo, Dr. Heather L. Beal, Nick Kolakowski, Beth Ruggiero York, Anne Dolleri, Malcolm J. Wardlaw, F J Curlew, Christy J. Breedlove, Richard Steele, Maggie Lynch, Brian VanDongen, Devri Walls, Ian Shane, James Bailey, Melissa Simonson, Ian Patrick, Duncan MacMaster, Sarah Chorn, Jo Perry, Russell Day, Luna Miller, Russ Colchamiro, Gray Basnight, and Matthew Hanover for taking time out of your busy schedules to answer a few quick questions with me this year! For three or four of you, this was the second time you’ve done this—the second and third for Nick Kolakowski, a true glutton for punishment. I thoroughly enjoyed picking all of your brains and hope I can again.
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 2020, hope you find plenty of good things to read!

Looking back at 2018 for Books and the Blog

By HCNewton

On January 1, 2019

In Calendar Items, News/Misc.

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!

Flashback Friday – Thank You, Goodnight by Andy Abramowitz: A book about a one-hit wonder by an author who I hope has a few more in him.

By HCNewton

On August 24, 2018

In Fiction, General Fiction/Literature

Long, tiring, but good week. But there’s just nothing left in the tank for something new, so I’m going to repost about couple of books from the past that I loved.
—

Thank You, Goodnight”

by Andy Abramowitz
Hardcover, 338 pg.
Touchstone, 2015
Read: June 30 – July 3, 2015

In most instances, space between people grows like mold, neglected just long enough to be noticed. You intended to wipe it clean, but the more of it there is, the more daunting a task it becomes to erase it. Not so with me and the band. I’d discontinued those people as if they were a premium cable channel that I’d finally realized was broadcasting nothing I wanted to watch.

From passages like that, a nice mix of thoughtful, sentimental, with a bit of a grin; to the out-and-out funny, like the funniest suicide attempt I’ve read in a long time, possibly ever (something worthy Save Steve Holland’s Lane Myer, but longer); this book covers the spectrum. Not only covers it, but does so with assurance and panache. It’s one of those first novels that makes you wonder what could possibly be done as a follow up.

Teddy Tremble is a successful enough lawyer for someone who’s heart isn’t really in it, while still being good at it. He’s sort of coasting through life — being good enough at his job, good enough with his girlfriend of forever, good enough for his social circle, but not good enough for his father (but after meeting him, you understand that’s just a given). He’s forty-ish and realizes that life is going to pretty much stay this way. On the whole, he seems okay with that — but in the back of his mind he knows he’s not. He won an Academy Award. His band was huge for a little while in the 1990’s, before his hubris ruined things. Sure, things are good enough now, but once upon a time they were great.

Then through a truly humbling and bewildering set of circumstances, Teddy comes across a group of huge Tremble fans. Seriously, die-hard doesn’t begin to describe these people. Think something akin to the kind of people that organized the first Star Trek convention back when it wasn’t a cultural phenomenon, just a short-lived and then canceled show. This changes everything. The adulation, the attention, the satisfaction of performing gets under his skin and he starts writing music for the first time in a long time.

Pretty soon, he’s (forgive the cliché) trying to get the band back together — his agent and producer are on board, convinced that what he’s written exceeds his former quality. Incidentally, both of these characters are the kind that we readers hope to come across — supporting characters that threaten to steal the entire novel, but when used properly just make the whole thing better.

Anyway, with these two on board — Teddy just has to convince the rest of the band to give it a shot, to trust him. Maybe even to forgive him for what he did to them so long ago. Then he has to convince music fans to take them seriously. Neither of these tasks is going to be easy. Both are practically impossible, really.

The book starts out as pretty entertaining, definitely amusing. But it doesn’t stop there — it gets better, deeper, emotionally richer all the while. By the time I got to (and through) Chapter 20, I tweeted that, “Not sure I need to read another word (am going to), but that was as close to perfect as it gets.” I’m still thinking about it a month later.

At various places through the novel, Teddy observes: “One day I’ll die, and this will be one of the things I did with my time.” I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen one sentence used so many different ways with so many different meanings depending on the context. Sometimes he’s says it wryly, sometimes caustically, sometimes wistfully, sometimes with pride. It’s one of those writerly things that when you see it in action, you wonder why more people don’t try it.

Each of these characters — the agent, the producer, the bandmates, their (sometimes very odd) families, Teddy’s girlfriend, associates in the law firm, and others — are well-drawn. Occasionally familiar, without being stock characters or cliché, each character ends up being strong enough that you want to spend at least a little more time with them. But Abramowtitz is too capable of steward of his resources and gives us just enough to leave us wanting more.

I’ve seen a lot of comparisons of Thank You to Hornby’s High Fidelity and Tropper’s This is Where I Leave You. I don’t get that. Maybe it’s just because these people haven’t read anything else by these authors — they should be comparing this to Hornby’s Juliet, Naked and Tropper’s One Last Thing Before I Go (to be fair, I have seen a little of this comparison, but no one else that I’ve seen has tagged Juliet). These three cover some of the same territory, and Abramowitz comes out looking really good in that company. Don’t get me wrong, I really liked Juliet, I know I liked it more than most people I know. But I don’t think it was as good as it wanted to be or as it thought it was. Thank You seems to do the things that Juliet was wanting to do but didn’t get done. I’m not necessarily saying it’s a better book (I might lean that way), but this is more successful in the areas they overlap. Similarly, while I wouldn’t say that One Last Thing is a bad book, it can’t hold a candle to this one. I’m not trying to make this a competition, but for this first-time novelist to get things better than old pros like Hornby and Tropper says so much about him.

One day I’ll die, and reading this will be one of the things I did with my time. I’m so glad it was.

—–

4 1/2 Stars

Looking back at 2017 for Books and the Blog

By HCNewton

On January 1, 2018

In Calendar Items, News/Misc.

As we kick off 2018, I wanted to take a glance back at 2017. 260 books read — I exceeded my goal (nothing like exceeding an arbitrary number to boost the ol’ ego), 395 posts (short of my goal by a couple hundred, and worse — almost 50 fewer than 2015!). I had some strong gains in traffic — views and visitors — and 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. Genre labeling is more difficult this year, I read a lot of hybrids, but I tend to go with the overarching genre (for example, Artemis is a SF and Crime hybrid, I went with SF). Mystery/Suspense/Thriller is back to where it should be. SF and Fantasy took the hit 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	2017	2016	2015	2014	2013	2012
Children’s	7 (3%)	5 (2%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)
Fantasy	7 (3%)	31 (13%)	17 (9%)	11 (7%)	15 (8%)	12 (6%)
General Fiction/ Literature	29 (10%)	27 (11%)	17 (9%)	7 (4%)	30 (16%)	30 (14%)
Horror	0 (0%)	1 (.4%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)
Humor	1 (0%)	0 (0%)	1 (1%)	3 (2%)	0 (0%)	0 (0%)
Mystery/ Suspense/ Thriller	102 (37%)	61 (25%)	64 (34%)	62 (37%)	63 (33%)	73 (35%)
Non-Fiction	10 (4%)	11 (5%)	8 (4%)	4 (2%)	2 (1%)	11 (5%)
Science Fiction	27 (10%)	37 (15%)	16 (8%)	17 (10%)	14 (7%)	11 (5%)
Steampunk	1 (0%)	2 (1%)	7 (4%)	3 (2%)	3 (2%)	11 (5%)
Theology/ Christian Living	30 (11%)	33 (14%)	42 (22%)	42 (25%)	37 (19%)	10 (5%)
Urban Fantasy	45 (16%)	36 (15%)	19 (10%)	20 (12%)	26 (14%)	48 (23%)
Western	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 2017:
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.
Flattered thanks to (in no particular order): vihasi shah, ravencrimereads , JL’s Bibliomania, littlemissnosleep, charmingkitties, hubblegal, bettybookreviews, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BOOK BLOG, tripleblacktri, SnoopyDoo, discobarbizar, iosappdevelopmentcompanyinbangaloreblog, dawgietime, ellabyrde, QuietBlogster, amandanicolette, pandaduh, GEORGE SORIN VENETE, The Sound of One Man Laughing, catskittiesandmore, saisuresh007, perfectbingosites.co.uk, alexankarr1, mysteryauthorjamesrnelson, Abinotronix, martyn james, Jeyran Main, J. A. Allen, passmethatbook, Tannat, roamingwanderlusts, nzfnmblog and writerlady, Adam Harkus (a blog my two young guitarists will love), Christy Luis, kirilson, Let’s Read Something New, publishquest2017, Genre Book Reviews, gencyazarlarklubu, Reading is My Escapte, Portable Magic, Mollie Player, netbij, Scarlett Brodie, Maria Bardyukova, bloggerfingers, MladenR, Anushka, annebonnybookreviews, thehuntandpeckblog, Richard Klu, The Cable Denning Fan Club, Mr and Mrs NW, abokrose, LizScanlon, theartdive, M.L.S.Weech, Simple Ula, Skulls and Coffee, BellaDonna, vickibrock44, Rizky FAUZI, whatsnonfiction, Reasons To Resist, nishlovepink, foodlove16, Scarletpiper, georgederringer, youngadultallegiance, The Lyrictrotter, shellinoutreviews, Nici Copywriter, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, Mrinalini Raj, Shelfleigh, Shaun Hume, dreamnoiseblog, Alice @ Arctic Books, thrillersuspense, texaslawstudent, Lauren, Author Maremma Gee, Person of Interest, Brusque and The Hunt and Peck Blog 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): Rosaria Butterfield, R. David Cox, Miles V. Van Pelt, D. I. Jolly, Alex Wells, Matthew Barrett, Jim Butcher, Kerrie L. Hughes, Carrie Vaughn, Patricia Murphy, Brad Parks, Sam Lawrence & Ben Jackson, Danko Herrera, Taylor Stevens, Hillary Huber, Andy Martin, Zoe Kalo, Gibson Michaels, Ian Rankin, Sinclair B. Ferguson, Jennifer Weiner, John Bowen, J. B. Rockwell, K. S. Villoso, Aimee Byrd, Luca Veste, Paul Goldstein, Max Elliot Anderson, Brandon D. Crowe, Sarah Pinborough, Duncan MacMaster, Marissa Meyer, Douglas Holgate, Danielle Rogland, Faith Hunter, Lloyd Alexander, James Langton, Bryan Lee O’Malley, Leslie Hung, Derek Landy, Rupert Degas, Lee Child, Dick Hill, Shawn Hartje, Ace Atkins, Seanan McGuire, J. Gresham Machen, Alan Bradley, Jayne Entwistle, Christopher Hansen, J.R. Fehr, Loren D. Estleman, Owen Laukkanen, Reformed Forum, John Scalzi, Samuel G. Sterling, Danielle Pollock, Joshua Torrey, W. Robert Godfrey, Carolyn Arnold, Steph Broadribb, Sarah Kuhn, Dave Barry, Patrick Frederic, Benedict Jacka, D.J. Bodden, Mindy Kaling, Geehardus Vos, Sam Allberry, Graeme Simsion, Josh Bazell, Robert Petkoff, Rob Shackleford, Chrys Cymri, Jason Miller, Stephen Oram, Steve Cavanagh, David Baldacci, Scott Brick, Doree Shafrir, Paul Cornell, O. Palmer Robertson, Paul W. Cohen, Rick Riordan, Kieran Culkin, Robbie DaymondRobbie Daymond, Steve Hamilton, Spencer Quinn, Jason Parent, Amber Benson,E.J. Copperman, Jeff Cohen, Zoë Sharp, Alex Bledsoe, Patrick Ness, Ash Gray, Craig Johnson, George Guidall, Cory Barclay, Stephen Wellum, Stephan Pastis, Jared Goldsmith, Emily Ruben, Ryan McGraw, Michael J. Kruger, J. Ligon Duncan, Russ Colchamiro, George Bachman, Stephen Clark, Mark Jones, Don Winslow, Patricia Briggs, Lorelei King, Holter Graham, Gabe Hudson, Reed Farrel Coleman, Jacqueline Chadwick, Robert Germaux, Bradley Horner, B.C.R. Fegan, Lenny Wen, Chris Grabenstein, Jeff Woodman, Michael Connelly, Nathaniel Barber, Rachel Isgar, Ph.D., Cornelis P. Venema, Ben Sasse, Angie Thomas, Bahni Turpin, Chrissy Lessey, M. T. Miller, Shaun Hume, Jo Perry, Layton Green, Jason Reynolds, Guy Lockard, Alex BehrAlex Behr, Hart Hanson, Ari Fliakos, Joseph Brassey, Amy Stewart, Adam Sternberg, David Rosenfelt, Grover Gardner, Josef Matulich, Matt Cowper, C. J. Williams, Lucy Treloar, Kristin I. Morris, Joseph J. Zielinski, Ph.D., L.G. Metcalf, O.Hallesby, Leigh Bardugo, Mozhan Marno, Michael RN Jones, John Calvin, Joe Ide, Mindy M. Shelton, Tia Sorenson, Daniel Falatko, Robin Sloan, Rich Leder, Brian Cosby, Michael Allen, Scott R. Swain, Alan Jacobs, David Yair, ilana Graf, Natalie Jackson, Krysten Ritter, Carl R. Trueman, Katrina Shawver, S. J. Rozan, James E. Dolezal, Jonathan Fesmire, Dan Sofer, Edgar Cantero, Kyla Garcia, Doogie Horner, JJ Harrison, Sue Grafton, Joe Zieja, Tehila Sade Moyal, Fatima Pires, Hugh Martin, K. J. Howe, Peter Clines, Alejandro de Gutierre, S.C. Flynn, Alan Sepinwall, Andy Weir, Susan E. Davis, PT, Howard L. Hibbard, Robert Crais MacLeod Andrews, Robert Kolb, Harry Bingham, Siriol Jenkins, Kevin Hearne, Luke Daniels, Shane Kuhn, Pete Simonelli, Joel Beeke, Heather L. Beal, Jubayda Sager, Isaac Alexis, MD, Max McBride, Janet Evanovich, Peter May, Harry Connolly, Max Wirestone, Ned Vizzini, Robert Fass, John Murray, Ben Aaronovitch, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Andrew Cartmel, Lee Sullivan, Luis Guerrero, David Z. Hirsch, Robert B. Parker, Michael Prichard, Neil Gaiman, Maria Bardyukova, Quiet Riley, Jr., Rik Hoskin, and (last but certainly not least) Tom Garcia 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 (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, my records got a little confusing.
Many thanks to Faith Hunter, Nathaniel Barber, B.C.R. Fegan, Russ Colchamiro, Duncan MacMaster, Ben Jackson, and D.I. Jolly for taking time out of your busy schedules to answer a few quick questions with me this year!
Thanks to Alex Behr who sent me a very attractive looking signed paperback copy of Planet Grim a couple of weeks ago, and I keep forgetting to send a thank you to. So, while I’m hitting everyone else up here…
A shout-out to my wife (inside joke). Seriously, dear, 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. 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 2018, hope you find plenty of good things to read!

Looking back at 2016 for Books and the Blog

By HCNewton

On January 2, 2017

In Calendar Items, News/Misc.

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%)

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!

Thank You, Goodnight by Andy Abramowitz

By HCNewton

On August 6, 2015