So let’s mark the first day of me actually feeling excited about blogging again by doing a tag! (At least… For a while? I hope it lasts…) Anyway, I didn’t specifically want to do any tag – I just wanted to look at the books I’ve been reading for the past half a year, and especially at the best ones, and this tag seems to be the most fun way to do it. So I’ve conveniently tagged myself from Cait’s post here! So let’s get on with it.
A pencil illustration of me sitting on a beanbag reading a book with hearts on the covers, with stacks of books around me and hearts coming out of my head
1. How Much Have You Read?
I’m actually pretty surprised with how many I’ve read! I set quite a low goal of 52 books this year on Goodreads, but I don’t put all my read books on Goodreads right away, so you can’t see them all there – however, even Goodreads says that I’ve already reached my goal! In reality, I’ve already read 74 books as I’m drafting this post, but it should still be more by the time the post comes out. I might be on track for the most books I’ve ever read in a year!
A screenshiot of my reading challenge result on Goodreads: 68 books out of 52 read!
2. What Have You Been Reading?
Okay, I’m actually just as surprised as you are. I thought I didn’t read contemporaries? But as it appears… And I also thought I didn’t read as many graphic novels, but I guess this year is an exception because I bought those two Humble Bundles! These charts get way more interesting, but also more confusing, if I add a secondary genre to them, because all those contemporaries have been so different from one another – but unfortunately, I don’t feel like wading in all that data! I’m still surprised Historical is so high in this list! But happy about the nonfiction and scifi being where they are.
A chart of my books read by genre: nonfiction, contemporary and graphic novel taking up more than half, with historical and scifi to follow with the other quarter, and the last quarter filled up by fantasy, dystopian, women’s, mystery and other genres
As for the age groups I read in:
A chart of my books read by age group: more than three quarters is adult books, then a bigger slice of the quarter is middle grade, and what’s left is YA
It seems as though I’m an adult book reader through and through. However, I wish that Middle grades slice was bigger! I’m going to have to push for it to be higher in the coming half a year. And I’m actually satisfied with the YA – this is just the right amount of YA as I want to be reading. Not too little, not too much!
And the formats I read in:
A chart of my books read by format: more than half are ebooks, about a third are text-to-speech and the rest are print
I am not even surprised about this, but still it’s a wonder how few print books I read these days. Most are ebooks, and increasingly so text-to-speech, because my eyes are usually exhausted after the work day. #noregrets though! I really enjoy listening to books on text-to-speech, and I can truly recommend it to everyone who has a computer job full time. Give your eyes some love!
Almost forgot! The star ratings:
A chart of my books read by their star rating: a quarter of 5 stars, 8% of 4.5 stars, over a third of 4 stars, 7% of 3.5 stars, less than a quarter of 3 stars and a handful of 1 and 2 stars
Even though I have been in the biggest blogging slump ever, it seems I have not been in a reading slump, and least ratings-wise. I have read so many wonderful, high-rated books! It is how this half a year truly felt, but I’m happy to see it in my stats as well. Proves I’m not making it up! I don’t think I’ve ever had such a high percentage of 5-stars in a year, to be honest.
3. Best Book You’ve Read So Far In 2019
Yeah, no. I can’t just pick ONE! There have been so many, as evidenced by the last chart you saw. Read Have You Seen Luis Velez? and The Boy Who Steals Houses if you want to have your heart broken and glued back together again in the backdrop of relevant societal issues and diversity. Read Dune if you like epic fantasy, but in space, and The Sundered if you like fantasy in dystopia. If you want pure, but very full and magical fantasy, read The Girl Who Drank the Moon. If you want to read about strong women, read The Enchanted April for an upbeat tone, and Stay and Fight for a more serious tone. And if you like space stuff as much as I do, but don’t want to get bored reading about it, read Moon Mission.
4. Best Sequel You’ve Read So Far In 2019
Um, actually not sure. I haven’t been reading many series this year!
5. New Release You Haven’t Read Yet, But Want To
I’m really excited about Daisy Jones and the Six! Have you read it yet? I’ll try to get it when I travel this year so I can put it on the Bookstagram as I read it.
6. Most Anticipated Release For The Second Half Of The Year
I’m going to have to skip this question too, as I haven’t been tracking the new releases AT ALL.
7. Biggest Disappointment
It’s got to be The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking. I’ve read some of his books before, and I just can’t say I enjoy his style, but for some reason, I felt like I should try it. Maybe it was the translation to my language, because I actually borrowed it from a friend, but it just felt dry and bored me. And I like reading about science, normally.
8. Biggest Surprise
It has to be The Sundered by Ruthanne Reid. I had this book as an old freebie / review copy for ages, and I expected it to be a cheap dystopia like most of my old review copies are (I couldn’t boast good selection skills from back from I didn’t even blog yet). But this turned out to be SPECTACULAR. It’s a dystopian fantasy, and it’s all about how humans can be evil and twisted, about slavery and exploitation of people who are different than you and it’s just SO GOOD. I loved it and can truly recommend it.
9. New Favourite Author (Debut Or New To You)
My new auto-buy author is Catherine Ryan Hyde. And it’s totally because of Have You Seen Luis Velez? It’s such an amazing, heart-warming and wonderful book that I knew I had to check out all of her other books. So far I haven’t grabbed any, but I need to put them ALL on my watch list ASAP. Maybe you have some you could recommend? Luckily, she has written A LOT of books. And from what I’ve heard, they are greatly inclusive and diverse! At least this one certainly was.
10. Underrated Gems You’ve Discovered Recently
I feel like I have to draw attention to a book that very few will even notice because it’s just so niche, but so incredibly unique and interesting! Maybe you have a hobbyist in your life who would love it. Basically, it’s a book of blueprints, charts and all sorts of other info about what Jules Verne’s Nautilus would have been like if it had been truly built! The author discusses all sorts of possibilities of whether it would have worked and how, and there’s lots of photo material, so it’s a lot of fun to simply peruse. It’s kind of a great coffee table book, even if you’re not going to be reading it cover to cover. Here’s the full review with photos!
11. Rereads This Year
I don’t tend to do a lot of rereads, so there’s just one! But I’m planning to get refreshed on a few series I’ll be continuing with later in the year (or so I hope!) Here’s a review for A Year of Living Kindly, and that should tell you why I’ve been rereading it.
12. Book That Made You Cry
We’re basically back at square one. But there were two! Sobbing like a baby. #worthit
13. Book That Made You Happy
We’re basically back at square one again, but now it has a different companion. You ask, how could Have You Seen Luis Velez have both made me cry and made me happy? Well, that’s just how this book works! Meanwhile, The Enchanted April JUST made me happy. No tears. Although it does have its sad moments, but they’re all redeemed!
14. Most Beautiful Book You’ve Bought So Far This Year (Or Received)
Easy peasy. Feast your eyes on this. Thanks, Granta Books!
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15. Goals For The Rest Of The Year
Actually? I just want to enjoy reading AND blogging. I would love to get through some full series that I’ve had stacked for a while! And diminish my already owned TBR. But those are all sort of loose stats! I don’t want to be stressed. I just want to enjoy reading and blogging again, and reconnect with the community, cause I’ve lost touch in the past half a year and I’ve been regretting it ever since! So be a dear and share my post and help me reconnect, will you? ❤️ #nopressure
Have you already made a list of the best books of the year so far? @AvalinahsBooks has, and here's her mid-year book freak out tag! Come share recommendations of your favorites and tag yourself if you want to: Click To TweetSo that’s my past half a year in books! Will you also tag yourself if you haven’t done this tag this year yet?
I’m Evelina and I try to blog about books that matter, with a bit of fun there too! Disability and equality will be topics you see a lot, but there’s also a lot of scifi, fantasy and… GIFs. I’m also the proud founder of #ARCsAnonymous.
I am so glad you discovered Catherine Ryan Hyde! Most of her books are equally as awesome as this one!
Yes, they truly are 🙂 I’m also very glad!
Don’t put yourself under too much blogging pressure. Nothing sucks the joy out of it faster than that! I’m the same- I’ve gone through a lot of change in my life lately and blogging is one of the MANY things I’m now struggling to stay in top of – I’m just trying to be patient with myself while I figure it all out.
I’m glad you’re had such a great reading year! I love coming to your blog because I always read about something different ❤
Same with me xD I’ve been on and off hiatus for the last half a year or so. But hey, I’m still blogging! 🙂 and I did have a good reading year 🙂
You’ve been reading many different genres. A lot of these are new to me. I get the blogging slump thing. I struggle with it now and then. But, like you, the reading never suffers:)
My slump continues, seeing as how I’m replying comments a half a year later xD xD xD but yes, the reading is fine! 😀 I hope you are doing well, Laura.
Ah, Evelina, you are making me want to read The Boy Who Steals Houses even more now! I adored A Thousand Perfect Notes, so I can’t wait to read Cait’s newest novel! And congratulations on completing your reading goal with flying colors! I hope you achieve of your new goal of reading the most books in one year! I’m also excited to check out Daisy Jones at some point before 2019 is over! I’ve heard such wonderful things about it!
Wishing you the happiest of weeks, love! <3
Have you read it yet? (Seeing as how I’m answering my comments half a year later :D) Because if you haven’t, you should! I still often think of this book, it was very good 🙂
And unfortunately, I still haven’t read or even procured Daisy Jones myself xD
Welcome back Evelina. There are so many nice books on your list. I had never heard of Have you seen Luis Valez until you started ranting about it on twitter. This is why I love following you, you find and talk about a lot of hidden gems books, not just the books that are popular at the moment. I’ve added this book to my TBR because of you.
It’s good to have you back.
Thank you 🙂 yes, that book is so good!! And yes, I do tend to pick up obscure books! But I often find real gems 🙂 and I’m so glad to hear it! I really hope you can read it sometime, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it 🙂
EH! Such a productive half of the year? So many books! Yay for that!
Thank you 🙂
I relate so much to #15!! Those are the kind of goals I want too just to read a lot and enjoy it and make time for blogging and flailing about aaall the excellent books. And omg HEAVEN IS GORGEOUS. Like that foil omg I swear pretty books are also the death of my willpower not to buy them haha. I’m so honoured TBWSH made your list too you are the nicest.
TBWSH totally deserved it some 120% percent or even more 🙂 and The Heavens is indeed one of the prettiest books I’ve ever owned!
I have now added even more books to my Goodreads 😛 Sundered sounds awesome! I am yet to read The Boy Who Steals Houses and Daisy Jones but I am looking forward to them. Let’s not talk about how far behind I am on my GR challenge this year… you however are doing fantastically! One of my goals is to read more middle grade too so feel free to give me recommendations 🙂 I hope you are doing well x
Glad to hear that 😀 Sundered was awesome! Really hope you like it.
Ah, middle grades! Actually, have you read The Blue Door series? I think the entire series (or parts of it) are still on Edelweiss as to download (without requesting). I can truly recommend those 🙂
I love stats posts! Congrats on reading 68 books! I’ve barely read anything at all this year, and I don’t have much motivation to blog. I’ll have to check out Moon Mission. Space stuff is interesting.
My blog motivation has been gone for an entire year, but it’s slowly starting to come back. I hope yours can come back too? And I hope you find some nice reads 🙂
First, that drawn is super adorable!!! *:* Second, I’m so happy to read that you felt excited about blogging again. 🙂 I may not drop a comment as often as I used to, but I love your blog and I’m always excited about your posts.
Your charts. *.* I’m also hoping to read more middle grade books in this second half of the year. I really want to read Daisy and the Six as well. Let’s hope we can both read (and enjoy) it soon 🙂
Happy readings! 😉
Tânia @MyLovelySecret
Thanks 🙂 yes, I also still struggle with the blog hopping because they haven’t invented the time turner yet, but.. At least I’m enjoying blogging again 🙂
Congrats on reaching your Goodreads Challenge, looks like you did really well! 🙂 You really make me want to read The Boy who steals houses, as I have been meaning to read it for a long while now 😮
You definitely have to, it’s such a wonderful book 🙂
It’s great to read! Just take it slow…
I’m not one to take it slow 😀
[…] This year has been full of Fantasy books and a smattering of Sci-fi and a Pugad Baboy comic. Evelina and Cait have been doing Pie Charts soooooo….here are […]
[…] avalinahsbooks ➡ I really love what a positive force Evelina is in the community, I fondly remember her […]
I’m very curious now, will you increase your reading goal for the year? Or are you pleased that you crushed it and just relax?
Nope, I’m happy to just take it slowly 🙂 instead I will enjoy the “passed goal by 250%” or something like that at the end of the year 😀 hahaha
I am gonna have to do this tag just to get myself on the blogging spirit. I am on my vacations, so I am gonna blame my absence on that. I have two of your best reads on my TBR. And also, how have you been? I miss our conversations.
I really enjoyed this tag, but it does take forever to write!
It’s nice to hear you’re on vacation – I’ve just been absent because I’ve been absent xD I hope the vacation is good! 🙂
I have been alright, but busy. I should write you sometime 🙂 but I’ve been preparing for vacation and stuff and you know how that goes. Time flies away and you don’t even notice it!
I’m glad we catch up through Instagram comments from time to time at least xD
I’ve literally just drafted this tag. I always mean to read more sci-fi. This year, I read an 800+ page sci-fi book and I seem to have crashed on that goal right after. I also seem to read more and more graphic novels every year.
Wow! Well that’s a door stop xD and I can see why you crashed on the goal 😀 I hope you can get back to it though. And I also seem to read more and more graphic novels!