What have you done for me lately? Or the year that was 2009.
I'm doing some blogging housekeeping. This means I'm catching up on the stuff that I just can't leave undone while I get on with my blogging life.
For those of you without a feed reader, if you are interested, I finally posted my dismal December 2009 reading list and am currently working on my January 2010 list. Hey who knows maybe it will be posted before Easter.
I'm also posting some 2009 stats in this post. These are just for me. This is stuff I found interesting when I looked over my list. In all honesty, I have no format for my yearly stats, I just randomly post what jumps out at me each year.
A Grades = 9 (yikes not even 10%!)
D Grades = 4
DNFs = 4
With the two opposing ends of my reading accounting for 17 of the total books I read, you can see that the vast majority of what I read falls into the wide range of B+ to C-.
I'm glad to see fewer low, low grades, because that means I'm not wasting my time reading stuff I really don't like. Better yet, I think I'm doing better about risking my hard earned dollars on books I won't like or read. In all honesty I also think this is due to having blogger buddies to help me chose well. Being able to read or contact someone you trust about a book you are interested in and getting the scoop about just plain rocks.
I bought most of my books new and had very few ARCs this year. That's probably due to my not reviewing and being as active a blogger as I used to be. I noticed that I bought quite a few trade sized books in 2009. It's always because I like the author, because frankly with my arthritis it's a huge pain holding them to read. Hmmm...let's pause for maybe-I-should-buy-an-e-reader moment...
Anyway, between trade sized paperbacks (23) and hardcovers (15) there's a whopping 38 books that I bought in a size that I don't really like to hold or read. Plus the cost. I'm mulling this over for 2010, something has to change. I've also been wondering if this is because publishers can get more $$ for trade and therefore put the books out in trade first as a compromise between hardcover and paperback? What do you think?
I bought most of my books new and had very few ARCs this year. That's probably due to my not reviewing and being as active a blogger as I used to be. I noticed that I bought quite a few trade sized books in 2009. It's always because I like the author, because frankly with my arthritis it's a huge pain holding them to read. Hmmm...let's pause for maybe-I-should-buy-an-e-reader moment...
Anyway, between trade sized paperbacks (23) and hardcovers (15) there's a whopping 38 books that I bought in a size that I don't really like to hold or read. Plus the cost. I'm mulling this over for 2010, something has to change. I've also been wondering if this is because publishers can get more $$ for trade and therefore put the books out in trade first as a compromise between hardcover and paperback? What do you think?
I think... that I'm amazed that I've actually posted twice in a single week.
Labels: Monthly List
Posted by Rosie at 12:01 AM
6 Comments:
I was thinking of you today because I made my bed this morning! Strange thing to be thinking of I know, but never the less that is what promted it and so I thought I would stop by and just say hi!
Hope you are well and enjoying life!
Hi there! Glad you're posting a bit. Seeing your comment on my blog yesterday made me miss you :)
As for books? There is nobody, and I mean nobody, that I'll buy trade or HC for. Sounds petty, I know, but with the amount of books I buy and the number I read, I can only afford MM. I've been known to read the hardcover from the library (since I can't wait to read it, LOL) and then buy the MM if I want to reread or keep it.
I'm probably totally mangling this - but my understanding is that publishers can sell fewer copies in trade in order to break even or earn out. I think. Maybe. Don't quote me on that.
Your reading totals sound like mine. I read 96 books (?) in 2009 and had TWO A reads. Yeah, TWO. I had 10 D reads, which was higher than normal - but most of them were duddy categories, so they weren't huge time sucks at least :)
I will buy trade pbs - hard covers not so much. I'm now down to two authors I buy in hard cover - and both of them are mystery authors. Every other hc writer, I get a copy from work.
Marg, really? Making your bed? That's too funny. I'm not making my bed this whole week because I'm staying in a hotel taking a class. A vay-cay from bed making or a training class for work, however you want to look at it.
Lori, I'm fortunate to have the book budget I have, but I think that 2009 may have been the apex of my HC buying. At least half of the books did not warrant a HC purchase. If only our library was better I'd go that route.
Wen, your logic about trades seems reasonable to me. However, nothing irks me more and makes me want to scream more than opening a trade to see HUGE print and double wide margins and then I still have to hold the dang thing. Sheesh!
Wooohooo, you're on the come back trail :D
I read approximately the same number of books as you, but I think I gave a couple of more As. Although, many were re-reads :)
I've been buying a lot more tradesizes and HC as well. My excuse is that I always do so with coupons and promotions... but it's getting expensive. On the downside, I just don't want to wait for it to be available as MM ^_^;
wowza, 164 books is a whole lotta reading! between your grading scale and a number of other year-end-wrap-up posts i realized i give out way too many A's!
but i totally 1000% agree with you that since i started blogging and chatting so much with other bok bloggers with similar interests my D, F, and DNF books have decreased dramatically, like so close to 0 these days. If only i had such good book buddies the first 17 years of my reading life! So much time wasted on so many bad books!
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