/ So Obsessed With

Statistically Speaking of 2015

Jan 11, 2016

Alexa from Alexa Loves Books and I knew that we wanted to make changes in 2015. We both felt that we needed to become pickier about what we read for review and what we added to our shelves. That's how we ended up with The Picky Pledge! But before we explained what we were going to do, we decided to talk about what prompted our decision. So, we looked back at all of our reading stats for the year.

It was a little overwhelming, but it was also completely revealing. The post ended up being one of my favorites, and Alexa and I knew we'd do it again as part of our recap for The Picky Pledge. We're sharing our 2015 stats today, and then we'll talk about what we learned in the past year in our posts tomorrow. For our final post, we'll introduce our goals for 2016 because we're not done with this accountability project!

SOURCE BREAKDOWN

I read 153 books in 2015! I knew that I wanted to decrease the number of books I read for review for the year - one of the reasons Alexa and I launched The Picky Pledge in the first place. I set a goal to read no more than 36 reviews for the year - an average of three per month - and finished the year having only read 34! I'm so pleased that I was able to make progress in this area, and I'm hoping to continue that in 2016.

And I'm so happy that I spent so much time re-reading this past year! Co-hosting The Re-Read Challenge with Kelly from Belle of the Literati helped me return to my reading roots, and it made a huge difference in my reading life. However, there was one area where I totally failed: reading more from my TBR! I actually read less from my TBR than I did last year (partly due to my focus on re-reading), so that's a goal for 2016.

FORMAT BREAKDOWN

Just like last year, I'm not too surprised by these results! I definitely prefer reading physical books, which you can see in my breakdown. Most of my TBR (and what I own in general) is in hardcover and paperback. I did spend a little more time listening to audiobooks in 2015, and I hope that continues in 2016. I'm curious about whether or not having a baby will affect my preferred format. Will Kindle or audio increase next year?!

AGE BREAKDOWN

I'm not unhappy with this breakdown, but it's not exactly what I was hoping to see. I read less Adult and Non-Fiction (and more Young Adult) in 2015 than I did in 2014. I didn't really read Young Adult until I started blogging, and I feel like it now dominates my reading choices. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but almost all of my favorite reads in 2015 were Adult. And that might be telling me something!

But I did increase the number of Children's/Middle Grade books that I read, which makes me happy. It wasn't an official goal for the year, but it was a possibility that I mentioned in my 2014 stats posts. I'd like to restore some balance to my reading choices in the coming year, but my real hope is that I'll focus on choosing the books I want to read. So, I'm not setting any goals to accomplish more balance. I'll just see how it plays out...

GENRE BREAKDOWN

Rather than break this down into every genre that I read from in 2015, I decided to combine a few (like Humor, Memoir, and Biography into Non-Fiction) so it wasn't too messy. Once again, Contemporary made up the majority of what I read last year. And I'm not shocked that Fantasy and Historical came in second and third! Those three genres are my favorites, and I'm sure they'll dominate my 2016 reads, too.

SERIES VS. STANDALONE

I can't believe that more than half of the books I read in 2015 belonged to a series or duology! Although, I probably shouldn't be shocked. I finished nine series that I started prior to 2015, read eight series from start to finish (in 2015), and re-read three additional series. And I know I read a number of series starters! As I said last year - as long as I'm finishing series, this stat doesn't bother me. But I find it interesting to look at the breakdown!

RATING BREAKDOWN

Well, I'm getting better at choosing the right books for me! Part of the reason there were so many 5-star ratings is because I spent so much time re-reading in 2015, but I'm pleased that I had a large number of 4.5-star and 4-star reads! Even better, I didn't have many 2 or 2.5-star books (or any 1-star) because I'm learning to just put a book down. (Note: Goodreads may not match this breakdown because I sometimes adjust ratings later.)

AVERAGE RATING BY SOURCE

As I said, I knew that I had more 5-star ratings than normal because of re-reading. So, I'm not surprised that Re-Reads had the highest average rating. I'm happy that my average rating for the Review category went up from 3.5 last year. I hope that partly stems from being pickier. I am shocked that Borrowed has the lowest average rating. Are my library skills slacking? But yay for high averages for Bought and Owned!

AVERAGE RATING BY PUBLISHER

As with last year, I read books from more publishers than the ones listed here but decided to highlight only the ones that were my most read. Bloomsbury and Simon & Schuster were the winners in 2014, and they were clearly winning again in 2015 (with the addition of Random House). But the averages are actually high for all the publishers! I don't pay too much attention to publisher when choosing a book, but it's fun info to know.

REVIEW BOOK OVERVIEW

I received 47 review books in 2015 (half the number I received last year), and this is what I did with those books! You know what helped decrease that number? Not attending BEA. Ha! But seriously. I'm so glad that I read fewer books for review, but I still need to make changes. For example, I want to be more careful about requests so I have fewer DNFs. The five books on my TBR are 2016 releases, which I planned to save until now!

REVIEW BOOKS BY SOURCE

You know what this breakdown tells me? I can significantly cut down on the number of books I read for review if I just stop logging on to NetGalley and Edelweiss! I'm scared to make this official, but I seriously think I need to take a break from both websites in 2016. I need to take control, remove them from my bookmarks and ignore Twitter when it tells me new books have been added. Can I do it? Time will tell, but I believe it's possible!

BOUGHT: PRINT VS. KINDLE

I prefer reading physical books, so I'm not surprised that it makes up the majority of what I bought in 2015! I'm still dipping my toe in the water with audiobooks, so that's a newer category for me. And while it may seem crazy that I added so many books to my shelves, I removed a ton, too! I definitely learned the art of culling this year, so I'm keeping only my favorite books and taking stuff off my TBR that no longer interests me.

BOOKS BOUGHT BREAKDOWN

Last year, I was dreading this section of my post. And this year? While I still have changes to make, I'm thrilled with my progress in this area. I bought 100 books in 2015 - a 53% decrease from 2014. That's right, y'all! I cut my book buying in half this year. I'm proud of how much I was able to change in just one year. My two goals for The Picky Pledge were to read fewer review books and buy fewer books, and I accomplished both!

Now, I still think I need to buy fewer books because 100 is no small number. But I'm celebrating the improvement anyway! Almost half of the books I bought this year were books I'd already read, a book buying quirk I talked about earlier this year. And honestly, I don't think I'm going to worry too much about changing that habit. But I do need to start reading new books immediately so I don't add to my TBR.

What does this mean for 2016? I obviously want to continue to pursue variety in my reading choices. I'd like to keep re-reading, although I don't think it will be a goal for me. I want to continue to decrease the number of books I read for review, and I'll share my official goal for that on Wednesday. But I think my focus this year will be on the two things where I feel like there's the most room for improvement.

There are two changes I want to make this year:

1) buy fewer books

2) read more from my TBR

I know that both changes are within my reach. I've culled my TBR down, so I'm legitimately excited about reading the books that I own. That's the perfect place to start! If I didn't have so many unread books, buying books wouldn't be such a bad thing. So, stay tuned for my new Picky Pledge goals later this week!

READ POST

Don't Put Dirt on My Grave Just Yet

Jan 8, 2016

These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly

Release Date: October 27, 2015
Publisher: Random House; Delacorte
Pages: 496 pages
Source & Format: NetGalley; e-ARC
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Summary (from Goodreads)

Jo Montfort is beautiful and rich, and soon—like all the girls in her class—she’ll graduate from finishing school and be married off to a wealthy bachelor. Which is the last thing she wants. Jo secretly dreams of becoming a writer—a newspaper reporter like the trailblazing Nellie Bly.

Wild aspirations aside, Jo’s life seems perfect until tragedy strikes: her father is found dead. Charles Montfort accidentally shot himself while cleaning his revolver. One of New York City’s wealthiest men, he owned a newspaper and was partner in a massive shipping firm, and Jo knows he was far too smart to clean a loaded gun.

The more Jo uncovers about her father’s death, the more her suspicions grow. There are too many secrets. And they all seem to be buried in plain sight. Then she meets Eddie—a young, brash, infuriatingly handsome reporter at her father’s newspaper—and it becomes all too clear how much she stands to lose if she keeps searching for the truth. Only now it might be too late to stop.

The past never stays buried forever. Life is dirtier than Jo Montfort could ever have imagined, and the truth is the dirtiest part of all.

Thoughts on These Shallow Graves

I read Donnelly's young adult debut novel, A Northern Light, when I was in high school. I was an avid reader of historical fiction, and the book was right up my alley. I then read two of the books in her adult historical fiction trilogy, The Tea Rose and The Wild Rose, in college followed by her young adult historical novel, Revolution. So, needless to say, I'm a huge fan of Donnelly and have been anxiously awaiting a new release from her.

When I first read the summary from These Shallow Graves, I was thrilled. And when I saw the cover? Let's just say my excitement level skyrocketed! This is one of my favorite covers of 2015. It's mysterious and intriguing, which are the perfect words to describe this book. But don't let the cover mislead you! Although there's a mystery at the heart of These Shallow Graves, it's not quite as creepy or as dark as you might suspect.

Josephine Montfort seems to have everything going for her - she's beautiful, comes from a wealthy family and will likely marry a handsome bachelor as soon as she graduates from finishing school. The only problem? That's not what Jo wants from her life. She's inspired by the daring adventures of newspaper reporters like Nellie Bly and dreams of one day becoming a writer! But planning her future is put on hold when her father is found dead. Everything about his death is suspicious - it's ruled an accident, though it seems to be a suicide, but Jo doesn't believe it's either. She knows there's more to the story and is determined to uncover the truth. It's a search that will lead her places she never imagined and reveal secrets that have been buried deep...

While These Shallow Graves wasn't a perfect read, I still thoroughly enjoyed it! Clocking in at almost 500 pages, there's a lot happening in this story. I found it to be a slow start at first - the pacing dragged a bit meeting Jo and introducing the mystery of her father's death. However, I was absolutely hooked once the investigation was underway! The whodunit is one of the weakest elements of the book (I figured it out very early on), though I was fully engaged in the other aspects of the mystery (the search for answers, the secrets from the past, etc.).

I thought the romance happened too quickly and without enough development, so it was close to instalove for me. However, it did make sense in some ways because of what was happening in Jo's life - grieving the death of her father, being told that she couldn't pursue her dreams, and seeing more of the world around her than ever before. She's led a sheltered existence up until this point, so I can see how that might make a handsome young reporter from a very different station in life that much more appealing. He represents the things she's been told she can't have, and I think part of her feelings for him stem from her desire to be able to make her own choices in life. In that respect, the romance didn't bother me like it might have in another book.

My favorite element of These Shallow Graves, as I expected it would be, was the historical detail. Donnelly excels at making the past come to life, and I think her research is evident on every page. The world was fleshed out and so compelling! I didn't mind the small moments when the plot seemed to meander because it meant that I got to spend more time on the streets of New York... or in the homes of some of its wealthiest residents. I loved how Donnelly depicted the patriarchal society so accurately with the restrictions and expectations that women faced throughout the story. You saw how women were perceived as objects - whether they slept on the street or danced in ballrooms. Donnelly truly captures the past!

I loved the secondary characters that Jo meets along the way, especially the friendship she develops with a young woman named Fay. Their interactions were some of my favorites! So, despite moments of predictability, I loved so much about These Shallow Graves. There were so many quotes I adored, but I raced through the book so quickly that I didn't get the chance to write them down. I guess that means I ought to re-read this one soon... It's not my favorite book from Donnelly, but it's certainly one that I'm glad to have on my shelves!

So Quotable

“That was what people did when they wanted to stop a girl from doing something—they shamed her.”

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review consideration. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review.

READ POST

A New Kind of Resolution

Jan 5, 2016

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. Every week they post a new topic and invite everyone to share their answers. I'm so obsessed with lists - so I obviously love this feature!

Top Ten Resolutions for 2016

I was pondering my 2016 resolutions and realized that I have one main goal for this year:

Keep it simple.

During different seasons in 2015, I went through a reading funk and a blogging slump. While I hated being in the middle of them, both brought things into perspective for me. It's so easy to get caught up in trivial things - to worry about stuff that doesn't matter and put unnecessary pressure on yourself. Blogging has brought wonderful things into my life, but I sometimes have to remind myself to put it in its proper place.

I've learned so much in the last four years of blogging, and I can't wait to see what the next year will bring. I usually look forward to setting my goals for the year - to writing down specific (but hopefully achievable!) things I want to accomplish in the months ahead. But with a baby on the way, I know my life is going to change. So, I decided that I didn't want to write normal resolutions. I don't want goals and numbers hanging over my head.

If I focus on keeping it simple, I'll approach reading and blogging with the right mindset. Here's what I mean:

(1) I'll read whatever strikes my fancy, and (2) stop reading the things that don't. But more importantly? (3) I won't feel guilty if I don't feel like reading at all. I'm going to (4) focus more on reading from my TBR, (5) continue to make re-reading a priority, (6) work on buying fewer books and (7) decrease the number of books I read for review. I'll have a few specific benchmarks for those last two resolutions because of The Picky Pledge (details for 2016 coming soon!), but that's it. I'm going back to the basics - simplicity is key!

And I want to carry the idea of simplicity into blogging, too! So, (8) I'll blog whenever I feel like it - and (9) spend that time working on posts that excite and inspire me. And (10) I'll make sure I pause when deciding whether to say yes or no to blogging opportunities, events, collaborations, etc.

It still feels a little weird that I'm not deciding how many books I hope to read, what challenges I want to participate in and more. I love setting goals and being able to check them off my list! As a planner, it's just ingrained in me. But I'm excited for a more low-key reading and blogging year - it just feels right!

What are your 2016 resolutions?

READ POST

December 2015: Recap + On My Shelves

Jan 4, 2016

I found my blogging mojo in December - I think looking back at the year that finally motivated me to work on posts. It seems crazy that it's time to say goodbye to 2015, but I'm so excited about what 2016 has in store!

1. New Bookshelves - To be honest, my absolute favorite part of December isn't pictured here. We had our 20-week ultrasound for the baby, which was absolutely amazing! But after the appointment, Nick and I went to IKEA and I got these new bookshelves. I'm in love and feel like I live in a bookstore now!

2. Gift from Alexa - My Christmas gift from sweet Alexa absolutely blew me away! It was a Hunger Games themed package because it's one of my all-time favorite series. I adored everything - the t-shirt, the Funko Pop, the cool neon edition of the first book, the paintings of the book covers, the bookmark, the bracelet... LOVE!

3. Gift from Kelly - I was seriously freaking out when I opened Kelly's Christmas gift to me because it's PERFECT for me. The Mellark Bakery print is so awesome, and it came with a cool "letter from Peeta" about the reopening in District 12. Obsessed! And the Jane Austen mug is covered in quotes, which makes it my favorite.

4. Gift from Ellice - Darling Ellice surprised me with this Christmas gift - an Anne of Green Gables ornament and a May Book (with a watercolor cover that I've had my eye on for MONTHS). Two of my favorite things in one package! I'm so thankful for the friends I've made through blogging and our shared love of books.

Read 9 Books | Favorites:

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

Unequal Affections by Lara Ormiston

Princess of Thorns by Stacey Jay

Challenge Progress:

1 Fantasy for Flights of Fantasy Challenge

2 Re-Reads for The Re-Read Challenge

2 Diverse Read for Dive into Diversity

0 Series for Series a Month

"I was selfish!—because I thought only of how much I wanted her;
I was arrogant because I was so certain that marriage to me would be an unalloyed good for her.
She was poor; I would make her rich. She was unmarried; I would make her a wife.
She was unappreciated and unequalled in her current company;
I would take her and place her among society worthy of her.
I would give all and be all, and never did I consider
how little she truly desired anything I had to offer."
Unequal Affection by Lara Ormiston

"Last night was what love is supposed to feel like,
terrifying and beautiful and so close you're afraid you'll lose a piece of yourself,
but you don't. You gain a piece of the person you love instead,
a piece that makes you stronger and happier than you could have imagined possible."
Princess of Thorns by Stacey Jay

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Overall: 2015 End of the Year Bok Survey

TTT: Top Ten New-to-Me Authors I Read in 2015

Review: The Shadowfell series by Juliet Marillier

Discussion: My Year in Music {2015}

Feature: Time Travel To: Westward Expansion

1. Build your kids' libraries with these wonderful, beautiful books. by Anne from Modern Mrs. Darcy - I absolutely love beautiful books, especially classics, so this post was right up my alley! With a baby on the way, I'm already plotting what children's books I want to add to our library. This post - and the comments - gave me great ideas!

2. 2015 Obsessions by Alexa from Alexa Loves Books - I had so much fun browsing through Alexa's favorite things of 2015! I loved seeing them all compiled into one giant post - with tons of photos - and that she included favorite moments. And I was thrilled to see a few things on the list that I introduced her to!

3. What This Book Gave to Me by Estelle from Rather Be Reading - Ah, my favorite post of December! Estelle has a special gift for writing about how books have affected her personally, and nowhere is it more evident than in this post. She makes me want to add every single book she mentioned to my TBR immediately!

Favorite Album: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Pt. 2 by James Newton Howard

I didn't listen to a lot of music in December, aside from this album. I love listening to movie scores,

and the ones for The Hunger Games movies don't disappoint! My favorite track on this one is "Primrose."

Southpaw (2015) starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Rachel McAdams and Forest Whitaker - Although I have no interest in boxing, I have a soft spot for movies about it! I rented Southpaw from Redbox on a whim and really enjoyed it. I thought Jake Gyllenhaal was great in the role, and I totally cried watching it. #pregnancyhormones

Testament of Youth (2014) starring Alicia Vikander and Kit Harrington - I've been dying to see this movie ever since I caught the trailer on YouTube, and I finally got the chance to watch it when I was gifted a copy for Christmas. It felt a little bit rushed at times, but I still loved it. Now, I need to read the memoir it's based on!

Book Outlet Buys: If You Find This Letter by Hannah Brencher, Maid of Deception by Jennifer McGowan, Sarah's Quilt and The Star Garden by Nancy E. Turner and Just Ella and Palace of Mirrors by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Bought: This Shattered World and Their Fractured Light by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner, The Secret Life of Violet Grant, Tiny Little Thing and Along the Infinite Sea by Beatriz Williams, Awe by Paul David Tripp, The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer and The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

From My Mom: Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen and Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Gifted from Nick: Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin, Unequal Affection by Lara Ormiston, Searching for Jane Austen by Emily Auerbach and Breathe, Annie, Breathe by Miranda Kenneally

Dear America from Nick: I Walk in Dread by Lisa Rowe Fraustino, Look to the Hills by Patricia C. McKissack, Love Thy Neighbor by Ann Turner, All the Stars in the Sky by Megan McDonald, Seeds of Hope by Kristiana Gregory, Land of the Buffalo Bones by Marion Dane Bauer, When Christmas Comes Again by Beth Seidel Levine, A Time for Courage by Kathryn Lasky, Mirror, Mirror on the Wall by Barry Denenberg, Survival in the Storm by Katelan Janke, My Secret War by Mary Pope Osborne and Early Sunday Morning by Barry Denenberg

Gifted: What Katie Ate on the Weekend by Katie Quinn Davis, The Annotated Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty and The Meaning of Marriage by Timothy Keller

From Betty: The Perfect Rake by Anne Gracie + walrus socks, Ravenclaw sweatpants and bookish magnets

From Secret Sis: Princess of Thorns by Stacey Jay and I Love You, Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt + other goodies!

Kindle Sales Got to Me: It's Not Me, It's You by Mhairi McFarlane, Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway and Quintana of Charyn by Melina Marchetta

Audible: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and Unequal Affections by Lara Ormiston

READ POST

#ReRead2015 & 2015 Challenges Recap

Jan 1, 2016

I can't believe 2015 is coming to a close! It seems like only yesterday that I was working on my sign-up post for the challenges that I wanted to participate in - deciding what goals seemed reasonable and what books I was hoping to read to meet those goals. And now, the year is over. All of my goals have been met based on the goals I set for myself! I've been keeping track of my progress along the way, but I still wanted to share a final recap. Rather than list all of the books I read for each challenge, which would make this post way too long, I'm highlighting my goal, what I actually accomplished and the books that were my favorite for each.

The Re-Read Challenge

Hosted By: Belle of the Literati & Me / Details & Sign Up

To the participants in The Re-Read Challenge - THANK YOU! It was such a pleasure co-hosting this challenge with Kelly, and I'm so thankful that she approached me with the idea. I'd been wanting to make re-reading more of a priority for quite a while, and this was the push I needed. It made 2015 a better reading year than I could even have imagined! I loved revisiting so many of my favorites and finding more to love about them.

Since Kelly is currently traveling, I'll be drawing the giveaway winners in the next few days and announcing them on Twitter! And if you enjoyed participating this year, I hope you'll consider joining the challenge again. I won't be co-hosting (because I'm being lazy with a baby on the way!), but I'll definitely be participating. I finished this year's challenge with two final re-reads in December - Cinder and Scarlet by Marissa Meyer.

My Goal: 36 Re-Reads
Accomplished: 51 Re-Reads