Ah, the end of the year – a time when people who enjoy stats and data can really dig into how their annual activities stacked up against other years. Even people who may not think of themselves that way can get into the swing of things as it comes time to discuss their Spotify Wrapped results or their Goodreads challenge.
I wrote a post in summer 2023 looking at where I was with my reading that year. I’m revisiting that notion, and, though the year isn’t over yet, seeing how my 2024 reading year shaped up. While I’m not overly concerned with the overall number of books, I was interested to see that I’ve read just under 42,000 pages this year, per my tracking. About a quarter of the books I read were rereads, which is normal for me, and about half of my reading was done via audiobook. Among the books I enjoyed was a book written by a former colleague. I also read one of the New York Times top books, as discussed by my colleague Kristin: “You Dreamed of Empires” by Álvaro Enrigue, translated by Natasha Wimmer. It wasn’t a new favorite, but it was an intriguing read in one of my pet niche genres, strange little historicals.
There are areas I’d like to improve upon. For example, I’d like my reading to be broader, but I only read six nonfiction books, which is a dismal percentage of my reading. I also fell down entirely on my plan to read more works by Indigenous authors. On the positive side, I dove wholeheartedly into two new favorite series: “Slough House” by Mick Herron, and “Rivers of London” by Ben Aaronovitch (marvelous in audiobook form). I also enjoyed other types of stories, through TV, podcasts, music, and more.
Many of us at the library track our reading and plenty of other things, but we also like to see what our community is interested in. This leads to our top 10 lists of things you checked out or watched along with. One can draw some conclusions or make guesses about these titles. Looking at the adult fiction, I can see where people were catching up on popular books from the last couple of years, including a few that I know were often selected by book groups. Adult nonfiction is always an interesting list, as it can be harder to pinpoint what “everyone” is reading, but Elon Musk has certainly been in the zeitgeist, and it’s not a surprise to see a memoir from the Vice President-elect on the list. We can also see a public interested in questions of mental health and wellness.
We’ve had some wonderful speakers and presentations this year that are captured on our Youtube Channel – they reflect our community’s interest in a range of topics in science, history, culture, and current events. We hope you’ll explore any of the top 10 you’ve missed and take a look through our video library for even more. You also loved our Chromebooks and mobile internet kits, and none of us at the library was surprised to see that the youth nature explorer backpacks ranked high on the list. You’ll find great lists of our books and videos for kids in this roundup, too.
Whether or not you’ve kept careful, minute track of what you’ve consumed this year, I’d encourage you to take a look back over what you can remember and see what information you can draw from it to take into the new year. Did you find any new favorite books/series/authors/genres you want to shout out? Do you find you’re less drawn to certain things than you once were? Were audiobooks your unexpected friend during commutes or chore days? Did you explore new topics based on current events, or dive deeper into old favorites? Are there voices you’re not hearing?
We hope you’ve enjoyed your year of reading with us. Let us know if you’re looking for recommendations, or stop by the staff picks shelf on the first floor to share your own favorites via Community Picks. Happy new year!