My year in reading, some statistics and goals for 2019

This post is going to be a bit long and analytical, but hey some people like that stuff.  I know I do.  In my day job I'm a data analyst, what does that mean?  I play with numbers and build data visuals to tell people stuff, sometimes they like it and sometimes they don't.  Hopefully you find it interesting.  It's pretty nerdy I know, but I'm a nerd at heart so...here are the numbers and what I learned from my year in reading.

I set out to read 75 books this year.  Goodreads will tell you that I read 151 books, pretty impressive huh?  That is 51 more than last year.  I attribute most of that to audiobooks, I listened to a lot more audiobooks this year than I did in 2017.

On to the statistics.

I read 78 print books this year so I met my goal there, I also listened to 73 audiobooks.  This confirms that I've been able to almost double my reading by adding audiobooks to my routine.  Here's where really get into the numbers.

Audiobooks - All but 2 of the audiobooks I listened to this year came from the library via Overdrive or Hoopla.  The 2 I "own" were free downloads from Penguin Random House's Volumes App.  They usually do a monthly free book.  Check out the link to their facebook for announcements.

The Format of Books I Read

I'm going to breakdown the format of the books and where I got them because I thought it was an interesting statistic.  It is pretty telling that I do most of my reading from the library.  I have a physical bookshelf and a Kindle full of books, and these numbers tell me that I need to read the stuff I've spent my money on.  I support the library, as you can tell, and you should too.  Libraries are important people.  One of my goals for 2019 is to read more of the books I have already purchased (both ebook and physical book) while continuing to support my library.

• Ebooks - 66 read
• 31 ARCs
• 15 Owned
• 21 Borrowed from the library
• Hardback Books - 3 Read
• 1 Owned 
• 2 Borrowed from the library 
• Paperback books - 8 read
• 3 ARCs
• 3 Owned
• 2 Borrowed from the library

Where all of my books came from this year

As you can see from the above stats, I get a lot of books from my library.  Even some of the books I bought came from local library sales this year.  A large portion of the books I read in 2018 were ARCs.  I received 34 ARCs from various sources in 2018, which made up a significant amount of the books I read this year.  I can't express how grateful I am that publishers and authors allow me to read and review their work early.  I read some really wonderful books this year because of these opportunities.

I reviewed 83 of the 145 books I read this year.  I'd like improve that number in 2019.  I'm really bad about reviewing audiobooks.  I also didn't review a lot of the books I read that weren't ARCs.  I reviewed a lot of books, just not as many as I could have.

Goals for 2019

• Read more of my own books.  I have a ton of books that I keep buying and not reading.  Clearly I need to show some love to the books I bought.
• Review books after I finish them.  If I don't do it right away I won't ever get to it.
• Keep supporting the library.  I use the library for most of my audiobooks and I don't see that stopping.  I'll probably never stop requesting e-books either.
• Be more selective with ARC requests.  I love reviewing books, but I always have way too many due for review at the same time.  Then I feel bad because they are overdue and I get into a slump.  I do always post them though, even if they are a little late.
• Be more active on social media (instagram and facebook).