lebateleur | 2021 Reading Meme

Because better late than never, eh?

How many books read in 2022? I read 121 books cover-to-cover, defined as always as reading every chapter, glossary, index, author’s note, etc. in the volume.

Favorite first-time read?
Fiction: The House on Vesper Sands by Paraic O’Donnell (runner-up: The Curses by Laure Eve.)
Nonfiction: i’m just a person by Tig Notaro (runner up: Eat the Buddha by Barbara Demick.)

Least favorite first-time read?
Fiction: Things in Jars by Jess Kidd (runner up: A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers.)
Nonfiction: Anam Cara by John O’Donohue (runner up: Experience the Mystery of Tarot by Katalin Jett Koda.)

Fiction/Non-Fiction ratio? 80 fiction : 41 nonfiction

Author gender breakdown?
Women: 73
Men: 37
Multiple authors or anthology: 11

Most books read by one author this year?
Three each from Terry Pratchett and Megan Whalen Turner.
Pratchett 1&2, Turner 1, and Pratchett 3; Turner 2&3.

Any in translation?
Made-Up by Daphne B. (from French)
Yearning for the Sea by Ester Seligson (from Spanish)

In languages other than English?
I read two nonfiction books and five manga volumes in Japanese, which is easily my worst record for reading non-English language books in over two decades.

Oldest?
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Newest?
Made-Up by Daphne B.

Longest Title?
The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Shortest Title?
Binti by Nnedi Okorafor
Tarot by Jessica Hundley
Rowan by Robin McKinley and Donna Ruff

Longest book?
In terms of wordcount, I’m guessing it was either Llewellyn’s Complete Book of Ceremonial Magic by Lon Milo DuQuette & David Shoemaker (eds.) or Women of the Golden Dawn by Mary K. Greer.

Shortest book?
We Found A Hat by Jon Klassen.

Format of books read?
Paper: 87
Ebook: 28
Paper/Ebook both: 5
Great Course: 1

Re-reads?
More than once in 2021: The House on Vesper Sands by Paraic O’Donnell and We Found A Hat by Jon Klassen.
In 2021 and an earlier year: 13

First book acquired:
Saiyuki Reload Blast vols. 1-3 and Shuten Unknown vols. 5 and Gaiden, which arrived as a group from Kinokuniya in early January last year.

Last book acquired:
Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

First book finished:
The Bass Rock by Evie Wild

Last book finished:
A History of Magic, Witchcraft, and the Occult by Suzannah Lipscomb et al.

Book that most changed my perspective:
i’m just a person by Tig Notaro

Favorite character:
Inspector Cutter, from The House on Vesper Sands

Favorite scene:
Hakkai telling Gojyo he's being too temptingly sexy in Saiyuki Reload Blast. Yes, it's blatant fan service, and 20 years later, I'll still happily eat it out of Minekura's hand (runner up: anything involving Inspector Cutter from The House on Vesper Sands.)

Favorite Quote:
The entirety of Chapter 9, “God Never Gives You More Than You Can Handle” in i’m just a person by Tig Notaro, which is the mic drop to end them all.

What do you want to read in 2022?

I’m excited about Katherine Addison’s The Grief of Stones, Melissa Albert’s Our Crooked Hearts, and Naomi Novik’s The Golden Enclaves, all of which are set to publish this year.

For last year’s fourth Snowflake Challenge, I made a list of 50 books I theoretically wanted to read within the year, and read 30 of them—not bad! I might do something similar again this year...stay tuned.

これで以上です。