Tag Archive Goodreads

ByGD

My 2020 Year in Books

March is a little late to be summarizing the previous year’s reading. But I was busy in January and forgot in February, so here we are. I like looking back at my book-year regardless of when I get around to it. So if you have any interest in my reading life, here we go. My 2020 in books.

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ByGD

My 2019 in Books

Another year, another Goodreads Challenge. Since I started reading so many graphic novels, setting my challenge goal has been a challenge in itself. On the one hand, I happily recognize graphic novels as real books. On the other hand, it takes about one hour to read a volume of manga, where the average novel takes about 12 hours. So I set a ridiculously high goal that includes both, but I try to sort my results so I can see how much “regular reading” I did apart from “graphic reading.” I’m probably the only person who cares about my reading data, but since I got to read a lot of interesting books last year, you might want to read on to discover some cool stories.

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ByGD

What I Read in 2018

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Usually people share these Goodreads annual summaries around the new year, so I guess I’m kind of late. But hey, every day is a new day, and technically the start of a new year (as defined as a stretch of 365 days). So here is my 2018 year in books.

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ByGD

2015 Reading Challenge

TOTALS

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53

books

14,920

pages

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Snow White Stories Around the World by Jessica S. Gunderson

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SHORTEST BOOK
32 pages
Snow White Stories Around the Wo…
by Jessica S. Gunderson
LONGEST BOOK
563 pages
by Emily Croy Barker
The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic by Emily Croy Barker
AVERAGE LENGTH
282 pages
MOST POPULAR
4,144,142 people also read
The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Fashion Manifesto by Sofia Hedstrxf6m
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LEAST POPULAR
2 people also read
Fashion Manifesto: The Guide for…
by Sofia Hedstrxf6m

MY AVERAGE RATING FOR 2015

3.7
The Gang of Four by Bob Santos
HIGHEST RATED ON GOODREADS
The Gang of Four: Four Leaders, Four Communities, One Friendship
by Bob Santos
4.50 average

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MY 2015 BOOKS
Rogue Spy by Joanna Bourne
really liked it
Seduced by Cari Quinn
Best Man for Hire by Tawna Fenske
Fiancee for Hire by Tawna Fenske
Believe It or Not by Tawna Fenske
Scandal with a Prince by Nicole Burnham
A Fair Barbarian by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Architect's Apprentice by Elif Shafak
An Elephant in the Garden by Michael Morpurgo
The Game of Silence by Louise Erdrich
Brendan Buckley's Universe and Everything in It by Sundee T. Frazier
The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic by Emily Croy Barker
Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee
The Gang of Four by Bob Santos
The Secrets She Keeps by Deb Caletti
Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
it was amazing
The Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler
Snow White Stories Around the World by Jessica S. Gunderson
A Comedy & A Tragedy by Travis Hugh Culley
Dear Hank Williams by Kimberly Willis Holt
it was amazing
Landry Park by Bethany Hagen
Shade by Keith Wiley
Story by Robert McKee
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George
Today I Will Fly! by Mo Willems
The Truth About Style by Stacy London
The Fashion File by Janie Bryant
March by Geraldine Brooks
Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman
Fashion Manifesto by Sofia Hedstrxf6m
The Shipping News by Annie Proulx
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
it was amazing
Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins
About That Fling by Tawna Fenske
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
The Graveyard Book – Perfectly Safe
it was amazing
The Zoo on the Road to Nablus by Amelia Thomas
The Secret Chord by Geraldine Brooks
Aranya by Marc Secchia
Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson
New Old World by Pallavi Aiyar
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Last First Kiss by Lia Riley

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You read 53 out of 50 books.

106%

ByGD

A Five Star Dilemma

I love the speech at the end of the movie Ratatouille that talks about critics. It starts with the statement,

Negative criticism is fun to write and even more fun to read.

[Proof that it is true.] But even a negative review can turn a reader on to something they love. A critic may write, “The food was a confused mishmash,” or “The band was obscene,” but the reader may love fusion food and punk music. I had a friend in college whose movie reviews I trusted completely; the more enthusiastically he spoke of a movie, the more certain I was that I would hate it. Reviews are valuable; but a five star rating tells me nothing. Three stars tells me even less. Read More