2019: A Year in Books and Blogging

Happy New Year!

At this time of year, I like to look back over the last 12 months at my year in books and blogging and to roll out some funky graphs.  Going into 2019, I made the decision to take on fewer ARCs and blog tours.  It was hard at times – there’s rather a lot of temptation, and Netgalley makes it oh so easy to request books to review – but, apart from the odd blip, I stayed firm, and this is something that I intend to continue with in 2020.   My Netgalley feedback ratio is currently 100%, and I’m not planning to request anything in the near future.  We’ll see how it goes!

This meant that I read more of my own books during 2019, and I enjoyed reading and blogging more.  It was certainly more relaxed, as I didn’t feel the need to read a particular book at a certain time or to have my review posted by a certain date.  That’s not to say that I don’t appreciate the books I’m sent for review – I really do! – but it was good to have less pressure in what is, essentially, a hobby.

I read 119 books in 2019, and I posted my favourite books of the year in December (you can see the post here).  I don’t set a target for the year, and this figure is around the average for me.  Breaking it down further:

Of my blog posts, my most viewed reviews were:

1. The Doll Factory by Elizabeth Macneal
2. Things in Jars by Jess Kidd
3. The Devil Aspect by Craig Russell
4. What You Did by Claire McGowan
5. The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

So there we have it – my reading year!

Here’s to a happy, healthy, and book-filled 2020 ❤