2010 Books and Reading Recap

Posting my yearly reading recap is always my favorite post of the year.  I get quite nerdy breaking down the stats of all the books I’ve bought and read during the previous year. I hope you enjoy this year’s recap in all its nerdiness!

Previous annual installments include: 2009, 2008, 2007. (Also, my 2007 Book Flow Chart.)

2010 Books and Reading Recap:

Total Books Read: 91

Fiction: 65
Non-Fiction: 26

By Genre (some books may be in more than one genre):

Contemporary Fiction: 21
Memoir: 11
Kid’s/YA Lit: 21
Fantasy: 14
Classics: 13
Graphic Novel: 9
Food Writing: 2
Short Story Collections: 2
Travel Writing: 4
Books about Books/Reading: 3
Poetry: 4
History: 2
Plays: 1
Collection of Letters: 1

Total Pages Read: (does not include unfinished books): 26,670
Average Number of Pages/Book: 293

Shortest Book Read: About Alice by Calvin Trillin (78 pages)
Longest Book Read: Skippy Dies (661 pages)

Books that were Re-reads: 18

Number of Books Read by Decade:

2010: 24
2000s: 40
1990s: 10
1980s: 1
1970s: 2
1960s: 2
1950s: 2
1940s: 5
<1900: 5

Total Number of Different Authors: 68

Multiple Books Read by One Author:

J. K. Rowling: 7
Hilary McKay: 4
Maud Hart Lovelace: 4
Bill Bryson: 3
Suzanne Collins: 3
Calvin Trillin: 3
Jasper Fforde: 2
Maira Kalman: 2
Daniel Clowes: 2

“New to Me” Authors: 41

Books by Male Authors: 44
Books by Female Authors: 47

Books by Dead Authors: 17
Books by Living Authors: 74

Books by Non-American Authors: 33
(21 English, 5 Irish, 2 Scottish, and 1 each: Chinese, Swiss, French, Canadian, Japanese)

Audio Books Listened To: 8
(audio books are counted in all categories above as well, as if they were paper books, with the exception of “Longest Book Read” where I decided to disqualify Harry Potter, 3 of which were longer than Skippy Dies)

Favorites of  2010 (Books that were re-reads are excluded):

Top Five Favorite Fiction Books:
1. The Postmistress by Sarah Blake
2. Auntie Mame By Patrick Dennis
3. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
4. Skippy Dies by Paul Murray
5. World War Z by Max Brooks
Other Favorites: One Day by David Nicholls, Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde, Finny by Justin Kramon

Top Five Favorite Non-Fiction Books:
1. At Home by Bill Bryson
2. And the Pursuit of Happiness by Maira Kalman
3. The Heroine’s Bookshelf by Erin Blakemore
4. McCarthy’s Bar by Pete McCarthy
5. A Secret Map of Ireland by Rosita Boland
Other Favorites: American Fried by Calvin Trillin, Stitches by David Small, Round Ireland With a Fridge by Tony Hawk

Top Five Favorite YA/Kid’s Lit:
1. The 10 p.m. Question by Katie De Goldi
2. Indigo’s Star by Hilary McKay
3. The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart
4. Clementine, Friend of the Week by Sara Pennypacker
5. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Top Five Favorite Book Covers: (click on the title to view the cover)
1. Skippy Dies by Paul Murray
2. Inklings by Jeffrey Koterba
3. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark
4. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
5. Great House by Nicole Krauss

Top Five Favorite Book Titles:
1. A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers by Xiaolu Guo
2. Skippy Dies by Paul Murray
3. Alice, Let’s Eat by Calvin Trillin
4. Round Ireland With a Fridge by Tony Hawk
5. The Heroine’s Bookshelf by Erin Blakemore
Other Favorites: How Did You Get This Number by Sloane Crosley, Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris

Total Number of Books Purchased: 125

Number of Books Purchased from an Independent Bookstore: 70

Book/Author Events Attended:
Jasper Fforde 1.4.10, Barnes and Noble Lincoln Center
Yann Martel 4.16.10 Borders Park Ave
Bill Bryson 10.15.10 Barnes and Noble Union Square
Book Expo 5.27.10: R. L. Stine, Sara Gruen, Justin Cronin, Bernadette Peters

For a complete list of the books bought and read in 2010, click here.