EOFY. What a ridiculous acronym. I reckon I saw it around for at least two years before I figured out what it actually stood for. Anyway, happy new year financial planners and accountants: let’s tell the story of my reading so far this year IN NUMBERS!
- Books started: 55
- Books finished: 47
- Books given up on: 3
- Books I still intend to finish: 5
- Female authors: 24
- Male authors: 31 (I usually read a lot more women than men – not sure what’s going on this year)
- Authors of colour: 12
- Books came from: secondhand bookshop 4; gifts 10 (thank you Facebook book pyramid scheme); library 11; Amazon & Booktopia 9 (including 4 Kindle); indie bookshops and publishers 15; borrowed from friends 3
- Authors were from: Latin America 4; Eastern Europe 2; Middle East 1; Australia 20; US & Canada 14; Britain 6; Ireland 5; East Asia 4; South Asia 2; New Zealand 2. (Can anyone recommend any authors from Ethiopia, Somalia or Sudan?)
- 22 books were published in 2017; 15 were published in 2016; 6 were published in 2015; 9 between 2000 & 2014; 2 in the 1990s and 1 in 1953.
- I loved 19 books.
- I liked 23.
- I didn’t like 7 (I’m looking at you, ‘A little life’.)
- Six books were translated; two were books of short stories; five were novellas; nine were non-fiction and one was poetry.
My favourite books so far this year have been La Rose by Louise Erdrich, Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders (what a surprise), Universal Harvester by John Darnielle, Psynode by Marlee Jane Ward, Rubik by Elizabeth Tan and Carrion Colony by Richard King.
wadholloway
July 1, 2017 at 2:43 pmNnedi Okorafor is American-Nigerian but Who Fears Death and Book of Phoenix are ‘set in’ South Sudan. My review https://theaustralianlegend.wordpress.com/2016/10/28/womens-sf/ (it even mentions you!)
Jane Bryony Rawson
July 1, 2017 at 3:32 pmThank you!
wadholloway
July 1, 2017 at 2:47 pm… and Don’t Tell Me You’re Afraid is set in Somalia, by an Italian guy, but from the pov of a Somali girl. My review https://theaustralianlegend.wordpress.com/2016/12/09/dont-tell-me-youre-afraid/
Jane Bryony Rawson
July 1, 2017 at 3:33 pmand thank you again!
whisperinggums
July 1, 2017 at 6:57 pmIt is a weird acronym, I agree.
Enjoyed your EOFY recap, Jane. Nice change from and EOCY one! I haven’t heard of most of your top books which is embarrassing. Makes my reading feel very staid. I do though, want to read more Erdrich, and have had one in my TBR for the longest time.
Jane Bryony Rawson
July 1, 2017 at 8:26 pmLaRose is great! The others are all from this year, except Carrion Colony which is, in my opinion, an overlooked Australian classic.
whisperinggums
July 1, 2017 at 8:37 pmI love Australian classics but I don’t know King or this at all. Will add it to my list.
whisperinggums
July 1, 2017 at 6:58 pmFrom “an”, not “and”!
Kate W
July 2, 2017 at 9:00 pmLaRose and Lincoln on my TBR list. I loved A Little Life but can totally understand why you didn’t.
Jane Bryony Rawson
July 3, 2017 at 8:01 amThanks Kate.
Imbi Neeme
July 3, 2017 at 3:18 pmI always assumed that EOFY was the name of one of the lesser known characters in Lord of the Rings who liked to buy a lot of stationery in June.
Jane Bryony Rawson
July 3, 2017 at 3:19 pmThis is accurate.