My 2016 Reading Trend

So. I failed my Australian Women Writers 2016 challenge. I must admit to NOT keeping track of this challenge as diligently as I could’ve. This being the case, I have been rather reluctant in signing up for 2017. I thought, though, I should see what my reading trend was in 2016. I went through all my 2016 reads (thanks, Goodreads!) and made these pie charts:

I’m not surprised by this first pie chart as I know that I tend to read a LOT of female authors overall. That’s not to say that I read a lot of chick-lit or romance novels though as I actually don’t. I guess most of my books will have an angle on romance but they don’t particularly fall under the romance genre. Looking at my shelf, I’d say most would be either a fantasy or mystery series.

Eep, I thought I read a lot of Aussie books BUT over half my books are actually written by American authors!! And less than a quarter of what I’ve read are Aussie 😦 I’m a little surprised as I do feel like I try to read as widely as I can but I guess in terms of general proportion, there are a lot more American authors than there are Aussie authors. This is despite completing my Aussie Author Challenge 2016 on the Aussie Readers group on GR.

 

Of the Australian authors, this result mirrors my overall male:female authors ratio though how I still fail AWW16… I must’ve slacked off with the reviewing!

 

 

 

Now this result absolutely SHOCKED me! I definitely thought I read a LOT of YA but overall, it seems to maked up only 21% of my reads… I am pleased though with the 14% Non-Fiction result.

 

What does this mean for me in 2017?

1. Signing up for AWW17 and be very diligent in reviewing Australian Women Writers’ books
2. I want to read at least 3 books by African authors, 4 books by South American authors, and 2 books by New Zealand authors (these numbers are 2016 ones so I’d like to either match or exceed).
3. Aiming for at least 25% books read to be by Australian authors. I have signed up for the Aussie Author Challenge 2017 on the Aussie Readers group on GR but seeing my 2016 result, I’m going to have to ramp up my effort by consciously reading Aussie books for other challenges too.
4. In addition, I’ve got 3 big-classic-books I’m going to tackle this year; starting with Martin Chuzzlewit (Dickens), The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (Hugo), and I will give War & Peace (Tolstoy) another go.

How did you go in 2016? Any particular reading resolution in 2017?

So far, I’ve read 6 books (am going back to work tomorrow, boo hoo): 3 of 6 are NF, 2 of 6 Aussie Authors (1 male & 1 female). I’m off to a very good start in 2017!

G’day & Apologies

Aaah…I’ve been feeling so bad about neglecting the blog though some of you would know the reason by now.  That first trimester which caught me by surprise and I was just too sick & too tired to read, much less trying to maintain this blog.  Well, since I wasn’t reading, I really couldn’t post any book reviews, now, could I?

I was still carting books & ereader around for that slight chance that I wanted & could read but I usually only manage 1 or 2 chapters before the nausea overrode the desire to read 😦 😦  Nevertheless, I was counting my lucky stars that this time around (2nd pregnancy) I wasn’t vomiting very much.  I’m well into my second trimester now and when I went back onto GoodReads, I was greeted by a very sad sight…

The last review book, Terms & Conditions, I read prior to being really sick, I haven’t reviewed 😦 (My apologies to Bloomsbury Publishing) Song of Susannah was an audiobook to which I’d probably fallen asleep to more often than actually listening to, oops! Then you could see a whole month’s gap before which I finished an audiobook of The Raven Boys which I totally enjoyed (very quirky characters that makes very interesting dynamics). Another month’s gap before I started to read at a more regular pace which brings us to the current month.  To sum up, I basically did NOT “read” for 2.5 months *GASPS*

That does mean that there were a few NetGalleys titles which expired (my apologies to Random House, Harlequin Books, Hachette Books & Harper Collins YA) but I’ve kept a list to which I will slowly work through this year, I hope.  I’ve bought the first one and it’s on its way to me, woot!

I managed a few fun things this month too… starting with finally seeing Divergent! Yes, pretty much in the final week but my excuse was that I was just feeling better then :p Can’t wait to see it again in blu-ray! Oh btw, it’s a boy, and am trying to get hubby to agree to call him “Four” 😉  Then a pre-screening of The Fault in Our Stars, thanks to Penguin Teen Australia.  Can I just say, oh, wow -I cry quite easily in movies and I expected to be a whole lot worse (what’s with being pregnant & hormonal and all…) but I think there were those more deeply affected than me!  How could that even be possible?!  Those loud sobs were totally heartbreaking!

The Sydney Writers Festival was on last week. I was a tad sad that I couldn’t volunteer this year, thanks to bub, but I managed to drag my bookclub for a session which just happened to fit in with our theme of adaptations this year.  The talk we went to was titled, “Once Upon A Time”, with Kate Forsyth, Tony Birch, Vikram Chandra, and Cornelia Funke on the panel.  We were suitably impressed that the session weren’t overly intellectual and were very engaging.  The last thing that Vikram Chandra said, prior to session being closed & in response to a question on advice for aspiring writers, is truly stuck in my head (even though I don’t share this aspiration at all). He said;

Read everything that give you pleasure; and

Write what hurts

I hope all of you is doing well and I look forward to caching up with you & your blogs in the coming months! xox

 

My Reading Week

It’s been another quiet week for me and due to the circumstance, it’s likely to be so for the next month too.  All I’m doing these days are go to work, come home, have dinner, shower and sleep… and practically nothing else.  I’m still reading a little, on the commute to work but that’s about it.

Even with my slow reading pace, I still couldn’t resist to buy a book this week.  It was one of my most anticipated 2014 release: The Cracks in the Kingdom (The Colors of Madeleine #2) by Jaclyn Moriarty.  I loved book 1 and am really excited to jump in to this gorgeous world once more!  Isn’t the cover beautiful?  My only regret is that it doesn’t match the edition of the first book I own 😦

So, we’ve entered the third month of 2014 and this means that the Take Control of Your TBR Pile challenge has started!  I must confess that I’ve got about 4 NetGalley titles I’ve not yet read that will expire this month soooo I’m really setting myself up for a Big Epic Fail :p  Still… I’ve started reading my first book, The Immortal Prince (Tide Lords #1) by Jennifer Fallon.  It’s supposed to be a re-read but I haven’t found anything that sounds vaguely familiar yet (though I’m only about 80 pages in, of 658, so still have a fair way to go).

As my original challenge post explained, I’ll be focussing on different challenges per week so this week, it will be:

Week 1 (1-7 March): LOST challenge

1. The Immortal Prince (Tide Lords #1) -a re-read

2. The Gods of Amyrantha (Tide Lords #2) -the book on my LOST list

Author Jennifer Fallon is Australian so this will also fit in my AWW2014 challenge 😀

   

My Reading Week… Away from home

It’s been a very quiet week for me.  We got home from holidays last Sunday afternoon and since then, have been trying to adjust to the ole routine.  It’s just been work, eat, and sleep this week as I went back to work pretty much the day after we got back so… a little bit tired still…  I made sure I took opportunities for my nanna naps this weekend though 😉  aside from some good reading!

Received in the mail this week, courtesy of Harper Collins Australia & Harlequin Books Australia:

• Steadfast (Spellcaster #2) by Claudia Gray
• Colours of Gold by Kaye Dobbie
• City of Jasmine by Deanna Raybourn ~which I’ve just finished reading today 😀

Currently reading:

• Cecilia, or, Memoirs of an Heiress by Fanny Burney ~I’m liking Cecilia though I had to put this down in favour or review books
• The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan -slowly getting into this.
• The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay –really am not sure whether this is one for me

       

My Reading Week… Away from home

Home Sweet Home!!

We got home a few hours ago, am pretty tired and ready for bed!  Especially since I’m going to work tomorrow so keeping it to just a quick post to say, g’day!  Hopefully you’ve all been well 🙂  I hope to gain my wind back tomorrow and be a good blogger this week 😉

The weather was pretty good for our time away from home and whilst I got some good reading done the first few days, the last few was just atrocious -a few pages, at most! *gasp*  I’m not quite sure whether that’s because I just couldn’t sit still or the book wasn’t of much interest to me… I’ve a feeling it’s a bit of both which is a bummer 😦

Currently reading:

• Cecilia, or, Memoirs of an Heiress by Fanny Burney ~slowy…slowy…
• The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan -I found Wanting to be mesmerising but I just couldn’t quite find this one that interesting…  I’ll have to give it a few more chapters before I decide anything
• The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay –another one I’m finding hard to get into… maybe it’s me?

What I’ll be trying to fit in this week:

• Canton Elegy by Stephen Lee
• Pawn by Aimee Carter

       

My Reading Week

Keeping my update short because we’re away from home and I’ve intermittent access to the net.  So happy, though, that the serviced apartment came with a coffee machine, woot!  We’ve spent a few hours lazing away at the beach and the boys are napping now.

This week, I finally caved in and purchased Champion (Legend #3) by Marie Lu.  I’m totally excited to read it but at the same time, very anxious!  Hoping that it will end on a high.

I received in the mail The Hidden by Krista Bur, which I won in a giveaway.  She was so generous to mail it all the way from the US 🙂

And the 2 below courtesy of Bloomsbury Publishing:

• Terms and Conditions by Robert Glancy –print copy via Goodreads giveaway
• Broken (Avena #2) by Marianne Curley -a NetGalley title

Hope you’re all having a good week cuz my week’s looking like a lot of relaxation & reading 😉  Happy to report that I’m already sporting a first day tan! 😀 😀 😀

My Reading Week

It has been one of those eventful period for me… bad news on one front, good news on another, catching a cold one week then caught up with the busyness of Chinese New Year!  By the way, Happy Chinese New Year to you all 😉  And just for fun (because I don’t actually have any faith in this), this is what the horoscope says the year of the Horse will bring us Monkeys…

… So Monkey will face some pressures in the year of  Horse.

Monkey is a smart animal. It should accept the challenges from Horse. If  Monkey can get on the horseback, then Monkey can go as anywhere they want…

Career: …, then the job pressure will  continue in 2014. You might have more errands. You might need to travel more.  You might have tighter schedule. Monkey people should use their intelligence to  challenge the stress…

Money: …There is no easy money in the Horse year, you must  spend your energy, sweat and time to exchange your reward. To travel out of town  might be a better idea  to locate your treasure…

Love: …If  you are married, then minor quarrel is possible, but that’s easy to avoid using  your wisdom.

Health: …Monkey people need to enough sleep and good rest for  their coming challenges. Monkey people might spend more time outdoor or away from  the home. You should drive very carefully on the road and try to avoid dangerous  sports.

There is minor unlucky star regarding family members in 2014. If you have seniors  in your family, then you should say hello to them often and make sure they have  good mood and health. If someone you love away from you, then  it’s nice to give them a call once for a while.

Oooh… dear, it’s not shaping up to be a good year for me!  BUT… I did end the year of the Snake with a very good luck.  You may recall, just over a week ago, for Truth or Dare, I went on a hunt for the elusive red cover of The Intern.  Well… I found ONE on Wednesday (the second last day of the year of the Snake! When I think back on it, I should’ve bought a Lotto ticket (lottery) -LOL).  The office was just so cold on Wed and as I still recovering from my cold, my nose was all stuffed up so all I wanted to do was to take a walk outside to thaw out somewhat.  As Dymocks bookstore was only a few buildings down the road, where else would my feet take me but there…?

I almost always visited the Young Adult section downstairs so as I approached the section, I spied something red sitting on the shelf… I really thought I was seeing things though I couldn’t stop myself from walking faster, my hand reached out though slightly hesitated just before I touched it (just in case, it WAS all in my head, you know…) then I grabbed it off the shelf.  I continued walking around the store with half my head in the cloud and the other expecting somebody… anybody… to come up to me about the special book I was hugging to my chest.

The next evening was the book launch so I begged the lovely people at Harper Collins to let me in despite the last minute’s (and very late) RSVP.  They were very kind and I managed to squeezed in along with a hundred other people!  It was a totally packed out event!  I mean, seriously, who would want to miss out on those cupcakes?  Or the Champers!  Seriously though, CONGRATULATIONS, Gabby, on the successful launch of your debut novel.  And yes, I am reading it though a little slow as I haven’t had much reading time…

My Reading Week

I’ve had the very good luck of catching a cold right before the long weekend so I’ve pretty much spent the weekend at home and probably will not be stepping any foot out the door for the rest of the long weekend except maybe to look for food… the fridge & pantry are looking pretty bare right about now.  Hubby’s about to step out to get us some dinner.  I’ve begged him to get him a small bag of Kettle chips (Honey Soy) and he’s refusing me!  How could he refused a sick wife her comfort food?  Enough whinging on my part!  Hope the rest of you are having a terrific weekend and for all the Aussies, Happy Australia Day!  Don’t forget to enter the Australia Day Book Giveaway Blog Hop!

Update: he loves me after all, he came back with the chips, yay! 😀 ❤

This week is all about books I’ve purchased (erm, yea, book buying ban broken within 13 days from NY day, lol).  A few of these are second hand and about half will fit in my challenges this year.  I was slightly generous and bought one for my son 😉

• Nights at the Circus by Angela Carter ~LOST challenge
• Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner ~LOST challenge
• The Godfather by Mario Puzo ~LOST challenge
• Wattle Creek by Fiona Mccallum ~AWW2014
• Sleep With the Lights On by Maggie Shayne
• Taste of Darkness (Healer #2) by Maria V. Snyder ~I’ve read the eARC but needed the paperback to complete my collection 😉
• Your Best Body by Michelle Bridges ~cuz I loved her ‘Perfect Veggie Casserole’ recipe in this book; I could have it everyday!  The recipe was previously available online on the Penguin Books Australia website but it looks like they’ve taken it down 😦
• An Iron Rose by Peter Temple ~Classics Project
• The Watch Tower by Elizabeth Harrower ~Classics Project & AWW2014
• Dinosaur Rescue! by Penny Dale ~loved how big his eyes get when he saw this 🙂

Currently reading:

• Cecilia, or, Memoirs of an Heiress by Fanny Burney ~this reading a classic a month is just not happening for me… I still intend to finish this brick of a book though.
• The Rule of Knowledge by Scott Baker ~nearly there! 
• The Lost Sisterhood: A Novel by Anne Fortier

What I’ll HAVE to pick up this week:

• The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan
• The Yearning by Kate Belle

                    

My Reading Week

Aaah, thanks for coming along on the ride for me, if you’ve been around the past week, you’ve seen that I’ve decided to tackled on both memes I was considering.  We’ll see how long that will last, especially the Truth or Dare -this vlog business is nerve wracking!  Nevertheless, thank you so much for all your encouraging notes about my voice; you guys have definitely made my day. Hugs & Kisses to you all!

It’s been a pretty busy week for me and so, a very very slow reading period.  I went to the movies twice (*gasp* oh, the luxury!) -once with my kiddo for Walking With Dinosaurs in 3D (his first full feature film and he gets to see his fave dinosaurs in 3D -he absolutely loved it) and then, with a couple of girlfriends to see The Railway Man.  I must say that I didn’t really know that much about The Railway Man and I wasn’t really in the mood for a serious movie – I went just to hang out with my friends for a bit.  When discussing this with a friend, she commented how underwhelming my ‘review’ of the movie was… but I just couldn’t help myself.  At the risk of sounding superficial, Colin Firth’s glasses were just so prominent that it really distracted me from the whole movie! I was getting really annoyed with that.  Plus, the young Japanese translator -um, he doesn’t look like he knows if he’s supposed to be there?  The only bit I love, though, was the endin… I haven’t read the book or any reviews so I was really unsure how it was supposed to turn out and I was completely blown away.  The ending sooo saved the movie for me 🙂

Then on Saturday evening, I went to see “An Evening with David Sedaris” at the Sydney Opera House.  It was such a wonderful evening, when the lights came on, I was surpised to find that 1.5 hours have passed.  He’s such a witty story-teller.  He read some of his diary entries, and seriously, I wish my diary entries were like his!  I can’t thank Hachette Books Australia enough for these tickets! My girlfriend and I absolutely enjoyed the night.

The post seems to be geneous this week with 2 deliveries of books.  It’s a thrilling experience each time I ripped into those packages -I’m sure you booklovers will know what I’m talking about 😉  This week I’ve received:

From Hachette Book Australia:

• Pushing the Limits by Casey Stoner ~signed copy
• Ugly: My Memoir by Robert Hoge ~signed copy
• The Girl with All the Gifts by M. R. Carey ~an Uncorrected Proof
• The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd ~an Uncorrected Proof

From Harlequin Books Australia:

• Hunted by Elizabeth Heiter
• The Queen’s Choice (Heirs of Chrior #1) by Cayla Kluver
• Someone Like You (Boys of Summer #2) by Victoria Purman

Currently reading:

• Cecilia, or, Memoirs of an Heiress by Fanny Burney ~it’s sitting on my bedside table UNtouched at the mo… just catching up on some must read to review book!
• The Rule of Knowledge by Scott Baker ~read a few chapters more but as above…
• The Lost Sisterhood: A Novel by Anne Fortier ~started earlier in the week and have probably read 20% of it but again had to put down as per above…

What I’ll be trying to fit in this week:

• The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan

                   

My Reading Week

I’ve been considering of joining in a meme or two but I just can’t decide what would be fun to do without too much of a pressure (ie. more books to read).  For part of last year, I participated in the Random Reads hosted by i’m loving books which were really fun and helped to trim down that TBR.  However, with my focus this year being to complete challenges I’ve taken up, I didn’t really need another book to read per month so I’m shelving this challenge this year.

I’ve always wanted to join in Teaser Tuesdays though I still haven’t fully made up my mind if I wanted to commit a weekly post…. easy as it is!

I also saw Truth {or} Dare hosted by Jenna {does} Books which looks really fun and requires a bit of daring sometimes!  This might come with a bit of pressure depending on the weekly task though.

What do you think?  Help me make up my mind!  I’m a very indecisive person (most times!) so I’m going to need some sort of push one way or another ;p

Currently reading:

• Laskar Pelangi by Andrea Hirata (the English translated version is titled Rainbow Troops) ~ reading it very slowly as my Bahasa is very rusty!  I should finish this week though.
• Cecilia, or, Memoirs of an Heiress by Fanny Burney
• The Rule of Knowledge by Scott Baker ~just started this arvo, a few chapters in and somewhat promising…

What I’ll be trying to fit in this week:

• The Lost Sisterhood: A Novel by Anne Fortier
• King Cave (Forever Evermore #2) by Scarlett Dawn
• The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan