2017 Bookshelf
I had a goal of reading 50 books in 2017, which doesn't seem like much unless you work full time, have a young family, a military career, and write novels. Still, I am a fast reader when I get time to read (long trips help). I read 52 books this year, an average of one a week with 3 still in the 'current read' list.
A few thoughts on 2017's bookshelf:
I read 16 non-fiction books (31% of my read), most of them dominated the writing category.
Top of the non-fiction heap:
This book has helped me immensely in getting a book ready for its first round of editing. I cut down two revisions and six months of work using this as a guide.
I read a lot more science fiction this past year, which was a goal of mine - about 17 or 33%. One was a reread (Dune by Frank Herbert), and the rest were new authors, those that I hadn't read before (Iain M. Banks), or attempting to read farther into a series.
Of the remaining 19 books: I reread two Ian Fleming favorites of mine, and the rest is fantasy, a few YA (from authors I'd met this year), and a book that rocketed up the charts because of this year's events and mini-series (The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood). It is not science fiction though it is in that category because of its dystopian nature. It is a literary fiction at its heart. There were a few series beginners, but they all didn't grab me as much as I thought they would. I quite enjoy James SA Corey and John Scalzi though their series seems to wear as time goes on. I still have the new Expanse novel to read and I've heard good things, so the series might be through its meaty middle and rocketing toward the end of its nine book run.
Top of the fiction heap (I have a lot at the top, but this book is also highly regarded):
So looking ahead, what to read in 2018's bookshelf?
1. Finish at least two series - The Dune Chronicles and The Expanse. I won't finish Iain M. Banks' Culture Series this - there are ten books! I may read one or two in 2018. I also need to return to N. K. Jemisin's Broken Earth series at some point.
2. Read more independent titles and the wider genre market. Traditional publishing is nice, but its narrow and thin in what's out there, what's possible, and new authors.
What are you reading? Did you make a goal this year? What did you enjoy most fiction wise and non-fiction wise?
Here's my complete 2017 Bookshelf.