Hi and welcome to FromBelgiumWithBookLove!
This is my fourth year of keeping a spreadsheet to keep track of my reading in a more organised fashion than Goodreads offers, and once again I’ve tweaked it a little to find out a little more. I’m not a numbers person, never have been, but I do like stats and pie charts so once again I’m going to have a look at my bookish year through pie charts, and see what they might reveal about me as a reader, or how I might have evolved since I first started keeping track.
This is what my bookish July, August and September look like in pie charts:
First of all: format. As always, a mix of audiobooks, eBooks and paper books, what can I say, I love books in any shape or size! A lot more paper, a little more digital and quite a bit less audio, this time around.
I have been trying to diversify my reading, finding I’m really enjoying historical fiction, so I started keeping track of When I was reading. Compared to the previous quarter, I read about 4% more books set in the present, which is an evolution I don’t really like, but I did manage to read a few other eras, as well as some non-fiction and fantasy, so all in all, I’m rather happy with this chart.
I was equally excited to find out Where I was reading. England is fighting to come back from its all-time low, USA once again takes the top spot, which comes as no surprise because I’ve been trying to visit all the states. And I did manage to visit quite a few other countries as well, I love this chart!
Speaking of the US states, would you look at this gorgeous chart! I managed to visit a whole bunch of new states and at this point, I only have one state left to visit: Kentucky. Let me know if there are any books set in Kentucky that you would recommend!
And for those of you who like maps:
Looking at Source, where my books came from, I’m happy I cancelled my KU subscription after the trial period, because I clearly managed to read more of my own books. ARCs and NetGalleys have dropped a little lower, I’m obviously still very picky about the books for review I accept or request. And I’m still taking full advantage of my Scribd subscription. A few months ago, Scribd seemed to cut me off very early in the month, but for the last couple of months, I’ve been able to read what I want when I want, so I’m once again very happy with this subscription.
Looking at Genre, I obviously read a lot more thrillers than in the previous quarter, to the detriment of pretty much all other genres. Still, a nice mix, I’ve done well, if I do say so myself 😂
Looking at known-to-me vs new-to-me Authors I read, I’m surprised, actually. These are almost the same percentages as in the previous quarter, only this time, I read a lot more books by authors I’ve read before. This seemed really weird at first, but considering it, I think I continued quite a few series and some known-to-me authors had new books out in the last couple of months.
Last year I tried to read as much from my backlog TBR as I could (inspired by Lisa @ OwlBeSatReading), so I looked at when I bought the books I read, or, in case of books read through Scribd, when I added them to my wishlist… I still haven’t been able to #BeatTheBacklog, I still said #BallsToTheBacklog too often, but this is a huge improvement compared to the previous chart (2023: 79.3% 😱) and I’m actually rather happy with it.
In terms of standalones, series or duologies, I seem to have read a lot more series than in previous quarters, which I do think explains the large percentage of known-to-me authors, at least in part.
In terms of books in their original language vs books in translation, this chart is definitely less sad than the previous quarter’s. I’m glad that I got to read a few more translations, I think a lot of these were Nordic fiction.
Baby steps, but I did manage to reread a little more than in the previous quarter, which I’m really happy with.
Well that’s it for today, if you made it here thanks for joining me and sticking it out 😄 Do you keep track of your reading, would your pie charts look anything like mine or not at all? Let me know below!
Love these charts, Kelly💜 You did a great job reading coast to coast in the US!
Thank you 💜 I never thought I’d manage so I’m thrilled that I’m almost there! Provided I find a Kentucky setting before the end of the year 😅
It’s fascinating seeing it all as a pie charts and really clarifies what you’ve been reading. You must be a very dedicated spreadsheet keeper x
I am 😂
No China this time – pity!!
Uncle Tom’s Cabin was set in Kentucky.
More recently – I haven’t read it – The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes is set in Kentucky, which is similar to The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson, which I also haven’t read. LOL!!
Interesting stories, though, about women who carted books around Kentucky, based on real history
I’m saving China for the really special occasions 😂
I knew Uncle Tom’s Cabin is set there but I was hoping someone could recommend a shorter book 😂 The Giver of Stars is definitely an option, thank you!
You already know how much I love these posts. 😉 You were able to travel so much in the last three months! And you are now well ahead with the US states as well… I still need four myself. I read Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams for Kentucky, but I’m not sure it would be for you… The Book Woman Of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson might be more up your alley, and I really enjoyed that one as well.
Noted, thank you! Which states do you still need to visit?
I have Delaware, Iowa, Mississippi and North Dakota still left to read… I do have titles lined up that fit; now I just have to find the time in between ARCs to read them. 😉 North Dakota is probably the trickiest one because I only have one title (The Round House by Louise Erdich) and I’m not sure if I will be in the mood to read it any time soon.
I read The Only Good Indians for North Dakota, I really enjoyed it but I’m not sure it would be your thing.