As usual, nonfiction predominates, totaling 64% this year which is right in line with my usual average. History, Science, and Technology were the leaders there. Ebooks came in strong this year, accounting for 44% of my reading. When I converted all of my booklists into Excel and imposed a uniform categorization, I noticed that female authors were....scarce, usually under 10% of my reading. This year I had an unannounced goal of reading more female authors, and consider the 22% they managed to be an improvement.
This year's highlights, with the top ten in bold.
Science fiction had a banner year -- 17 books, not counting Star Trek and Star Wars, and most of them were hits this year. as I discovered and explored the works of John Scalzi (Agent to the Stars), Cory Doctorow (Little Brother and Pirate Cinema), and Ernest Cline (Ready Player One &; Armada) I also read Andy Weir's second novel, Artemis. I experienced RPO, uniquely, across three mediums: I listened to the Audible presentation first, watched the movie, and read the physical book. A special note about Ready Player One: I read the book, listened to the Audible experience, and watched the movie. I really liked that book. It's one I've already started to re-read.
Star Trek also had a strong year, with nine titles between The Fall, Vanguard, Section 31, and the Mirror Universe series. My favorite was David Mack's Ceremony of Losses, followed by Rise Like Lions, which put the Mirror Universe in a good position for future stories beyond tired rebels v alliance tropes.
In History, always queen of the stacks, my favorite was easily Exploding the Phone, a history of the phone-pheaking movement which later gave rise to the first computer hackers. Ian Mortimer's A Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England was another favorite. I also want to mention Skygods, a history of Pan Am, and Fares Please!, a social history of trolleys, buses, and subways in America. Fool's Errand and The Looming Tower were also notable.
Biographies had an uptick this year, and Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson was so good that I wound up reading a series of Apple-related books because of it.
Science had an OK year, fine on numbers but lukewarm on quality. Two science books didn't get full reviews. Ends of the Earth, Gut, and This is Your Brain on Parasites stood out from the rest.
Technology had a healthy year, and I especially enjoyed The One Device and The Art of Invisibility.
Historical Fiction practically didn't exist this year, with under five titles. The Memory of Old Jack and Anne of Avonlea were the most exceptional titles, and they're only arguably historical fiction. I picked up the latest Cornwell novel on release, and...well, turned it back in. I like the Saxon stories, but at this point Uhtred is old and tired, and I can't tell the last few books from each other.
Religion and Philosophy were...well, even more nonexistant, with one standout title in philosophy (How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life), and...no books on religion? I did read Anthony Esolen's Nostalgia, which partially involves religion, but wasn't overtly about it. Religion was a strong presence in books like From Achilles to Christ and Further Up and Further In: A Guide to Narnia, however. Caitlin Doughty's Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, reflections on working in a funeral home, arguably has a place here. What are religion and philosophy, after all, except attempts to make sense of the world -- and our inevitable departure from it?
Looking back, I'm not entirely comfortable with the paucity of more meaningful books as opposed to technology, but one year doesn't make a pattern. I've had years where I was obsessed with France, or health. We'll see how things look next year!
