What I Read in 2018

At the start of 2018 I decided to reduce my reading from the 100+ it’s been in recent years to a goal of 72 books. I was finding that I wasn’t using my free time the way I wanted to, and with adding in exercise time and some additional working hours, I had less spare time during my week than I have had in past years. I also wanted to spend a little more time gaming and catching movies, all of which would take away from reading. In the end I read 80 books in 2018, a little more than I aimed for, but nowhere near enough to read all the books I actually wanted to.

Looking forward to 2019 my plan is to be much more selective with my reading. I have series that I desperately want to revisit and finish, and new books I want to read as they’re released rather than trying to play catch-up. Inevitably I’ll be filling in my reading with some of the books I missed in 2018, but I’m hoping my tighter choices will mean I only get to those that I’m very unhappy I missed.

Of course, this is all likely to fall by the wayside and I’ll end up reading what takes my fancy as and when I’m ready to start on a new book. But it’s nice to have some sort of plan in mind!

Anyway, and without further ado, here’s my reading stats from 2018…

Genre Breakdown

Sci-Fi 67.5% | Fantasy 13.75% | Horror 11.25% | Urban Fantasy 3.75% | Fiction 3.75%

There’s not a massive change to the split in my choices of genre, though some additional Horror novels made it into the mix, a fact I’m pleased about and hope to continue again this year.

Author Breakdown

Male 91.25% | Female 8.75%

This stat is almost always around the 90/10 split, and it’s something often pointed out to me, though I have no explanation for this as I tend to read books based on cover & blurb rather than who it’s written by.

Source Breakdown

Review Copies 25% | Owned Copies 75%

Up from 2017, but mainly due to the reduction in my reading. I have a core of authors I like to read on publication and I often get review copies for those books, while anything older is from my own stash of books – and there are lots to choose from!

Year Breakdown

2018 46.25% | Pre-2018 53.75%

Another rise from 2017, but for reasons I mentioned above – quite a few new releases from favourites in 2018.

Ratings Breakdown

5* 20% | 4* 66.25% | 3* 13.75%

No 2* or 1* reads in 2018, and a very conscious decision here. I sometimes try books that I’m not entirely sure of, and like to finish what I start, but less time means that only books I’m genuinely enjoying or interest me make it past the first few chapters.

Of course, where would a post like this be without a full list and ratings of what I read in 2018? Look no further! Check it out below, as well as a nice handy image with all the book covers.