This is my post where I take my lovely spreadsheet of all the reading I did last year, make Excel do some number-crunching, and share the results with you. (Here’s 2014 and 2013)

First, the blog.  I published 125 posts in 2015, down from 175 in 2014, with (sadly) a corresponding drop in views and comments.  My life has gotten undeniably busier, and I need to figure out how to balance that with the blog. Please scroll down to the bottom of the post for where I need your suggestions on books to read this year!

I read 260 books this year, just a bit up from last year’s 255.  Here’s how that breaks down:

The Books

We are not surprised that most of my reading was middle grade.

I am a little surprised that I read more realistic than sci-fi.

Yes, I am a library reader.

Audio books are slower, even if I spend more time on them. Also, my e-reader was lonely this year.

The Authors

Ouch!  And this is trying to read diversely.  I did a much better job of looking up authors, but this is based on studying the authors’ self-reported bios and photos, which don’t generally include their ethnicity.  This year I’m keeping track of characters, too, though, as this doesn’t include white authors writing diverse characters.

Just a little better here, mostly because I like British fiction.

I don’t usually try to do a lot of planning my reading except during Cybils season – but here are some goals for this year:
– Try to be more conscious of balancing the different kinds of books I like to read, so I don’t end up reading all the teen books at the beginning of the year and all the middle grade at the end, like I felt I did this year.
– Make an effort to keep my want-to-read board on Pinterest up-to-date.
– Keep up with reviewing the books I read.
– Seta specific goal to help me read more diverse books, rather than just telling myself to “read more”. It looks like I read 37 ethnically diverse books last year. This year I’ll aim for 60 books by diverse authors, as well as reading books about LGBT themes and disability as well as ethnic diversity.

I’m noticing a distinct lack of these kinds of books on my want-to-read list right now, so I need your help! I prefer speculative fiction, but I’m open to any age range as long as it doesn’t get into hopeless, dark and grim territory. What should I read next?