2016 in review

The first thing I realize when I try to make sense out of the books I have read in 2016 is that there is a lot of overlap in categories. That is to say that a single book could be listed in several places at once. So one particular item might be by women, religion, and poetry. The second is that, some of the statistics were surprising. For instance, I didn't realize how much poetry, (auto)biography, Canadiana and Tudor era material I've actually read this year.

There are reasons for these phenomena, however.

I confess I did have an ulterior motive with the poetry: the volumes were slim and could be read quickly in order to bolster the numbers for my book challenge. This backfired sometimes, however. Some poetry is a challenge and must be read slowly and carefully.

The biography was an extension of personal interests or previous study. One book had a story which ran curiously parallel to a manuscript I had previously edited. Another autobiography was written by a man whom I know personally.

There's quite a bit of Canadiana because some was just thrown in my way by friends, and some was put out by the publisher of my own writing, Seraphim Editions. I also wanted to read more of some authors, especially Margaret Laurence.

Some of the books on the Tudor era concerned a minor character whom I was considering as the potential subject of a short story. The story has not materialized yet. But one never knows what the future will bring.

Speaking of which, you may wonder what my reading plans are for the future. The first thing is to clear away the books that I started last year and have not yet completed. I will continue to review books by some of my GR friends; I hope they will continue to have patience. And I may continue or complete some series which I began in the past. But I am always looking for books which are new and interesting, so keep those recommendations coming.