Looking back and looking forward

I love this part of the year, reviewing what we have done, and setting some goals for the next year.
The image on the left will accompany my reading resolutions for 2011. You will see this picture on my sidebar which will link to my progress throughout the year. Many thanks to my friend LCS who designed this picture for me. My 2011 reading resolutions are explained further on in this post, first the stats from 2010...
In total I have read 19 books, one up on last year but in keeping with my pace of reading. Nothing like many blogs who are into the 100's but a good amount for me. The female writers clocked up as 12, whereas the male writers came in at 7, so very different to last year when it was equal. While interesting, it is purely coincidental.
The nationalities of the authors was as following...
English - 8
USA - 4
Canadian - 2
Danish - 1
Brazilian - 1
Icelandic - 1
Russian - 1
British (as in born in Northern Ireland and then living in Scotland and Wales) - 1
- Three of these books were in translation
- Three were non-fiction
The genres of the books read in 2010 were as follows -
Historical drama - 7
Drama - 3
Fantasy - 2
Spiritual Adventure - 1
Crime drama - 1
Romantic drama - 1
- 3 of the books were prizewinners
- 5 of the books are known as classics
- 2 of the books were short story collections
- 1 book was by a new writer
Favourite reads of 2010...
Atonement by Ian McEwan
Emma by Jane Austen
The Blue Fox by Sjon
A Month in the Country by J L Carr
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Magic Apple Tree: A Country Year by Susan Hill
Favourite Cover Design (a new category for this year)...
The Mystery of Grace by Charles de Lint, design by John Jude Palencar (click the title to see)
Other accomplishments during 2010...
Organizing and taking part in my first Novel Holiday, the Jane Austen literary holiday in August.
I also set myself some directional reading challenges to complete during the year and the results of these are printed in red...

1. Read another Jane Austen - Emma
2. Read another Russian - The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
3. Read another short story collection - Ship Fever by Andrea Barrett
4. Read another American classic - To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
5. Read an Irish classic - uncompleted
6. Read another Zola - uncompleted (but carried to next year)
7. Read another Charles de Lint - The Mystery of Grace
8. Read another Elizabeth Gaskell - Cranford

I enjoyed setting these goals, not as a rigid challenge, but just to organise and focus my reading with my TBR pile in mind, and to see where I got with it.

So onward into 2011...

My new reading resolutions, 8 in all, in keeping with the spirit of The Octogon...

1. Read another Bronte
2. Read Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
3. Read an Eastern European Writer
4. Read an Isabelle Allende
5. Read a short story collection
6. Read an Iain Banks
7. Read another Carson McCullers
8. Read another Zola (carried from last year)

These choices are simply prompted by my TBR pile as well as personal wishes. It is not set in stone and will be interesting to see how far I get.

Also for 2011 there is a possibility of another Novel Holiday to organise. I'll be getting on to that in January so watch this space!

There it is, a whole year in one little post, although we know it is so much more than that. Many thanks to all of you who have joined me along the way, checked out the blog from time to time, left comments. Also thanks is due to all the other book bloggers who make up this unique and inspiring community. All the best for 2011.