As 2017 comes to a close, I’m taking some time to reflect on the books I read in the past year. When I reread the post I wrote at the end of 2016, I found the percentage of Canadian books I’ve read hasn’t changed, the books I buy and the ones I borrow from the library remain pretty equal, and I’m still a sucker for a compelling coming-of-age tale. The years change but some things stay the same.

Stand-out books

The longest book I read

The Nix by Nathan Hill (737 pages)

The shortest book I read

Animal Farm by George Orwell (95 pages)

The book I expected to hate but didn’t

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. This book received so much praise that it might be surprising to hear I didn’t think I’d like it. But, the thing is, I’m not usually a fan of science fiction. I really only read this book because it was a book club selection. I didn’t totally get into the parts that take place in the future, but I was drawn in by the parts that occur in modern day. Above all, I loved the connection between characters over the different time periods.

The book I expected to love but didn’t

Smile by Roddy Doyle. I liked this book more at the beginning, but, as it went on, I was disappointed in the direction it took and I found the end somewhat predictable.

The book that had been on my TBR list for too long

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. I first read Plath’s poetry when I was a brooding teen and I’ve continued to turn to her poems throughout my adult life. But I never got around to reading her novel The Bell Jar until this year. I had a dream that I came across a copy in a used bookstore. Later that week, I was in a used bookstore and, without looking for the book, I found myself face to face with The Bell Jar. I took it as a sign that it was time to read this book, and I’m so glad I did.

The book that surprised me the most

Bellevue Square by Michael Redhill. I put this book on hold at the library when it was longlisted for the Giller Prize. I was intrigued by the premise of a woman trying to meet her doppelgänger, but I wasn’t totally sure I’d get into it. A few days after the book won the Giller, my hold arrived. The entire time I was reading this book, I kept thinking WTF? And yet I thoroughly enjoyed it. I definitely wasn’t expecting this book to have so much going on.

The book that gave me a life lesson when I wasn’t expecting one

Clothes, Clothes, Clothes, Music, Music, Music, Boys, Boys, Boys by Viv Albertine. I hadn’t heard any music by The Slits before, but I wanted to read the autobiography of the band’s lead guitarist because I wanted to hear the perspective of a female musician during the ’70s punk era. I didn’t expect to get some general life advice that I’ve found myself returning to.

In a section of the book where Albertine discusses trying to say yes to more opportunities in her life, she also mentions that sometimes the best thing is to “say yes to nothing.” Sometimes none of the options available to us are good for us. “If your choice is either the wrong thing or nothing, however frightened you are, you’ve got to take nothing.” I don’t know if that will make as much sense without the context of the rest of the book, but it’s something that really hit home for me.

The books that had me saying “Just one more chapter”

• Be Ready for the Lightning by Grace O’Connell
• Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
• Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

My 5 favourite books read in 2017

• Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
• Flâneuse by Lauren Elkin
• Loner by Teddy Wayne
• Rabbit Cake by Annie Hartnett
• Harmless Like You by Rowan Hisayo Buchanan

By the numbers

Books I bought: 45% (bought new: 40%, bought used: 5%)

Books borrowed from the library: 47%

Books received as gifts: 3%

Books borrowed from friends or family: 5%

Books written by Canadian writers: 35%

Books written by women: 63%

Books written by men: 37%

Books published in 2017: 44%

Fiction: 90%

Non-fiction: 10%

Lessons learned

Sometimes the buzz is warranted, but sometimes it’s just noise.

I am guilty of buying into the hype. I won’t read just any book that gets a 5-star review, but if the premise sounds interesting the title gets a lot of praise, too often I’ll get excited, thinking the book will change my life or something. And of course that isn’t being fair–to me or to the book. I still plan to read book reviews and turn to social media to find out about new books, but I also want to make more of an effort to find those titles that aren’t getting that kind of attention. I love it when I pick up a book at the bookstore or library on a whim and find an absolute gem. I want more of that.

Don’t dismiss an entire genre.

Of course I’ve always known this in theory, but I do have a bad habit of seeing a book categorized as a certain genre and deciding it’s not for me. But this year I read some science fiction and horror–genres I tend to avoid–and found that I liked some of these books. So I’m going to try to give more genres a chance.

It doesn’t matter how long it takes to read a book.

Sometimes I feel a bit guilty if it takes me longer than usual to finish a book, especially if it is a book I really enjoy. But I’ve been trying to remind myself that I’ve got other things going on, too. Some weeks, I have more time to read, and other weeks, I end up being more social or busy with other interests. There’s nothing wrong with being a reader who does things other than read.