#for comparison Kindle Unlimited is $12 a month

[corvidconventicle]

So Bookwalker’s 読み放題 is cheap (roughly $8 a month) and has a pretty good selection of books and manga available.

However, the Japanese store is not available on the android app if you’re overseas and the 読み放題 books do not sync to other devices. So while I can easily borrow and read the books on my iPhone, I can neither subscribe to the program via or choose to read the books on my eink tablet

[juleskelleybooks]

Some interesting numbers, for anyone who is interested. I think that book sales could use more transparency - I understand why they're vague, sometimes, because no matter how much we love our fellow authors, it can also feel discouraging or spark jealousy or envy when someone who started on the same playing field as us has hit that magic combination of timing and luck that sends them skyrocketing to bestseller status - but I also think that a little peek into the gears and realities of non-bestsellers can be useful, even encouraging.

I am, however, putting it behind a cut in case you're one of those people who absolutely needs to Not Know how other people are doing because you get so distracted you can't do your own stuff.

So I went wide with Welcome to the Show's publishing in...May? I took it down off Kindle Unlimited and published it to other venues through Draft2Digital. Notably, I do not have any paperbacks published through D2D for WTTS, those are only through Amazon at this time.

It had been doing pretty steady numbers on Kindle Unlimited - nothing huge, but maybe three to four people a month reading it through, but the minute I went wide with it, sales dropped off. I don't think I made a single sale with it for all of May, and maybe one or two for June (through Amazon - I haven't sold any units through any of the wider distro*).

Polyamorous romance, though, is a hard sell sometimes. There are still a LOT of people out there who think that threesomes are only good to spice up some bedroom scenes but it's not a truly happy/romantic ending unless it ends with the main couple realizing they're happier together in a monogamous pairing. Not as many as when I first published it in 2012, but enough.

There's also the fact that I warned for issues of consent/misunderstanding that I think worry some people, which I understand. So this particular book has a lot working against it, but I am thinking about taking it down off D2D and putting it back on KU, if only because people seem more likely to take a chance on it if they're not paying for it directly but are rather getting it as part of a larger subscription.

*The addendum here is that Smashwords ran a summer sale for the month of July, and I opted in for WTTS at 100% off - it was free. Reports show that 21 people downloaded it during the sale. So while I haven't sold any units through wider distro, it did get downloaded through another avenue while it was free to obtain.

Stars Still Fall released on July 12, almost halfway through the month. It got 12 preorders on Amazon, it got one preorder on Barnes & Noble, and one either sale or preorder on Kobo. By comparison to WTTS, it did numbers in the Smashwords summer sale - 53 downloads while it was free.

Last month it had 26 orders on Amazon (ebook & paperback combined) and this month it's had four already, which is a pleasant surprise for me, lol.

Other than Amazon and Smashwords, it did actually do some sales on wider distro. I can't see the unit numbers yet so I'd need to do math, but royalty-wise it's made the most from D2D print (oddly enough) at $7.68, secondary from Overdrive (yay libraries!) at $5.60, and then the little bit from Kobo and B&N (about a dollar each). It hasn't sold any in wider distro so far this month.

Anyway! There you go. For science.

Also about 90% of the reviews so far have been from people who either know me, or got the book as part of BookSirens' ARC distribution. Just as a data point on that front, too.

[trustalliance]

Adobe lightroom editing

ADOBE LIGHTROOM EDITING UPDATE

ADOBE LIGHTROOM EDITING TRIAL

ADOBE LIGHTROOM EDITING PC

ADOBE LIGHTROOM EDITING SERIES

ADOBE LIGHTROOM EDITING UPDATE

In this latest version for Lightroom Classic CC, Scott did his biggest update ever, sharing all his latest techniques, insights, and invaluable tips using his award-winning, step-by-step, plain-English style that makes learning Lightroom easy and fun. This is actually a best seller on Amazon and is written by Scott Kelby. The entire book is laid out in a real workflow order with everything written in a step-by-step style which makes it easy to read and follow. The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom CC Book for Digital Photographers You can also download the RAW files Serge uses, to work along with the tutorials and learn first-hand. Everything you could want to know is covered from start to finish in great detail. Lightroom CC Complete Training: Learn the Entire Photographers Workflow in the new Lightroom CCĬovering all the features Lightroom CC has to offer, from the very basic right through to the advanced, this book is written by Serge Ramelli, a renowned photographer. It's available in Kindle or paperback format. There are also downloadable lesson files that you can use to work through the projects in the book. Developed with the support of Adobe product experts, this title includes 12 lessons that cover the basics and beyond.

ADOBE LIGHTROOM EDITING SERIES

Here are ePHOTOzine's picks of the best books currently available for learning Adobe Lightroom:Īdobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic Classroom in a BookĪn official Adobe publication, the classroom in a book series are best-selling aides to your Lightroom workflow.

ADOBE LIGHTROOM EDITING PC

Read kindle books on your PC or tablet, or on a Kindle device. Just cancel before the first renewal date and you'll not be charged. The subscription will auto-renew at £7.99 a month after the trial, but you can cancel at any time.

ADOBE LIGHTROOM EDITING TRIAL

Unlimited reading with a Kindle subscriptionĭid you know that with a Kindle unlimited subscription, you can read as many books as you like for only £7.99 a month? You can get a 30-day trial completely free as well. Choose used and get affordable access to kit that doesn’t cost the earth. Every month, visual storytellers sell more than 20,000 cameras and lenses to MPB. Since these updates are coming to both desktop and mobile versions of the software, you can make these customizations from just about anywhere, whether it's on your favorite Mac or your best iPhone.MPB puts photo and video kit into more hands, more sustainably. Whether you want to improve the look of your images or quickly make video adjustments, Adobe has you covered. With so many impressive updates and additions, Lightroom and Lightroom Classic are both looking better than ever.

Local Storage Management: Use Lightroom to determine where your images are stored and delete the cache to make more room for your projects.

Forward/Back Buttons: Lightroom is now easier to traverse than ever with the brand new forward and backward buttons, which function similarly to those on a web browser.

Mask Group Invert: Invert a mask group to work with the other areas in an image without having to take the time to select it separately.

Batch Copy/Paste of AI Masks: With just the click of a button, the Lightroom AI can batch process your photos with masks for a similar effect, like changing the skies in each picture to clear blue.

To wrap things up, here are a number of additional changes coming to Lightroom that should make the editing process a whole lot easier. With the click of a button, you can now view two images at a time to help you select which one will be better for any given project. Lightroom June Release Image Comparison (Image credit: Adobe)

[the-sound-and-the-fury]

December Book Round Up!

I hit my Goodreads goal a while ago, and last month I managed to reach the same number of books I read in 2018, so this month is just gravy (and catching up on things I’d had sitting on my shelf for a while). Although I did have to DNF a book (Into the Crooked Place, because I couldn’t shake the Six of Crows comparisons) and I had other things to read.

1. Mr Frosty Pants (Home for the Holidays #1) - Leta Blake

Started strong, absolutely fell apart with the characterization as it went on.

2. The Starless Sea - Erin Morgenstern

It's possible that I finished this book in tears while on public transportation, but I'll never tell. But I mean, sometimes you've had a long day/week/month/year and then a book just hits you where you don't expect it. And I couldn't even begin to explain this one, because the story was quite literally all over the place, but I loved it and I didn't want it to end.

3. The Soldier’s Scoundrel (The Turner Series #1) - Cat Sebastian

This has popped up on my recommended list a few times, and I’m glad I finally gave in and read it.

4-7. Rainbow Place series (Rainbow Place #1, Safe Place #2, Better Place #3, Mud and Lace #4) - Jay Northcote

I’m a sucker for a series, and this is all on Kindle Unlimited.

8. Where Love Grows - Jay Northcote

Turns out this author has a lot on KU.

9. A Family for Christmas - Jay Northcote

And if I’m honest, I read so much at once that it got a little indistinguishable, but this was my least favorite.

10. Amelia’s Notebook - Marissa Moss

This was a childhood reread, because I was thinking about my elementary school love of American Girl and they published this series back then.

11. Nothing Special - Jay Northcote

I think I would have liked this if it had been longer and had more time to develop from pining to practically living together in a couple of pages.

12. The Alloy of Law (Mistborn #4, The Alloy Era #1) - Brandon Sanderson

I'm pleased that I managed to start and end the year with Mistborn. Kind of wish I'd reviewed a few things before I began this second trilogy within the series, though, because there were a lot of things that sounded familiar but I couldn't quite remember (there were just so many details about characters and metals). But I really liked that this was a much faster read, and it had a lot more humor in it. Sometimes the banter between Wax and Wayne felt a bit much depending on the circumstances, but they were written in a very buddy-cop-comedy style that was easy to follow and visualize. And I'm really curious to see where the rest of the story goes.

Also, major side-eye for: Lessie, Wax/Marasi, and making sure Steris gets the respect she deserves

[paypercliche]

Talk Money To Me: The Future of Paid Media In A Voice-First World

Voice Killed The Keyboard Star

Over the past year, you’ve likely heard murmurings about the Dawn of Voice Search. 7 million “voice-first” devices like Google Home and Amazon Echo were shipped last year and an estimated 25 million more will ship in 2017. Mobile manufacturers increasingly champion their respective voice assistants – Siri, Alexa, Cortana – as key device features. Talk is the new Type. You’ve likely encountered some of the following statistics in recent months:

“76% of all Americans think voice search is great for multitasking”

“The majority of U.S. teens (55%) use hands-free search every day”

“25% of 16-24 year olds use voice search on mobile”

“1 in 5 online adults have used voice search on their mobile in the last month”

“Cortana now has 133 million monthly users”

“25% of desktop searches on Windows 10 are voice”

What does it all mean? For one thing, it means SEO experts are hard at work figuring out the best ways to position quality site content as “The Answer” that Google and Bing will reference when responding to a voice query. Long tail search queries have made a comeback and more and more content is being phrased in question and answer format, but meanwhile, voice search means paid search has been left in the dark. For now.

I’m Sorry Paid, I’m Afraid I Can’t Do That

“Text ads followed by 10 organic results is a thing of the past in the voice-driven world.” According to Sridhar Ramaswamy, SVP of Advertising and Commerce at Google

Approximately 77% of Google’s total revenue comes from search advertisements and unless they want to see that number shrink significantly, they already have their best and brightest working out how to effectively monetize voice search. Google may boast about the sales figures of Home and Pixel and perhaps they’ll unveil a device called “Google Ear” in time for the holidays, but their future success comes from voice advertising.

Sooner than later, Google will bring paid ads to voice-first devices (and once they do you can safely bet Microsoft’s Bing engineers will start figuring out how to copy them). Amazon has also made hints that they intend to monetize voice search and it won’t be long before Facebook joins the crowd. As Google CEO Sundar Pichai noted in November, voice search has “expanded the pie”.

Would You Like Ads With That? Integrating advertisements into our voice interactions will be no easy task. Imagine asking your Google Home to “find a nice Italian restaurant” and hearing it respond with an ad for “unlimited pasta at Olive Garden”. A human assistant doesn’t shill for a business every time you ask for their help and if our digital assistants start blaring ads in between answers, we’ll quickly grow weary of such intrusions. Voice ads must be useful and subtle to work and ad publishers – be it Google or otherwise – must figure out how to sell those ads.

Here are 5 ways that might happen in the near future:

1) Shopping Assistant The groundwork for voice ordering has already been laid. You can ask your TV to order Dominos or ask your fridge to buy more Coke, but can voice assistants help us actually shop?

Suppose you want to buy a book for a friend. You ask Google to find a hardcover copy of Moby Dick in new condition. Google tells you it found 24 options, so you ask how many offer Free Shipping. 12 do. “OK Google, which is the cheapest?”. “$15.02 From barnsandnoble.com”. You give Google approval and the book is on its way.

Probability Score: 9 – Google already has this information at hand with Merchant Center and it may not take much to utilize shopping feeds to create smart voice shopping algorithms in the very near future.

2) Upsell Voice assistants may also introduce ads via the ancient art of the upsell. A voice query about how to use a new product you purchased could trigger an ad for a guidebook or accessory. Voice queries are overwhelmingly requests for information and frequently the answer will require a subsequent purchase, allowing advertisers the opportunity to promote their add-ons, replacement parts, repair or warranty services, and other items of use to the consumer.

Probability Score: 7 – This could feasibly be an extension of Interests & Remarketing Lists, including Similar Users, targeting users who have already shopped with you or shown interest in one of Google’s purchase intent categories. Alternately, upsell ads could simply be triggered by voice queries when a question prompts a service or product purchase.

3) Special Offers The one time we welcome an intrusion into our purchasing decisions is when someone has a better offer than the one we’re considering. Numerous websites – from Price Grabber to Retail Me Not – have made fortunes by gathering price comparisons or coupon codes for the thrifty consumer to peruse. After all, how useful is a digital assistant if they can’t tell us about the best deals available?

Probability Score: 5 – This one is a little trickier and may first come in the form of an add-on. Or perhaps the first instance will come from a cheaper “Echo” model, as Amazon has been known to offer more affordable Kindle models that come with advertisements. An Echo that chimes in with a special promotion occasionally is a feasible solution in the coming years.

4) The Experts “OK Google, how do I fix a leaky, rusted pipe?”

“OK, fixing a leaky, rusted pipe requires several tools and supplies. A professional plumber is recommended. Shall I locate some in your area?”

In addition to local services at your rescue, voice assistants could offer all sorts of expert help from retailers, B2B industries, and more. Ask Google “what’s the best backpack for a 3-day trip?” and you’ll likely get a guide from REI, but it’s easy to imagine a quick ad boasting “30% off a 40-liter weekend pack from Moosejaw” without missing a step in your consumer journey. “How to do my taxes” might elicit an ad from Turbo Tax. The possibilities are endless.

Probability Score: 4 – While it may be the most useful iteration of paid ads in voice search, it may also be the most difficult to implement – particularly on the auction end. Google must first solve the hurdle of how to allow businesses to bid on voice queries, how to determine which ads to “speak” to the consumer, and what constitutes a “click” (or a conversion for that matter). Will it happen? Most certainly, but we may be years away.

5) Alerts Google and others have dabbled in the idea of push notifications to your mobile device from a nearby retailer. The thought of having your phone spammed with unsolicited ads wherever you go was quickly shunned by mobile users at large. Voice assistants, however, offer a much less intrusive way of alerting you to nearby deals. You’re already in conversation with your phone or smart speaker and besides, if you tell a human friend you’re hungry, wouldn’t they mention a nearby taco place with happy hour deals?

It isn’t a far cry for voice assistants to offer similar notifications in our interactions. Who would be opposed to Google or Alexa alerting them to a special deal at their favorite sushi bar? Maybe the band you’ve been listening to a lot on Amazon Music is coming to town. Wouldn’t you like to be informed about ticket sales?

Probability Score: 6 – Another tricky one – in this case learning each user’s threshold for unsolicited ads will be the obstacle to implementing behaviorally triggered voice ads. However, an early iteration could come soon in the form of user prompts. “OK Google, show me the best happy hours near me.” may be informational at first, but isn’t a stretch to paid placements and promotions that bump offers to the top of the list.

OK Google, I’m ready for my close-up While paid voice ads may seem tricky to navigate – for both publisher and advertiser – the reality is that paid ads already have a place reserved in voice search and while we may have to wait some months for Google to implement an intelligent ad interface, smart businesses will begin conjuring up ways to present their products and services to the estimated 300 million monthly users already becoming accustomed to asking their voice assistants for help with daily tasks and needs.

Will your business be ready when the first paid ad is recited to a consumer?

[brajeshupadhyay]

Amazon Great Indian Festival 2019 Sale Ends Tonight: Best Offers Available Today

Amazon’s Diwali special sale, Great Indian Festival 2019 sale, has now entered its last day. In case you were busy throughout this week, you’ve got a little less than 12 hours to grab a new smartphone, laptop, TV, Amazon device, and other electronics. Amazon has tied up with ICICI Bank to offer 10 percent instant discount to the bank’s credit and debit card users, valid on transactions between Rs. 3,000 to Rs. 50,000. For transactions above Rs. 50,000, ICICI Bank cardholders are eligible for an extra Rs. 1,750 discount. Remember, all these deals end at midnight tonight.

Amazon Great Indian Festival 2019 sale – Best offers on mobile phones today

Vivo U10 The recently launched Vivo U10 is available with a limited-period discount worth Rs. 1,000 on all prepaid orders during Amazon’s Great Indian Festival 2019 sale. The Vivo U10 comes with a massive 5,000mAh battery with 18W fast-charging support and is powered by the Snapdragon 665 chipset. You can swap your old smartphone to receive up to Rs. 7,650 as an additional exchange discount.

Price: Rs. 7,990 (regular price Rs. 8,990)

  OnePlus 7 OnePlus 7 (6GB, 128GB) is down to Rs. 29,999 during Amazon’s Great Indian Festival 2019 sale. Amazon is also offering a bundled exchange offer that can help sweeten the deal further by up to Rs. 13,000. Add the 10 percent ICICI Bank cards discount and you’ll end up with a pretty good deal.

Price: Rs. 29,999 (regular price Rs. 32,999)

  OnePlus 7 Pro The OnePlus 7 Pro (6GB, 128GB) is now down to Rs. 44,999. Just like the OnePlus 7, this phone also comes with a bundled exchange offer with a maximum instant discount worth Rs. 13,000. OnePlus 7 Pro features a triple rear camera setup with a 48-megapixel primary camera. The phone comes with a 6.67-inch display and is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 SoC.

Price: Rs. 44,999 (regular price Rs. 48,999)

  Samsung Galaxy Note 9 Samsung’s Galaxy Note 9 is available at Rs. 42,999 in a Lightning Deal on Amazon’s Great Indian Festival 2019 sale. In case you’re not too keen on spending a lot of money on the new Galaxy Note 10, the Galaxy Note 9 seems like a good phone at this price if you consider the bundled exchange and instant discount. Amazon is also offering a no-cost EMI option with major credit cards and some debit cards. You’ll also be eligible for a free one-time screen replacement for 1 year.

Price: Rs. 42,999 (regular price Rs. 51,990)

  Samsung Galaxy M30 Samsung’s affordable Galaxy M30 is also a part of the Amazon Great Indian Festival sale. The 4GB RAM, 64GB storage variant of the Galaxy M30 is currently selling at Rs. 11,999. The bundled exchange offer carries a maximum instant discount worth Rs. 9,000. The Galaxy M30 comes with a 6.4-inch full-HD+ display and a triple rear camera setup. The phone is powered by Samsung’s Exynos 7904 chipset.

Price: Rs. 11,999 (regular price Rs. 13,999)

  Redmi 7 In case you’re looking for an affordable smartphone under Rs. 10,000, Xiaomi’s Redmi 7 is available at Rs. 6,999 during Amazon’s Great Indian Festival 2019 sale. You can swap your old smartphone (in working condition) to get a maximum instant discount worth Rs. 6,200. Redmi 7 comes with a 6.26-inch display and is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 632 SoC, supported by 2GB of RAM. The phone runs Android 9 Pie out-of-the-box.

Price: Rs. 6,999 (regular price Rs. 7,999)

  Realme U1 Another affordable smartphone that’s available at a discounted price on Amazon’s Great India Festival 2019 sale is the Realme U1. The phone is selling at Rs. 7,999 for a limited period on Amazon. If you’re upgrading, exchange your old smartphone and you can get up to Rs. 7,000 as an instant discount. The Realme U1 comes with a 6.3-inch full-HD+ display and a dual rear camera setup. On the front, the phone features a 25-megapixel selfie camera. Realme U1 is powered by the MediaTek Hello P70 SoC.

Price: Rs. 7,999 (regular price Rs. 11,999)

  Amazon Great Indian Festival 2019 sale – Best offers on audio gear

Bose Quiet Comfort 35 II The popular Bose Quiet Comfort 35 II wireless headphones with active noise cancellation are again down to Rs. 20,549 (MRP Rs. 29,362) on Amazon. That’s one of the lowest prices we’ve seen on these wireless headphones and in case you missed the last Great Indian Festival sale, here’s another chance to grab these at a good price. If you travel a lot or work in a noisy environment, these headphones would be perfect for you.

Price: Rs. 20,549 (MRP Rs. 29,362)

  Sony WH-1000XM3 Another deal that’s making a comeback on the Great Indian Festival sale, an alternative to the Bose Quiet Comfort 35 II, the Sony WH-1000XM3 wireless headphones are available at a low price of Rs. 20,490 (MRP Rs. 29,990) during Amazon’s festive season sale. This is also one of the lowest prices we’ve seen on these headphones since they launched. In case you’re confused between these and the Bose, here’s our in-depth comparison to help you make a decision.

Price: Rs. 20,490 (MRP Rs. 29,990)

  Sennheiser HD 4.50 SE If you’re looking for a new pair of wireless headphones under the Rs. 10,000 price point, the Sennheiser HD 4.50 SE are available at Rs. 7,490 (MRP Rs. 14,990) during the ongoing Amazon Great Indian Festival sale. The headphones support Bluetooth 4.0 connections and feature active noise cancellation. The inbuilt battery can last up to 19 hours on a full charge.

Price: Rs. 7,490 (MRP Rs. 14,990)

  Amazon Great Indian Festival 2019 sale – Best offers on Amazon devices

Fire TV Stick The good-old Fire TV Stick is back with a discount during Amazon’s Great Indian Festival sale. Currently selling at Rs. 2,599 (MRP Rs. 3,999), the Fire TV Stick is a perfect way to smarten up your old-school dumb LED or LCD TV. It’s probably one of the easiest ways to stream content on non-smart TVs. In case you have a 4K TV, grab the Fire TV Stick 4K at a discounted price of Rs. 3,999 (MRP Rs. 5,999).

Price: Rs. 2,599 (MRP Rs. 3,999)

  Amazon Echo (second generation) The second-generation Amazon Echo smart speaker is now down to Rs. 6,999 (MRP Rs. 9,999). The speaker generally retails online at around Rs. 6,999. It’s a good price in case you were on the fence all this while if you’re looking to try out a smart speaker for your home. Amazon Echo is powered by the company’s virtual assistant called Alexa. You can listen to music, control smart home equipment, ask questions, and do a lot more.

Price: Rs. 6,999 (MRP Rs. 9,999)

  All-new Kindle 10th generation The all-new Kindle 10th generation is down to Rs. 6,249 (MRP Rs. 7,999). The new variant was launched in India earlier this year and features a built-in light and 4GB of internal storage. This is one of the lowest prices we’ve seen on this variant of the Kindle e-reader. As with all Kindle devices, the battery lasts a few weeks, depending on your usage. Amazon is also offering a three-month subscription to Kindle Unlimited at just Rs. 2 with your purchase.

Price: Rs. 6,249 (MRP Rs. 7,999)

  Amazon Great Indian Festival 2019 sale – Best offers on TVs and appliances

TCL 50-inch 4K smart Android TV There are plenty of budget smart TVs in the market right now. One of these is the TCL 50-inch 4K smart TV that’s currently selling at Rs. 25,999 (MRP Rs. 64,990) during the Amazon Great Indian Festival sale. This is a 2019 model of the certified Android TV (Android 9.0) which comes with Alexa integration. The TV includes three HDMI ports and two USB ports. It comes with an 18-month standard warranty.

Price: Rs. 25,999 (MRP Rs. 64,990)

  Vu 49-inch full-HD smart LED TV Vu’s 49-inch full-HD smart LED TV is down to Rs. 26,990 (MRP Rs. 36,000) on Amazon right now. The TV includes an A+ grade IPS panel and supports 1920×1080 native resolution. It comes with three HDMI ports and two USB ports. YouTube and Netflix apps run out-of-the-box and the TV includes a standard 1-year warranty from Vu.

Price: Rs. 26,990 (MRP Rs. 36,000)

  Samsung 50-inch Super 6 series 4K smart TV In case you’re eyeing a TV from a major brand, the Samsung 50-inch Super 6 series 4K smart TV is available at Rs. 46,999 (MRP Rs. 94,900) during the Amazon Great Indian Festival 2019 sale. The big-screen TV is a 2019 model and supports Prime Video out-of-the-box. It comes with two HDMI ports and a single USB port. You can mirror your smartphone’s display on the screen. The TV also ships with the Netflix app and supports HDR 10.

Price: Rs. 46,999 (MRP Rs. 94,900)

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The post Amazon Great Indian Festival 2019 Sale Ends Tonight: Best Offers Available Today appeared first on Sansaar Times.

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[rebweicht]

Books 2017

Having for the first time noted down all the books I read in one year, this is the summary:

(See this link for the individual months: http://rebweicht.tumblr.com/tagged/Books)

Summary

Total: 67. This includes audiobooks which serve a different purpose for me - I listen to them when I’m on the move

Male Fiction: 26 (39%)

Male Non-Fiction: 13 (19%)

Female Fiction: 22 (33%)

Female Non-Fiction: 8 (12%) Not too bad

Rereads: 5 (7%)

Recommendations: 22 (33%) see below

Top 3

I’m going to have to make a top 3 this year as I can’t settle on 5. Three is still a contested round, but slightly easier to determine:

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi - Flow; The Psychology of Optimal Experience

Virginia Woolf - A Room Of One’s Own

Thomas L. Friedman: Thank You For Being Late

What have I learnt?

I become competitive (guess what...) when I see how many books I read per month and have a rough tally in my head where I stand in a year and where I will end up in comparison to the previous year. I purposefully read more to beat myself. Though, I guess I wasn’t entirely guided by short or long books etc. to get me through the year.

How do I decide what I read: Since last year, I started to read ‘1 Russian per year’ so I would get through a couple of the thick classics from the East. Anna Karenina last year was great, Crime and Punishment not as good as I expected. However, towards the end of the year I ended up starting a second Russian (The Master and Margherita) and now I don’t know towards which year to count that. What a mess. Also, if anyone has other categories I should do, let me know! 

Diversifying my reading: Keeping a tally helps me keep an eye out for reading non-fiction women books - female fiction is easy. Maybe I should take inspiration from others and start looking at diversifying further, e.g. POC. I probably should but I don’t always look up much about the author. And I guess I will have to find ways of getting access to new authors...

I’m okay with the numbers: Without going into the details and highlighting recommendations per category, I’m fine with the overall numbers - 8 female non-fiction books is better than I had anticipated. And 20 non-fiction books overall is also okay, though I expected that number to be higher. I had the feeling I’d listen more to non-fiction via my audio books, but reading a thick Russian at a time takes a lot of time as well... (C&P took 3 months...)

Review writing: Whilst my unspoken new year resolution was to blog more this year, book review writing still hasn’t become my hobby. Keeping lists, yes, but I make the list per month as I go along on Google Keep, but when it comes to publishing them here and I tell myself, I really ought to write a review, I throw done sentences at best. - That is, even though I can think of good phrases whilst I’m reading the book for a review later. I just never end up writing those thoughts done and a review  after I’m done. I go straight to the next book. Resolution for 2018 maybe: take time out to review books. Help them settle in my long-term memory and think more about what I read... (This goes in the same direction as a blog post I wrote about how I maybe change my reading habits by making annotations in books. Always, until now, my books looked pristine and hadn’t even had a crease in the book spine because I don’t bend them... post is here - in German). Fun fact: same happened with this blog post, I hadn’t planned how I was going to write it...

Fun fact: I read nearly all of Jane Austen’s book in one year. Of course, she only wrote six but alas...

Keeping track of what I read helps me remember much better when I read which book: In the beginning of the year, one of the first books I had read was Hillbilly Elegy because of Trump’s election (obviously). Now towards the end of the year when I see which books are starting to be advertised for the coming one, I have the feeling that again it’s the political books that will come to dominate the discussion in the beginning of the year. I haven’t looked this up yet, but knowing that I read HE in early 2017, I seem to observe these movements now.

I haven’t yet read the new Nobel Prize for Literature and seriously need to consider how I will acquire books in the future: I can’t keep on buying books and the library I go to in Brussels, I’m basically through. Kindle Unlimited hasn’t convinced me yet and not everything is available on my Audible subscription, I find. Ideas welcome... 

The recommendations

Andy Weir - Artemis

Stefan Zweig - Montaigne

Alyssa Mastromonaco - Who thought this was a good idea

Tom Hanks - Uncommon Type

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi - Flow; The Psychology of Optimal Experience

Orhan Pamuk - Snow

Michel Houellebecq - Ausweitung der Kampfzone

Jane Austen - Pride and Prejudice

Virginia Woolf - A Room Of One’s Own

Haruki Murakami - Men Without Women

Jostein Gaarder - Sofies Welt (re-read)

Marina Keegan: The Opposite of Loneliness

Thomas L. Friedman: Thank You For Being Late

E. W. Heine - Brüsseler Spitzen

Harry Leslie Smith: Harry’s Last Stand

Jostein Gaarder: Der Geschichtenverkäufer (re-read)

Adam Grant: Originals: How Non-Conformists Change the World

Christa Wolf: Was bleibt

Elizabeth Strout: My Name is Lucy Barton

Juli Zeh: Corpus Delicti

J D Vance: Hillbilly Elegy

Doug Coupland: Bit Rot