End of Year Meme

I’m writing my posts in reverse order, but hopefully by now I’ll already have unveiled my favourite books read in 2009, and before the end of the year I’ll have listed them all. Today is a little meme I’ve done since I’ve been blogging (here’s last year’s).

Do have a go at this meme, if the will so takes you, and let me know any fun questions that you add in… The last question, about blogging, is a new one for this year.

– How many books read in 2009?
165 at the moment – possibly a lifetime record, but does include 36 plays

– Fiction/Non-Fiction ratio?
129/36 – which is actually the same number of non-fic as last year, though rather more fiction

– Male/Female authors?
69 books by male authors, 92 books by female authors, and four by mixed authors. Oddly, or perhaps not, the first half of the year (my masters course) was male-dominated, and the second half (my doctoral course) female-dominated…

– Favourite book read?
Howards End is on the Landing by Susan Hill

– Least favourite?
A few I didn’t get on with this year, I must admit. Tea and Tranquillisers by Dianne Hapwood (though Verity had more luck), It’s Hard To Be Hip Over Thirty by Judith Viorst irritated me beyond belief, but I am not over thirty, so perhaps that’s why.

– Oldest book read?
Will be Black Ey’d Susan by Douglas Jerrold, from 1829.

– Newest book read?
Currently reading a promising novel, due for publication next summer…

– Longest book title?
I must confess, I haven’t done a thorough count of all the titles, but I’m pretty confident that Wendy Gan wins with the snappily-titled Women, Privacy and Modernity in Early Twentieth-Century British Writing. Phew!

– Shortest book title?
Last year I managed a mere three letters, but this year I have to add one to that, with Loot by Joe Orton.

– How many re-reads?
31 this year, which is far more than I’ve ever done before. I’ve obviously got to that stage of life… (I’ll be posting some guest bloggers on re-reading soon…) Too many to list, but they’ll be indicated on my end of year list, in the unlikely event that anybody is desperate to know which they are.

– Most books read by one author this year?
For the second year running, AA Milne comes out on top – this year with five. EM Delafield, Virginia Woolf, Tom Stoppard, and Joyce Dennys are joint second with four books apiece.

– Any in translation?
Eight this year – The True Deceiver by Tove Jansson, three plays by Ibsen, Dreamers by Knut Hamsun, The Paper House by Carlos Maria Dominguez, Checkout by Anna Sam, and So Many Books by Gabriel Zaid.

– How many books were borrowed from the library?
You’ll be proud, as 45 were from the university library this year.

– Name a book you’ve read this year which was recommended by a blogger?
The wonderfully eccentric Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley was not only recommended, but given to me by Danielle from A Work in Progress – so thanks Danielle!