Patricia Abbott (pattinase): My Year in Summary

Monday, December 31, 2012

My Year in Summary

Kevin in New York

I read 42 books, 365 short stories, 16 plays and 59 movies at a theater. No doubt the short story reading cut at least 5 books off of my usual tally. I actually read more than 365 stories because I didn't finish some of the lousy ones. I doubt I will read a story a day this year because the actual picking out a story every day was time consuming. The movie watching is clearly an expensive hobby for me. But I see at least half of them for $5 at a matinee.Why am I guilty for not reading more books and guilty for seeing too many movies? Goal next year to read at least one book a week. Thirty years ago, I read three books a week.

What about you?I know you all did better than this.

24 comments:

John Weagly said...: I managed 51 books, 186 short stories and 348 movies (but only 4 of those were at the theater). I also saw 13 plays.; 12:43 PM
pattinase (abbott) said...: How could I forget the plays!; 1:16 PM
Yvette said...: I only read 50 books this year, Patti. But I did re-read many more, most of which I don't count though a few I did include in the final tally.

For me that's a low total and I hope to do better in 2013. I don't get to go to the movies much anymore, so I wait for Netflix. It takes patience. :)

Happy New Year to you and your family, Patti. I think it's going to be a good one.; 1:32 PM
YA Sleuth said...: I think you beat me on all fronts... :-)

I want to read more next year. Maybe write some more diverse stuff. We'll see... Time is never on my side, it seems.; 1:40 PM
Gerard Saylor said...: I quit 13 books before finishing. Some of those were audios that I then read.

I finished with 107 (108 if I finish another tonight). I think that number is inflated since some books were comic book novels and those are fast reads.; 2:45 PM
Gerard Saylor said...: From the Fake Library Statistics account on Twitter (@FakeLibStats):
14% of librarians are speed reading today to fulfill their book reading resolution from last New Year's.; 2:55 PM
Deb said...: I read less books this year--78--than in the past, and more if those were non-fiction--23--than in previous years. Since I got an I-phone with Internet access, I've read a lot more long-form non-fiction at sites like Atlantic, Vanity Fair, and The New Yorker. I also read quite a lot if wonky political stuff, undoubtedly due to the election.

I don't think I saw a single movie in the theater this year, but I made great use of my Netflix membership!

For 2013, I'm going to continue working through my tbr pile. It's been two years since I bought a book, but--thanks to the library and gift cards--I haven't made much of a dent in Mount TBR.; 3:51 PM
Anonymous said...: I'm at 128 books (39 short story collections) and counting, with a chance of finishing one more today. Short stories? I'm at 726, so I guess I won't quite reach two per day (732, Leap Year).

Theater, we were down to 16 after three years of 23+ because Jackie's leg injury made it impossible to get to the city the last two months. We'd have seen at least a couple more shows. Movies, we only saw 11 (saw comment above), though we rented quite a few more. We also went to 9 concerts, not counting Jazzfest.

Jeff M.; 4:20 PM
Anonymous said...: Rather than taking time to pick out a short story to read daily (and because I've read so many) I find it easier to just get a book of stories and plow straight through it. Two "classic" authors I read this year that I'd neglected in the past are Bernard Malamud (at Patti's suggestion) and John Cheever. I'd have to say that overall I preferred the former.

Jeff M.; 4:24 PM
Naomi Johnson said...: I read 88 books, 200 short stories, saw 2 plays and I might have gone to the movies 10 times, certainly no more than a dozen. The book/story totals do not include reading to the nieces. I wonder how many times I did read "Gossie & Gertie" and "It's a Tiger." Or "Goodnight Moon," or "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie."; 9:18 PM
James Reasoner said...: 112 books, no movies in a theater. We just don't go anymore. But I probably watched close to a hundred on DVD.; 11:31 PM
Randy Johnson said...: By numbers, it was my best year since I started keeping records. But numbers aren't the same as They used to be in this new ebook world.

My previous best was 294 and those were all real books. This year I posted 304, but a number of them were shorter ebooks(short stories to long novels, I manged about one for every two paper books in the year.; 5:06 AM
Todd Mason said...: I worked too damned many hours, but I probably heard well over a thousand radio shows and podcasts over the year...barely read anything (and then mostly reread and/or skimmed for re-acquaintance) other than FFB items that wasn't in a magazine, and not nearly enough of that. Some fine music recordings, and a lot of good tv and films, but precious few in theaters.; 9:48 AM
George said...: I've managed to read 150 books (give or take a couple) for the past decade. Like Jeff Meyerson, I try to read a short story per day. I didn't keep track of movies, but I'd guess it was about 20. All in all, 2012 was a good year.; 9:57 AM
Ron Scheer said...: Thanks, Patti, for making a story of mine one of the 365.; 10:01 AM
Anonymous said...: Happy Birthday, Patti!

Jeff M.; 10:13 AM
Jerry House said...: For the firt time in many years, I kept a list of those books I read last year. Every now and then, though, the computer would eat a line or two from the list so I don't have an accurate count, but it's well over 200 books.

2013 may be the year I read many of those books I should have read (and those I thought I had read but didn't) long ago. One blog I stumbled upon (The Little Red Reviewer) is doing a "Vintage Science Fiction Not-a-Challenge" for January -- something that I might do this month. I'm currently reading James Blish's THEY SHALL HAVE STARS, so that fits in nicely.

Enjoy your special day, Patti, and have a great 2013!; 10:45 AM
Anonymous said...: I've decided to add a short story database to my fiction and non fiction lists this year, which will be easier than remembering to cart around that little notebook I used last year and will also make it easier to work up the stats.

Jeff M.; 11:07 AM
Charles Gramlich said...: 113 for me. A number were graphic novels or ebook novellas. I had a lot of time to read in Drs offices and hospital waiting rooms.; 12:37 PM
Rick Robinson said...: I read 110 books, a very good year as my usual is in the 80 range. No films in theaters, only 3 or 4 at home. There were a few short story collections in the 110 books but not a lot.; 1:50 PM
pattinase (abbott) said...: I guess the most I can hope for is a book a week. I have a fractured attention span now. I can only read about 20 minutes without jumping up and doing something else. Maybe it's my eyes, maybe my brain. I read best when I smoked 30 years ago.; 5:20 PM
Anders E said...: I reads 79 books and saw 244 movies (none in theaters, I don't do that anymore)

Top movies (not seen before):
Frozen River (2008)
Night and the City (1950)
Nothing Sacred (1937)

Top reads (non-Swedish fiction):
Shock Value - John Waters
All The Way - Charles Williams
The Long Saturday Night - Charles Williams
The October Country - Ray Bradbury (reread)
The Illustrated Man - Ray Bradbury (reread)
Uncle Dynamite - P.G. Wodehouse
Dare Me - Megan Abbott
The Getaway - Jim Thompson
The Galton Case - Ross Macdonald
Blonde Bait - Stephen Marlowe

Top reads (non-Swedish non-fiction):
I Want My MTV - Craig Marks. Rob Tannenbaum
Weimar Germany: Promise and Tragedy - Eric D. Weitz; 3:20 PM
Anders E said...: Sorry, Waters' book is non-fiction. And amazing.; 3:22 PM
Charlieopera said...: No idea. Every year I do my best to keep a list, but always lose track. I'd guess 50-60 books (many for school), included are at least 12 rereads (all of Yates for my critical essay). I'd say 50-60 short stories (school again). not a single play or opera or classical music concert (or any other kind of concert) ... maybe 5 movies we went to see but I watched a ton of foreign flicks on netflix (maybe 50)?

Now, you wanna get into gaining weight? 30 pounds ... at least.

Reading a mystery now (Tim O'Mara's Sacrifice Fly), but also finishing some Malamud short stories. Last semester so I won't be reading as much "for" school; the focus is on getting the thesis completed.; 3:39 PM