September 5, 2017 marks 11 years from when I started my epic project to read every book in my local branch library.
Every so often, I take stock of where I’m at and report on progress. This year’s progress reveals… that I have young children. :-)
TOTALS as of Sept 5, 2016 (10 years or 3653 days)
| Category | Items Complete | Categories Closed | Items/day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Juvenile Picture | 1492 | 443 | 0.37 |
| Juvenile, Board Books | 147 | 46 | 0.04 |
| Juvenile, First Readers | 66 | 3 | 0.02 |
| Juvenile, Chapter | 92 | 7 | 0.02 |
| Juvenile Fiction | 314 | 25 | 0.08 |
| Juvenile Nonfiction | 261 | 1 | 0.06 |
| Teen Fiction | 48 | 4 | 0.01 |
| Teen Nonfiction | 5 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Adult Fiction | 465 | 71 | 0.12 |
| Adult Nonfiction | 919 | 42 | 0.23 |
| Audio CD | 695 | 25 | 0.17 |
| Juvenile DVD | 49 | 0 | 0.01 |
| Adult Fiction DVD | 99 | 7 | 0.02 |
| Adult Nonfiction DVD | 42 | 1 | 0.01 |
| Periodicals | 89 | 0 | 0.02 |
| Total | 4421 items | ||
| 1.21 items per day |
I’m far enough along that the overall averages don’t change much from year to year – until I get comparing this year’s averages with my overall averages.
Last year’s reading (and the annual average completed)
| Category | Categories Completed | Items Completed | Annual Average Items Completed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Juvenile Picture | 1 | 98 | 135.6 |
| Juvenile, Board Books | 1 | 22 | 13.4 |
| Juvenile, First Readers | 0 | 1 | 6.0 |
| Juvenile, Chapter | 0 | 0 | 8.4 |
| Juvenile Fiction | 0 | 4 | 28.5 |
| Juvenile Nonfiction | 0 | 48 | 23.7 |
| Teen Fiction | 0 | 5 | 4.4 |
| Teen Nonfiction | 0 | 0 | 0.5 |
| Adult Fiction | 1 | 11 | 42.3 |
| Adult Nonfiction | 1 | 80 | 83.5 |
| Audio CD | -39 | 56 | 63.2 |
| Juvenile DVD | 0 | 1 | 4.5 |
| Adult Fiction DVD | 7 | 6 | 9.0 |
| Adult Nonfiction DVD | 1 | 7 | 3.8 |
| Periodicals | 0 | 23 | 8.1 |
| Total | -27 | 362 | 434.8 |
Notes:
- A combination of not focusing on closing out categories and reorganizing what I consider a category in audio cds has resulted in a net negative gain in categories completed this year.
- My reading this year is actually quite similar to last year’s – and I think I’ve settled myself into the reality that this is the new normal for life with young children.
I just started tracking it last year, but a look at how many days it takes me to get through a library item continues to fascinate me.
| Category | Time to Read (2015-2016) | Time to Read (2016-2017) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audio CDs | 4 days | 6.5 days | I’ve worked hard to consolidate errands to minimize drive time – maybe that’s why I’m listening to less? |
| Adult Nonfiction | 4.4 days | 4.5 days | I still read a lot of nonfiction. |
| Board Books | 5.2 days | 16.6 days | I’m much more likely to select new picture books to read with Tirzah Mae – and to choose board books I already know and trust to read to Louis. |
| Picture Books | 6.2 days | 3.72 days | As Tirzah Mae’s reading has transitioned mostly away from board books and to picture books, my picture book reading has increased. |
| Adult Fiction | 33.3 days | 33.2 days | Essentially the same as last year |
So concludes my report on the last eleven years’ reading :-)