Hello friends! I can’t believe how fast 2016 went, can you? It feels like one of the fastest years I’ve ever experienced! I hope yours was an enjoyable year! It was a pretty eventful year for Mr. Bingley and me. Here are some highlights:
1. We became extreme homebodies in our new home…where we spend most our nights and weekends in pajamas cooking and eating and snuggling on the couch!
2. Netherfield Nook has been built at last… and I couldn’t be happier for my lovely books to have such a lovely home!
3. Mr. Bingley had microsurgery on his back… and is fully recovered! So thankful that he has his life back!
4. We traveled to some new places like Charleston, South Carolina and Grafton, Vermont… would definitely recommend both and hope to return to both again in the future!
5. And we traveled to some places we have been before like Punta Cana, Dominican Republic… and (where we are right now) Bucaramanga, Colombia!
~~~
Now, on the blog front it has been quite a busy year…
Let’s see a summary, shall we?
Total Blog Posts for 2016 – 172 (3 more than last year!)
Total Reviews Posted in 2016 – 62 (3 less than last year!)
Total Author Visits to Austenesque Reviews in 2016 – 34 (1 more than last year!)
- Interviews – 4
- Guest Posts – 18
- Excerpts – 11
- Live Chat – 1
Reading Challenges – 2
~ The Goodreads 2016 Reading Challenge ~
Goal: 65 books
Final Progress: 69 books!
~ The Austenesque Lovers TBR Pile Challenge 2016 ~
Goal: 15 books
Final Progress: 15 books! (However, if you count Georgette Heyer and Regency Romances as Austenseque, then it was 18 books!) A special thanks to Sophia Rose for moderating this group all year long, she does such fantastic job and the group is so supportive and encouraging!
~ Overall Reading Breakdowns ~
I really like the balance I struck with both these categories!
I enjoyed making some time to do some rereading this year (something I don’t get to do a lot of!) One does not simply read fantastic books just once! I might try to do more of the same next year.
~ Review Breakdowns ~
It is no surprise that variations are what I read most of! LOL!
And I’m not surprised with to see that the highest percentage of my ratings were 5 stars. I read some really exceptional books this year!! No 2 or 2.5 stars for me this year (I’ve yet to rate anything lower than 2 stars).
I’m afraid Jane Austen’s other novels received a little bit of neglect from me this year! I always read Pride and Prejudice more than anything else, by a long side! But next year I would like to pay more attention to neglected novels like Mansfield Park and Northanger Abbey.
In a few days I’ll be posting the Austenesque Reviews’ Favorites of 2016 and with that post I’ll share what the Reader’s Choice Favorite is too!! Thanks to everyone who voted!
What about you?
What exciting events took place in your 2016?
What reading trends did you have?
Hi Meredith!
I hope you are having fun in Bucaramanga!
Your 2016 summary is overwhelming!
I’ve enjoyed my new house once finished the process of moving on 😉
Speaking about myself, I’m glad because in 2016 I’ ve read more english books than in 2015 (thanks to your blog I’ve improved my english a lot!) and written more posts in my blog ( some in english too).
However I keep thinking there’s no enough time to read all the books I like LOL!
I’m looking forward to reading your next post with your 2016 awards 🙂
Thank you, Teresa! I’m having so much fun! I really love it here with Mr. Bingley’s family! Colombians are such warm people.
I’m so happy to hear about your accomplishments for 2016!!! That is so great that you are doing so much more in English!! YAY!! I definitely need to do more in Spanish so I can talk more with Mr. Bingley’s family!
Wow, what a year! Wishing you all the best in 2017!
Thank you, Anna! Wishing you a wonderful start to 2017!
You have set the standard for anyone wishing to keep up (or try to keep up) with all the new JAFF stories being published. I confess to having bought enough books to keep me busy for the next ten years, though I have put them in my TBR list for now. I simply cannot write, manage the forum and do all the reading that I love anymore. Your reviews have helped me decided which books I must have for future enjoyment, however, and I appreciate all the work you put into the task. I hope you are enjoying your trip and come back refreshed and ready to do it all again in 2017.
You are so sweet, Brenda, but I barely keep up! I wish I could read so many more than I do!!! I’m always trying to catch up! LOL! It’s a good problem to have though, it means we will never run out of books that we enjoy reading! I would hate for the day to come when authors stopped writing new stories about Darcy and Elizabeth! We are so thankful to authors like you who keep these characters alive and facing new adventures in each book!
I’m definitely looking forward to doing it all again in 2017!! 😉 Hope you have a lovely start to 2017, Brenda!!
Looks like you’ve been busy. I want to go to Netherfield!! Congratulations on the new home! And all the best for Mr. Bingley’s new back.
Happy New Year!
Yes! You are very welcome to visit Netherfield! 🙂 Thank you so much for the kind words! Wishing you a very healthy and happy 2017!
I am now reading my 275th book for this year but they are not all JAFF. I would guess that maybe a dozen were outside that genre. I did read one or two Outlander books and some other romances by Bybee and Brant, I remember.”
Hope your holiday is everything and more of love, peace and joy this season. Love, love, love your lists and the reviews and just everything in your blog. Even if I have already read a book I like to compare our ratings as it gives me some confidence in my own review ratings when we agree or are close.
Happy New Year
275?! Wow. Just wow.
Sheila, you are amazing!! That has to be almost double of what you did last year?!? Congratulations!!!
Thank you for all your kind words! I’m so glad you enjoy the posts I share on this blog. I love seeing your comments and appreciate your conversation. Happy New Year to you and your family!
And you had a read along and a movie viewing too, I think! What an impressive year as always.
I edited 5 novels, painted over a thousand salmon platters, and read over 60 historical fiction and chicklit novels. I tried to keep up with my goodreads and Amazon reviews but was not consistent. (I will try to do better in 2017.)
For 2017, I have a fabulous project underway that I hope to announce in the coming weeks. Super excited! Thank you for all you do, Meredith!
Yes we did! Although the movie viewing was actually in 2015, but it doesn’t really feel that long ago!
What great accomplishments you had for 2016, Christina! 5 novels! Woot! So happy for you. Wishing you all the best in 2017!
Quite a year! And so interesting to go to Colombia. My brother and sister-in-law live in Panama and are eager to take the ferry across to experience their near neighbor. It’s amazing how owning one’s own house changes the patterns of one’s life, isn’t it? I remember my first year in my first house: I’d walk into a room and suddenly find that I was just standing there half an hour later, letting all the emotions wash through me.
My goal for 2017 is to finish the manuscript of my next novel (not Austenesque but of the period) and dig my way into the research for the next two books (part of a planned series), while getting a Web page for the series up and running. Austenesque fiction will be my vacation stop amid the work! Not setting a numerical goal.
Hi Abigail! This is our third visit together to Colombia, I love the country so much! All I’ve been doing is eating tropical fruit and fresh bread!!!! LOL!
It was interesting for us to see how we changed a little once we became home owners. 🙂
Those are some wonderful goals for 2017! And what a great reward system you are setting yourself up with. Best of luck in 2017!
Meredith,
Wishing you and your readers the best for 2017.
Hope your home is all your heart desires acts that you and your Mr Bingley will be very happy there.
Thank you, Mary!! We are very happy with our home and I am very fortunate to have your lovely company on my blog!! Wishing you a very happy 2017, my friend!
Happy New Year to you and your Mr. Bingley!
Thank you, Pam! Wishing you and yours every happiness in 2017!!
Love your home Meredith. So glad you are enjoying it and that your husband is better now. My daughter and her family came from Australia and they got married here in June. Plus I got to spend time with my 2 grandsons aged 3 & 9months st the time. Then on the youngests first birthday my son’s wife gave birth to twin boys. They were 10 weeks early but are doing well now. So altogether a lovely year . I hope you have a wonderful 2017 and look forward to your posts.
Thank you, Glynis!! We are so happy with it! 🙂 What an exciting year for you with a wedding and new grandbabbies!! 😀 Glad to hear the twins are doing better now!! Hoping your 2017 is just as lovely!
I make a wonderful cyber traveler so I’ll pretend that I joined you and read just as many fantastic books as you did. Although I’m not really sure how many I read between being a mod on DarcyandLizzy and all of the great books I’ve won from the generous blogs, not to mention the menagerie I’ve bought based on your recommendations. All that and I even finished writing my own tale. Thanks again for all of your inspiration, Meredith and have a fantastic, prosperous New Year! jen Red ♫
I am always happy to have you join me, Jennifer! Whether reading or traveling! There are plenty of books to keep busy with, and I wish you all the best with the one you are writing!!! Happy New Year to you!!
Wow, you had a busy year! Thanks for sharing your reads and travels with us. Happy New Year to you and Mr. Bingley! 🙂
Thank you, Reina! I’m happy to share with you! Thank you for all your friendship and conversation! 🙂 Happy New Year to you and yours!!!
Yes, indeed you have had an eventful year. Love the fun of enjoying a new home like that. We only went on one trip to go camping and visiting with family and friends in Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming, but it was fantastic.
I read my all-time high of Austenesque this year with 68. Twenty-seven were new releases so the rest were all oldies from my shelf which was my goal this year. I hope to continue with that split this new year coming.
Enjoy your visit to family in Colombia.
Hi Sophia! Yes, I remember your trip was quite a big one! So glad you enjoyed it!! I’ve not been to any of those states!!
Congrats on reaching an all-time high!! And how awesome that so many came from your TBR pile!!! Good for you! I’m hoping to make a noticeable change with my TBR pile, but it doesn’t help when I keep adding more and more books to it!
Thanks for the wonderful post, Meredith. I love seeing your pictures and year-end stats. What a great year for you and yours. I hope 2017 brings you lots of joy and travel too.
Of course, I hope you read lots of great JAFF, but I know you’ll make that happen!
Thank you, Claudine! I appreciate all your kind words! 🙂 Hope you have a fantastic 2017 with your family!!! All the best!
Happy New Year Meredith to you and Mr Bingley. Thoroughly enjoyed my visits to the blog this last year and I’m really looking forward to continuing on. I LOVED the live chat. First time I’d ever taken part in one. Hope there’ll be another.
Thank you, Teresa!!! 🙂 I’ve so enjoyed your company and conversation this past year! I hope we continue to chat about Jane Austen and reading together in 2017!! All the best to you and yours!
Happy New Year to you and Mr. B, Meredith. You trip to Colombia sounds amazing. I’ve loved seeing all of your photos from your trip. So glad Mr. B’s back is better. Mine is improving slowly. Because of it, our trips away have been very limited in 2016 but managed one in late November to see my elderly Auntie, whom I hadn’t seen for nearly a year due to my inability to travel.
I just managed to meet my Goodreads challenge of 60 by sneaking my last one in on New Year’s Eve. It would have been more but my inability to sit for any length of time for a good number of months severely curtailed my reading time. Hopefully this year will be more productive in that respect.
Looking forward to lots more quality JAFF in 2017. Happy New Year to you all!!!
Happy New Year Meredith! I always enjoy your “End of the year Summary” post and look forward to seeing what books got your special prize! I’m glad your husband is perfectly recovered and that you took such lovely trips! Hope your 2017 will be wonderful! 😉
Happy New Year, Meredith! Love your 2016 summary and LOVE your graphs! Never thought statistics could be so much fun 😀
Hope you had a magical time in Colombia and that 2017 is the best year yet for you and Mr B!