Every year I keep track of my books in a Google Doc that allows me to track a variety of demographics around my books. As I have tried to decolonize my bookshelf, read the rainbow and simply diversify my reading, this tracking has helped me stay accountable to the reading values I have named for myself. After quite a few years of doing this, it has become less of a check point throughout the year and more of a reflection tool to ensure I have been making some progress.
Below are a few of the areas that I found interesting this year. My total books read was 111 to help understand the total percentages.
Genre of Author
![](https://www.thebookwar.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/2023Gender-e1705418835869.png)
First is a simple shift, “Gender of Author.” When I first started tracking my books I realized just how many male authors I read particularly in the sci-fi/fantasy world which is my go-to genre. This year 67.7% were NOT men. After reviewing the male authors, I realize many of them still remain in the sci-fi/fantasy genre and some were rereads.
Race of Author
I also track the race of the authors I read. As a midwestern reader coming up in the 80’s and 90’s, white authors have been my bread and butter for years. Over the last 7-10 years I have made a concerted effort to change that ratio. In 2023 you can see though white authors remain the largest single block, they made up less than half of my reading.
![](https://www.thebookwar.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/2023_Race-1.png)
Book Type (Genre)
![](https://www.thebookwar.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/2023_Genre.png)
Lastly is the book type. I don’t call it genre because I have based it primarily on what I choose to read. I have been trying to get my fiction down to 50% and I got real close this year which I am excited about. My non-fiction is also up from 18.6% in 2022 which also makes me feel good as I have been so enjoying my those non-fiction reads.
Overall, I am very happy with the mix of reading that I am able to see at the end of the year. I want to continue these current trends of less male authors, less white authors and less fiction as a total percentage of my reading each year, but sometimes it comes down to what I feel like reading and what my brain can absorb. Reading is a pass time I love dearly and which feeds my soul in a myriad of ways. I like to challenge myself in this realm but it is not for everyone, nor should it be. It is simply a fun lens for me and offers me more ways to think about books, Books BOOKS!
Happy Reading!
Hannah