Potpourri 28

Well, Christmas is almost here, and pretty soon we’ll be ringing in the New Year!  In a few weeks, people who blog on WordPress will be receiving a roundup of their statistics for the year 2015.  I’ve been looking over my posts and have come up with a few stats of my own.

In 2015, I reached my 500th post on Ms. M’s Bookshelf just a few weeks ago.  I completed the Eclectic Reader Challenge several months ahead of time, meeting 12 different criteria, some of which was out of my comfort zone but all of which I thoroughly enjoyed and reviewed.  Here is my list:

Retelling of a fairy tale:  The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

Set in a country starting with “S”:  The Angel’s Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón (Spain)

P.I. Crime:  Mystery Mile by Margery Allingham

Novel published before I was born:  Brat Farrar by Josephine Tey (1949)

Contemporary Romance:  Betting on Hope by Debra Clopton

Fiction for Foodies:  Blackberry Pie by Joanne Fluke

Microhistory:  Hitler’s Youth by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Science Fiction set in space:  Shadow People by Jo Robinson

Sports:  Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese

Featuring Diversity: Obasan by Joy Kagawa

Epistolary Fiction:  Anna’s Crossing by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Middle Grade Adventure:  Point Blank by Alex Rider

I also have exceeded my reading goal on Goodreads which was 100 books.  I’ve read more than 125 books since January 1st.  I didn’t do as well with my own challenge to read 16 authors who were listed by Time as being among the 100 Women Who Changed the World.  I’ve only read two of the authors so far Maya Angelou (Letter to my Daughter) and Virginia Woolf (The Voyage Out).  I started one by Rachel Carson but despite the beautiful writing, I found it a bit slow going and left it for later.

I reviewed 65 movies so far; 9 of them classics.  I’m not sure how much watching time that was but I think it makes the better part of a full week.  That doesn’t count the TV series I reviewed such as West Wing, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, Columbo,  Murder She Wrote, and Downton Abbey.

I joined BookLookBloggers just over a year ago and have 18 reviews for them.  I also have reviewed 3 books for NetGalley, a number a hope to improve in 2016.  I began my own meme called Mystery Mondays and I hope 2016 will find more people participating in it on a regular basis.  I read 50 mystery novels this year, 23 of them as part of Mystery Mondays.

I’ve enjoyed all the feedback visitors have left on my site and I sincerely thank the 129 folks who have participated by following my blog.  It is very gratifying to see so many people sign up in such a short time. Thank you all, and  Seasons Greetings!