This year I read and reviewed a total of 55 books this year. Wow!
Nine books were real standouts:
Three are novels that challenge and reinvent traditional genres
Expect the unexpected in these titles:
How to Be Both By Ali Smith – challenges our preconceptions of Renaissance art and gender. A case study in duality.
The Engagement by Chloe Hooper – Gothic literature in a contemporary Australian setting.
Heat and Light by Ellen van Neerven – reinventing traditional indigenous storytelling. Don’t assume you will know what’s coming.
Three more were by Australian authors
The Golden Age by Joan London – The story of Perth in the 1950s, Hungarian immigrants and a polio institution. Beautiful.
Black Rock White City by A.S Patric – Melbourne, immigrants from the Serbian war and Kafka-esque elements. Devastating.
The Dressmaker by Rosalie Ham – The perfect small town Australia novel. Hilarious and full of sorrow at the same time.
Three I read in lovely hard cover editions
The Year of the Runaways by Sunjeev Sahota – The lives of immigrant Sikhs in Sheffield. Worthy of the hype.
Wolf Winter by Cecilia Ekback – A chilly historical tale of a Finnish family and murder in Swedish Lapland.
Hausfrau by Jill Alexander Essbaum– American expat wife in Zurich embarks on an affair. Full of boredom, consequences and nuances of expat life.
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Multiple books by a single author:
I read six books by Jussi Adler-Olsen, three from Anya Lipska and two each from Chloe Hooper, Yoko Ogawa and Jeff VanderMeer. What an interesting mix!
Busiest and quietest months:
I only wrote one review in January, July and August but wrote 11 in September when I was catching up from my long summer holiday in Australia.
Most Popular Reviews
My most popular review by far, was Robin Barker’s short story collection, Close to Home.
The second most popular review was The Strays by Emily Bitto.
Only a few views behind this was The Hanging Girl by Jussi Adler Olsen.
Barely anyone read my review of The Redeemer by Jo Nesbo. Maybe Harry Hole just isn’t trendy enough anymore!
Orange Pekoe Reviews 
Wow, 55 books! It sounds like you had a great year. These books sound really interesting.
It’s been a busy year! I’ve read a few shorter novels this year so that helps with the count 🙂
Great mix of books! Hausfrau will make my top 10 for the year – I thought it was an extraordinary book (but seemed to not get that much publicity…).