Je suis assez fière de mon année 2024 en termes de lecture ! J’ai lu 45 livres, je n’avais pas lu autant depuis des années. Il y a eu quelques belles lectures, mais aussi pas mal de lectures moyennes haha. En 2025, j’aimerais lire plus de non-fiction et de poésie. Comme toi, j’aime beaucoup la littérature coréenne et japonaise, donc j’aimerais en lire plus aussi (l’année dernière, j’ai seulement lu un roman coréen et deux romans japonais). J’ai découvert il y a quelques jours que je pouvais écouter des livres audios avec mon abonnement Spotify, donc je vais essayer, mais je ne sais pas si je vais réussir à bien me concentrer durant l’écoute. Aussi, je réfléchis à m’acheter une liseuse, moi qui avais pourtant juré de ne jamais passer du côté obscur (haha), mais je commence à ne plus avoir de place dans ma bibliothèque et on ne peut pas noter que les liseuses sont vraiment pratiques, donc à voir !
C’est génial que tu aies eu une si belle année de lecture en 2024 ! Je te souhaite encore plus de belles découvertes pour 2025 ❤
Pour les livres audio, je te comprends totalement ! Quand j’ai commencé, j’ai choisi des non-fictions, surtout des mémoires. Ça a super bien marché, car ils sont souvent plus courts (6-8 h environ) et on n’a pas besoin d’imaginer un univers. Ça ressemble plus à un très looong podcast, ce qui aide vraiment à s’y mettre. Maintenant, je peux écouter presque tous les genres (sauf la poésie, pour des raisons évidentes haha).
Ma liseuse doit bien avoir 15 ans, mais elle fonctionne encore ! Je ne m’en sers pas hyper souvent, mais elle est tellement pratique quand je voyage ou que je me promène. C’est toujours plus compact qu’une brique de 500 pages haha, donc c’est à explorer, clairement ! En plus, il y a souvent des promos sur les ebooks, ce qui permet de tester des livres dont tu n’es pas totalement sûre, au lieu de finir avec un livre 1 étoile qui t’a coûté 15 euros 🥲. Et je te comprends tellement pour le manque de place dans ta bibliothèque haha !
As you're also native from a non English speaking country, I wonder, in Belgium... books in foreign languages are translated by Belgian people? I understand there are at least two languages spoken there but I mean... Do they sound... natural in either of them? I've a serious problem here because 95% of the books translated to Spanish are done in Spain, and although I can obviously understand almost everything (some words i need to look up), they don't sound natural to me, we speak a different type of Spanish, and it's really annoying for me reading, let's say Virginia Woolf speaking with Spanish lingo. It's ridiculous.
That’s such an interesting point! Translation is a complex art, and I’m just starting to learn more about it. I’ve recently discovered that translators often have to pitch books to publishers, so it’s not automatic unless the author is well-known. This might explain why some books are translated into French, but not into English. There are a couple of Japanese books I "have" to buy in French as I can't find them here. I imagine there are Belgian translators, but since we have neighbouring France and the Netherlands, I suspect many translations come from there.
I completely understand how unnatural reading something translated into Spanish lingo can feel! I haven’t read much in French recently, but I do notice when translations feel “too French” haha. Thankfully, it seems like more translators nowadays are considering regional nuances, so hopefully, this trend will continue to improve with new releases.
I stopped calling my unread books TBR. Instead, I consider them part of a personal library I've been building since 2014, when I went back to reading seriously and knowing what I really enjoy reading. Buying books in English from Argentina has become a rather impossible task since book depository shut down last year. There's only a couple of bookshops left that sell them but they don't stock all releases. It's truly sad. I agree that the UK is a paradise in that regard! I spent 17 days in England and came back home with 20 books 🙈. And I didn't even visit charity shops! As to translated books... well, that's a topic for another comment.
I love the idea of building a personal library—it feels so intentional and exciting! Instead of a pile of pressure, it becomes a collection to browse and enjoy when the mood strikes. Oh no, that’s truly sad that buying books in English is becoming so difficult in Argentina. I’m sometimes using AbeBooks (to buy used books or softcover), and you can filter by seller location—maybe there are South American sellers to reduce shipping costs? Kennys also offers affordable international delivery (€1–€2 per book I think), so it’s worth checking out. Or perhaps you need to open a bookshop for English books in Argentina—I think it would be a hit! 😍 20 books in 17 days is incredible. That’s a bookish dream come true!
I started reading again last year, and i´ve read 24 books. It seems little compared to your list but i still cant believe i could read every night before sleep. I dont care about numbers either. I go to my public library butwith the new titles you have only 2 weeks to take them back and sometimes, with work, thats a short time .. so i had to read faster and it was a pressure, not pleasure. Books are super expensive and its hard to find used new titles (or not older than 15 years) here so im considering buying a Kindle.
Reading 24 books after just getting back into reading is amazing—congratulations! 😍 It’s so exciting to rediscover the joy of reading, build a habit, and find stories that truly resonate with you. I completely understand the pressure of library deadlines; I try to stick to borrowing just 1 or 2 books at a time for the same reason.
As for a Kindle, it can be a game-changer! I dug out my old one last year and plan to use it more, especially for new releases. Ebooks often go on sale for 99p a few months after release, which makes it a great budget-friendly option. That said, I try not to overload it with cheap books I’m unsure about—I want it to stay curated with titles I’m excited to read. Maybe a friend could lend you their e-reader so you can give it a try? It’s an investment, but my Kindle has lasted more than 10 years, so I definitely think it’s worth it! I hope you find what works best for you!
I’ve finally set up my StoryGraph account and can’t wait to dig into the stats each month. I had a pretty similar situation in 2024: I met my numerical goal and kept to my year-long book-buying ban, but read a LOT of mediocre books in the process. I don’t look back on 2024 and see it as a successful reading year at all.
Your reading goals sound great! Reading diversely and more modern classics are essential, I think.
Welcome to StoryGraph! It’s such a fantastic tool, especially with its unique stats—like moods and pacing. I love digging into those details; they make tracking your reading so fun. Huge props for sticking to your book-buying ban last year—that’s incredible. Hopefully, these not-so-great reads still helped refine your tastes so you can spot winners more easily moving forward. And yes, I couldn’t agree more about reading diversely and exploring modern classics. They bring so much richness to a reading year, and I can’t wait to dive into more myself.
Je suis assez fière de mon année 2024 en termes de lecture ! J’ai lu 45 livres, je n’avais pas lu autant depuis des années. Il y a eu quelques belles lectures, mais aussi pas mal de lectures moyennes haha. En 2025, j’aimerais lire plus de non-fiction et de poésie. Comme toi, j’aime beaucoup la littérature coréenne et japonaise, donc j’aimerais en lire plus aussi (l’année dernière, j’ai seulement lu un roman coréen et deux romans japonais). J’ai découvert il y a quelques jours que je pouvais écouter des livres audios avec mon abonnement Spotify, donc je vais essayer, mais je ne sais pas si je vais réussir à bien me concentrer durant l’écoute. Aussi, je réfléchis à m’acheter une liseuse, moi qui avais pourtant juré de ne jamais passer du côté obscur (haha), mais je commence à ne plus avoir de place dans ma bibliothèque et on ne peut pas noter que les liseuses sont vraiment pratiques, donc à voir !
C’est génial que tu aies eu une si belle année de lecture en 2024 ! Je te souhaite encore plus de belles découvertes pour 2025 ❤
Pour les livres audio, je te comprends totalement ! Quand j’ai commencé, j’ai choisi des non-fictions, surtout des mémoires. Ça a super bien marché, car ils sont souvent plus courts (6-8 h environ) et on n’a pas besoin d’imaginer un univers. Ça ressemble plus à un très looong podcast, ce qui aide vraiment à s’y mettre. Maintenant, je peux écouter presque tous les genres (sauf la poésie, pour des raisons évidentes haha).
Ma liseuse doit bien avoir 15 ans, mais elle fonctionne encore ! Je ne m’en sers pas hyper souvent, mais elle est tellement pratique quand je voyage ou que je me promène. C’est toujours plus compact qu’une brique de 500 pages haha, donc c’est à explorer, clairement ! En plus, il y a souvent des promos sur les ebooks, ce qui permet de tester des livres dont tu n’es pas totalement sûre, au lieu de finir avec un livre 1 étoile qui t’a coûté 15 euros 🥲. Et je te comprends tellement pour le manque de place dans ta bibliothèque haha !
As you're also native from a non English speaking country, I wonder, in Belgium... books in foreign languages are translated by Belgian people? I understand there are at least two languages spoken there but I mean... Do they sound... natural in either of them? I've a serious problem here because 95% of the books translated to Spanish are done in Spain, and although I can obviously understand almost everything (some words i need to look up), they don't sound natural to me, we speak a different type of Spanish, and it's really annoying for me reading, let's say Virginia Woolf speaking with Spanish lingo. It's ridiculous.
That’s such an interesting point! Translation is a complex art, and I’m just starting to learn more about it. I’ve recently discovered that translators often have to pitch books to publishers, so it’s not automatic unless the author is well-known. This might explain why some books are translated into French, but not into English. There are a couple of Japanese books I "have" to buy in French as I can't find them here. I imagine there are Belgian translators, but since we have neighbouring France and the Netherlands, I suspect many translations come from there.
I completely understand how unnatural reading something translated into Spanish lingo can feel! I haven’t read much in French recently, but I do notice when translations feel “too French” haha. Thankfully, it seems like more translators nowadays are considering regional nuances, so hopefully, this trend will continue to improve with new releases.
I stopped calling my unread books TBR. Instead, I consider them part of a personal library I've been building since 2014, when I went back to reading seriously and knowing what I really enjoy reading. Buying books in English from Argentina has become a rather impossible task since book depository shut down last year. There's only a couple of bookshops left that sell them but they don't stock all releases. It's truly sad. I agree that the UK is a paradise in that regard! I spent 17 days in England and came back home with 20 books 🙈. And I didn't even visit charity shops! As to translated books... well, that's a topic for another comment.
I love the idea of building a personal library—it feels so intentional and exciting! Instead of a pile of pressure, it becomes a collection to browse and enjoy when the mood strikes. Oh no, that’s truly sad that buying books in English is becoming so difficult in Argentina. I’m sometimes using AbeBooks (to buy used books or softcover), and you can filter by seller location—maybe there are South American sellers to reduce shipping costs? Kennys also offers affordable international delivery (€1–€2 per book I think), so it’s worth checking out. Or perhaps you need to open a bookshop for English books in Argentina—I think it would be a hit! 😍 20 books in 17 days is incredible. That’s a bookish dream come true!
Oh, I wasn't aware of Kennys and they do ship to Argentina! Woohoo! Thanks!
I hope you find lots of gorgeous reads there ❤️
I started reading again last year, and i´ve read 24 books. It seems little compared to your list but i still cant believe i could read every night before sleep. I dont care about numbers either. I go to my public library butwith the new titles you have only 2 weeks to take them back and sometimes, with work, thats a short time .. so i had to read faster and it was a pressure, not pleasure. Books are super expensive and its hard to find used new titles (or not older than 15 years) here so im considering buying a Kindle.
Reading 24 books after just getting back into reading is amazing—congratulations! 😍 It’s so exciting to rediscover the joy of reading, build a habit, and find stories that truly resonate with you. I completely understand the pressure of library deadlines; I try to stick to borrowing just 1 or 2 books at a time for the same reason.
As for a Kindle, it can be a game-changer! I dug out my old one last year and plan to use it more, especially for new releases. Ebooks often go on sale for 99p a few months after release, which makes it a great budget-friendly option. That said, I try not to overload it with cheap books I’m unsure about—I want it to stay curated with titles I’m excited to read. Maybe a friend could lend you their e-reader so you can give it a try? It’s an investment, but my Kindle has lasted more than 10 years, so I definitely think it’s worth it! I hope you find what works best for you!
Yes! I will wait to see how this year goes! Btw sorry for the late reply ... for some reason i´ve just got the notification :S
I’ve finally set up my StoryGraph account and can’t wait to dig into the stats each month. I had a pretty similar situation in 2024: I met my numerical goal and kept to my year-long book-buying ban, but read a LOT of mediocre books in the process. I don’t look back on 2024 and see it as a successful reading year at all.
Your reading goals sound great! Reading diversely and more modern classics are essential, I think.
Welcome to StoryGraph! It’s such a fantastic tool, especially with its unique stats—like moods and pacing. I love digging into those details; they make tracking your reading so fun. Huge props for sticking to your book-buying ban last year—that’s incredible. Hopefully, these not-so-great reads still helped refine your tastes so you can spot winners more easily moving forward. And yes, I couldn’t agree more about reading diversely and exploring modern classics. They bring so much richness to a reading year, and I can’t wait to dive into more myself.