How Many Books Did You Read in 2023? Where Do You Rank?
Are you a book nerd? I sure am. But where do you think you rank among other readers? If you read just one book, congratulations – you’ve read more than 46% of the American public!
According to an Economist/You Gov poll, 1,500 Americans were asked how many books they read last year. “Reading books” included traditional books, e-books and even audio books. An article in the Washington Post broke the data down further. Here’s a quick snapshot.
Where Do You Rank?
- 1 book = top 46%
- 2 books = 51st
- 3 books = 56th
- 4 books = 62nd
- 5 books = 67th
- 6 books = 72nd
- 7 books = 76th
- 8 books = 77th
- 9 books = 78th
- 10 books = 79th
- 15 books = 85th
- 20 books = 88th
- 30 books = 92nd
- 40 books = 94th
- 50+ books = 99th
Audio Books
Last year I read a combination of 25 books, e-books and audio books, with most being paperbacks because I’m middle aged.
Youngsters under 45 are apparently all about (reading? listening to?) audiobooks, which is turning into a huge business. After the pandemic the format skyrocketed and according to Digital Journal the audiobook business is expected to reach over $19 billion by 2027.
I only started listening to Audible last year and I’m still getting used to it. I like it a lot for fiction, because the actor-narrators bring the story to life, which is fun. I’m having a harder time getting into non-fiction books because I find it harder to pay attention to the subject matter. Also, I’m one of those people who underlines and writes notes in the margins (I know), and you obviously can’t do that to something you’re listening to. How about you? Do you like audiobooks?
Favorite Genres
What genres do you like to read? I’m happy to report that historical fiction (what I’m writing) comes in 4th place overall, which makes it more likely someone will read my story then if I wrote poetry (the least popular genre.)
The most popular genre among men was history. This made me laugh because a few months ago there was a craze on Tik Tok that said most men think about the Roman Empire multiple times per day. It trended on Google searches in September/October and ended up being spoofed on SNL.
The most popular genre among women was mystery and crime. Maybe it’s because they are ready to kill and/or are trying to figure out why their husbands and boyfriends are so focused on the Roman Empire.
On that note, I’ll leave you with the spoof from SNL. Enjoy!
How about you? How many books did you read last year? What’s your favorite genre?
Copyright (c) Lisa Traugott 2024. All rights reserved.