Have you been checking out all these year end posts in Romancelandia? The numbers are impressive. Some random examples from my own Google Reader:
Stacy read 148 books in 2008.
Marg read 182 books.
Katiebabs read 200 books,
Tracy read 280.
Sayuri read 290 books.
In December alone, Jill D. read 12 books and Nath read 18 (Nath is 207 for the year)
For 2009, Brie is already 2 books into her 2009 goal of 50 books.
Not everyone posted their list of books, but I think that’s modesty talking (unless, as in my own case, it’s sheer laziness).
How about Jane at Dear Author? I never noticed until I started blogging how many DA posts are actually by Jane herself. It’s beyond my time limitations, not to mention slightly stalkerish, to try to count her reviews, but I am betting she’s read, oh, a few romances in 2008, as have her compatriots at DA. Same goes for the folks at TGTBTU and AAR.
And do you really think Kristie “I-could-wrap-my-romance-spreadsheet-once-around-the-planet-and-still-have-pages-left-to-make-a-cool-dress-for-the-next-RWA” J hasn’t read us all under the table? You know she had to get through a long list of medium reads and bottom reads to come out with this great list of top 2008 reads.
By comparison, these high numbers can make the “under 100″ crowd, of which I am a member, feel a bit sheepish.
Misscz of Babbbling Book Reviews “unfortunately” read only 48 books.
Wendy has read only 64 books, and self-flagellates accordingly.
I haven’t counted, but I am pretty sure they both out-read yours truly.
But you know what’s interesting to me? According to statistics on readership compiled for the Romance Writers of America, most of us in Romancelandia are in a very small — like 2% — minority, and the rest are literally “off the chart”:
