Beat the Backlist 2025: 01/01/25

Hosted by Austine of Beat the Backlist.
For the last two years I've had a reading goal of 250 books. I am sticking with that goal. From that goal I set aside 50% to be backlist books. I won't be posting my list of things I want to read yet. I have a case of books in my bedroom as well as a bunch of ebooks on my computer and audiobooks on my phone.
There are two prompts that I'm sure I'll struggle with or might not even finish:
- a book that's 600 pages or more because I don't typically read long books. I have two long books on hand: The Canterbury Tales and the Collected Stories of John Cheever.
- a book from a celebrity book club; again, I don't follow celebrities and I don't care what they're reading or telling us to read.
- For the books released in the year of the snake, that would be years: 2013, 2001, 1989, 1977, 1965, 1953, 1941, 1929, and so forth.
From this year's Beat the Backlist, the breakdown by year is:
- 2023: 38 books
- 2022: 15 books
- 2021: 14 books
- 2020: 15 books
- 2010s: 41 books
- 2000s: 11 books
- 1990s: 5 books
- 1980s: 3 books
- 1970s: 8 books
- 1960s: 7 books
- 1950s: 4 books
- 1940s: 8 books
- 1930s: 2 books
- 1920s: 1 book
- 1910s: 7 books
- 1900s: 4 books
My Beat the Backlist reads for 2024 account for 67% of my reading for the year.
I read through most of Baum's Oz books and January 2025 will finish out his books. But I plan to keep going with Ruth Plumly Thompson's Oz books, although I'm not sure if I'll stick to a monthly reading schedule with hers.
I read a bunch of short stories which might not technically count but I plan to continue with them too.
I also read a bunch of older children's books, ones I learned about on Instagram. I might keep up with reading these older ones but that depends on other factors (like whether or not we end up moving).
There were a number of graphic novels and manga, cozy mysteries, some memoirs, and late in the year: books about the creative process.
Below is my list of my completed backlist books from 2024 and earlier:
2024
- Booked on Murder by Allison Brook and Mia Gaskin (Narrator)
- Guilt and Ginataan by Mia P. Manansala and Danice Cabanela (Narrator)
- A New Lease on Death by Olivia Blacke, Stefanie Kay and Petrea Burchard (Narrators) (2024)
- What the Chicken Knows by Sy Montgomery
2023
- Mermedusa by Thomas Taylor
- Sugar Plum Poisoned by Jenn McKinlay and Susan Boyce (Narrator)
- The Way of the Bear by Anne Hilerman
- With or Without You by Eric Smith
2022
- Eden's Everdark by Karen Strong
- Steeped in Secrets by Lauren Elliott and Stephanie Richardson (Narrator)
- Whiskers and Lies by Sofie Kelly and Cassandra Campbell (Narrator)
2021
2020
- Beautiful Shades of Brown: Laura Wheeler Waring, Artist by Nancy Churnin and Felicia Marshall (Illustrator)
2010s
- Sealed Off by Barbara Ross and Dara Rosenberg (Narrator) (2019)
- Killer Party by Lynn Cahoon and Susan Boyce (Narrator) (2017)
- A Story to Kill by Lynn Cahoon and C.S.E. Cooney (Narrator) (2016)
2000s
- Spice and Wolf, Volume 1 by Isuna Hasekura, Jyuu Ayakura (Illustrator) and Paul Starr (Translator) (2006)
1999-1990
- Black and White by David Macaulay (1991)
1989-1980
1979-1970
- The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald (1978)
1969-1960
1959-1950
- "Clancy in the Tower of Babel" by John Cheever (1951)
- "The Pot of Gold" by John Cheever (1950)
1949-1940
- The Trouble with Harry by Jack Trevor Story (1949)
- Pretzel by Margret Rey with H.A. Rey (Illustrator) (1944)
1939-1930
- The Hobbit, or There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien (1937)
1929-1920
- Emily Climbs by L.M. Montgomery (1925)
- Glinda of Oz by L. Frank Baum and John R. Neill (1920)
1919-1910
1909-1900
1899 and earlier
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