I never really thought about how my reading has changed over the past decade until I saw someone to the end of year book tag. It was originally a YouTube tag, and you can find the original here! While I’m not going to do the tag, I do want to take this time to reflect on what I read during the past 10 years.
Beginning of the decade: 2010 – 2013
This early in the decade I didn’t have a Goodreads yet, and I wasn’t a big reader yet, either. There are zero records of what I read during these years, except for what I still remember. A lot of us at high school were still very much obsessed with Twilight, even though the first book came out in 2006. I never read Twilight, but what I read instead was the Fallen series. My cousin was obsessed, my good friend was obsessed, and in the end, I was also obsessed.
I’d say that from that moment on I started to become a true book worm. I actually made a post about the books that made me a reader, and you can find it here!
I graduated high school in 2012 and I decided I wanted to read a lot more fantasy. Before then, I would read the occasional chick flic on vacation, but that was about it. I got the box set of A Song of Ice and Fire and The Hobbit + The Lord of the Rings. I read the Hobbit on vacation that year, and I really enjoyed it. After that I picked up A Game of Thrones. I’d say in those short years my reading tastes have definitely gone from one extreme to the other!
The Middle Years – 2014 – 2016
In 2014 I started to use Goodreads a little more. This is the year I started to read the Hunger Games and Divergent. Two series that defined Young Adult books for me. After that I got completely sucked up in YA. I read the Mortal Instruments not too soon after. I started collecting more and more books and actually paid attention to what was popular.
In 2015 I moved to the United States with my puny collection of books. I thought I had a lot at the time. Books are a lot cheaper in the US than they are in the Netherlands, so I went crazy at Barnes & Noble.
I also got an e-reader! Electronic reading used to not be by thing until I tried it. I thin it has actually helped me read more.
End of the Decade – 2017 – 2019
2017 was the year I first set a serious Goodreads goal and made it! My favorite genres were still fantasy and science fiction. I also started my Bookstagram that year and got way more involved in the bookish community. I learned terms like TBR and DNF, and made some awesome connections. My blog followed soon after that. Reading was more than a hobby at this point, it was a way of life. I’ve started and finished entire series the past years, and I think I’ve read well over 200 books. I’ve had my heart broken and remade by them, and I’ve rushed to the bookstore to get the newest releases.
All in all, I think my reading progress was really good! I rediscovered my love for books and didn’t stop since then. Let’s see how the next ten years will go!
