2021 Reading Audit

What is a reading audit and why am I doing one?

I got the idea for doing a reading audit from Astrid Edwards, host of much loved (by me) podcasts The Garret and Anonymous Was A Woman. A reading audit is where you crunch the numbers on the diversity of the authors of what you’re reading.

I am doing reading audit (and intend to do one annually from now on) because literature has historically been dominated by privileged straight able-bodied white men. Things are shifting and yet, what gets published, promoted, awarded often remains skewed in this direction. If we don’t actively seek out other voices, we’re likely to read in the direction that publishers, promoters and awards committees point us. In other words, we will contribute to the perpetuation of the status quo in literature. I’m not saying we shouldn’t read books by privileged straight able-bodied white men, but rather that we should read much more widely than this.

On a related note, I am doing a reading audit because given my personal values, reading books by diverse writers makes sense and is something I want to actively pursue. I want to be challenged by what I read, to be put in someone else’s shoes, to feel my mind stretching.

So here is an audit of the diversity of what I read in 2021. I’m doing well on some fronts, could certainly improve on others. The statistics and reflections below will help to frame what I read in 2022.

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Gender and sexuality

• 67 per cent (48 books) by women
• 4 per cent (3 books) by non-binary or trans writers
• 14 per cent (10 books) by LGBTIQA+ writers

Clear majority of books are by women and a decent number are by LGBTIQA+ writers. Definitely keen to continue seeking out books by LGBTIQA+ writers and particularly to increase my engagement with non-binary or trans writers.

Race/place 

• 56 per cent (40 books) by Australian writers
• 18 per cent (13 books) by Indigenous Australian writers (or 32.5 per cent of books by Australian writers)
• 19 per cent (14 books) by Tasmanian writers (or 35 per cent of books by Australian writers)
• 13 per cent (9 books) by people of colour
• 1 per cent (1 book) translated from another language

The majority of what I read this year (56 per cent) was by Australian writers which makes sense given Australia is my home. I’m pleased with the fact that 32.5 per cent of these writers are Indigenous Australian and I will continue to focus on reading these writers. 35 per cent of the Australian writers were actually Tasmanian writers, which is pretty remarkable given how small our state is. I will continue to read Tasmanian writers wherever I can because I just love seeing lutruwita/Tasmania on the page.

I could definitely do better on reading works of other people of colour and works translated from another language. I suppose these haven’t been so much of a focus and the numbers show this. I intend to improve these figures next year.

Ability

• 1 per cent (1 book) by disabled writers

This is woefully inadequate given how many people on this planet live with a disability (I think it’s around 20-25 per cent). It’s also pretty shameful given I personally identify as someone with a disability. Perhaps I rest on the laurels of my identity and the fact that I talk about disability a lot with friends/family. Whatever the case, I need to do better next year. I follow plenty of wonderful disabled writers and creators on Instagram and elsewhere so it shouldn’t be too hard to find books which reflect these experiences. I wonder whether reading more books by disabled writers would help me in my struggle to accept my disability and actually live a life that takes into account the realities of living with a disability.

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Reading intentions for 2022

Continue to seek out books by:

• Women;
• LGBTIQA+ writers;
• Australian writers;
• Indigenous Australian writers; and
• Tasmanian writers.

Seek out more books translated from another language and by:

• Non-binary or trans writers;
• People of colour; and
• Disabled writers.

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That’s me for 2021 and my intentions for 2022. I am looking forward to another year of reading!

Love, hope and peace from Emma.