2023 Reading Year in Review

Posted on December 27, 2023 by

6 Comments

Hello, Fellow Travelers!

Near the end of 2020, I told myself I would slow down my reading in 2021. That didn’t happen. So, at the end of 2021, I said I’d try again next year. Guess what? It didn’t happen. Surely, 2023 was the year I managed to make slow reading a reality, right?

Well. Partly true.

Logo for The Contemplative Reading Project, soft blue background with title in arch over open book with tree growing out of it. Caption 'read deliberately' beneath the book.

I still read over a hundred books this year, but I also launched my Contemplative Reading Project, which does encourage the “slow” part of things, at least for one book each month. That project will be the new focus of my blogging (and eventually, podcasting) journey, so this time next year, maybe I’ll only be reporting on a few dozen books instead of tens of dozens!

I’m currently reading Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment, with little hope of finishing it before the end of the year, so I thought I’d go ahead and post my yearly review just a few days early.

My 2023 Year in Reading

Cover of T.J. Klune's Wolfsong, white wolf howling with moon in background, house with smoking chimney in distance, with flowers in foreground. Hues of green and gray, white font.
  • A Book You Enjoyed from an Indie Press: An Incomplete Encyclopedia of Happiness and Unhappiness by Amy Newman
  • Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going to Love More? How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix
  • Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read? The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto by Mitch Albom (so good!)
  • Book You “Pushed” The Most People to Read (And They Did)? Atomic Habits by James Clear and Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
  • Best series you started? Best Sequel? Best Series Ender?
Cover of Hide by Kiersten White, golden yellow with large clump of earth, roots showing, and a ferris wheel and abandoned carnival on top of it.
  • Most memorable character? Pax from The Other Ones by Fran Hart (loved this one!)
  • Most beautifully written book? Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
  • Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book? An Immense World by Ed Yong
  • Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL this year to finally read? God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater by Kurt Vonnegut
  • Favorite Passage/Quote from a Book You Read this year? “What does it mean . . . that the earth is so beautiful? And what shall I do about it? What is the gift that I should bring to the world? What is the life that I should live?” -Mary Oliver (Long Life)
  • Shortest & Longest Book You Read this year?
    • Shortest: An Incomplete Encyclopedia of Happiness and Unhappiness by Amy Newman (64 pages)
    • Longest: Needful Things by Stephen King (802 pages)
Cover of An Incomplete Encyclopedia of Happiness and Unhappiness: Poems by Amy Newman. Three dodo birds on a log over a creek, lush greenery in background.
Cover of The Other Ones by Fran Hart. Green background, orange font. Four teenagers facing the front, one holding a jack o' lantern.
  • Book That Crushed Your Soul? Wolfsong by T.J. Klune
  • Most Unique Book You Read this year? The Genius of Jesus: The Man Who Changed Everything by Erwin McManus
  • Book That Made You the Maddest (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)? Boyslut: A Memoir and Manifesto by Zachary Zane
  • Favorite review that you wrote this year? On Demons and Corruption: Why I Write by George Orwell
  • Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog? Friends Recommending Reads
  • Most Popular Post This Year on Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)? The TBR Pile Challenge Turns Ten!
  • Post You Wished Got a Little More Love? Interview with Sarton Award-Winning Author, Kathleen Renk
  • Did you complete any reading challenges or goals set for yourself at the beginning of this year? NO! I failed at pretty much all of them. I thought for sure that I’d “win” my own TBR Pile Challenge, as I was on pace/ahead most of the year. I also wanted to “win” my friend challenge and make progress on my Classics Club list. All fails. I did begin working on my new project, though, and that has been more important, so I’ll take the win there.
  • One book on your list that you didn’t read but definitely will get to next year? Crazy Brave by Joy Harjo
  • Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2024 (non-debut)? Knife by Salman Rushdie and Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange
Cover of Wandering Stars: A Novel by Tommy Orange, blue background with red and orange starbursts over the font, with font in black.
  • 2024 Debut You Are Most Anticipating? The Emperor and the Endless Palace by Justinian Huang (so excited for this one!)
  • Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2024? Heartstopper vol. 6 and Titan’s Bride vol. 4
  • Something you hope to accomplish in your reading/blogging life in 2024? I hope to build a podcast to supplement my new Contemplative Reading Project. I’m still learning how to do that and how to plan for/book guests, interview well, etc. I’ll also probably have to announce texts at least three months early to give podcast guests time to read the books in advance of discussion months.

So, there we have it. My year in reading and blogging! How was your reading year? Please share your favorite books of the year in the comments and let me know if any books in my review have sparked your interest.

Happy Holidays!

Category: BL Manga, Books, Buddhism, Christianity, Classics, Fantasy, Fiction, Graphic Novel, Manga, Nonfiction, Poetry, Religion, Romance, Year In Review, Young AdultTags: , , , ,

6 Comments on “2023 Reading Year in Review”

  1. What a great post! I don’t think I will have time to contemplate my “Best of” until Sunday but you’ve given me lots to think about. I did enjoy Pachinko with my book group but found it unbearably sad (that doesn’t disqualify it from greatness but did make it kind of depressing).

    Happy New Year!

    Liked by 1 person

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  2. I currently have Kuang’s Yellowface waiting but I am tempted by The Poppy Wars now after enjoying the stimulating but challenging Babel (I grew up in 1950s Hong Kong so totally understood her critique of British colonialism).

    Even though I only completed 9/12 of my list for your TBR challenge, Adam, my intention is to make next year a Year of Reading Randomly only from my shelves so I hope to tick off the three remaining titles.

    Liked by 1 person

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    • I enjoyed Babel, too. Babel and Poppy share similar strengths and weaknesses in the writing, in my opinion, so if you enjoyed the one you’ll probably like the other. I haven’t read Yellowface, yet, but it’s been sitting on my shelf since release day (like so many others!)

      Liked by 1 person

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  3. Pingback: Top 10 Reads of 2023 – Roof Beam Reader

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