What I Read in 2023
Hello and happy Wednesday!
I don’t know how it’s almost the end of 2023, but apparently it is. The year absolutely flew by! And with it, so did my hopes and dreams of reading more than ever, haha. I don’t know what I was thinking when I set my reading goal for the year, but let’s just say I didn’t quite reach it.
How has your reading gone this year? Are you someone who likes to read a lot? Just a book here and there?
I’ve always loved reading, and since being introduced to Goodreads a couple of years ago, where you can track the books that you read, review them (and read other reviews), add books to your to-read list, and even set yearly goals on how many books you want to read, I’ve been even more motivated to read.
In 2021, not knowing how many books I typically read in a year (before then, I never kept track!), I set a goal of 50 books. And to my surprise, I actually read 54! That success encouraged me enough that I set my goal for 2022 at 55 books, but ended the year with a grand total of only 27 books…
With that failed goal in mind, I entered 2023 with lofty hopes. I have so many books I want to read, and have really missed reading in general, so I was desperate to work through more of the stories and wisdom on my shelves. In fact, if you read my list of goals that I shared at the beginning of the year, you already know that my original goal for this year was to read 100 books!
Well, I’m here to report that I’m finishing 2023 with a total of 50 books read.
And I’m pretty thrilled with that! If you check my Goodreads profile, you’ll see that my reading challenge goal is set to 50, and so it looks as though I’ve been successful in my goal – even though it’s not 100. I changed it because, to me, I was successful this year.
I may not have read 100 books, but I’ll be honest, I didn’t know if I could anyway. I know my personality, and I know that oftentimes it takes a huge goal for me to really push myself. And then, even if I don’t meet the huge goal, I’m pleasantly surprised with the number I did reach while striving.
50 is halfway to 100! And it’s a lot more than 27.
I’m especially happy with what I’ve been able to read this year because I’ve discovered a bunch of new favorites – mostly by fellow Christian indie authors! I’d rather read fewer wonderful books than lots of mediocre ones, so I’m super glad for the chances I’ve had this year to read some really great books.
So today, as I have the past couple of years, I want to share the full list of the books I’ve read this year! I’d love to know if you’ve read any of them and what your opinion was! Are any of these books on your TBR?
The Books I Read in 2023( * = A favorite!)
(~ = A re-read!)
(DNR = do not recommend/will not be re-reading)
If you’d like to read my in-depth thoughts on any of these books, I’ve reviewed many of them on their Goodreads pages. Just click on the title to go to each book’s page!
Fiction1. The Nine Lessons by Kevin Alan Milne
2. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling (*,~)
3. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling (*,~)
4. What She Knew by Gilly Macmillan
5. Safe In His Arms by Colleen Coble
6. The Golden Mean by Annabel Lyon
7. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
8. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
9. Seasons of the Storm by Elle Cossimano
10. Lyddie by Katherine Paterson (*,~)
11. Run Away Home by Patricia C. McKissack (~)
12. Steal Away by Jennifer Armstrong (~)
13. Frozen Summer by Mary Jane Auch (~)
14. Mandy by Julie (Andrews) Edwards (~)
15. Generations 2: The D.C. Gambit by Kenny Sargent (*)
16. Like a Ship On the Sea by Kellyn Roth (*)
17. Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones
18. Cabin Girl by E. G. Bella (* haha)
19. Orchidelirium by E. B. Roshan
20. Operation Lionhearted by Maribeth Barber (*)
21. Held Captive by Grace A. Johnson (*)
22. If the Stars Awaken by Kate Willis (*)
23. Better Off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg
24. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
25. Wayfarer by K. M. Weiland (*)
26. New Moon (Twilight #2) by Stephenie Meyer
27. Eclipse (Twilight #3) by Stephenie Meyer
28. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
29. Baby Mine by Kellyn Roth
30. To Bind Fire by D. E. Carlson (*)
31. Ichabod Fly and the Great Newspaper Roundup by Bree Pembrook
32. Quest For the Beast by Sarah Holman
33. Addie’s Mountain by Kate Willis
34. Enjoy the Poodle Skirt by Kate Willis
1. More Than Enough: The Ten Keys to Changing Your Financial Destiny by Dave Ramsey
2. Finding Time: Breathing Space for Women Who Do Too Much by Paula Peisner Coxe
3. All Things for Good by Thomas Watson (*)
4. The Mystery of Providence by John Flavel
5. Intended for Pleasure by Ed Wheat MD & Gaye Wheat
6. Sheet Music by Kevin Leman
7. Preparing For Marriage God’s Way by Wayne A. Mack
8. Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed by Phillip Hallie
9. The Act of Marriage by Tim LaHaye & Beverly LaHaye
10. 7 Things He’ll Never Tell You: …But You Need to Know by Kevin Leman
11. Intermittent Fasting for Women 101 by Jennifer Cook (DNR)
12. The Magnolia Story by Chip Gaines
13. Successful Self-Publishing by Joanna Penn (*)
14. Writing By Faith: Following God’s Calling to Be a Christian Author by Allyson Kennedy
15. Becoming Your Spouse’s Better Half by Rick Johnson
16. Kisses From Katie by Katie Davis Majors
To summarize, I started off the year with non-fiction before my husband and I got married, and really doubled down on my fiction reading near the end of this year. The non-fiction list contained books about marriage, finances, writing, publishing, and Christian living, and the fiction list held everything from dystopian to fantasy to middle-grade childhood favorites and more. It was a fun variety!
What did YOU read this year? What were some of your favorites? I’d love to hear from you, so feel free to comment below and let me know what reading adventures you were up to in 2023!
And while you’re there, feel free to ask questions about any of the books on this list! In addition, you can find my reviews for many of the books by following the Goodreads link (click on the book’s title).
Here’s hoping 2024 is full of many more great reads!
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