2023 was a challenging year for me, so I’m not surprised I read a bit less and completed fewer challenges. I found it more difficult to concentrate this year, and there were a lot of books I ended up having to send back to the library (virtually) rather than finishing them. Still, I did read a lot of great books, and I always try to keep in mind I’m reading for enjoyment, not to meet specific goals or challenges.
I finished the year at 90 books, between 5 and 10 a month, which is a decrease compared to 108 in 2022 and more in previous years. I read 90% fiction and 10% nonfiction, which is a fairly big decrease in nonfiction compared to recent years. Similar to last year, about half were audiobooks and half e-books with a handful of print books. I read primarily through the Libby app (library ebooks and audio) and my Kobo. Most of my books were medium length; 5 were over 500 pages and 23 were under 300 pages.
According to The Storygraph, the top genres I read this year were literary, romance, and contemporary fiction. Other genres I read were historical fiction, LGBTQIA+, and fantasy (noting that books can be in multiple genres and Storygraph doesn’t always classify books the same way I would).
The StoryGraph characterized my 2023 reading as primarily “emotional” and “reflective” (then funny, light-hearted and adventurous); all very similar to last year.
I read 85 different authors this year; of those, 45 were authors I’d never read before. Nine books were debut novels. I read 30 books that were released in 2023, and of those, 18 were advance review copies (ARCs). I only read 4 books I would label as classics; the oldest book I read this year was The Wizard of Oz, published in 1900. I read 21 books that were part of a series, and 9 of those books were first books in new series.
Last year I set out to read more books set outside the U.S. or U.K. In 2023 I read 23 books that were primarily set in other countries.
I re-read three books this year, The Wizard of Oz, Island of the Blue Dolphins, and Wool.
In 2023 I had 63 posts, compared to 74 last year, and about 1,800 followers (thank you!). I wrote 29 review posts, which I’d like to increase as these were mostly for ARCs. I continued to offer personalized book recommendations; you can read more about that here.
I didn’t do too well on challenges this year, but I did complete the 52 Books challenge, which requires completing 52 prompts throughout the year. The most challenging prompts for me turned out to be reading Nordic Noir, high fantasy, a posthumous publication, and an author with my name. I’m looking forward to participating in that challenge this year.
I continued to use both Goodreads and The StoryGraph to track my reading, with both having elements I find useful, though I hope to use StoryGraph more going forward. I especially like how it lets you track the formats and genres you’re reading in and it’s easy to update your challenges. I switched from Twitter to Bookstadon, and I’m enjoying the sense of community. Please find me there.
Later this month I’ll write about my goals and challenges in 2024. I’ll also post about my favorite new-to-me-authors in 2023.
Wishing you all a very happy 2024, and thank you so much for reading with me.
