2023 Reading Roundup
This year, I read… a lot. I’ve always been an avid reader, but I think my injury this fall just really pushed me over the top. Since I couldn’t be outdoors hiking, I decided to see how many books I could read instead, as I am a highly competitive person (with myself). The answer is 41 this year, plus one in progress and two that I did not finish.
I’m going to give some of the books I read this year some awards, but if you’d like to see all 41 books that I read, hop on over to my StoryGraph profile!
Also, here’s my shameless plug for StoryGraph over Good Reads, because it’s owned by a female woman of color instead of Amazon and gives you super cool stats throughout the year.
So without further ado…
Total pages read: 17,686 pages (compared to 11,241 pages in 2022)
The author I read the most: Sara J. Maas with the entire A Court of Thorns and Roses series. 4/5 stars for the series as a whole.
Worst cover: Transformation by Carol Berg. 4/5 for story, 1/5 for cover art.
Longest book: Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson. 5/5, but you gotta be committed.
Shortest book: Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire 3.5/5.
Most likely to recommend to a friend (I can’t pick just one):
For a good ol’ escape from reality: The Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (this one also gets a mention for being the best disability representation)
Nonfiction: A Field Guide to Climate Anxiety: How to Keep Your Cool on a Warming Planet by Sarah Jaquette Ray
For something cozy and cute: A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher
Least likely to recommend to a friend: The Passenger, by Cormac McCarthy (RIP). The entire book was transcriptions of (fictional) conversations between a patient and her psychiatrist and I had no idea what was going on. 1/5.
Book with the weirdest reason for reading: How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu. I saw a Reddit thread where someone said “This reminds me of that book where people go on a roller coaster as a way of assisted euthanasia" and I was curious. 3.5/5.
Oldest book I read: The Two Towers by J. R. R. Tolkien. I wanted to love this one since I consider myself a LOTR fan, but it just dragged in the middle. The Return of the King was much better. 3/5.
Most nostalgic: Uglies by Scott Westerfield. Reread this as an adult with a couple of my friends, and honestly, it still holds up. 5/5, but I think 4/5 for Pretties.
Most likely to reread: Sistersong by Lucy Holland. 5/5.
Most eye rolls per capita: Kill the Farmboy by Kevin Hearne and Delilah S. Dawson. This was a fun read with humor à la Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams, but some of the puns were just downright painful. 3.5/5, but maybe I wasn’t in the right mood.
Worst couple: A Far Wilder Magic, by Allison Saft. I think 4/5 for the book as a whole, but the romance between the main characters was rough to get through.
Universe in which I’d most want to live: Lord of the Rings. I would absolutely love to be a hobbit where I just get to eat and garden and maybe go on an adventure if an eccentric wizard summons me.
Hardest to put down (and biggest book hangover): Fourth Wing, by Rebecca Yarros. I read that whole thing in two days. 5/5.
Most emotional: Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki
Book I still can’t believe I slogged through: this one is a tie between two books
The Covenent of Water by Abraham Verghese. The writing was decent, but it felt too long and the ending let me down.
Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson. I was so intrigued by this book but it had much less plot than I was expecting. I wanted more engagement with the characters.
Other honorable mentions that don’t fit neatly into these categories but I think are worth reading:
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden. A slow start, but an enjoyable take on Russian folklore. 4/5.
White Trash Warlock by David R. Slayton. A fun urban fantasy that deals with queer identity and family drama. (Also, I believe this is Mateo’s current favorite urban fantasy series.) 5/5.
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. If you enjoyed the Netflix show, you’ll probably enjoy the books. They do get more different from each other the deeper into the series you get, but still solidly enjoyable. 4/5.
Overall, giving myself 5 stars for reading so much and actually exceeding my goal of 36 books. It definitely helped that I spent two weekends this year at cabins where the only item on my agenda was just to read. Highly recommend if you get the chance.
What were your favorite books you read this year? I’ll keep working my way through my TBR list in 2024, but I’m always open to more recommendations.
