Books in 2023

A new year means a look back on the books I read the previous year. 2023 marked a crazy year of reading for me, as you can see in my Storygraph summary below.

Audiobooks were a big reason I was able to consume more books this year. It was nice to escape into a story while walking, doing chores or drawing. I also basically stopped watching all media other than a few YouTube channels, so that freed up more time. Also, it was a sabbatical year.

Continuing my Bridgerton-inspired return to reading in 2022, I read and listened to almost exclusively historical romance in the first half of the year. Come summer, I branched out into fantasy and exploded into contemporary romance in August. Booksta played a big part here, introducing me to new authors and the world of book journaling (more on this to come).

Some favorite authors I discovered this year:

• Kristina Forest – I read The Neighbor Favor in the summer and just fell in love with Nick and Lily. It’s set in New York City, there’s mistaken identity, there’s emailing, it’s two book lovers falling in love, all the best things. After TNF I went back and read through her YA books and was equally charmed by Zyla and Kai.
• Mhairi McFarlane – Possibly my new favorite author. She has such a way with words that will make me stop and pause while reading because it’s that good. There’s a formula to her books (usually start with a breakup) but it doesn’t get old. New book when?
• Ashley Poston – I loved The Dead Romantics so much, and The Seven Year Slip was also really fun. Yay for her coming out with a new book this year.

New (to me) series I really enjoyed:

• Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch
• The Library of the Dead by T.L. Huchu
• The Daevabad Trilogy by S.A. Chakraborty
• Duke Undone by Joanna Lowell

Other favorite reads:

• The Littlest Library by Poppy Alexander
• Excellent Advice for Living by Kevin Kelly (a nonfiction, gasp!)
• Horse by Geraldine Brooks
• Seven Days in June by Tia Williams
• Georgie All Along by Kate Clayborn
• The Good Part by Sophie Cousens
• The Benevolent Society of Ill-Mannered Ladies by Alison Goodman
• What You Are Looking for Is in the Library by Michiko Aayoma
• Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

#23for23

After I found out about the #23for23 challenge in the summer (read, review and share 23 books by BIPOC authors featuring BIPOC characters before the end of the year), I started seeking out more BIPOC authors. I’m so glad I did because consciously reading diverse books made me realize how *not* diverse my reading had been (cough historical romance cough). While I didn’t get around to reviewing and sharing books on social media last year, I’m hoping to do so more this year.

The 23for23 initiative amplifies and elevates marginalized voices in publishing by promoting, showcasing, and celebrating the works of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color dedicated to telling stories that center marginalized identities.

Mission Statement for #23for23

Finally, to tie together my new hobbies: reading, meet journaling 🤝

I have set up a reading journal for 2024 and am excited to do some creative, bookish journaling this year. Did a few “test spreads” at the end of 2023 to try out my new notebook:

The sheer volume of books consumed this year made this post hard to organize, but I think that about wraps up my year in reading: regency romance, contemporary romance, sprinkling of fantasy, diverse representation, audio books, discovering book journals.

Did you read any good books in 2023? I’d love to hear about your favorite books or authors you read this past year.

Books in 2015 and 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.

EDITED TO ADD: Happy Birthday to Matt Mullenweg. Years ago I picked up The Year Without Pants and found out about Automattic and WordPress. Made this blog soon after. My first post was the Books I read in 2017, which I’m pretty sure was inspired by Matt’s reading wrap-up posts. Am happy to have my little digital home here, grateful for my blogger friends I’ve made through WordPress, and looking forward to blogging more in 2024.