2023: My Year in Reading

2023 was a big year for me, reading wise. In mid-2022, I discovered BookTok, which is basically the community of booklovers on TikTok who discuss and share content all about reading. I went from reading 0-2 books per year, to 12 in 2022, to hitting my goal of 40 (and I’ll probably finish out at 41 or 42 for the year). I definitely credit BookTok for rekindling my love of reading, though it’s taken me quite a bit of time to adjust my algorithm to find “my people” who share a similar taste in books with me. Unlike most mainstream Booktokers, I’m not hugely into spicy/smutty books. I also don’t have one set genre — I love a good romantasy, but I also enjoy high fantasy, sci-fi, thriller, horror, memoir, and the occasional lightweight romance book as a palate cleanser.

I read 14,793 pages this year, which is not too shabby. I wrote far less words, since I abandoned this blog and gave up Twitter and basically only type in friend Discords and work Teams chats. I do miss blogging though, so maybe I’ll find a way to incorporate it into my life again? Who knows.

Best Books of 2023 (aka the 5 star reads)

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

I don’t normally rate memoirs, but this year I made that exception twice because there were two that just deserved so much credit. I’m Glad My Mom Died is not an underdog at this point, it’s up at the top lists for most who have read it this year. And it’s because it’s real, it’s honest, it tackles a subject that is fascinating and terrible (the pressures that child stars go through), it’s brutal, but it’s also hilarious. Jennette is a captivating writer and I always find the innards of how Hollywood works to be so intriguing working in a parallel entertainment space. I ate this book up.

Circe by Madeline Miller

We read this book for the Bungie Book Club and I thought it was just stellar. Madeline Miller writes in a very poetic prose and made me care deeply about mythology which is not a topic that I tend to give a lot of attention to. This is a story about motherhood at its core for me, which was why I connected so deeply with it. It was devastating at times, but also heartwrenchingly beautiful. I have another of Miller’s books The Song of Achilles on my “to be read” list and I know it’s also painful and sad. But I know it will be exceptional, and I hope to get to it in 2024.

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

Another critical darling from 2023, it will come as no surprise that this was an easy 5 star read for a memoir. I have to say up front that the fact that I rated this one so highly despite not really connecting with it on a deeper level speaks wonders for how beautifully it is written. I have not encountered such devastating grief as Michelle has. I do not have a tight connection with my extended family, nor my culture as a White Midwestern transplant. But I absolutely loved the insight into Korean culture as it pertains to food and caring for family members in times of tragedy. This was one of the only books this year to make me shed a real actual tear. It was an exceptional read.

Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson

Some might be shocked to hear that this was my first ever finished Brando Sando book. I know, I know. I’ve started Mistborn a few times but it’s just so huge and daunting. My attention span lately has drifted toward snackable 300-500 page books, and Tress was no exception to that. This was a Bungie Book Club read, and I just absolutely ate it up. The world was so fun and interesting, Tress was an interesting POV character, I loved the Princess Bride vibes, the light romance, the magic system, and the world. Dare I say that maybe 2024 is my year of diving deeper into the Cosmere? I know I definitely have at least 1 more pirate story in my future because I didn’t realized I’d love that vibe so much.

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

As a nice little palate cleanser, I picked up Book Lovers by Emily Henry and I was pretty blown away by it. I thought it was just a perfect little romance book. The chemistry was believable, I also very much appeal to the idea of running away to a small quaint town to raise my kids sometimes. I know that Happy Place is supposedly Henry’s best novel so I definitely have that on my list as well. I just thought this was a perfect happy ending, and I read it in like 2 days.

Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be by Dr. Becky Kennedy

This might have been my only non-fiction self-help book this year, and it was a good one. I think this book should be required reading for all parents. Yes, I do think that some of the advice might not actually work 100% well in practice, but I think about Dr. Becky’s teachings in this book daily. I feel like it has helped me have a better relationship with my neurodiverse 8yo, and so it’s impossible for me to give this book lower than 5 stars as a result. There are some great scripts and advice here that I use all the time (like filling up my son’s “mama meter” with more hugs) and I know it’s made me a better parent.

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

Honestly I would have given this a 4.5 star if Goodreads allowed it, but it was so good that I just want to include it. This is a wet, cold, dark academia book that is best read in the fall or winter with a good cup of tea and a warm blanket. I don’t think this book dove deep enough into the world building for me, but I found the main character Effy to be flawed in the best ways and I love her with my whole heart. The romance was very sweet and believable and I just loved the spookyish vibes in this book. A quick read, definitely a fun one if you like YA fantasy, with a great mental health rep.

The Wild Robot by Peter Brown

Yep, I’m including a middle grade novel in here. Y’all, this book had me sobbing. A little robot washes up onto an island, has no idea what or who they are, and then has to assimilate on an island full of lovely little critter personalities. There’s heartbreak and found family and beautiful imagery and messaging. If you have a kid who is 7-12, this book is wonderful. If you are an adult who just wants a cozy quick read, this book is wonderful. We have the 2nd and 3rd in the trilogy on our shelf to read soon, and I’m so excited to jump into them. I loved this book with my whole heart.

Other Great Books – the 4 Star Reads

These books were great. It takes a lot to get a 5 star out of me, but I absolutely did enjoy these books, they just weren’t perfect.

The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemison:
Suffered with “middle book syndrome” a bit, but I love her writing so much. I don’t know why I have no interest in picking up the final book in the trilogy though. Maybe because these are dense “thinky” books and my brain is exhausted from life in general.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune:
I know a lot of folks had struggles with problematic themes on this one, but I found it to be very charming and I’m always a sucker for a “found family” book.

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
I don’t remember much about this book to be honest, it feels like forever since I’ve read it. But I rated it 4 stars at the time

The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne
My first Norse/Viking book and I loved it. I think Gwynne wrote some really lovely characters here and I do plan to read the other books in the trilogy. Orka is the best Mom character ever.

A Court of Mist & Fury by Sarah J. Maas
A Court of Wings & Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
I mean, these are just trashy fun reads. They’re not “great books” in an objective sense, but they’re incredibly enjoyable to read.

All Systems Red by Martha Wells
I was introduced to Murderbot this year, and I love them. Coming soon to an Apple+ show near you!

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
See my commentary for Sarah J. Maas books earlier. Having said that, I’m now boycotting Yarros for her stance on Palestine, so I don’t intend to pick up Iron Flame anytime soon. Not to mention, I’ve heard it’s too long and not very good anyway.

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
Super enjoyable, like the equivalent of a trashy tabloid unfolding in a book.

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
Very sweet romance. Pretty forgettable though.

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Fairies by Heather Fawcett
I wanted a little bit more from this. Ultimately it felt rushed and too short.

None of This is True by Lisa Jewell
A really fun thriller book with a podcast and true crime Netflix show slant. I thought it was good and makes me want to read more of her work.

Heartstopper: Vol 1 by Alice Oseman
This is a very quick read and just so tender and charming. I loved the show on Netflix, so decided to pick up the graphic novel. I do want to read more of it.

Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree
The definition of “cozy fantasy”, I did enjoy this one slightly less than Legends & Lattes, but it was still a really fun little read.

My Worst Reads of 2023

Just for fun, here’s a list of my least enjoyable reads this year:

Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak

I felt lied to by this book. This was a Christian propaganda panic book masquerading as a creepy kid thriller/horror book. The pictures were fun, but there’s only so many times you want to hear the science-minded, atheist family being deemed as the villains because they choose to teach their child comprehensive sex education and don’t believe in faith. Not to mention the absolute horrible transphobic plot twist and the outward racism. Just a pile of virtue signaling that I was not expecting. 1 star.

Babel by R.F. Kuang

I don’t dislike this author, but I could not make it through this book. It was a book club read and I DNF’ed it about 30% of the way through. It felt like absolutely nothing was happening and it kept reiterating the same plot points. Historical fiction is just not my genre, and I think it’s okay for me to admit that in my old age. I know people loved this book, so I was surprised how little I enjoyed it.

The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose

This book was awful. Just terrible. It’s only saving grace is that it was a quick read and I finished it in a weekend. Terrible ending, bad writing, some real terrible quotes. Honestly I should have known it was going to be bad by reading the back cover and hearing the implausible plot (guy is on trial for murder and uses his wife as his defense attorney).

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

I was so disappointed. I wanted to LOVE this book, and there was much of it that I did love. The ode to Asian American culture and Southern California, and FOOD, more than anything. But damn was this plot convoluted. There was just so much going on that detracted from the meat of the story, which was Katrina’s character development and personal journey. The SF stuff felt incredibly tacked on. I didn’t have much belief in Lan and Shizuka’s relationship. I was downright bored at all the violin talk, which would have probably been highly enjoyable if I knew a single thing about the instrument. I rushed through the last 30% of this book desperately trying not to DNF it, hoping for good payoff that I never received.

Onward to 2024

For next year, I’m debating skipping a reading goal, or making it very low. I found it to be stressful to try to keep on pace, and that takes some of the joy out of reading. There were several instances where instead of reading what I felt like reading, I chose a book that I knew I could read fast. Not to mention, if I’m going to enter my Brandon Sanderson era, I don’t want the # of books to hang over my head. I know that on Storygraph you can set a “pages” goal instead of “books read” goal, which appeals to me a bit more.

Anyway, I hope everyone had a great reading year!