Top 3 in 2023

 2023 wasn't just the year I finally read 100 books in 365 days, it was also the first year I really embraced not finishing books that I wasn't loving. Some of these I quit within a few pages, some closer to 100. I felt so empowered! Why waste time with a book that I didn't like or that didn't come to me at the right time?! Life is too short and my holds list is too long for that. Obviously borrowing books from the library instead of spending money on a book helps make the DNF (did not finish) decision that much easier, but I really encourage you to quit books that are making it harder for you to want to read. 

Of the 112 books that I did finish, it was so hard to pick my favorites. There were several series that I fell in love with and individual novels that I couldn't put down. If I looked at my list again, it might change, but for today, here are my 3 favorite books from 2023.

Nora Goes off Script by Annabel Monaghan:

I loved this book so much! It was a book club pick and the fourth book I read in 2023. You know when you read a book and you want to crawl into it and live it? That was this book for me. I also did not predict how any of the conflict would be worked out, which was so refreshing. I think I might have even cried, something that I don't do often while reading anymore. 

The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown:

This was another book club selection, this time for July. How did it take me so long to read this?! I realize that I don't even have to recommend this book, because it's on so many people's radar, but it's so good I had to include it anyway. I really like nonfiction once I start a good one, but I almost never pick it over fiction. This story reads like fiction. It is fast paced and ok, maybe I do get emotional more often that I thought because this book had me tearing up by the epilogue. The history is local to me, but I really didn't know any of the details. The story is so amazing and the author knocks it out of the park, so well researched.

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt:

Talk about heart warming. This novel takes place in a fictional area near where I went to college, so it was easy to visualize. I loved the characters, I loved the story, and I loved the quirky points of views. I just really really loved this sweet story and can't recommend it enough. 

Ok now I want to write out all of my honorable mention book recommendations from 2023. There are just so many amazing books out there!

100 books in 2023

It took me 14 years, but I finally completed my 2010 goal of reading 100 books in 365 days. 

When I began this blog, it was as a way to stay accountable with my resolutions and goals for each year. Some of those goals I kept and others I only made progress on. The big goal 14 years ago was to read 100 books in 365 days. I've always enjoyed reading and this was a way to challenge myself to read more. 

Well, 2010 ended with me reading only 73 books. Every year that has past I've thought back to those 73 books thinking, "that's the most books I'll ever read in a year. There is no way I'll ever read more." It was easy to think that as years past where I finished 20 - 30 books. And you know what? I was ok with that. I was enjoying having my reading goal be 1-2 books a month without any pressure.

I should mention at this point that in 2022 life changed a lot for me. We adopted our sweet daughter, Zinnia in May and I left my job to stay home with her. 2023 started and I set my goals like I do each year. Using a goal planner that I especially enjoy. I set my 2023 goal at a manageable 30 books. 

Turns out it's actually kind of hard to hold a baby while she naps and flip the pages of a book at the same time, so I began using the Kindle app on my phone to read books whenever she fell asleep on me. This was a game changer. Instead of scrolling social media, I started plowing through books. 

As with most years, I started off strongest in the winter months and as the weather improved and Zinnia started taking fewer naps, I read a bit less. But those first few months put me far enough ahead!

In the end I read 112 books and listened to 4 audiobooks! 

These are screenshots from the The StoryGraph app. It tracks your books and show you what you've read in graphs. It also has a great content warning section that I've started checking out before starting a book.