My 2023 bookish review

As 2023 comes to an end, I’ve taken a few moments to reflect on my reading this year. Following on from my 2022 bookish review, where I realised that the secret to this blog (and me as a happy reader) is not focusing on quantity or hitting targets, but truly making sure it’s all about pleasure.

This is actually the first year I didn’t hit my Goodreads reading challenge target and I’m perfectly OK with that. I was off by one book! Previously I might have speed-read a novella to hit the quota, but not now.

I’ve had such an enriching reading experience this year. With the focus on what I want to read rather than what I feel I should read. I shared my 2023 books of the year a little earlier in the month and there are some truly must re-read / will never forget ones on the list.

It also intrigues me to see my most-read reviews of 2023 – as loved by you – and how they tally with my own list. Often, as is the case this year, there is crossover but also interesting differences. Kind of sums up reading in a nice way!

Big wins this year

I have two reading achievements for 2023 that put a smile on my face. The first is that I have ticked some authors I have wanted to read for ages off my TBR list. These include Irish author Roddy Doyle, whose style is every bit as warming and funny as I was hoping and the classic crime author, P.D. James. I love Agatha Christie and have wanted to branch out into other amazing women in the classic crime genre for a while. Unnatural Causes features her detective, Superintendent Adam Dalgleish and was a great read.

Speaking of detective series, the other new author I tried was Kate Atkinson and her detective, Jackson Brody. While I’m in two minds about him as a character, I love the way Kate Atkinson writes. I’m now three books into the series and fully intend on finishing it.

My last new author was the one and only… Charles Dickens. Yep, it’s truly never too late to tick a legend off your reading list. I think I was always put off due to thinking the language in the books would be too archaic and a struggle to read, but I was wrong! I read A Christmas Carol and it was a pure delight. Mr. Dickens will be featuring on my book list for next year.

Knowing I have so many books in all of their back-catalogues to read is such a nice feeling.

My second achievement was upping the amount of non-fiction I read. Not to say I got through an excessive number of non-fiction books, but definitely more than last year. I love listening to memoirs on audiobook, and fully intend on keeping this going into 2024. Let me know if you have any recommendations.

So, in a nutshell, that was my 2023! Wishing you all a wonderful new year, here’s to 2024 and all the amazing new reads it brings!