You know what I just did? I went over to Goodreads and changed my goal from 100 books to 50 books. Looking at my stats and seeing 58/100 made me sad. This is the least number of books I have read in years and years. But, it is still 58 books. C’mon!
I haven’t felt like myself for a long time and this year has been a major struggle in many difference directions. There were days when I was drinking 8 cups of coffee and couldn’t find the energy to hold my books. Thankfully, people listened to me and I followed up on things. Armed with a kidney cancer diagnosis I look forward to feeling better soon. Something like my stats on Goodreads shouldn’t make me feel badly about my reading. With so many things out of control in life, if I can control it, I say go right ahead! A few short clicks later and I have a completed banner.
I completed no challenges this year either. At my core, I am a mood reader. Allowing myself to read whatever I felt like brought me relief and joy. I have ideas for 2024 that may support my mood reading and my goal oriented personality.
I barely participated in blogging and did so little support of my fellow bloggers. Until November, I was just lost in the effort of putting one foot in front of the other. This is something I cannot change with a click of a few buttons. I will just have to get better and do better next year.
I did have a lot of buddy reading and book clubs books this year. And this type of reading really stretched my reading in ways a challenge normally would. Reading a book for / with another person balanced my solo reading and kept me connected to others.
BEST BOOKS OF 2023
2023 REFLECTIONS
I have had reading slumps in the past where I just couldn’t sit still long enough to read. This year was different. Each book felt like a friend that I just couldn’t stay awake long enough to spend time with. I thought, after reading The Sleep Solution, that maybe I had just kicked my insomnia. Turns out, it was just exhaustion. But there is a difference between reading slumps and not having the time or energy to read.
When I look at my list, I liked everything I read this year. These 10 books stand out because I either continue to think about them (hello boundaries!) or I cannot wait to read more (Finley Donovan #4!).
THOUGHTS ON 2024
The best month for me was, and this is not unusual, NonFiction November. I look forward to it every year and it keeps me organized. I gather up my books, plan my reading schedule, talk to other people….I love it. I set up a structured reading theme by month for the year loosely based on all the wonderful things I want to learn about in the world for 2024. My hope is that this will give my mood reading some direction!
And, as usual, I need to do better about tracking things. It is the first thing to go when I don’t feel well or I am tired. I just, stop tracking things and everything falls apart. I wish I could be the kind of person that does a beautiful online spreadsheet but, I think I will just settle for getting everything on Goodreads. If all goes well, I would also like to keep a written monthly journal of what I have read.
Tell me, please! How was your 2023? Any plans for 2024?
Silver Button Books 
Best wishes to you, and good for you for changing the stats to make it feel less oppressive! 58 books is many more than the average person gets through in a year, so good for you!
I try to write down the many old paperbacks I read, in a big old paper notebook like I would have used in school, and that fell behind too. I have this fantasy that I will be up to date on all of it, write in pencil in the back the date read, brief comments if I plan to keep it. If I want to discard or resell, I’d write the reasons why in the notebook, which is arranged alphabetically by author so I can know roughly where the authors go.
This year i didn’t even write in the back of the books, so now have no idea if I read them, if they were good or bad, and which ones I can move on.
Oh well–next year possibly!
best wishes to you and your health–
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I love your paperback logging and feel immensely better knowing that I am not alone in falling off the tracking wagon.
Have you ever heard of a commonplace journal? I think this is the next level of tracking things but looks fun / intense enough to perhaps catch my undivided attention.
Thanks for the well wishes!
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No, I am not so much into online things since they are online and I am often not! If it works for you that is great and something to report back on–
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Loved the honesty of this. Did you see th
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Sorry to hear about your diagnosis and well done on following up and getting one. Hope your treatment goes well. A good idea to be kind to yourself and I love your monthly nonfiction plan. You might want to swap Australia out to October, as Brona’s Books does an AusReadingMonth then which I enjoy. Take care and have a good 2024.
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Thank you for the well wishes! Ack, I’m not sure I could give up my spooky reads for Halloween but I will have to look at Brona’s excellent site for recommendations. Thanks for the tip!
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