I can't remember the last time I had such a great year of reading! And to think that every book in the above collage was a 5-star read is truly amazing. Was I more generous than usual with those gold stars? I like to rate my books quickly after reading because I my first reaction. As time passes, I question those early impressions, but as I look at those beautiful covers, I know those books all left a lasting imprint on me. The sign of an excellent book is that I want to own a copy in order to read it again, and while I already have most of these on my keeper shelf, I'm going to buy two that I borrowed from the library.
I surpassed my Goodreads goal of 60 books, reading 5 more than last year. June, July, and October were my slowest months, and not so coincidentally, the months we were traveling in our RV. November and December were very good with regard to numbers and quality, which surprises me since I'm usually too busy with holiday events, and reading typically falls by the wayside. Not so in 2023.
I gave up on more books than ever before, particularly audiobooks, but I reread more books from my keeper shelves, enjoying some, but finding others less impressive than the first time around.
Here are the fun stats:
Total Books Read: 65
Print Books: 52
Audiobooks: 13
ebooks: 0
Female Authors: 50
Male Authors: 15
New-To-Me Authors: 26
Fiction: 61
Nonfiction: 4
General Fiction: 33
Classics: 4
Poetry: 0
Historical Fiction: 4
Horror: 0
Travel/Food: 0
Science Fiction/Fantasy: 2
Time Travel: 1
Dystopia: 1
Mystery/Thrillers: 19
Westerns: 1
Childrens: 0
Memoir: 1
Essays: 2
Rereads: 8
Debuts: 7
Over 400 pages: 10
ARCs: 1
Borrowed: 20
Gift: 1
From My Stacks: 43
Total Pages Read: 17,565
Total Hours Listened: 171 hours, 54 minutes
Ratings:
5 stars: 13
4.5 stars: 9
4 stars: 23
3.5 stars: 8
3 stars: 10
2 stars: 2
Top Picks of 2023 (5 stars):
Coming Home by Rosamunde Pilcher
Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro
We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman
Foster by Claire Keegan
These Precious Days by Ann Patchett
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
Recursion by Blake Crouch
These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant
Love & Saffron by Kim Fay
The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton
Fellowship Point by Alice Elliott Dark
Count the Ways by Joyce Maynard
A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny
Honorable Mentions (4.5/5 stars):
The Lost Man by Jane Harper
Maame by Jessica George
The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa
The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green
The Vows of Silence by Susan Hill
Little Monsters by Adrienne Brodeur
Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult
Forsaken Country by Allen Eskens
The Push by Ashley Audrain
Find my previous Year End Surveys and Top Pick lists here.
Nice stats, Les! I've read 2 of your top books - COMING HOME and the Louise Penny book. I might have read RECURSION, but won't look it up right now. Also VOWS OF SILENCE and THE LOST MAN from your Honorables. You read 10 more books than I did for the year. I read 55, maybe my lowest total for over a decade. However, 2024 will see me reading more. I must! Ha! Anyway, making note of your mentions here. I know I have a couple of them on my shelf or Kindle.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kay! And thanks for reminding me that I have some books on my ebook shelf. I always forget about those... ;)
DeleteThose are fabulous stats! Currently reading Coming Home (which I love), and have read Signal Fires, Foster, The Light Pirate, Love and Saffron and These Silent Woods. Enjoyed all of those very much.
ReplyDeleteDani Shapiro is a good author - have you read her book Inheritance? It's nonfiction and good.
It was a very good year of reading for me, Tina. I knew you'd love Coming Home. It's my favorite of hers. Yes, I've read Inheritance. I thought it was good, but I enjoyed Devotion better.
DeleteA list of wonderful books! I do love seeing these posts, learning what each of us loved during the year, being reminded of books I also read and enjoyed. You've got a couple on here that I liked and I love the feeling of bonding over good books.
ReplyDeleteIt is fun to be reminded of books that we've read and love, isn't it? I enjoy everyone's year-end posts so much.
DeleteYou had a great year! Last year I made it to 65 books but this year just 60. And you had many 5 star reads -- so excellent. I will put out my stats & favorites next week ... I'm always a bit surprised to find out my stats ... and what I'm reading and by whom. It's neat thing to check into.
ReplyDeleteWith all the traveling we did, I'm surprised I read as much as I did, Susan! And so many great books. I've got a lot of books that have been on fellow bloggers' "best of" lists from previous years, so 2024 should be another great year of reading. Looking forward to seeing your stats & favorites. I'm sure I'll have more to add to my TBR stacks. :)
DeleteI had an amazing reading year, too. Several of the books on your list were on my list as well.
ReplyDeleteHere's to a fabulous 2024, Les!
Thanks, Deb. I'm hoping to read more from my backlist shelves, several titles are huge, but I usually wind up loving those big books! Happy reading, my friend!
DeleteWhat a wonderful reading year! Love & Saffron also ended up on my favorites list and I'm pretty sure I read that after you mentioned it. Such a good story wasn't it. There are so many from your list that I want to read. Can't wait. Here's to a great reading year and hope you have many 5 star reads waiting for you!
ReplyDeleteIliana, I'm so glad you discovered Love & Saffron through my reviews. It's a gem! I hope you have a wonderful year of reading, too.
DeleteWow, all those 5-star reads! I've read half of them (all 4.5 or 5 stars for me, too) and am reading Coming Home now. I didn't realize that you don't read ebooks... but thinking back, I don't ever remember you mentioning a kindle. As much as I l still love reading physical books, I've gotten spoiled by the portability and font size adjustment of my kindle.
ReplyDeleteJoAnn, it was an incredible year for 5-star reads! No, I don't read ebooks, but mainly because I have so many print editions on my TBR shelves. My mom is a voracious reader, and is kind enough to pass along her books once she's finished. Someday, when these stacks are whittled down, I will probably start reading on a Kindle, but it may be a while yet. :)
DeleteI'm glad you had such a great reading year! I like to buy my very favorite books too. I hope to get to Tom Lake soon but I haven't even looked to see how long the wait is at the library!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jen! I'm glad that I read Tom Lake in the print format, but I have heard the audio is excellent. I'll listen to it when it's time to refresh my memory for my book club discussion later this year.
DeleteOh goodie, I love your favorites lists! I'm taking notes right now. :-))
ReplyDeleteThanks, Laurel. These lists are fun to put together. Also nice to look back on years later. Happy reading!
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