I did not, in fact, read 23 books in 2023. By the time my Goodreads tracker told me I needed to read 4.5 books per week for the rest of the year in order to meet my not-very-lofty goal, I decided it was time to scale it back and read a few short stories.
I did, however, read 20 books in 2023. I'm going to aim for 20 in 2024 again and probably for the rest of my life . . . at least until I retire. It was a cute trend while it lasted, the whole match-the-number-of-books-to-the-year thing.
Yes, I know some people read 100+ books a year. Obviously, I am not going to be reading 100 books a year right now. I mean, I haven't even updated my blog since September (until today . . . bwa ha ha).
My husband, Dan, read, like, two books this year, so I'm still better than him.
Pity party aside, I did love my year of reading. That's the important part, right?
Fun fact: I've already finished my first book in my 2024 challenge. You'll have to wait until next year's blog post to find out what it was though.
Becky's 20 Books of 2023
JANUARY
1. Henry and the Paper Route by Beverly Cleary
Notes and Favorites: Henry’s enthusiasm over the prospect of getting a paper route brought back memories of the heyday of the print newspaper. It was a nostalgic read for this daughter of a journalist and former newspaper employee (as I worked my way through college).
1. Henry and the Paper Route by Beverly Cleary
Notes and Favorites: Henry’s enthusiasm over the prospect of getting a paper route brought back memories of the heyday of the print newspaper. It was a nostalgic read for this daughter of a journalist and former newspaper employee (as I worked my way through college).
2. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Notes and Favorites: "Their hands meet, and light spills in a flood like a hundred golden urns pouring out the sun." Aristos Achaion . . .
FEBRUARY
3. Henry and the Clubhouse by Beverly Cleary
Notes and Favorites: I enjoyed that this installment also included several Ramona and Beezus shenanigans.
4. The Maidens by Alex Michaelides
Notes and Favorites: I needed this book at this point in time, such a twisty, dark ride, fun to read, and not too taxing on my brain and emotions.
MARCH
5. Ribsy by Beverly Cleary
Notes and Favorites: This clever installment in the Henry Huggins collection switches perspectives between a lost Ribsy and the humans he encounters in order to tell this sweet story about the loyalty and friendship of a boy and his dog.
6. Barrel Fever and Other Stories by David Sedaris
Notes and Favorites: David Sedaris enlists his hilarious sister, Amy, to help read these early stories and essays, making listening to the audiobook especially worth it.
Notes and Favorites: David Sedaris enlists his hilarious sister, Amy, to help read these early stories and essays, making listening to the audiobook especially worth it.
APRIL
Nothing. I finished nothing this month.
MAY
7. The Mouse and The Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary
Notes and Favorites: This one is different from her other books about animal protagonists because the animal and human can talk to each other. It's also a bit more adventurous than Cleary's other books, with some excitement at the end!
MAY
7. The Mouse and The Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary
Notes and Favorites: This one is different from her other books about animal protagonists because the animal and human can talk to each other. It's also a bit more adventurous than Cleary's other books, with some excitement at the end!
8. Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
Notes and Favorites: A love letter to libraries and books, and oh so relevant in this era of book banning and library vilifying . . .
JUNE
9. Runaway Ralph by Beverly Cleary
Notes and Favorites: Still as charming as the first in this series, this sequel could be subtitled "Ralph Goes to Summer Camp."
Notes and Favorites: A love letter to libraries and books, and oh so relevant in this era of book banning and library vilifying . . .
JUNE
9. Runaway Ralph by Beverly Cleary
Notes and Favorites: Still as charming as the first in this series, this sequel could be subtitled "Ralph Goes to Summer Camp."
10. Ralph S. Mouse by Beverly Cleary
Notes and Favorites: If the last book could be subtitled “Ralph Goes to Summer Camp,” this one would be “Ralph Goes to School.” On a side note, I love how Beverly Cleary always portrays public school teachers in such a positive light.
JULY
11. The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music by Dave Grohl
Notes and Favorites: “We are all indebted to the women who have given us life. For without them, there would be no music” (p 20).
11. The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music by Dave Grohl
Notes and Favorites: “We are all indebted to the women who have given us life. For without them, there would be no music” (p 20).
“There is no textbook, no manual to refer to when in need of emotional guidance. It is a process that cannot be controlled, and you are hopelessly at the mercy of its grip, so you must surrender to it when it rears its ugly head, no matter the fear” (p. 185).
12. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez
Notes and Favorites: While beautifully written, I couldn’t get past the disturbing themes of sexual assault resulting in love. Toward the end of the book, the protagonist (who I’ve come to believe we are not supposed to necessarily like) even engages in Lolita-ish pedophilia/incest, after many years of sexual coercion (because women just need a little convincing).
Of course, I’m pretty sure Márquez is comparing love to plague, sickness, and disease throughout the book, and none of the marital or extra-marital relationships are great, so perhaps we’re not intended to root for the two main characters' reunion in the end anyway.
Maybe I should have read One Hundred Years of Solitude. I’ve heard that one is less rapey, more magic realism.
AUGUST
13. Make it Stop by Jim Ruland
Notes and Favorites: I bought this book from the author, a pretty well renowned rock journalist, at a music festival in Nevada. It was the most fun, fast-paced book I read this summer. And I'm crossing my fingers for a sequel and/or a movie.
SEPTEMBER
14. Reckless: My Life as a Pretender by Chrissie Hynde
Notes and Favorites: My favorite part of this memoir was Hynde's insights into the British music scene.
AUGUST
13. Make it Stop by Jim Ruland
Notes and Favorites: I bought this book from the author, a pretty well renowned rock journalist, at a music festival in Nevada. It was the most fun, fast-paced book I read this summer. And I'm crossing my fingers for a sequel and/or a movie.
SEPTEMBER
14. Reckless: My Life as a Pretender by Chrissie Hynde
Notes and Favorites: My favorite part of this memoir was Hynde's insights into the British music scene.
OCTOBER
15. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
Notes and Favorites: "As soon as there's an unquestionable truth there's no longer a myth" (p. 542).
15. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
Notes and Favorites: "As soon as there's an unquestionable truth there's no longer a myth" (p. 542).
More modern in some ways than The Night Circus, Morgenstern builds yet another enchanting fairy tale universe. This is the second homage to books, libraries, and storytelling that I have read this year, definitely timely in light of recent book bannings.
NOVEMBER
16. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Notes and Favorites: I reread this as research for our 5th and 6th grade spring musical. I wonder if anyone else thought Willy Wonka was a little kinder in the book than in other adaptations . . .
DECEMBER
17. The Mer-Child: A Legend for Children and Other Adults by Robin Morgan
Notes and Favorites: This was a charming and poignant short story by one of my favorite feminists (now a podcaster), very Little Mermaid-esque infused with modern social commentary.
NOVEMBER
16. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Notes and Favorites: I reread this as research for our 5th and 6th grade spring musical. I wonder if anyone else thought Willy Wonka was a little kinder in the book than in other adaptations . . .
DECEMBER
17. The Mer-Child: A Legend for Children and Other Adults by Robin Morgan
Notes and Favorites: This was a charming and poignant short story by one of my favorite feminists (now a podcaster), very Little Mermaid-esque infused with modern social commentary.
18. Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator by Roald Dahl
Notes and Favorites: This Wonka iteration was more sci-fi than the original. Is it weird that I missed the bratty kids and obnoxious parents from the Chocolate Factory?
Notes and Favorites: This Wonka iteration was more sci-fi than the original. Is it weird that I missed the bratty kids and obnoxious parents from the Chocolate Factory?
19. Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris
Notes and Favorites: This collection includes “The Santa Land Diaries,“ so I couldn't pass it up this time of the year. Some of the other stories are a little morbid for Christmas time–LOL. I still enjoy his nonfiction essays best, and this collection also includes a few of those.
Notes and Favorites: This collection includes “The Santa Land Diaries,“ so I couldn't pass it up this time of the year. Some of the other stories are a little morbid for Christmas time–LOL. I still enjoy his nonfiction essays best, and this collection also includes a few of those.
20. The Grownup by Gillian Flynn
Notes and Favorites: I edited my reading challenge goal to a nice, even 20 books and found this awesome short story by none other than the twisty Gillian Flynn. It was a great way to end the year!
Notes and Favorites: I edited my reading challenge goal to a nice, even 20 books and found this awesome short story by none other than the twisty Gillian Flynn. It was a great way to end the year!
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