Over the past few weeks, I’ve been eagerly anticipating being able to sit down and write this blog post. It’s taken longer to get to it than I initially hoped, but I can’t wait to share these titles with you.
I read 82 books last year—32 more than I hoped to read at the beginning of 2023. I’m pretty sure that’s the most books I’ve ever read in a year, so I’m pretty stoked about that! And I came across some stand-out, blow-it-out-of-the-water stories, which I’m planning to share with you today. But before we get there, it’s time for a few stats (because I’m a nerd like that):
Total books read: 82
Total nonfiction: 18 (23% of total)
Total audiobooks: 11 (13% of total)
New-to-me authors: 39
Most books by one author: 4 books (Chautona Havig)
My 2023 reading goals recap:
Read 50 books — 82 read — YES!
Complete 1 reading challenge — YES!
Read 15 physical books — 42 read — YES!
Read 7 nonfiction books — 19 read — YES!
Read 4 books from my classics list — 7 read — YES!
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I had a hard time narrowing down my top five books of the year. I considered doing ten, but several of them tied so closely that I decided to just go with the ones that made a big impact on me, that I loved reading, and that I was still thinking/talking about weeks or months after finishing them. Here they are, in the order I read them:
May: I adored Amanda Cox’ The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery when I read it in 2021, and He Should Have Told the Bees was an automatic “definitely want to read this one” when I saw it was coming out. It was so good. Rich and insightful, with strong characters and a well-written faith element. Everything you want in a good Christian fiction story. If you haven’t read this yet, you ought to. Just sayin’.
July: I picked up Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate on a whim one afternoon, and wow…I did not expect such a powerful story! Heartbreaking, poignant, hope-filled, and rich in characters and setting, this is the kind of historical fiction I love to read. It isn’t a Christian story, but is well worth the time spent reading it.
September: I’d never read an Amanda Barratt book before picking up The Warsaw Sisters, but I want to read more now! Of all the books I read this year, I think this was the toughest one to get through, but it was so good, too. Mystery, family, unthinkable horrors, and realistic history are all pulled together into this unforgettable story. I don’t know if I’d ever want to read it again, but it was worth reading at least once. It brought World War II Warsaw to life for me in a way I’d never experienced before.
November: I’ve loved Ellen Vaughn’s writing for several years now, but didn’t pick Jesus Revolution up until recently. I’m so glad I took the time for it. It’s a very encouraging, powerful read about how God can change people’s lives—and how He wants to work through us if we’re willing to let Him work.
November: I’ve been interested in the Duggar family’s story for a while, so it was special for me to get to read Jill’s perspective in Counting the Cost. An encouraging read that gave me room for thought about my life and upbringing, too. I found this book both interesting and inspiring.
That’s that for my top five reads of 2023! Three of the books were published in 2023, the other two in the not-too-distant past. They’re all good; I’d highly recommend them if you are looking for a new read.
And now, for my 2024 reading goals! I admit; I went a bit wild with the list this year, but I am hoping to be able to spend a good amount of time reading this next year. I guess we’ll see! In no particular order, I’m hoping to…
- Read 75 books
- Finish/catch up on reading 6 series (I am currently in the middle of 23 different series, and am about to start several more…gulp!)
- Complete the 2024 Read Your Bookshelf Challenge
- Read 6 classics
- Read 12 books I own, but haven’t read yet
- Read 5 backlisted ARCs (I have a list of ARCs I got years ago that I never took the time to read; it would be nice to finish those off)
- Read 4 craft/learning books—ones on writing, history, etc.
- Read ⅓ of our collection of Josephus’ writings (I’m aiming for close to 300 pages)
I’m also hoping to do the 2024 Buzzword Reading Challenge, the 2024 Beat the Backlist Challenge (I’ve copied out the 24-grid Bingo board, although I switched out some prompts for others because I didn’t like some of them), and the Brighter Winter Reading Program. I’d also love to join an online book club of some kind, but that’s still in the idea stage at this point. 😉
Have you read any of these books? What were your top favorite reads from last year? Do you have reading goals for 2024?
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