2023: The Reading

I’m doing a year in review this week, focusing each day on a different hobby or part of my life. Today we are talking about . . . The Reading. And you know it’s my favorite thing to talk about.

I set a goal of reading 70 books this year and I’m reading my 70th book right now so I’m pretty confident I will hit that goal and then surpass it. For the last few years my goal has been 75 books but I dropped it down to 70 to decrease any pressure I might feel to read faster and to also allow for the pleasure of reading longer books without feeling like I’d be falling behind.

According to GoodReads, I read 26,208 pages. The longest book was Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone, clocking in at a whopping 902 pages. The shortest was Are You There God, it’s me Margaret at just 149. In between those were a lot of really fabulous books, a clunker or two, and some that really blew me away.

Here are my favorites:

The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

Wellness by Nathan Hill

Absolution by Alice McDermott

They are my top ranked books for the year because they all got 5 star ratings, they are all titles I have recommended (sometimes fervently) to others, and they are all stories that have stuck with me. If you haven’t read any of these books yet, I’d certainly suggest that you do.

Happy reading!

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This Post Has 10 Comments

  1. Excellent reading, Carole! I love your reading recommendations! You are constantly growing my “TBR” list! XO

  2. I read Margaret this year too – for the first time! I loved it. I’m in the middle of Wellness right now and enjoying it. I always appreciate your recommendations Carole!

  3. I’ve read all of your top books except I didn’t finish Heaven & Earth Grocery Store before it got whisked back to the library. I hope to get my hands on a copy very soon and actually finish it. I’ve been thinking about the lessons in Absolution a lot so I may even reread that sometime in the new year.

  4. There was a time when I was very focused on the number of books I’d read in a year, and I’ve realized that I’ll never have enough time to read all the books I want to read in my life, so now I’m focused on quality over quantity. Tom Lake and Wellness are also on my list of favorites for the year. And I’m pretty sure Go Tell the Bees … is also the longest book I read this year!

  5. I always enjoy your reading posts Carole. I’ve read Love Songs and Tom Lake and just downloaded Heaven & Earth on Audible. And, I’m in the queue at my library for Wellness and Absolution. A wealth of books is a marvelous thing!

  6. I’ve read all of those book and agree that they were all great ! I especially loved The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store and Absolution. Here’s to more good reading in 2024!

  7. Always happy to see your recommendations. I should also mention that those cute little snowflakes trailing down your pages had me trying to kill a ‘spider’ today. Ha!

  8. Small Mercies popped up on a “recommended for me” list; now I’ll add it to my TBR – thank you for all the reviews and recommendations you share!

  9. Thank you, Carole! I have read several of these, but now I have books to add to the top of my TBR list.

  10. I’ve also read all the books on your top=list, Carole. Great ones all! Here’s to more good reading in 20224! XO

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