2023: My Year in Books
In this third and final of my 2023 lookback posts (read the first 2 here and here), I’ll take a quick look at my year in books (because nothing is more popular on the internet than a middle-aged librarian’s navel-gazing about her reading list). But first: this post is part of the Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie the Explorer, and What’s on Your Bookshelf, hosted by Sue, Donna, Jo and Deb. Have a seat, grab a treat, and let’s get to it.
My year in books
As with writing, I struggled a bit with reading in 2023. Basically, I struggled to be productive in 2023 outside of my day job. I don’t know if the pandemic trauma finally caught up to me or I’m just old and tired (I’m betting on old and tired). That said, I still read and enjoyed quite a few books.
5-star reads
Of the 63 books I read, I rated only 9 of them 5 stars. Here are my 5-star reads for the year that was.
An aside: For some reason, WordPress isn’t letting me create galleries anymore, so I had to use the Tiled Gallery block instead, which formatted these a little oddly. Oh, well. Far be it from me to understand the mysteries of WordPress. Hopefully the issue will be fixed in the next update.
Another tech frustration: Goodreads doesn’t provide an easy way to share books read for the year. Their My Year in Books feature displays them, but you can’t embed that page in a blog post. I tried to screenshot it, but if I enlarge it enough to be legible, it’s blurry. Since I’m way too lazy to type out all 63 books I read last year, if you’re curious, you can check out the list on Goodreads.
I had 2 unintentional themes in my reading last year: medical stuff and short stories. That shows in my top reads for the year: 4 are medical, 2 are collections of short stories, and 3 are individual short stories. I can’t make anything profound out of these observations–I’m about as profound as a cheeseburger–but it is what it is.
Books by format
Another thing I’ve noticed about my reading habits: how few print books I read compared to even a few years ago. I see that trend in other people’s reading, too. Because I’m a nerd, I actually track this information.
| Format | Count |
| Print (hardback or softcover) | 14 |
| E-book | 11 |
| Audio | 37 |
I missed a couple somewhere, and I’m way too lazy to recount. That would feel too much like balancing my bank account.
I still have tons of print books and keep acquiring more, but the numbers don’t lie: I don’t read much in print anymore. I still romanticize curling up in my recliner with a good book, but I rarely do it. Instead I listen to audiobooks while playing computer games, doing housework, or exercising.
Books by source
I also track where I got each book (because nerd).
| Source | Count |
| Direct purchase (bookstore, Audible, Amazon, etc.) | 8 |
| Library (print, audio and ebooks through Libby/Overdrive) | 17 |
| Kindle Unlimited | 5 |
| Audible1 | 24 |
| Little Free Library | 2 |
| Other (Amazon First Reads, free author copy, gifts) | 6 |
- If I buy a title from Audible, I count it under Direct purchase. If I get it through Audible Plus or re-listen to a title I purchased from Audible in a previous year, it gets listed under Audible.
What can I conclude from this data? My Audible subscription is a good investment. My Kindle Unlimited subscription, not so much. And libraries are awesome (not that I’m biased or anything. *cough* Librarian *cough*)
Life stuff
Since this post is part of the Weekend Coffee Share, and since I haven’t posted anything about my life in awhile, I’ll throw in a quick update.
I refuse to make New Year’s resolutions (why set myself up for failure?) but this year I’m setting some intentions:
- Look for joy
- Be gentle with myself
- Invest in my health and wellbeing
I’ve whined on here before (like, earlier in this post) that 2023 was not one of my better years. I know the turn of a new year is an entirely human construct, but funnily enough, the turn of the year seems to be working some kind of magic on me. I have more energy and feel more motivated and positive than I have in awhile. I don’t know how long this new feeling will last, but I’m going to enjoy it while I can.
Part of the health and wellbeing thing is making some changes to how I eat. Long-Suffering Husband and I both had less-than-optimal lab values at our most recent checkups, so we’re going to (attempt to) quit eating like unsupervised 9-year-olds at 7-11. Which is why I found myself spending an hour last night searching for (I am not making this up) eggplant recipes for people who don’t like eggplant.
I am ridiculous.
The memery
I do this all the time. Good stories make you feel. They may not make you feel good, but they make you feel.
Not sure I’d describe The Odyssey as a resume gap. Odysseus was pretty busy on that trip.
As long as we’re talking about mythology:
Rant: What is it with gods and temptation? Let’s make a creature with a big brain and a lot of curiosity. Now let’s give that creature something and tell them not to open/eat it. Like, c’mon, my fellow humans create enough temptation. I don’t need it from divinity too. /Rant
And finally, this has nothing whatsoever to do with books, but I guffaw every time I read it (because nerd), so I’m sharing it:
“Sorry can’t hear you the Zune is too loud”–I. am. dead.
How about you? Do you prefer to read or listen to books? Print or e? Buy or borrow? Know any good eggplant recipes for people who don’t like eggplant?
18 Comments
Barbara Ann Mealer
#1. Forget the eggplant. There are better things out there to eat and without the consistency of mush.
#2. Loved the MS and Veleta meme. Great one.
#3. When I read (whish isn’t often enough) it generally is on my e-reader or computer. I still love my print books, but the ones I use the most are my reference books where I find the physical copy is easiest to use. I like audio books and when we get back to work, I’ll probably be listening to them more.
Janet Alcorn
I do a lot of my reading on my phone because I always have it with me. And audiobooks allow me to multitask. I remember when I’d read a print book literally all day. Haven’t done that in many years.
Sue from Women Living Well After 50
I love eggplant, Janet. I roast it with other vegetables such as zucchini, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, carrots and red peppers. With some Italian herbs sprinkled over the top it is delicious. I mostly use my e-reader or listen to books. I do love the feel of real books but it is so convenient just being able to download a book rather than making time to go to the library. Thanks for sharing your 2023 My Year in Books and hope you join us again next month for #WOYBS. x
Janet Alcorn
Thanks for the tip about roasting eggplants. I love other roasted veggies, so I’ll give it a try.
And yes, convenience for sure. Most of the public libraries in Tucson are closed on the weekend (why????), so it requires some planning for me to be able to pick up a hold, let alone browse the shelves.
trentpmcd
Ages ago I bought the first generation Kindle and for almost a decade I read electronic exclusively… I don’t know where my last (5th?) Kindle is. I haven’t used it in quite a few years. I haven’t tried audio, so can’t tell you about that. Yes, I am a tree killer and will admit it!
Janet Alcorn
Nothing wrong with reading print! I have a Kindle and use it primarily for travel–battery lasts forever and it’s lightweight. For everyday ebook reading, I use the Kindle app on my phone.
Natalie
Thank you for your weekend coffee share and book recommendations. I’ve been reading e-books exclusively for a few years. I prefer e-books to audio books. Have a great week ahead!
Janet Alcorn
I love audio because I can enjoy a book while I’m doing other things. Even housework isn’t so terrible with a good book for company.
Retirement Reflections
Hi, Janet – Thank you for being a regular contributer to WOYBS. I always enjoy your posts, book reviews and memes. I also liked your intentions for 2024. If you don’t like eggplant, you can always substitute it with zucchini, yellow squash or bell peppers. These vegetables (okay, I think zucchini is actually a fruit, but whatever) are also lower in oxalates and histamines while remaining high in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants!
Janet Alcorn
Thanks! I’m trying to learn to like summer squash. I have the same issue with it that I do with eggplant–texture. But then so many people cook it till it’s mush.
Debbie
Hi Janet, that first book meme is sooo good!!! Thanks for joining us for #WOYBS with your year in review. Like you I went looking for a way I could insert all the books I’ve read in the year into my post but there’s no way that I could find and like you I was too busy/lazy to go searching and doing it by myself!!
Janet Alcorn
Glad I’m not the only one. It seems like something Goodreads should be able to do, but, alas, no.
Joanne
I tend to read mostly books and get the majority of them from the library… I am great about ordering and downloading book to my ereader but am awful at actually opening it up and reading!
Janet Alcorn
I know what you mean. I overestimate the time I’ll spend reading and the loan runs out before I can finish the book.
Kirstin Troyer
I’m excited to join the WOYB party. My making my way around to see what everyone else is reading. IT’s fun seeing how everyone rates books, their choices, etc. I do wish good reads had a better way. I took screenshots of the ones I read. I think I shared it on my Weekend Coffee share awhile back.
Marsha
Great post, Janet. I’m not big on eggplant, but Vince has a great way to fix it. So, I don’t have a recipe – he just does it. I love zucchini and yellow squash, and acorn squash for starters. Kudos on reading 63 books. Wow! I haven’t kept very good track this year, but I’m nowhere close. Janet introduced me to Half-priced Books. Do you have one of those stores in Tucson? We are getting together in Scottsdale this week, if you have time to come up on Wednesday at 11:00. We’re meeting at Olive and Ivy. Let me know if you can come. 🙂 Have a great week!
Natalie Aguirre
I loved seeing your reading list. I haven’t been that productive lately either, even though I have a lot of projects to work on. I tend to read more during those times. And I like your intention list and the idea of it vs. resolutions.
Elizabeth Seckman
My son bought a Zune. Spent all of his lawn mowing money on it. What a piece of garbage!!! I’ll have to send him the link to the meme.
I’m also trying to eat healthier. We’ve had soup all week. I need a chicken nugget.