Bookish Wonders: Recounting the Highlights of My 2023 Reading Challenge
Hello, my darling adventurous bookworms! 🤓 As another year comes to a close, I couldn’t resist taking a moment to reflect on the literary wonders that unfolded during my 2023 reading challenge. Let’s dive into the pages turned, genres explored, and embracing a Kindle. 👀
(You’re just as surprised as I am)
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Bookish Wonders: Recounting the Highlights of My 2023 Reading Challenge
Though I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Goodreads, their reading challenge motivates me every month to hit my goals. This year the challenge was 75 books and I completed 83. However, I started and DNF’d 20% more than the two years prior.
Discovering My Reading Habits
Simple goal: read more, explore diverse genres with diverse characters, and get a better understanding of my reading habits. Here’s what I learned:
- You need to actively hunt for MCs that are POV, especially in murder mysteries.
- Summer is my top audiobook months because I walk every day.
- Reading on trains is my jam.
- Sometimes reading 1 chapter a night is all I can accomplish and that’s okay.
- I still love physical books more than my Kindle but it’s 900x easier to travel with.
Moving Away from Contemporary Romance
The most significant shift in my reading realm was moving away from contemporary romance, particularly featuring MCs in their twenties. Obviously – as life takes its course, so do our preferences, and I found myself craving narratives that I would resonate with. Lately, I’ve been craving the complexities of love in life.
- What about moms going through divorces in their 40s?
- Women in their 50s who put their careers first and have never lived with a man?
- 30 year olds trying to decide if they’re going to start dating again or get pregnant?
Where are the contemporary romances about real-world situations for real women??
Embracing Murder Mystery Thrillers
This may not surprise you, if you’ve been following my monthly book round-ups, but I’ve officially entered the world of cozy murder mysteries and mystery thrillers – and, holy guac, I’m addicted. They’re suspense-driven with unexpected plot twists and puzzle-solving. All of which are right up my alley.
Please, for the love, if you have recs SEND THEM!
Kindle Love: The Perfect Travel Companion
Relationship status: In love with my Kindle.
Truth? I wanted to hate it but it became my most trusted and loyal travel companion on my last two trips abroad. It’s lightweight, connects to GoodReads and the library (even from overseas), and packs easily. It was an investment but with 3 free months of Kindle Unlimited and the upgrade to zero ads – it was worth every penny.
Keeping It Consistent: My 2024 Reading Challenge
Last but not least, my reading challenge ended up being mathematical.
75 divided by 12 = 6.25 books a month to complete my goal on time
March and April were two very hard months for me mentally, and at my job, but I made up for them in the summer months. June was when I realized books offered me a great escape from reality. A place to travel, explore, and be adventurous when I felt trapped. Characters became friends and they comforted me throughout this year of transition.
Though I only had three 5-star books this entire year, I learned a lot about what I’m not interested in and what I want to set aside time and energy for in the future. If you’re interested in my favorite books and series, check out my books & bookish things page! 📚
Thank you so so much to each and every one of you who shared this reading adventure with me. I’m so excited about 2024’s book agenda. If you’re on GoodReads, please reach out! I’m always looking for new friends to follow.
What’s your reading goal this year?
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2 Comments
Stacy
Kindle is definitely the way to go when traveling. My worst packing woe is deciding between another pair of shoes and another book. Happy new year!
Alli B
OMG – SAME. Like, yes. The photo looks great on an airplane but it’s just not practical!