Ever had a year pass by so fast it felt like a whirlwind? Because that’s what 2023 was for me. A whirlwind that upended all my plans. (More about that in this post.)
So, when it came to reading, I didn’t do even half as well as I did last year. Literally. Last year I read 86 books, this year I barely made it to 40. But I still read some great stuff this year!
(If your like me and enjoy scrolling through peoples' Goodreads years, here's mine where you can see all those forty books I read this year. Also, disclaimer, I may have read some stuff that I didn't list on Goodreads, but that's a pretty accurate picture of what I read in 2023. And not all of what I read do I approve of or endorse or agree with.)
The longest book I read this year, at a whopping 713 pages, was Dawn of Wonder by Jonathan Renshaw. It may be the longest book I’ve ever read (outside of the Bible, of course). Despite the page count, I still really enjoyed it and am eagerly anticipating when the next book in the series comes out!
The shortest one was Letters from a Scatter-Brained Sister by Amanda Tero at 25 pages. This was a fun, quirky little story, and short enough to read to meet my Goodreads challenge goal, haha 😉
For classics, I read only one fiction classic this year. It was The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne. I’d started it before, but hadn’t completed it. Then I stumbled across a beautiful, red, classic looking copy of it in the library and decided to finish it. It took me a lot longer than I thought it would, but I made it through. Overall, it was a good book, with characters that act like men, and a little mystery to be solved, which in the solving leads to some answers about the ending of Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea. (To some degree at least.)
Now, for some of my favorite reads in non-fiction and fiction.
It isn’t often I’m able to choose just one favorite book, one that outranks them all, but this year, I can. Letter to the American Church by Eric Metaxas was the best non fiction I read this year. This book by far packed the biggest punch of all. Drawing from his extensive knowledge of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Metaxas shows how what Bonhoeffer believed must apply to today, illustrates what traps the church of Germany fell into during the rise of Nazism, and warns us of falling into them ourselves today. It was convicting, illuminating, and I truly believe it to be what the church needs right now.
After that, my second pick is Knowing God by J. I. Packer. It was a book full of theological truth and soundness that is so refreshing in this day and age, while still being accessible. I was happy to have my own copy of it and was able to underline as I pleased.
Third is Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris. A reread that will always remain a favorite and that I truly believe every teen who is a Christian needs to read. It has truth that applies not only to the teen years but all of the Christian life.
Now, for fiction! There were some great reads this year.
First, we have Yours is the Night by Amanda Dykes. Oh my word. This book was so good, and so intense, and so heartbreaking, and yet so full of hope. I need to post my review on this book, but suffice it to say, I don't regret making the impulse decision to read it. The reviews were totally right, guys. (Note: Because of certain topics (that were handled tastefully), I'd recommend it for ages 16 or 17 + .)
Second, we have Heartless by Anne Elisabeth Stengl. I didn’t know what I was getting into with this book, but it was amazing! One of the best allegories I’ve ever read, and yet, it’s not just an allegory, it’s also its own story, which is hard to pull off sometimes. I want to go on to read the rest of the series, though I can't help but think that Heartless will be my favorite. Another book I need to post my review of...
Third, we have the Dragons in our Midst series by Bryan Davis. I decided to finish the series this year, as I’ve read book 1 before but hadn’t gone on to the rest of the series, though I wanted to. Guys, books 2, 3, and 4 make book 1 look almost boring and unimaginative. Especially book three, Circles of Seven. I think that was my favorite one out of the whole series. It was crazy, guys, and I've never read anything like it before, and yet I enjoyed it so much, ahhhhhhh-!
Finally, I have to mention Dust by Kara Swanson. Because this stand out, YA novel was too good not to mention, okay? It’s as delightful as its cover and raving reviews led me to believe. I’ve never read Peter Pan and have no intention of doing so, but I enjoyed this story so much! I’d started it before but hadn’t finished it for other reasons, and I’m so glad I finally read it this year. I am so looking forward to reading the sequel, Shadow, this year. Kara is one of my favorite instructors at YWW, and I feel so blessed to learn from her.
I also wanted to join a Goodreads group read this year, but it didn’t happen. Ironically, I was able to join one for January, right after 2023 ended, haha. So I have finally met that goal.
Now, for reading goals for 2024!
Try out Regency era Christian fiction (most likely a romance.) I think I could like this genre, but I’ve never really dipped my foot in, so we’ll see…
Finish reading Beyond the Summerland by L. B. Graham. I wasn’t able to finish it last year because I had to send it back to the library, but we’ll get it this year!
Finish up my reread of the Ilyon Chronicles and finally read the last book in the series. Ahhh, I don’t want this series to end! But it’s been about a year since Daican’s Heir came out, so I need to read it.
Be intentional about reading this year, both non-fiction and fiction, and keep on common placing. (Common placing is something I just got into last year, and I might make a blog post on it.) I want to be intentional about reading in general. I don’t want my writing to cause reading to be thrown out the window, and I think it’s important to refill myself in that way. But if I am not intentional, then it won’t happen. Ask me how I know. Plus, I want to learn from the books I read.
Get my library books back on time as much as possible. It’s become a bit of a problem, keeping books longer than I should, and I know it’s not fair to the library. I need to stay on top it better, which goes hand in hand with being intentional with my reading.
Read at least one classic, a good one. (Some classics are just nasty / weird.) Maybe Pride and Prejudice, since I’ve seen the movies many times but have not, well, actually completed the book. 😏
Build my library, get rid of books I don’t want, and read books in my library. Some books I have but I’m not sure I want to keep in the long run, so I need to read them and then decide if they’re worth the room they take up, along with getting rid of the books I already know I don't want. Plus, I want to add on to my library this year with more books that I want to read and keep. Also, I have way too many books that I’m sure I’m going to enjoy when I read them, but I just haven’t read them yet and I need to.
Well, there you have it, seven reading goals for 2024. We’ll see how many of them I meet this year! Regardless, I look forward to the adventures I’ll be taking, the characters I’ll adore, the plot twist throwing me for loops, and the themes that I’ll resonate with in the pages of the books I read this year. I hope the same for you, my dear reader!
Until the next post, may you be blessed,
Abby