23 Books for 2023

Reading Goal Progress

I made the goal this year to finish at least 23 new books, after realizing how few books I finished in contrast to my screen time for 2022. I’ve always been a reader, but last year I found myself reaching for my phone rather than a book, and I made the conscious decision to change that for this year. Interestingly enough, I am already more than halfway through my goal for the year in this first quarter.

How I Read

This may be controversial, but at any given time, I am reading an average of 7 different books at a time. This works well for me. When I was younger, I only read one book at a time, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve found that it is not very productive. Now, I do not read 7 different books in the same genre. I read a variety of genres, and at any given time you can find the following on my ‘reading’ shelf: fantasy, young or new adult contemporary, classic, poetry, self-help, marriage or family, spiritual growth, business, and art. This allows me the freedom to choose a ‘light’ read when I don’t have a lot of energy, as well as take small bits in at a time.

For instance, when I read one book at a time, I found myself rushing through a self-help book that I really wanted to absorb, simply to mark it done. With this method, I am not rushed to check a book off that I want to chew on for a bit. So, here’s my list of books finished so far this year!

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Finished

1. Ally by Anna Banks – 4.5 stars
2. Nemesis by Anna Banks – 4.5 stars
3. The Montesorri Method by Maria Montessorri – 3.5 stars – Good information, but not completely current/applicable for parents, as it was written in 1912. Still has some great information and insight, but one of the modern versions may be more useful and easier to read.
4. Do the Work by Stephen Pressfield – 5 stars
5. Fight Like a Physicist by Jason Thalken – 3.5 stars – Very nerdy math and science behind what happens in a fight, super interesting, 3.5 stars because I really don’t like math.
6. The Betrothed by Kiera Cass – 4 stars
7. The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen – 4 stars – Listened on Audible
8. The Traitor Queen by Danielle L. Jensen – 4.5 stars – Listened on Audible
9. The Flirtation Experiment by Lisa Jacobsen and Phylicia Masonheimer – 4.5 stars
10. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo – 5 stars
11. Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo – 5 stars
12. The Lady’s Mine by Francine Rivers
13. The Cruel Prince by Holly Black – 3.5 stars
14. The Wicked King by Holly Black – 3 stars
15. The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black – 4 stars
16. To Make Room for the Sea by Adam Clay -4 stars
17. Altogether You by Jenna Riemersma -4.5 stars

Now, you may notice I have decent ratings on all these books. This is simply because I refuse to finish a book that I don’t enjoy, so all of my reads will be at least 3 stars. There are too many good books and far too little time for me to waste reading a 2 star book simply to have it marked ‘read’.

Currently Reading

1. Interaction of Color by Josef Albers
2. This is Marketing by Seth Godin
3. Thinking with Type by Ellen Lupton
4. Scattered Minds by Gabor Mate
5. The Inadequate Heir by Danielle L. Jensen – Audible

Next on list:

• A Thousand Heartbeats by Kiera Cass – I’ve loved every book by this author!
• The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Ortberg
• Deep Work by Cal Newport
• The Practice: Shipping Creative Work by Seth Godin
• Show Your Work! by Austin Kleon
• The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
• Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake
• Raising an Organized Child by Damon Korb
• The Whole-Brain Child by Daniel J. Siegel & Tina Payne Bryson