My 2023 Reading

I read so many good books this year, both for the first time and also as a reread. Today I’m very excited to share a summary of the books I read in 2023, with lots of titles and authors that you should check out.

This year I read a grand total of 125 books, which is quite a few more than last year’s 72. Of that number I listened to 29 audio books (last year’s total was only 9), and reread 31 books (compared to 7 last year). To be honest, it’s a little bit surprising to look at the way my reading has gone up since last year (I think part of the reason for that was the fact that I’m now keeping a book themed blog).

For reference, any titles marked with an asterisk have been included in one of my blog posts this year, and you can find more detailed writing about that book by clicking on its title.

Now it’s time to jump into the post!

Three Best Audio Books

Out of all the books I listened to this year, these are the ones I remember most fondly. The writing was delightful, the story was lovely, and overall these are great books to listen to on audio.

• Sweet Home Alaska, by Carole Estby Dagg*
• The Star that Always Stays, by Anna Rose Johnson
• Jane of Lantern Hill, by L. M. Montgomery

Three Best Nonfiction Books

All of these books made me think about things in a new, more thoughtful way. From faith and theology to writing and stories, these books had fantastic writing and were full of mind-blowing passages. I learned so much from all of them!

• Gentle and Lowly, by Dane C. Ortlund
• God of the Garden, by Andrew Peterson
• A Sense of Wonder, by Katherine Paterson*

Three Books that Surprised Me

This list made me stop and think a little more. For the first two I realized that my expectations had been lower than they should have been, and in the case of Surprised by Joy, I was surprised ( 😉 ) at the autobiographical style C. S. Lewis took to writing the book, which hadn’t been what I was expecting, and although I still enjoyed it, I wasn’t affected as I thought I would be.

• Marilla of Green Gables, by Sarah McCoy*
• Honey Butter, by Millie Florence*
• Surprised by Joy, by C. S. Lewis

Three Favorite Rereads

Ah, I am a big fan of rereading (you can find a post I did on it here). There is so much to be gained by reading a story for the second time- or the third! These are by no means all of the books I reread this year, but I chose the ones that felt a little more magical and special to me this time through.

• A Fall of Marigolds, by Susan Meissner*
• Sweep, by Jonathan Auxier
• Anne of Green Gables, by L. M. Montgomery*

Three Classics I Read for the First Time

Every reader has those books that they have never read for whatever odd reason. In my case, there are a lot. The books below are all very popular classics that I simply had not found time or motivation to read until this year, as wild as it seems. It is very satisfying to mark them off my list at last, and I intend to make an even larger dent in that ‘unread classics’ list this year.

• Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson
• The Hobbit, J. R. R. Tolkien*
• The Screwtape Letters, by C. S. Lewis

Three Best Books Overall

Oh, what can I say about these books? They are the ones that I know I will come back to and reread, and also the ones I will be telling people about the most often. These three in particular have a lovely timeless quality to them (classics or otherwise) that especially stands out to me. How strange that I haven’t written a blog post yet about any of them (I guess I have some inspiration for the future!).

• A Lantern in Her Hand, Bess Streeter Aldrich
• Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, by Grace Lin
• The Blue Castle, by L. M. Montgomery

Three Books I Can’t Wait to Read in 2024

To finish this post about my past year’s reading it only seems right to take a moment and look forward. Here are a few of the books that I’m looking forward to reading in the new year. Of course, there are dozens and dozens (perhaps hundreds) of books on my TBR list, but I chose the ones below that I feel best fit my love of reading.

• The Balter of Ashton Harper, by Millie Florence
• The Story Girl, by L. M. Montgomery
• Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte

Final Thoughts

If you’re interested in reading my 2022 reading review from last year you can find that here. It is one of the first posts made on my blog, so the style and quality of my writing has greatly improved, but you might enjoy the list of my favorite books from that year. 🙂

This has been one of my favorite posts to write! I hope you enjoyed taking a peek at my reading life.

But now it’s your turn! I’d love to hear about your own reading during 2023. What books did you enjoy most? Which one surprised you, or amazed you? What are you most looking forward to reading in 2024?