#2023 reading challenge

[godzilla-reads]

Godzilla-read's Easy & Simple 2023 Reading Challenge

January- Choose a book that you enjoyed as a teenager to reread.

February- Go to your shelf/stack and choose the fourth book from the beginning/top.

March- A book a parental figure enjoys. If you don't have a parental figure, choose a friend.

April- Pick up a book you've seen mentioned on another book blog.

May- A book under 200-pages.

June- A book with a robot or cyborg in it.

July- Pick a newer (within the last 50 years) poetry collection.

August- A book with a purple cover.

September- A book with a rabbit on the cover.

October- Try to find a book with a queer couple in it.

November- A nonfiction book that you've been meaning to read for at least one year now.

December- Choose a children's holiday book for a winter tradition that you do not celebrate, but would like to learn more about.

Tag me if you decide this is up your alley!

[aaknopf]

Under the influence of a charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at a New England college discover a way of thought and life a world away from their banal contemporaries. In the search for the transcendent, Richard, Henry, Camilla, Francis, and Bunny gradually reveal their dark natures and the terrifying secret that binds them together.

An international bestseller from Donna Tartt, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Goldfinch, The Secret History is the must-have winter thriller.

[midnightlibrarymouse]

23 Books I Want to Read in 2023

1984 by George Orwell (Currently reading)

The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

How Do You Live? by Genzaburo Yoshino

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Fairy Tale by Stephen King

Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Before the Coffee Gets Cold: Tales from the Café by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Before Your Memory Fades by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

S. by Doug Durst (& J.J. Abrams)

In the Weeds by B.K. Borison

Mixed Signals by B.K. Borison

A World Without You by Beth Revis

This Time It's Real by Ann Liang

Babel by R.F. Kuang

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

NOS 4R2 by Joe Hill

The Curator by Owen King

The Midnight Club by Christopher Pike

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

Your Name by Makoto Shinkai

Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker

Long Live the Pumpkin Queen by Shea Ernshaw

Thank you so much for tagging me @thequeerlibrarian! It was so much fun putting this list together, let's see how many I actually check off!

I'm tagging: @maddiesbookshelves @lifeofbookworm @beardedbookdragon @therefugeofbooks @just0nemorepage

If you don't want to do this and I tagged you, please don't feel pressure to do so! If I didn't tag you, but you see this and want to do it, please feel free to tag me once you're done, I would love to see it!

[thequeerlibrarian]

I saw this for 2022 and now I wanna do it for this year

23 books I want to finish in 2023

Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

The Silmarillion by Tolkien

One last stop by Casey McQuiston

Star War's Episode I

A Court of Thrones and Roses by Sarah J Maas

Lady Smoke by Laura Sebastian

Ember Queen by Laura Sebastian

Carry on by Simon Snow

Wayward son by Simon Snow

Any way the wind blows by Simon Snow

In Deeper Waters by F. T. Lukens

So this is ever after by F. T. Lukens

Seide und Schwert by Kai Meyer

Lanze und Licht by Kai Meyer

Drache und Diamant by Kai Meyer

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis

Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia C. S. Lewis

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader C. S. Lewis

The Silver Chair by C. S. Lewis

The Horse and His Boy by C. S. Lewis

The Magician’s Nephew by C. S. Lewis

The Last Battle by C. S. Lewis

[kaitiedidslibrary]

Book 18 of 2023

I was getting tired of the other book I'm currently reading, so I took a quick break to read this before I have to go to work. As always, Barnes and Noble is my weakness 🥲

So last we left off, Kouichi had been kidnapped by furries. One of them is named Barry, btw. Barry the tiger furry.

This plot line is resolved pretty easily (fuck-or-die fruit is only fun if there's a fix, remember that), but before that, gotta sneak in some dubcon with a wolf. Don't forget to flashback to some tragic back story, and SIR YOUR TEETH-! 😰

Despite that whole thing, they adopt Baro and allow him to return with them, before foisting him off. "Thanks for covering for us, doc, have a wolfman".

Then we get some world building and get to know more about the people of this world while Kouichi struggles with what he's left behind.

I do like that the author put thought into that. He was summoned away, so he's just missing, and that would suck for the people he left behind. It does feels like a fic sometimes, with the "I'm sad and missing my best friend. We should fuck".

I actually liked this one more than the first. It's still fun, but we get to see more character development in this volume. It is time for the third-act break up, but it was tender and sad and I'm actually kind of invested??

⭐⭐⭐⭐

[qkrdbwls]

“February - Go to your shelf/stack and choose the fourth book from the beginning/top.”

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

“The boy never cried again, and he never forgot what he'd learned: that to love is to destroy, and that to be loved is to be the one destroyed.”

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder― much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing―not even a smear of blood―to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This one has been sitting on my shelf for years and years so it was about time I picked it up, with the help of @godzilla-reads‘ February reading challenge. I’ve always been a fan of the movie and tv-show of this title, now I’m also a huge fan of the book because this was SO good. The story was well planned and written, I felt like you got a connection to the characters early on and even though you could sometimes guess what was going to happen - it still kept me interested and longing to know what will actually happen.

[maddiesbookshelves]

2023 reading challenge!

@cleopatras-library asked to see my 2023 version so here it is!

As I said in my 2022 challenge update, this is more of a bingo, I'm just trying to read as many books as I can that fit the prompts.

French version under the cut!

@/cleopatras-library m'a demandé de poster la version 2023 donc la voilà !

Comme je l'ai dit dans mon update du reading challenge 2022, c'est plus un bingo qu'autre chose, j'essaie juste de livre un maximum de livres que je peux selon les suggestions.

[godzilla-reads]

January Reading Challenge 2023: Choose a book that you enjoyed as a teenager to reread.

Ok, I’m kinda cheating on this one, but it works. Back in high school, I had a dog named Pluto who was prone to seizures due to a brain injury before we got him. Whenever he’d be walking it off, I would read to him. I got through several books this way and we started to read Sheila Burnford’s THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY, but Pluto passed away halfway through.

I’ve never been able to finish the book on account of the grief from his passing. For my January reading challenge, I’m taking this book that I love and I’m going to start from the beginning and try to read it all the way through.

Wish me luck.

📖 The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford

[aaknopf]

“Does such a thing as ‘the fatal flaw,’ that showy dark crack running down the middle of a life, exist outside literature? I used to think it didn't. Now I think it does. And I think that mine is this: a morbid longing for the picturesque at all costs.” ―Donna Tartt, The Secret History

[gatheryepens]

Godzilla-read's Easy & Simple 2023 Reading Challenge

❄️ January - Choose a book that you enjoyed as a teenager to reread.

I decided to take part in @godzilla-reads 2023 reading challenge!!

Technically I’m still a teenager but when I was 12/13 one of my favourite series ever to read was Geek Girl by Holly Smale. When I was younger I was obsessed with this series, I ended up reading all the books - I think there’s about 8 books in the series. Whilst reading the book, I didn’t cringe as expected - it was actually pretty good. Obviously there are some aspects of the book that made me do a double take, but overall it was a nice walk down memory lane. It was also really weird re-reading as a lot of the references that I didn’t get back then I understand now.

[remindmetoreed]

23 books I want to read in 2023

some of these are guaranteed, some of these are potential, thanks @selkiestudies for the tag!

(finish) The Counte of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

The Fellowship of the Ring by JRR Tolkien

The Two Towers by JRR Tolkien

The Return of the King by JRR Tolkien

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

Too Big To Fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

Now Is Not The Time To Panic by Kevin Wilson

The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

Tender Is The Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

Rainbow Milk by Paul Mendez

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor

Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell

Poster Girl by Veronica Roth

Spare: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex by Prince Harry

My Evil Mother by Margaret Atwood

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

Love On The Brain by Ali Hazelwood

Atomic Habits by James Clear

What are you 23 books for 2023??

[kaitiedidslibrary]

Book thirteen! Getting back on track after a busy work week.

I pre-ordered this one too. It was suggested when I was checking out, and I am a weak, weak person.

I'm glad I picked this one up. It reminds me of early 2000s fantasy romance manga and I mean that in the best way possible.

So author Izunome Chiharu has been having a really rough time. His grandma, who raised him, died, and he was away when it happened. (There's also something else about his grandma that he's dealing with, but it hasn't been resolved yet.) When he arrived at the station, he meets Rin, who said he was waiting for his bride.

That bride happens to be Chiharu.

Rin's a dragon god, and despite Chiharu's initial rejection, he's doing his best to convince Chiharu that he will be the best husband.

It's the perfect balance of fluff and domesticity, and seriousness. Rin learning to be human is adorable, and so is their bonding. The scene where he's showing Chiharu his shapeshifting power is so cute. My other favorite is in the tree at the sunset, when he's comforting him.

It's scenes like that I love the most, because it's not instalove- they're learning each other, and getting closer.

The kitsune was unsettling in his shifting, and I'm worried about Rin going a little see-through. I will be ordering the sequel immediately.

Additional notes:

Dragon gods who are simps for their humans.... Very good. One of my favorites. There should be much more of this. 😤

Also, childhood friend arc? 👀

Also, Rin's design? The white hair and green dragon eyes? Beautiful. And his dragon form! I love the electric horns.

The fact that Chiharu has family and they feel real? Ten out of ten.

Ahhh the fact that Rin was like, "You know what you'd like? A dragon form of your own! :D" Chiharu is stronger than me.

And Rin hanging out with Grandma? I need to know.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[harrygoeswest]

Tell me how many books you’ve read and what your goal is in the tags! 🫶🏼

[therubyreader]

See previous year's reading journeys

Book Goal: 30 50

Read So Far: 61

Books to Be Read:

Dark of the West - Joanna Hathaway

Books Read this Year:

These Violent Delights - Chloe Gong ~ Review

Our Violent Ends - Chloe Gong ~ Review

The Nature of Witches - Rachel Griffin

Of Cages and Crowns - Brianna Joy Crump

Gods of Jade and Shadow - Silvia Moreno Garcia ~ Review

Foul Lady Fortune - Chloe Gong ~ reread ~ Review

Anatomy: A Love Story - Dana Schwartz ~ Review

American Royals - Katharine McGee ~ Review

Ever the Hunted - Erin Sumerill

Ever the Brave - Erin Sumerill

Once a King - Erin Sumerill

Serpent and Dove - Shelby Mahurin

Six Crimson Cranes - Elizabeth Lim ~ Review

Last Violent Call - Chloe Gong ~ Review

The Dragon’s Promise- Elizabeth Lim

Shadow and Bone - Leigh Bardugo ~ Review

Skin of the Sea - Natasha Bowen

Soul of the Deep - Natasha Bowen

Siege and Storm - Leigh Bardugo ~ Review

Ruin and Rising - Leigh Bardugo ~ Review

Six of Crows - Leigh Bardugo ~ Review

Crooked Kingdom - Leigh Bardugo

King of Scars - Leigh Bardugo

The Raven Boys - Maggie Stiefvater ~ Review

The Dream Thieves - Maggie Stiefvater ~ Review

Blue Lily, Lily Blue - Maggie Stiefvater

Rule of Wolves - Leigh Bardugo

The Raven King - Maggie Stiefvater

Call Down the Hawk - Maggie Stiefvater

Mister Impossible - Maggie Stiefvater

Greywaren - Maggie Stiefvater

Caravel - Stephanie Garber ~ reread ~ Review

Legendary - Stephanie Garber

Finale - Stephanie Garber

The Poppy War - R. F. Kuang

The Inheritance Games - Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Hawthorne Legacy - Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Final Gambit - Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Clockwork Angel - Cassandra Clare ~ reread

Clockwork Prince - Cassandra Clare ~ reread

Clockwork Princess - Cassandra Clare ~ reread

Legendborn - Tracy Deonn ~ Review

Bloodmarked - Tracy Deonn

The Shadow of Perseus - Claire Heywood

The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins ~ reread ~ Thoughts

Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins ~ reread

Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins ~ reread

Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes- Suzanne Collins

The Atlas Six - Olivie Blake

Guardians of Dawn: Zhara - S. Jae-Jones ~ Review

House of Salt and Sorrows - Erin A. Craig

Foul Heart Huntsman - Chloe Gong ~ Review

Atalanta - Jennifer Saint

The Enchanted Hacienda - J.C. Cervantes

Fourth Wing - Rebecca Yarros

This Vicious Grace - Emily Thiede

The Curse of Saints - Katie Dramis

Iron Flame - Rebecca Yarros

Song of Silver, Flame Like Night - Amélie Wen Zhao ~ Review

The Lightning Thief - Rick Riordan ~ reread

The Sea of Monsters - Rick Riordan ~ reread

The Titan’s Curse - Rick Riordan ~ reread

[theburnedoutnerd]

I never gave an update for my reading challenge and I need to update the tracker on my blog, but, as of today, I've read 61 books this year. 😄

[ackb]

2023 Reading Challenge Report

It was a great year for books. It wasn't exactly hard to pick my top ten—they were standouts—but there were lots more that were on the cusp. I did up a little list on my bests page here because I didn't want to lose them.

Once again, my reading goal for the year was 100 books and I really had to struggle to meet it there at the end. (It helped that I got sick and managed to read/listen to five books while I was down for the count—two of which actually ended up on my top 10!)

In general, books I read earlier in the year tend to be at a disadvantage in the running as my memory is terrible. But this year the very first book I read this year made it onto the list (brown girl dreaming), as did the very last book I read (My Government Means to Kill Me).

I made the decision this year not to participate in any particular reading challenge beyond the quantity. I also decided not to make any particular rules as to reading a certain number of authors of color as I had in the past. This had predictable consequences and I'm going to do it differently in 2024.

It was still a great year for reading and I do love the opportunity to recap—even if I'm two months late!

Metrics after the cut.

Total books read: 105

Fiction—65 (counting graphic novel series as 1 each) NonFiction—34 Graphic Novels—25 (series = 1) Picture Books—6 Re-Reads—11 Audiobooks—31 Authors of color—18 Black authors—13 Women & trans authors—67 Books with queer characters—34

Favorites:

Lost & Found, Kathryn Schulz brown girl dreaming, Jacqueline Woodson How to be Perfect, Micheal Schur The Sum of Us, Heather McGee Chance, Uri Shulevitz Our Wives Under the Sea, Julia Armfield The Door of No Return, Kwame Alexander My Government Means to Kill Me: A Novel, by Rasheed Newson The House in the Cerulean Sea, T.J. Klune Yellowface, R.F. Kuang

Each one of these deserves a full review highlighting what makes it special, devastating, awesome, brilliant, or amazing. But, well, here we are.

(I did a much better job with my reviews in previous years—last year's post)