**Hi everyone! I decided that, starting this month, my End-of-the-month roundups will be posted on the last day of the month, rather than the last Tuesday. This is mostly just so that I don't have to add any books I finished in those remaining days to the next month's post. I likely won't share another post on that Tuesday most months, so as not to overwhelm you.
Since we're approaching the end of January and I'm still resting up after my daughter's rescheduled birthday party this past weekend, I thought I'd share how my 2024 Reading Queue is working out before going over my favourite books of 2023.
When I created my reading queue, my goals were to make choosing my next book easier, and to help me plan ahead so that I have any library books that have to be on hold for a while all ready for me when I want to read them.
Basically, it's to help me keep my momentum and feel less overwhelmed.
And I'm happy to report that it is working!
As of writing this, I've completed eight books this month - four of which were on the queue (I've got some carry-overs from last year's holds or books that I had started and am still working on), and another which was the sequel to one of the books on my queue. I will, of course, be sharing about these in my end-of-the-month roundup.
I don't think the amount of books I've finished is the most important marker of whether my reading queue is working for me, but in this case I can say that it does reflect the momentum I've kept (despite having multiple days with almost no reading thanks to illness1) and the ease it has provided.
My plan was already to leave room for later additions to the queue, but I'm realizing that if I generally keep the rate I'm currently reading at, I might actually need to add to the queue before the end of the year, which is kind of exciting!
I feel all of the excitement and none of the pressure, which is exactly what I was hoping for.
Now, onto my favourites from last year!
I'm sharing these strictly for fun, in the order I read them, sorted into nonfiction and fiction.
The links are all to bookshop.org, which is one of the places I prefer to purchase books when I buy them, but I'm not affiliated or anything - I just included them to save you a Google search.
Perhaps ironically, the first one listed is my favourite of the year - it just stuck with me in all the best ways; it's so beautiful, kind, and empowering.
(Also, yes, being on Substack did influence my reading choices throughout the year 😅)
My favourite nonfiction books of 2023:
Living Resistance: An Indigenous Vision for Seeking Wholeness Every Day by
Feel Something, Make Something: A Guide to Collaborating with Your Emotions by
Women Without Kids: the Revolutionary Rise of an Unsung Sisterhood by Ruby Warrington
The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why it Matters by Priya Parker
Lucid Dreaming Made Easy: A Beginner's Guide to Waking Up in Your Dreams by Charlie Morley
The Electricity of Every Living Thing: A Woman's Walk in the Wild to Find Her Way Home by
A Renaissance of Our Own: A Memoir & Manifesto on Reimagining by Rachel E. Cargle
Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by
and
My favourite fiction books of 2023:
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
Neon Gods by Katee Robert (I enjoyed the whole series, but I have a special place in my heart for Hades and Persephone)
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas (I read and liked the whole series, but the second book was my favourite)
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
A Dreadful Splendour by B.R. Myers
The Last Heir to Blackwood Library by Hester Fox
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan
Meet Me in the Margins by Melissa Ferguson
Weyward by Emilia Hart
The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper (this is the second book in a series and - so far - the only one I've read; I found out about this through a video my friend sent me in December, about a yearly read along that starts December 20th and runs, a chapter a day, until the end of the year. The Book works as a standalone for this, and it was fun listening to the BBC World Service production of it each day)
I'd love to hear how your reading life is going, if you've read and loved any of the favourites I've listed here, and for you to share your own favourites in the comments! And as always, feel free to share if this resonated with you!
Yes, the stomach flu that our kids had did hit me and my husband after a few days - and it hit me pretty hard. We're all recovered now!
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches was one of my favorites this past year too! It felt like the most delightful cushion to fall into, if that makes any sense, which it probably doesn't...
Thanks for sharing these recommendations! I love the Dark is Rising - I read it for the first time a couple of years ago and was stunned to realize it was written so long ago (and that I'd never known of it before).