Happy New Year! The holidays whooshed past us, and 2022 ended in a flurry. It’s time to set a new reading goal for 2023, but first, I’m excited to share I’ve read 82 books last year. After my mid-year reading check-in, I increased my goal to 70 books, so I am pleased to have surpassed that. But I harbored a secret desire to get closer to 100 books.
I have SEVERAL books I’ve been so excited to read on my Kindle. And I had really wanted to get to many more Christmas books, but the actual holidays overtook my reading time. I’m actually still sitting halfway through one Christmas novel, as well as a Christmas novella collection. I will finish both of these before moving on, but it’ll feel slightly weird since Christmas is already fading the rearview mirror.
Breakdown of genres I read this past year:
- 33 Contemporary Romance (1 was Christmas-themed/set)
- 10 Historical Romance/Historical Fiction (3 of these were Christmas-themed/set)
- 5 Split Time (2 of these are Historical Split Time, meaning the more “modern” timeline is still in the distant past)
- 20 Romantic Suspense (2 of these were novella anthologies; 2 were Christmas-themed/set)
- 5 Fantasy/Dystopian
- 3 Thriller/Mystery
- 2 Legal Suspense
- 2 Women’s Fiction
- 2 Nonfiction (1writing craft book and 1 self-help book on overthinking)
At my mid-year check-in, I decided I wanted to increase my nonfiction count, but I clearly failed on that front, not even beginning another nonfiction title for the rest of 2022. I will aim to do better this year. I especially need to read more writing craft books. This year, I am partnering with a friend from my bible study to launch a book club for our church. Nonfiction books make up the majority of my friend’s go-to reads, while I’m (obviously) a fiction girl. So we plan to lead our book club with a 50-50 split between fiction and nonfiction. I’m excited because it will challenge me to read more nonfiction, especially of the spiritual growth variety.
One thing I’ve been attempting to get better about is writing reviews of the books I read. I know reviews are one of the best ways to support authors I read, but I’ve always been intimidated by writing them. I feel like my paltry review won’t do the book justice. But participating in several reader/writer groups, I’ve been convicted that putting something out there is better than nothing, and I really do want to give back to the writers whose stories bring me so much joy.
I did start writing a few reviews on my blog this year, but I am determined to write reviews on Amazon and Goodreads in 2023, too. I find it incredibly difficult to rate books, as I feel each story is so subjective and how I feel about it depends on my mood when I read it. But there are a few books this past year that I adored, so without further adieu, here are my top 10 from 2022:
Your turn. Did you set any reading goals last year and how did you do? How many books did you read in 2022? What are your reading goals for 2023?