If you’re new here then welcome, if not, welcome back. Last year, 2022, was a busy, chaotic, rewarding year. I undertook new challenges and filled my days with work that enriched me. I didn’t read as many books as I was planning on at the beginning of the year, but I wasn’t planning on having such a busy year.
I finished a total of 28 books in 2022, which I am really happy with considering I was doing my work for World History Encyclopedia, tutoring at a university and volunteering at a museum towards the end of the year. I will never be one of those people who read 100 + books in a year, but I’m okay with that.
2022 Reading stats
Out of the 28 books I read last year, 17 of them were physical (so either hardback or paperback), 3 of them were e-books and 9 were audiobooks. I had an average rating of 4.13 / 5 which tells me I made some good reading decisions last year, and I finally got to some books I have been meaning to read for a long time (The Hobbit, The Fellowship of the Ring, Mythos, If We Were Villains). My most read genre of the year, unsurprisingly, was fantasy, and my favourite read of the year were House with the Golden Door by Elodie Harper, Vicious by V. E. Schwab, and If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio. That being said, the non-fiction I read River Kings by Cat Jarman and Queens of Jerusalem by Katherine Pangonis were both really wonderful books, considering they were outside of my comfort zone I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed them! I also loved diving into The Story of Tutankhamun by Gary Shaw, in celebration of the hundred year anniversary of the discovery of the boy king’s tomb.
2023 reading goals
This year I am going back to university to do my masters in archaeology, and I will be juggling multiple jobs and volunteering commitments so I’m not going to pretend as if I am going to have ample free time to read. I am looking forward to being a student again, although wracked with nerves at the same time! However, I would like to make a conscious decision this year to read rather than watch TV. I would like to keep working my way slowly through my physical tbr, and only purchase a select few anticipated releases (such as The Temple of Fortuna by Elodie Harper and Atalanta by Jennifer Saint).
I have already finished a book this year, The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty, and I am looking forward to finishing the series, as well as finishing The Lord of the Rings trilogy in audiobooks, and Heroes by Stephen Fry that I am in the midst of reading at the moment. I would like to finally read Elektra by Jennifer Saint (considering Ariadne was one of my favourite reads of 2021 I’m not sure why it’s taking me so long to pick this one up), and honestly, I’m looking forward to seeing where my mood reading takes me.
What are your goals for 2023, reading to otherwise? I would love to hear them!