The last few years I’ve been setting reading goals for myself. These goals started relatively ‘small’ compared to where I am now, but it’s so cool to see that making a small change can lead to huge growth. My initial goal was to replace screen time on my phone or tv with reading instead. Here are the reading goals I have set over the last few years:

2020 – Goal: 12 books, I read 13

2021 – Goal: 20 books, I read 21

2022 – Goal: 24 books, I read 34

2023 – Goal: 52 books, I read 68

68 Books in One YEAR?!

I totally understand that 68 books in a year seems really crazy and that may not be for everyone. But I do think it’s a worthy goal to sacrifice some screen time and try to focus on something that is less dopamine addicting. There are countless benefits to reading. It is said to increase empathy, increase ability to focus and to grasp complex ideas. Increasing attention span was a big reason I made reading a priority. 

This year marked a significant change in my reading genres. It was the year I gave fantasy a try. My best friend is an avid reader and has been reading fantasy for years and I FINALLY gave in and tried it. I honestly can’t believe I enjoyed it. No, more than enjoyed it… I loved it! I was never into Twilight, Harry Potter, or Lord of the Rings growing up and I just thought that wasn’t my style. But after starting 3 different fantasy series, I have to say, I’m in. I started 3 fantasy series this year, and I’m not stopping. 

Without further adieu, here are my top books from 2023 (not in any particular order)

1. A Court of Thorns & Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Okay starting out with the fantasy series that changed everything for me! I was initially worried that I would have a hard time grasping the rules and realities of a made up world, but I was so wrong. Feyre kills a wolf in the woods and a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. She’s dragged into a magical land and everything that she thought she once knew about the Fae is seen through a different lens. As she experiences the Fae world for herself, she discovers there’s so much more to the folklore than she grew up knowing. 

The first part of the book is a *tad* slow (at least compared to the rest of the series), but in no time you will be in love with the characters and the cliffhanger at the end will have you grabbing for the next book. This book wasn’t even the best of the series, it only gets better as the series goes on. Highly recommend giving it a try!

2. Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

Any time the title of this book was spoken, it was always paired with people saying it was an incredible must read. And after putting it off for years, I finally read it because the movie was coming out and I wanted to read it before watching the movie. It did not disappoint! Told through a love story between Michael Hosea and a prostitute Angel, the story illustrates God’s unrelenting love towards us. Incredible, heart wrenching, gripping. This story is one you won’t soon forget. It’s a classic everyone should read!

3. The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams

For every 700-1000 page fantasy book I read this year, I’d like to throw in a quick and easy book. Most of my ‘quick and easy’ choices were romance novels. After reading a more involved long book, it’s refreshing to read something that’s fast paced and lighter. I don’t like too much spice when it comes to romance, so sometimes that’s hard to find, but I didn’t think this one was too spicy. 

My review on Goodreads after reading this book was “Honestly one of the cutest romances I’ve ever read. Loved the characters. Quick, easy, fun, clean read.” So if you’re looking for something that you can cruise through quickly, this would be a good choice! I’ve read a handful of Sarah Adam’s books and have enjoyed them all!

4. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

I swear this is the book of the year. It was so hyped up, I didn’t even read the synopsis of the book before I started it. A few pages in I was like, ‘oh, this is going to have dragons in it.’ Don’t let the dragons scare you off! This is not only a top book of the year for me, but it’s in the top 5 books I’ve ever read. 

It’s about a war college where a certain sector of the college is designated for ‘riders’. These riders train and are paired with dragons for battle. The main character Violet Sorrengail was supposed to join the scribe quadrant and live her life among books and history and instead finds herself thrust into the riders quadrant, which is the most elite of all the quadrants. 

She fights to defy death every day, she needs every advantage to stay alive and graduate. Along the way she discovers leadership is hiding a terrible secret and she can’t sit back and do nothing. It’s a gripping story of life and death and friends and enemies that will keep you on the edge of your seat and leave you wanting more. 

5. WayMaker: Finding the Way to the Life You’ve Always Dreamed Of by Ann Voskamp

Oftentimes, I think people rate non fiction books highly, especially religious or self help, because of how the book met them at a certain time in their life. And I definitely think that was part of it for me and this book. However, Anne Voskamp is an incredibly poetic writer. She weaves extraordinary words and scripture into beautiful stories that just hits you more deeply than most religious non fiction. 

“You can’t waste your days waiting until things are painless to finally be joyful. You have to find a way to believe: Love lives at peace with pain, and the two will never divorce. Because to love is to be tender enough to know suffering, to be vulnerable enough to know hurt, and the only way to divorce your way from any pain is to divorce yourself from any love. The way to love always knows roads of pain – because there is no other way to ever know love.” 

This book was balm for my weary soul. I did go on to read a couple of her other books and they were all excellent. So even though I think the timing of the book had something to do with my high rating, I rated all the books I’ve read of hers highly because she’s an incredible writer. 

Thanks for checking out what I’ve read this year! I hope it encourages you to start (or continue) your own reading journey. If you need more book recommendations, you can check out my Goodreads profile and see all the books I’ve rated over the years. 

Here is my blog post of my favorites for 2022. 

Disclaimer: I like to read a variety of books. Just because I read a book, does not mean I agree with all its contents.