In 2023 I exceeded my reading challenge! I read 23 out of 20 books. That’s 5 more books than in 2022 and I had maintained the same amount of books for the challenge. I read 8 out of 20 books from the original reading list. I read 8 books that were unlisted. And I reread 7 books that I’ve read before. Below is the list I announced back in January 2023 with the books I read in bold & struck out.
| Title | Author | Genre |
| Solitude: A Return to the Self | Anthony Storr | Psychology Non-Fiction |
| Float Plan | Trish Doller | Romance |
| Soulswift | Megan Bannen | Young Adult |
| Bridge to Terabithia | Katherine Paterson | Children’s |
| Crazy Rich Asians | Kevin Kwan | Adult Fiction |
| Skellig | David Almond | Children’s |
| On China | Henry Kissinger | Non-Fiction |
| Grieving: How to Go on Living When Someone You Love Dies | Therese A. Rando, Ph.D. | Psychology Non-Fiction |
| Now I Rise | Kiersten White | Young Adult |
| Six Crimson Cranes | Elizabeth Lim | Young Adult |
| The Cruel Prince | Holly Black | Young Adult |
| Neverwhere | Neil Gaiman | Adult Fiction |
And here are the books that I read that were not on the original list.
| Title | Author | Genre |
| How to be Eaten | Maria Adelmann | Adult Fiction |
| The Five People You meet in Heaven | Mitch Albom | Adult Fiction |
| Six of Crows | Leigh Bardugo | Young Adult |
| Crooked Kingdom | Leigh Bardugo | Young Adult |
| Lessons in Chemistry | Bonnie Garmus | Adult Fiction |
| Weyward | Emilia Hart | Adult Fiction |
| The Dovekeepers | Alice Hoffman | Young Adult |
| A Thousand Nights | E.K. Johnston | Young Adult |
| Throne of Glass | Sarah J. Maas | Young Adult |
| Crown of Midnight | Sarah J. Maas | Young Adult |
| Heir of Fire | Sarah J. Maas | Young Adult |
| Queen of Shadows | Sarah J. Maas | Young Adult |
| Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art | James Nestor | Non-Fiction |
| Samhain: Rituals, Recipes, & Lore for Halloween | Diana Rajchel | Non-Fiction |
| The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo | Taylor Jenkins Reid | Adult Fiction |
My favorite book from the reading challenge was Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins. This is the second book I’ve read by Robbins and he is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors of all time. His stories are so ludicrous! And Jitterbug Perfume is no exception. The book was a slow burn at the beginning with five significantly separate storylines, and you’re wondering what any of these characters have to do with one another. But the thing about Robbins is his mastery of storytelling. By the end of the book, all the storylines were woven together, culminating in a joyful climax where you think, “Ah ha!”. Everything tied perfectly together.
On top of amazing language skill, Robbins has generally positive themes in his books even though he tackles tough, divisive subjects such as religion, spirituality, sexual relationships, and women’s rights. Like Skinny Legs & All (the first book I read by Robbins), Jitterbug Perfume is about love and how powerful it is. It’s about breath work and what it means to live forever. And it’s written in a wonderfully enlightening manner that left me feeling better about myself and about humanity. It was inspirational. It makes me think about the world differently now, after reading it. Thank you, Tom Robbins, for sharing this story.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid was a very close second favorite. It was an easy read. More than a few times, I found myself crying at how emotional the book was. This is the first book I’ve read that significantly touched on gay-themes, rather than just having gay characters, and it did an outstanding job at describing how society viewed and continues to view people of atypical sexuality. Furthermore, the theme of assisted-suicide was striking and I’ve never read a story that has attempted that topic. I think the author did an outstanding job and there’s a clear reason why it’s a best-seller!
My least favorite book this year was The Frost Easter by Carol Beth Anderson. It was an interesting premise of a story with a cool magic-system. But it read like a first-time book to me. The characters felt shallow and their “voices” were flat. I didn’t feel like I got to know them very well, nor that I wanted to get to know them. And the twist at the end of the book was fairly predictable. So it was not for me. But seeing as it has received a sequel, Anderson must be doing something right. However, I will abstain from reading any more books by her.
Lastly here is the link to the Goodreads version of my reading challenge review. Thank you for reading! On to the next list!
Lily K Borak 