My big, hairy, audacious reading goal for SOME DAY is to read 365 books in a year – one book a day! It has always felt like something that would happen later in life after kids and retirement. When setting goals, I want to make them somewhat realistic for the current time in my life.
So … my reading goal for 2023 is set to 250 books with a focus on reading more books from my personal library, because let’s be honest, owning over 600 books I haven’t read is getting a little overwhelming.
But something interesting and unplanned happened in January. I read 31 books! One book for every day of the month. Of course, I set my own rules which means this includes physical books, audio books, kindle books, shorter books, poetry, YA, etc.
The shortest book I read was 60 pages and it was more of a devotional that I found in the old classics my grandma handed down to me. The second shortest was 77 pages and it was poetry.
The longest book I read was 710 pages (Court by Tracy Wolff) but I started in 2022 on my kindle and finished it via audiobook. The runner-up was 667 pages, the classic The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky, which I listened to. I’m not sure I fully understood what was going on and it was definitely intense classical reading.
I never expected I would read 31 books in one month – a new record. And I definitely don’t feel like it’s sustainable for the rest of the year. However, I will keep pushing and trying to increase my reading in whatever shape or form I can find it.
A complete list of books read in January are below, but the top contenders for the month are:
- Lvoe by Atticus (poetry)
- Something Wilder by Christina Luren
- Every Summer After by Carley Fortune
- Tell Me Lies by Carola Lovering
- Brighter By The Day by Robin Roberts
- Things We Do in the Dark by Jennifer Hillier
And, a little selfish promotion, if you haven’t had a chance to pick up a copy of Samantha by W.B. Ford then now is the chance! It’s the perfect spicy read for February to keep you warm this winter.
BOOKS READ IN JANUARY:
| Winter Solstice | Elin Hilderbrand |
| Lvoe | Atticus |
| Pet Sematary | Stephen King |
| Ambush | James Patterson |
| Old Babes in the Woods | Margaret Atwood |
| James Herriot’s Favorite Dog Stories | James Herriot |
| Scarlet | Marissa Meyer |
| Something Wilder | Christina Lauren |
| Bookish People | Susan Cole |
| Every Summer After | Carley Fortune |
| Samantha | W. B. Ford |
| When We Were Bright and Beautiful | Jillian Medoff |
| The Idiot | Fyodor Dostoevsky |
| Nobody Puts Romcoms In The Corner | Kathryn Freeman |
| You’re Invited | Amanda Jayatissa |
| One Italian Summer | Rebecca Searle |
| The White Robin | Miss Read |
| Things We Do In the Dark | Jennifer Hillier |
| Tell Me Lies | Carola Lovering |
| I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes | Hallmark |
| Tombstone | Jane Eppinga |
| Iced | Carol Higgins Clark |
| A Time for Mercy | John Grisham |
| Songs I Could Never Sing | Jeff Goins |
| Court | Tracy Wolff |
| Brighter by the Day | Robin Roberts |
| Salvation in Death | J.D. Robb |
| The Littlest Library | Poppy Alexander |
| Diana, William, and Harry | James Patterson |
| Long Live the Pumpkin Queen | Shea Ernshaw |
| Mermaid of Sicily | Jincey Lumpkin |
What were you favorite reads for 2023? Want a full review of a specific book? Comment below and I’ll send you my full thoughts.
Also, if you don’t already, follow me on Instagram and Facebook for more news and behind the scenes updates.
Happy reading, friends! <3
LAUREN (LT, Elle Tea)
Also published on Medium.