What I am Reading in 2023
Last year, in 2022, I set out to read 72 books. It was a tough challenge. One I am likely not up for in 2023 (that dissertation won’t write itself). However, I want to continue to make reading a habit of my downtime rather than letting social media or television dominate my life. We still watch tv and you can still catch me on social media from time to time, but my presence and time spent in those places are slowly dwindling through the years—and I feel good about that.
Make sure to follow me on Twitter and Instagram and Goodreads to keep up with my journey. I’ll try to keep an updated list here while I make my way through. Reading requires us to be still, rest, and take time to enjoy big and small stories. Join me in making reading a habit in 2023.
★
Did not like it
★★
It was ok
★★★
Liked it
★★★★
Really liked it
★★★★★
It was amazing!
January 2023
★★★★½
Expertly written.
Concise, precise, brilliant.
This short book is simultaneously too short and just long enough.
★★★½
Felt predictable, until it was not.
Am I now suspicious of my wife? Is she who she says she is? I don’t know. You tell me.
★★★
Something of which we are all both aware and unaware.
A helpful framework for moving forward.
★★★★
I think more about the trees around me now—I think more about caring for them.
God created us for stillness and growth.
★★★½
Well written, but I kept losing steam—didn’t find myself rushing to get back to it.
The twists and turns were more like curves and yields.
February 2023
★★★★
Terrifyingly chilling.
Fast paced and unrelenting.
I no longer want to visit Australia—with or without my family!
★★★
Dark spin on Peter Pan
A coming of age story—or an age is coming for you story
Growing up and growing old are note the same thing.
★★★★½
Genre-defying
Spooky, yet grounded—historical and high concept
I found myself rooting for characters on all sides
★★★★
An excellent memoir that introduces grief alongside culture
Bare and brutal
Tender and relatable
March 2023
★★★★
As a non-gamer, I didn’t expect to like this book—but I did in the end.
It was hard to stay focused until the last half.
Complex and developing characters—a winding narrative.
★★★½
Historical fiction that teaches you something while you read a story.
Possibly hard read for mothers.
This was a BOTM book.
April 2023
★★★★
“A house on a cliff” felt cliche, but it won me over in the end.
It’s when Hepworth starts to fill in the gaps of the story that you realize just how big they were to begin with.
★★★★½
A completely original format—you may love it or hate it.
Hallett keeps you guessing until the final pages.
Email is forever.
May 2023
★★★★½
Fascinating historical fiction about Cod War communist Romania.
Learning the cost of freedom.
Citizen-spy thriller.
June 2023
★★½
Great concept. Poor execution.
Predictable at times.
Bought on a whim at the airport.
July 2023
★★★★½
I read this after watching “Silo” on Apple TV.
The show is accurate, and may actually develop its characters better.
I love that Howey self-published this in small installments before landing a publisher.
August 2023
★★★★
A sweeping love story that is as beautiful as it is absolutely bizarre.
Give the premise a chance.
A great debut.
★★★★
This is a book that will challenge you—especially if you grew up in an evangelical household.
Left me pondering.
People don’t like Christians not because of their beliefs, but because so often, it seems like they don’t believe what they say they do.
SEptember 2023
★★★½
I wanted to learn if Musk is really as outlandish as he seems.
He is.
He is a hurt person that’s not quite over hurting.
October 2023
November 2023
December 2023
Highly Recommended
