Hello everyone,
It is time for a rather belated first Goodreads Challenge update of the year, and I have to admit that the outlook is not looking so good!
In the past few years I have been very good at being on track to reach my target, but I had lower expectations for 2023 and those are being borne out. I set myself the same target as last year, which was 55 books, and so far I have only managed 15, which according to Goodreads is three behind schedule.
I am lucky that it is not worse than that. The signs were there towards the end of 2022 that I was finding less and less time for reading, and I knew that reading a similar number this time around would be a difficult ask.
The problem is that although I really want to read (and I have the bustling TBR to prove it!), I just find myself too busy a lot of the time. Occasionally I procrastinate by doing other things, and for one reason or another I do not prioritise reading quite as much as I used to. Maybe I need to make a kind of book nook in my flat or something…Anyway, the most time I get for reading now is when I am travelling/commuting. I have lacked the motivation to listen to audiobooks lately too.
On the bright side, I am only three books behind schedule and there is still plenty of time left in the year to put things right. Time will remain a precious commodity, but as we are now approaching the summer, that should in theory give me more opportunity to focus on reading rather than other competing interests.
As for the types of books I have read so far, at the beginning of 2023 I had a real mystery phase, with some intense young adult titles mixed in with more complex ones aimed towards adults. However, I have maintained a healthy variety, with forays into Greek myth retellings, immersive fantasy, literary fiction, and books with atmospheric, Gothic vibes.
I had very high hopes for the books I was set to read this year as many of them were hotly anticipated and towards the top of my TBR, and for the most part they have delivered. I have awarded some high ratings this year, including two five-star reads in quick succession – Hope To Die by Cara Hunter and The Whistling by Rebecca Netley.
Several others have also come close to achieving the maximum rating, such as The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson, Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong, and Heart Of The Sun Warrior by Sue Lynn Tan. All of those are books which form part of series, and they seem to be accounting for an increasing number of the books I read.
I have so many books that I want to get to this year that it will be impossible to get through them all. My two current reads – halfway through in both – are The Bronzed Beasts by Roshani Chokshi and If Tomorrow Doesn’t Come by Jen St. Jude. As for my immediately upcoming reads, I would like to press on with the remainder of the Truly Devious series, then get to titles such as Five Survive by Holly Jackson, The Shape Of Darkness by Laura Purcell, and The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar.
So all in all, lots of reading (hopefully!) coming up for when I post my next update towards the end of summer.
Let’s Chat
Are you taking part in the Goodreads Challenge this year? How are getting on so far? Let me know in the comments!
Stephen Reads Books 