The End of the Year Book Tag 2023

Hello, everyone! I can’t believe it’s already coming up on the end of the year — where have the months gone? Whatever the case, I’m glad for the impending reset. It feels about time for one of those. Since I think fresh starts are best primed with some time spent tying things up and getting some of it in order, I think an end-of-the-year book tag is a good thing to get to!

Are there any books you started this year that you need to finish?

Although Bunny left me a bit befuddled and with mixed feelings, I found Mona Awad’s dizzying, feverish prose a little addictive. This paired with some favorable reviews and recommendations, I decided to pick up All’s Well as one of my first (if not my very first) reads of the year. Since then, I’ve consumed 68% of it in several spurts but have gotten no further than that.

Allow me to clarify that it has nothing to do with the book that 2023 is very close to ending and I still haven’t finished it. It’s solely because I only have a digital copy of this book and since purchasing a Kindle last year, I’ve found that I enjoy the reading experience far more with a physical book. I retain the story better and have an easier time getting into it when I have my hands on paper rather than a device. Because of that, All’s Well still patiently waits for me to get back to it. And I will! I just don’t know when yet. Hopefully sooner than not…

Do you have a seasonal book to transition into the end of the year with?

This is actually an interesting question because of all the seasons, winter is probably the one that I base my reading around the least. Autumn is the most for sure, summer next, and though I sometimes have a harder time finding spring reads, I’ve never much prioritized winter reads at all. I’ve not really ever picked up a Christmas-themed piece of fiction that wasn’t a movie. That being said, I’ve waited all autumn to finally pick up some of the folklore and fairy tale collections I have because–for the first time–I’ve actually saved something for winter. So, yes, I suppose I hope to pick up one of these collections before the year is out. (And if I do, I’ll make sure to update once I’ve finished!)

Is there a new release you’re still waiting for?

Although 2022 was my most packed year for reading, I’ve found my book-centered focus this year on new releases more than the number of books I plan on consuming. Because of that, I’ve made a point of being more aware of new releases than I have before–so I do indeed have a few more I’m anticipating (two of these are recent 2023 releases, and the other two are projected for early 2024).

Are there any books you want to read before the end of the year?

Back in my Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag, I listed:

The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson & the Olympians, #5) by Rick Riordan
Mister Impossible (Dreamer Trilogy, #2) by Maggie Stiefvater
Greywaren (Dreamer Trilogy, #3) by Maggie Stiefvater
King of Scars (King of Scars, #1) by Leigh Bardugo
anything by Donna Tartt

Of these, I’ve finished The Last Olympian and Mister Impossible. Additionally, I’ve started Greywaren as well as The Secret History by Donna Tartt though I have yet to finish either of them. I’m no longer prioritizing King of Scars for this year although I definitely hope to get to it eventually. Based on this list, I’m hoping to finish The Secret History and perhaps Greywaren (which I’ve been procrastinating big time because I can’t bear to say goodbye to that universe).

Is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favorite book of the year?

If I get the chance to finish The Secret History before the end of this month, then I think it’s the best contender I’ve seen in a while. I’ve only read the first chapter (which is probably more than it sounds at nearly fifty pages) but even with that little taste, I can tell it’s something I’m going to love. Already I love it, even with only that!

Have you already started making reading plans for 2024?

In short, no.

In long (is that a thing that is said?), I’ve spent a great deal of time this year introspecting and pondering, particularly in regards to my reading habits. As I’ve mentioned quite a few times in my posts during the last few months, I’ve been changing the “why” for the media I consume.

When I started this blog at the beginning of 2022, I came into it intending to garner a more critical eye for the books I consumed. I wanted to pull books apart and see what made them tick — or what kept them from doing so. To some degree, I think I accomplished this goal, at least to my own personal standard. However, in completing that, I didn’t find the sort of satisfaction I sought. Inversely, I lost my passion for reading almost altogether. This floundering bled into the rest of my life too. All around, I started losing myself more and more.

So this year I decided to stop reviewing books for a while. I picked up books I wanted to, not books I thought I should. Not books I thought I could write an article about or books I hoped to find the bad in. I picked up the books I missed out on when I was a kid, and I picked up the ones that I knew would make me smile. And instead of picking things apart, I let myself laugh and cry and remember what really made me love reading in the first place. I shed the conscious decision I made to critique.

Art isn’t made to be critiqued, after all. It’s meant to be experienced. To be felt, and loved before anything else. Not to have the soul sucked out of it or to be endlessly poked and prodded.

In saying that, though, I believe there is still plenty of space to study and cogitate. There’s nothing inherently wrong with critiquing–I still plan to do a bit of that because it will help me sharpen my own creative skills in any art I hope to output myself. But I don’t think that should ever trump the heart of it. Not for me, at least. I’m finding that I need to strike that balance.

Anyway, please pardon the hokey drifting! These sorts of wrap-ups and overviews have a way of making me sentimental, especially end-of-year ones. That’s something I’m glad for, honestly. I know for me it’s very important to dedicate a fair bit of time to this sort of introspection. I’m nothing if not a little bit of a hedonist for the occasional navel-gazing.

So, with all of that said, the year isn’t over just yet! I know I’m still going to spend some time getting my ducks in a row for a hopefully seamless transition into the new year. This has been a very interesting year for me that, really, I’m looking forward to moving on from. I’m going to try to tie it off well!

Have you read any of the books mentioned in this post? Did you enjoy them? Why, or why not? Tags have sort of lost their meaning nowadays (seeing as the “tag” part is pretty much nonexistent now) but if you see this, consider yourself tagged! I’d love to see your posts and/or hear your thoughts in the comments below. 🙂

[DISCLAIMER: Several photos in this post are paired with Amazon affiliate links, meaning I’d earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. Thank you for your support!]

1 thought on “The End of the Year Book Tag 2023”

Setting Reading Goals for the First Time in 2024 – Little Bit of All That December 19, 202310:08 am Reply

[…] I mentioned in my End of the Year Book Tag, I found that in 2023 I pretty desperately needed to slow down and learn to appreciate books again. […]

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