Quarterly Reading Roundup: Winter 2023
One of my 2023 goals is to read 24 books. My reading took a nosedive in 2022 and so I wanted to give myself a number to strive for in the new year. A realistic number. 24 books a year comes to 2 books a month, which is typically how many I get through, given the length of the book, of course.
But when I looked back to see what books I’d include in this quarterly reading roundup, it surprised me to find that I’m already exceeding my expectations. I’ll cover briefly why I think that is later in this post, but for now, here are the books I’ve read from January through March 2023.
Book #1: Do It Scared by Ruth Soukup
I’m always on the lookout for personal growth books because it’s something I feel we should all strive for. This one encourages readers to go after their goals even if they’re scared. Uncertainty and failure is the killer of most dreams, but Soukup talks about how fear can actually help you in these cases. If you’ve been meaning to want to try something new but feel scared, give this book a read.
Book #2: The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker
One of my favorite horror movies is Hellraiser and Barker was one of the best creators in this genre. He inspired many modern-day directors and is credited for creating the “body horror” subgenre. Nightbreed is another personal favorite and is also based on something he wrote. The Hellbound Heart is the novella Hellraiser is based on. And although some things were changed, like Kirsty’s role, it’s a testament to Barker’s skills as a writer and a director.
Book #3: I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
I’m not one to read books that every single person is talking about. The few times I’ve done that, the hype didn’t hold up to the book. So I waited and when my library finally had a copy in, I read this incredible memoir. When you read McCurdy’s story, you can’t help but get frustrated, and she presents it in such a straightforward, unapologetic way. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can say the hype is worth it.
Book #4: Write the Damn Book Already by Elizabeth Lyons
I love Lyons and her no-bullshit approach to writing. Her Instagram is filled with hilarious and relatable posts about writing and her book coaching clients cannot say enough good things about her. In this book, she presents every excuse in the book about what keeps us from writing and she squashes them by providing simple and practical strategies to get your fingers on the keyboard or your pen moving on the paper. Though it’s catered to nonfiction writers and memoirists, fiction writers can learn just as much from the wisdom she shares.
Book #5: The Bullet Journal Method by Ryder Carroll
This was my first re-read of the year and I wanted to touch base with the foundations of the practice. I’ve been bullet journaling on and off since 2017 and every so often I enjoy going back to the creator’s book to remember why this method works the way it does. And while the way I plan varies, depending on the season I’m in, bullet journaling remains the one practice that allows me total flexibility and intentionality.
Book #6: Nowhere for Very Long by Brianna Madia
My memoir coach mentioned this book in one of our early planning sessions and I also started following the author after she did a sponsored post for reMarkable. I was floored by her courage to follow her own path and by the perseverance she showed through some terrible times. Recently, the author revealed she has finally ended a stalking case that was going on for about two years. She’s also working on her next book, which I look forward to reading.
Book #7: The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy
I first heard about this book through a productivity coach I follow on Instagram and I promptly added it to my reading list. Last Christmas, someone gifted it to me and I finally cracked it open. It’s a short and quick read that teaches you the “Compound Effect,” which can work for you or against you. It depends on how you apply it to your life. It reminded me of James Clear’s Atomic Habits where he talks about “habit stacking.” Though the ideas are quite similar, I love hearing from different perspectives since they often offer new views and ways to approach goals, which this book did for me.
Book #8: Make Time by Jake Knapp & John Zeratsky
This was my second re-read of the year. Though I’ve been working from home for almost 3 years, I still slip into traps that limit my productivity. This book, written by two tech moguls, provides over 80 ways to eliminate distractions and improve your focus so you can get done what matters most. They include personal stories about how they use certain methods themselves and have since created an online course that expands on these strategies further.
Book #9: Heavy by Kiese Laymon
This is another book my memoir coach talked about during one of our earlier sessions. I remember seeing the title in bookstores, but not hearing many people talk about it. But once my coach mentioned that the structure of my memoir is similar to this one, I had to read it, and I’m glad I did. Laymon’s writing is transformative. His sentences are so beautiful, you can’t help but go back and read them again. Even though he’s writing about traumatic moments, the lyrical flow of his writing wraps around you and doesn’t let go until the last page.
Book #10: Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now by Jaron Lanier
If you’ve followed me for a while now, you know how I feel about social media. I first heard about this author and book on Netflix’s The Social Dilemma and have been wanting to read it for a while. It did not disappoint. Lanier takes what he mentions in the documentary and expands on it, making it super clear that these platforms are not here for us. And while they are helpful tools for certain people, adapting our lives to what they demand of us is only giving the platforms more power, and that power has already caused political polarization, lynching, suicides, and more. And though I’ll keep Instagram and LinkedIn, my boundaries around them have grown way more strict since reading this book because I’m tired of pandering to algorithms that are built to manipulate my behavior.
Book #11: Two Weeks Notice by Amy Porterfield
I finished this book while writing this post and had to include it. I’ve followed Porterfield for a while and am even a student of her List Builders Society course. This book is all of her best methods rolled into one. She walks you through the exact steps she did when leaving her job to start and grow her own multi-million dollar online business. Relatable, personable, and informative, Porterfield is someone whose light can show you the way, if you let it.
We’re about to enter Q2 and I’m almost halfway through my goal. Why is this? Read on to hear my hypothesis.
I used to track my reading, first by setting up a Goodreads Challenge every year. To be honest, I always felt awful when I fell behind and the site would remind me of that. I’d read faster, hoping to catch up, but then I’d feel like I missed out on the excitement of the book.
About two years ago, I started using an app called Bookly to track my reading. As I was about to read, I’d start a timer, which would calculate my reading percentage, how much longer it’d take me to finish the book, and average my page count.
While I enjoyed looking at those statistics, it made reading at random times difficult because if I didn’t have my phone on me, I couldn’t set the timer. That meant I needed to put it in manually and often I couldn’t remember how long I read for and my analytics would get messed up.
This year I opted not to use the tracker anymore and simply use the app to keep a record of all the books I read. And since January 1, I’ve been reading in a more pleasurable way. I can pick up a book during any free time and not worry about tracking my reading time. If I don’t read one day and break my streak, I don’t feel awful. And I’m reading more books than I ever have in a certain amount of time.
That’s what I hope you take away from this post. If you find yourself falling into a reading rut, ask yourself: Am I tracking my reading in a way that feels too scientific? What if I stopped tracking it all and just read for pleasure? Trust me, not tracking something can remind you why you enjoy the activity in the first place.
How do you track your reading? Do you aim to read too many books each year? Could you try not tracking your reading and see what happens?
