- I ultimately finished 47 books in 2023, a number which was better than what I’ve come to expect and fairly close to what I’d hoped for.
- The list of books seemed very American until I started looking into the particulars. A surprising number of the authors were from other countries. There were A.A. Milne (British), Mary Stewart (British), Kenneth Grahame (British), Heather Fawcett (Canadian), Jonathan Stroud (British), Margery Sharp (British), William Corlett (British), Margaret Mahy (from New Zealand), Amal El-Mohtar (Canadian), Lynne Reid Banks (British), and Salman Rushdie (Indian-born British-American). One book was translated– Comet in Moominland by Tove Jannson (Swedish-speaking Finnish)–making the list feel even more multinational. I didn’t read any books in French, though, which is sad. I have quite a few unread ones, and I will try to read at least a couple in 2024.
- Only one book was nonfiction (How to Write One Song by Jeff Tweedy). As I said last year after reading just one nonfiction book, “Lackluster. I can do better.”
- I did not finish the list of Top 100 Children’s Books, but as of the end of 2023 there were only 7 left. I have since finished one more and am in the middle of another. I would be very surprised if I don’t finish the list in 2024.
- I finished only one book of poetry (Musical Tables by Billy Collins). I forgot that I was supposed to read a poem per day. Oops.
- 28 of the books got A-level grades. There were too many memorable ones for me to be able to pick a favorite.
- Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls was the only book I graded lower than B-, and it was definitely my least favorite for the year. Because it was on the list of Top 100 Children’s Books, I had to read it, and though I didn’t enjoy it, I’m glad to have it crossed off the list.
- I read seven books with the word “Magician” in the title/subtitle. That was totally deliberate and led me to read a few books I wouldn’t have otherwise, which was all for the good.
- I wish I’d written more book reviews. It would be great if I could manage to write at least a few lines about each book that I finish in 2024.
April 2024 S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Random Quote
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