In 2022, I read 75 books and thought of it as a “reading renaissance.” This year I’ve read 78 (with one more that I’ve almost finished). Holy…moly…
Let’s break it down. CHART TIME!
I learned a lot, especially about relationships between characters. I’ll be honest with y’all, a lot of the time I just skim over the spicy stuff in romance novels. What I’m really reading romance novels for is the tension, chemistry, and showing emotions. Sometimes the spice is just…spice. Sometimes it’s a development between the two characters on an emotional level. I don’t need the spice, I need the emotional connections. A lot of times, the best parts of the books for me is when a character finally admits to their feelings, whether that’s romantic feelings, fear based in trauma, or just a realization of what they actually want.
My reading this year was definitely a reset for me. I was reading purely for enjoyment again. I’ve learned a lot about my tastes and what I look for in not only a plot but in a writing style as well.
Most importantly, this reading year reminded me that I can write something just as good if not better than a lot of what I was reading. My change in genres in the past couple of years has given me a lot of inspiration toward writing a more modern contemporary novel.
I’m thinking of setting it in a college setting and centering it around relationships and self-discovery. Think Normal People by Sally Rooney, Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, Solitaire by Alice Oseman and The Deal by Elle Kennedy. Right now it touches on the weird dichotomy in college of being treated like both a child and an adult, feelings of depression and anxiety, and feeling behind in life – but also, the freedom, fun, and thrill of finding yourself as a person.
One of the big barriers I found about my own reading is that of physical books. I don’t know why a book tends to go so much faster as a digital version on my e-reader, but I flew through 500+ page books like they were nothing. A lot of that I’m sure is the writing style.
In 2024, I want to read a few more books off of my physical TBR pile. I won’t make any goals about that, since reading even just a few will be helpful. As far as my overall reading goal…I still think these past couple of years have been a bit of a fluke. I’ll stick to my 1-2 books per month and settle for “24 in 2024.”
How’d your reading go in 2023? Any lessons you can take away from it? What is your reading goal for 2024?
Happy Reading!
Rachel
Subtle Stories 