I prioritized reading again last year – and I can definitely say it’s a habit that’s carried itself firmly into 2023. When I was in school, reading and shopping were my main hobbies. Shopping is harder to maintain alongside a healthy bank account and trying to lessen the amount of items I own, so reading won out over shopping. Combining audiobooks and regular books, I “read” 133 books in the last calendar year. I kept track as I went in my planner (December pictured below), which is the only way I could possibly keep track. Writing this post has been eye opening actually, because there are multiple titles I just absolutely remember nothing about. As you’ll see, I mostly stick to a few genres – fiction, parenting, self-help, psychological thriller/mystery, and autobiography, but there are a few that don’t fit in any of those categories as well.

This is not the same as really, truly reading 133 books with my eyeballs but I am no less pleased with my ear reading. This would cost a small fortune if I was shelling out cold hard cash for each tome, and would directly oppose any attempt at bringing in fewer items, so the next point upon which I’ll touch is the HOW. I present to you, the modern library card.

I’m not sure where it was I initially learned that audiobooks and ebooks could be checked out from libraries, but it was a game changer for me. I harassed everyone in my inner circle (but who also lived in other cities than I did) until they got me a library card for their local library as well, so I had access to alllll the books I possibly could. Eric, not naming names here but this was supposed to be my birthday gift many birthdays ago…and one day I will be a very happy birthday girl with one more card to my (your) name.

Much like our brick and mortar libraries, digital libraries allow you to borrow books for a set amount of time (you can even put items on hold if they’re not currently available) and are then returned once your borrow period is up (up to 21 days). “Overdrive” is the app I use to plug in my library card info, but I hear that one is going away and will be replaced by an app called “Libby”. That app name doesn’t inspire me quite as much so they can rip my precious Overdrive app from my stubborn fingers as soon as they’re ready, but their (so far) empty threats don’t scare me.

Let’s get down to the books. If it was a no for me dog, you’ll know. Otherwise, would recommend.

January:

• Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty
• Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham
• Yes, Please by Amy Poehler
• Welcoming the Unwelcome by Pema Chodron
• Don’t Bite the Hook by Pema Chodron
• Paddle Your Own Canoe by Nick Offerman
• Existential Kink by Carolyn Elliott
• The Greatest Love Story Ever Told by Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally
• Getting Unstuck by Pema Chodron
• What Kind of Woman by Kate Baer
• The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green

February:

• Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen
• Leave Me by Gayle Forman
• Blowing My Way to the Top by Jen Atkin
• The Girl with a Clock for a Heart by Peter Swanson
• Night Road by Kristin Hannah
• The Maidens by Alex Michaelides
• The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
• The Guest List by Lucy Foley
• The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
• Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
• The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley

March:

• The Invitation by Lucy Foley
• The Wreckage of my Presence by Casey Wilson
• Quiet by Susan Cain
• Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber
• It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover
• Toxic Positivity by Whitney Goodman
• The Mother-In-Law by Sally Hepworth
• The Secrets of Midwives by Sally Hepworth
• Atlas of the Heart by Brene Brown
• Slammed by Colleen Hoover
• The Things We Keep by Sally Hepworth

April:

• When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing by Daniel H. Pink
• To Sell is Human by Daniel H. Pink
• 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think by Laura Vanderkam
• All Your Perfects by Colleen Hoover
• The Wisdom of Sundays by Oprah Winfrey
• Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig
• The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth
• Raising Good Humans by Hunter Clarke-Fields
• Stolen Focus by Johann Hari
• 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do by Amy Morin
• The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth
• Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult

May:

• Excellent Sheep by William Deresiewicz
• How to Raise an Adult by Julie Lythcott-Haims
• The Mother’s Promise by Sally Hepworth
• The Upside of Stress by Kelly McGonigal
• November 9 by Colleen Hoover
• The Sweet Spot by Paul Bloom
• The Push by Ashley Audrain

June:

• Pretty Things by Janelle Brown
• The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek
• All We Ever Wanted Was Everything by Janelle Brown
• Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
• The Family Next Door by Sally Hepworth
• The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller
• People Like Her by Ellery Lloyd
• The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
• Madly Marvelous by Donna Zakowska

July:

• The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes
• The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
• Modern Lovers by Emma Straub
• The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan
• The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
• Bewilderment by Richard Powers
• All Adults Here by Emma Straub
• How to Stop Losing Your Shit With Your Kids by Carla Naumburg
• Verity by Colleen Hoover

August:

• The Vacationers by Emma Straub
• In Five Years by Rebecca Serle
• The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer
• You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay
• The Dinner List by Rebecca Serle
• The Club by Ellery Lloyd
• Hello, Molly by Molly Shannon
• Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
• Making Friends with Your Mind by Pema Chodron
• The Gap and the Gain by Dan Sullivan
• Love That Story by Jonathan Van Ness
• Woman on Fire by Lisa Barr
• Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess by Caroline Leaf
• From Fear to Fearlessness by Pema Chodron
• This Here Flesh by Cole Arthur Riley

September:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Techniques for Retraining Your Brain by Jason M. Satterfield
• How to Do the Work by Nicole LePera
• The Push by Ashley Audrain (reread)
• This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub
• Other People We Married by Emma Straub
• The Prestige by Christopher Priest
• Gallant by V.E. Schwab

October:

• The Attention Merchants by Tim Wu
• Maid by Stephanie Land
• Vita Nostra by Maryna and Serhiy Dyachenko
• Night Music by Jojo Moyes
• Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro
• Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren
• The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren
• Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked by Adam Alter
• Roomies by Christina Lauren
• In A Holidaze by Christina Lauren

November:

• The Maid by Nita Prose
• Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
• The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
• It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover
• Dorothy Parker: What Fresh Hell Is This? by Marion Meade
• Lighter by Yung Pueblo
• Have I Told You This Already? by Lauren Graham
• I’ll Show Myself Out: Essays on Midlife and Motherhood by Jessi Klein
• You’ll Grow Out of It by Jessi Klein
• Untamed by Glennon Doyle
• Girl, Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis
• Bad Vibes Only by Nora McInerny
• Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur

December:

• Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult
• Mercy by Jodi Picoult
• Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
• Organizing For The Rest of Us by Dana K. White
• Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica
• Smart Couples Finish Rich by David Bach
• The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
• How to Meet Your Self by Nicole LePera
• Dream More by Dolly Parton
• Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life by Jane De Hart
• The Surrender Experiment by Michael Singer
• The Good Girl by Mary Kubica
• Codependent No More by Melody Beattie
• To Raise A Boy: Classrooms, Locker Rooms, Bedrooms, and the Hidden Struggles of American Boyhood by Emma Brown
• Good Inside by Becky Kennedy
• Why We Are Restless: On the Modern Quest for Contentment by Benjamin Storey and Jenna Silber Storey