Well, we have somehow made our way through a quarter of 2023 now. I do not know if 2023 is shaping up to be better than 2022 (a low bar…) but it is moving along at any rate. One positive of 2023 is that I have been able to read many books. And many fantastic books, at that. In January, I shared my Book Goals of 2023– mostly as a way to give myself some direction. I wanted to share my first quarter updates and how I am progressing on my goals to stay accountable. Let’s get into Books Goals 2023 Update 1!
Use Library and NetGalley for 60%+ of Books- 51%/60%
In terms of book goals, I feel that I am making good progress on this one but still have a ways to go. I’ve read 39 books thus far in 2023, and 19 of those have either been borrowed from the library or read from NetGalley. I’ve had several must-read books that were published in the first quarter and wanted to read/listen to them immediately rather than wait 3-4 months from the library.
However, I will say, 8/39 titles were previously purchased audiobooks and ebooks. (And most were purchased 6-9 months ago or more.) While I did pay for them, I am happy that I’m turning to my own library and TBR list more.
I do have many NetGalley books to read over the next four months, so I think that I will be able to get to my 60% in the next quarter. (Or potentially exceed it.) All in all, I am happy with the 50% mark right now, and getting through some of the books already on my bookshelves.
Read 10 New to Me Authors- 14/10
I have already exceeded this goal, and that happened without much thought if I’m being honest. I went on a few Libby sprees of requesting many library books if they jumped out at me. And as a result, I now have discovered several new-to-me authors that I am looking forward to reading more from.
-Weina Dai Randel
-Meredith Schorr
-Roselle Lim
-Veronique Hyland
-Kelly Yang
-Kyla Zhao
-Valentine Low
-Jac Jemc
-Amor Towles
-Zoe Sivak
-Oyinkan Braithwaite
-Paul Gallico
-T. Kingfisher
-Sarah Ferguson
BookTok
I will address the elephant in the room somewhat. Yes, I am still using TikTok. TikTok might be banned, Twitter seems to be falling apart, and Instagram is a ghost town for my feed. While TikTok still works, I will be sticking around.
I have only posted one TikTok thus far chatting about books. I do have more planned for April, but I’m still trying to feel out whether or not they will go on my main account or if I should make a second account. My videos where I chat about anything that is not specifically the British Royal Family don’t do overly well, so I think a second account might help.
More Genres on the Blog
I have not shared any new genres on the blog yet, but this is largely because my reading has been focused on historical fiction. I have some mystery Book Bites planned for the spring and summer. (Unless there is a specific reason, I generally try to share books closer to their publishing date or after.) If there are any particular genres that you would like to see on the blog, please let me know!
I hope you’ve enjoyed Book Goals 2023 Update 1! What have been your favourite books so far this year?
Cheers,
The Historian
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