My Year in Books: 2023 Edition

Oh, what a year it’s been! My reading goal was a sky-high 50 books, but I landed a bit short — no biggie, though, because guess what? I threw my words into the mix and wrote my own book, “Just Desserts: 40 Step-by-Step Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes.” So, I’m gonna say that adds some serious bonus points, right?

Since I returned to the K-12 classroom and am now teaching 3rd grade, the number of children’s books increased exponentially this year. I didn’t capture all the reading I did for planning and read-alouds but a few children’s books that stand out include “A Day with No Words by Tiffany Hammond and You So Black by Theresa tha SONGBIRD.  I kicked off 2023 with all the pop culture gossip around Prince Harry’s memoir Spare,” where I got the royal scoop. And hey, I didn’t just read about history with “A Disability History of the United States by Kim E. Nielsen,” I made a bit of my own.

Tackling essays, tuning into podcasts, and even experimenting with recipes — 2023 was the usual smorgasbord for my brain.  I’ve devoured lots of cool content and am very proud of myself. Also, did I mention I wrote a cookbook? So here’s a toast to 2023 for all the stories read, the knowledge gained, and the book baked straight from my creative oven. Let’s count it as a mega-win, a literary medal of sorts, in my 2023 year in books.

A few things I learned this year:

• I’ve recorded 33 books for my reading challenge but read many many more books, articles, and essays
• My favorite genre to listen to as an audiobook is memoirs
• I read 14 memoirs again in 2023
• Nonfiction titles won out again this year but I promise to increase my consumption of fiction in 2024
• 45% (15/33) of the books that I read were written by female authors

For 2024 I’m not giving myself a goal. I am hoping with a loose flexible goal I will give myself more space to read more books and less pressure.

What was your favorite book to read in 2023?

The List

Children’s Books

1. A Day with No Words by Tiffany Hammond
2. Plant, Cook, Eat! A Children’s Cookbook by Caroline Craig and Joe Archer
3. My People by Langston Hughes
4. You So Black by Theresa tha SONGBIRD

Adult Fiction

1. Hidden Falls by Toby Neal
2. The Deep by Rivers Solomon
3. Hideaway by Nora Roberts
4. Ghosted by Rosie Walsh

Memoirs/Biography

1. The Woman in Me by Britney Spears
2. Brave: A Memoir by Rose McGowan
3. Bet on Black: The Good News about Being Black in America Today by Eboni K. William
4. Me and White Supremacy by Layla Saad
5. Paris: The Memoir by Paris Hilton 
6. Spare by Prince Harry
7. Thicker Than Water by Tyler Shultz
8. Belly of the Beast: The Politics of Anti-Fatness as Anti-Blackness by DaShaun L. Harrison
9. Patriarchy Blues by Frederick T. Joseph
10. How Y’all Doing by Leslie Jordan 
11. We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy by Ta-Nehisi Coates
12. Congratulations, The Best Is Over! by R. Eric Thomas
13. Why Mariah Carey Matters by Andrew Chan
14. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

Nonfiction

1. Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture by Virginia Sole-Smith
2. The Housewives: The Real Story Behind the Real Housewives by Brian Moylan
3. A Disability History of the United States by Kim E. Nielsen
4. The Case for Cancel Culture by Ernest T. Owens

Cookbooks

1. Just Desserts: 40 Step-by-Step Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes by Calvin Eaton 
2. Make It Vegan: From Quick & Easy to Deep-Fried & Delicious by Ashley Hankins
3. The Healing Garden: Cultivating and Handcrafting Herbal Remedies by Juliet Blankespoor
4. Preppy Kitchen: Recipes for Seasonal Dishes and Simple Pleasures by John Kanell
5. Black Food: Stories, Art, and Recipes from Across the African Diaspora by Bryant Terry