OVERDUE- A wrap-up of the books I read in 2023

 

After reading 204 books in 2022, I read considerably less in 2023, with only 96 titles tracked on Goodreads. As I read 204 books in 2022, 2023 was almost a record low for me.

By the Numbers:

• Mysteries: 66
• Romance- 7
• Paranormal/Fantasy/Sci-Fi: 12
• Non-Fiction – 6 (two poetry)
• Young Adult/Children - 6
• Gender: 16 books written by males, 86 By females
• Rereads- 13 (probably more, as I suspect I neglected to track some
• Series- 94 What can I say, I love series books. My favorite books in childhood included titles in the Trixie Belden, Linda Craig and All of a Kind Family series

 

Authors I Read the Most:

• Ellery Adams: 10- Adams writes several mystery series, but I stopped reading anything by the author after she closed out one series by killing off a beloved character
• Sue Grafton: At least 8, as I started re-reading her Alphabet series
• Anne Perry: 6
• Elizabeth George: 5
• Elly Griffiths: 5
• Anna Lee Huber: 5
• Rachel Caine: 4

 I read at least 3 by these authors: Deborah Harkness, Laurell K Hamilton, Sabrina Jeffries, Craig Johnson, and Sara Paretsky

 

Books that stand out:

Where the Sky Begins by Rhys Bowen- a standalone book by the author, set in the UK during WWII.

Lightfoot by Nicholas Jennings- a biography about singer/songwriter Gordon Lightfoot. A fascinating look back at his life.

The Last Remains by Elly Griffiths- interesting mystery, and set up as if it may be the last in the series following archeologist Ruth in the UK.

A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny- a book in her Inspector Armand Gamache series

Dead Land by Sara Paretsky- kept me guessing

The Heavens May Fall by Allen Eskens- a mystery featuring characters Eskens has written about before, the book kept me guessing.

The Searcher by Tana French- a mystery set in Ireland, following a retired American police officer who begins to mentor a young neighbor who wants to solve the mystery of the disappearance of their older brother.

The Reporter Who Knew Too Much by Mark Shaw- it raises questions about the death of Dorothy Kilgallen, a Pulitzer-prize nominated reporter who was looking into the assassination of JFK. While her death was ruled an accidental overdose, Shaw’s book suggests Dorothy may have been murdered by those trying to cover up who really killed JFK and why. I found out about the story after getting hooked on watching “What’s My Line” on YouTube, where Dorothy appeared as one of the panelists trying to guess the occupation and/or identity of people. She was engaging and brilliant on the show, and after watching the episode that aired after her death, I wanted to learn more about her.