With the new year approaching, I decided to make an official list of books to read in 2023. Honestly, I can’t even buy any new books at the moment because my TBR shelf is full, top to bottom. There are one hundred fifty-one books on that shelf currently, and my goal for next year is to read at least fifty of them, but I’ve narrowed it down to the ones I want to read first.
Discounting the books that I will read as ARCs and for indie author reviews, here is a list of my top twenty-five:
1. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
The prequel book to the Hunger Games series, which I read in 2022.
2. Inferno by Dante
A classic. I believe I have an abridged version.
3. The Pin-Thief and the Sunflower by Sofia Federov
A poetry chapbook by a former classmate of mine at college. This book was published and handstitched by Clare Thiessen in Vernon, BC.
4. The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan
The first book of Rick Riordan’s Trials of Apollo series. I have all five books and have been meaning to read them for a while.
5. The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan
Book two of Trials of Apollo. I have the paperback version of this one and book three, though the rest are hardcover.
6. The Burning Maze by Rick Riordan
Book three of Trials of Apollo. I have the paperback version of this one and book two, though the rest are hardcover.
7. The Tyrant’s Tomb by Rick Riordan
Book four of Trials of Apollo.
8. The Tower of Nero by Rick Riordan
Book five of Trials of Apollo. This is the last one in the series.
9. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman
This is a book I received as a gift from my friend, Emma. It is the first Neil Gaiman book that I acquired.
10. The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo
I finally watched the movie that is based on this classic book, so when I saw it at the store I immediately had to have it.
11. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
I’ve had this book forever and have been meaning to read it. I only mention this book here, but I have a bunch of other Sherlock adventures as well.
12. Dune by Frank Herbert
I hear that this is a must-read science fiction book. I’m looking forward to dipping my toe into the waters of hard sci-fi.
13. The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
Book one of the Broken Earth series. I had this author as a teacher on Masterclass and thought I’d try some of her books.
14. The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin
Book two of the Broken Earth series.
15. The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin
Book three of the Broken Earth series.
16. The Ickabog by J.K. Rowling
A book I bought a little while ago. While I hate many of J.K. Rowling’s views and opinions, I enjoy her work.
17. The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
I absolutely LOVE the version of this book that I have. It’s so beautiful. (It matches my Dracula and Great Gatsby books.)
18. Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan
Another book by one of my all-time favourite authors. It seems that this is a standalone book.
19. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
Book one of the Infernal Devices series. I finished reading the Mortal Instruments series recently and have since bought the other two main book series by Cassandra Clare.
20. Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
Book two of the Infernal Devices series.
21. Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
Book three of the Infernal Devices series.
22. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
A classmate of mine did a report on this classic book in high school, and I’ve been meaning to read it since then.
23. Divergent by Veronica Roth
Book one of the Divergent series. Like The Hunger Games, this is a series that was insanely popular during my middle and high school years, and I’ve been meaning to read it for forever. Finally getting to that.
24. Insurgent by Veronica Roth
Book two of the Divergent series.
25. Allegiant by Veronica Roth
Book three of the Divergent series.
Going Forward
So, these are twenty-five of the books that I plan to read in 2023. I will definitely be reading them first, and I hope to meet my goal of fifty. I made it to forty-five books in 2022, though I only picked up the pace near the end of the year when I implemented a proper reading schedule. I can’t wait to get started.
Please comment if you’ve read any of the books on my list and what you think of them, or feel free to add your own TBR books!
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