What Worked in 2023: Reading Edition
A mindset shift, a few new practices, and my favorite books of the year
Last year, I read a total of seventeen books. This year, I’m on track to finish fifty-five by the end of next week. Well, fifty-five and a half. (I was halfway through Demon Copperhead when the Libby app returned it—sigh.)
Seventeen to fifty-five. It was quite the leap.
I’m not sure how that number hits you. In just the past week, I talked to a friend who said she’s not sure if she finished one book all year and another friend who read three times as many books as I did. (Just . . . how?!)
But the exact number isn’t the point. The point is that I rediscovered something this year: I love reading. Like, really love it.
I knew I wanted to prioritize reading this year, but I didn’t set out with a specific goal in mind. However, as I neared fifty-two books last month, I started reflecting on what worked (and what didn’t) over the past year. If, like me, you’re trying to cultivate your reading habit, here’s one mindset shift and several practices that helped me move from reading just a little more than a book a month to averaging a book per week.
What Worked for Me in 2023
I still have a long way to go in forming intentional, sustainable habits around reading, but here are a few things that worked for me.
Changing the narrative:
The most impactful change I made was to shift my mindset around reading. This has been a gradual process, but the more I’ve thought about it, the more I’m convinced that the change in my reading habits started here.
The No. 1 piece of advice writers tend to hear is that we need to become avid readers. Many writers I respect say that they treat reading as a part of their job. I am a writer, but I haven’t been a big reader in recent years, and I certainly haven’t prioritized it as if I’m getting paid for it. Reading has been more of a luxury, a thing I’d do if I had time. But even when I had time, I’d often talk myself out of it, convinced I should be doing something more “productive.” I’ve carried some shame about this for a while now.
Why am I not a bookworm like other writers? I’d wonder. Shouldn’t I be devouring novels left and right? Is something wrong with me?
There’s a lot I could say about those questions. However, one thing that’s changed for me over the last year is that for the first time since college, my identity as a writer is completely divorced from full-time employment. I’ve had to claim the title of writer for myself—and at times, I’ve struggled. To be honest, I thought I was past this, but maybe it’s more of a continual process that I used to think. As I’ve worked through these feelings, I’ve found that reading—to learn, to inspire my writing, and just for plain ole fun—is one way I’m declaring that my writing is worth investing in.
Instead of considering reading to be a luxury or carrying it as a source of shame, I’m trying to shift the narrative. I’m choosing to believe it’s something worth doing for myself—even if no one is asking me to and no one pays me for it.
This mindset shift has helped me prioritize reading and shed (for the most part) the feelings of guilt and shame around it. And the best part is that the more I read, the more I want to read.
So if you’re a writer, here’s your permission slip to prioritize reading. You don’t have to wait for someone else to validate you before you treat reading as a part of your actual job. It’s a critical piece of the work, and it’s worth it. And if you’re not a writer, I hope you find freedom to prioritize reading for all the things it means to you. For the pleasure of enjoying a story well told. For the chance to learn and to stand in someone else’s shoes. For spiritual formation. For beauty. For rest. For fun. You don’t have to justify it. Enjoyment is more than reason enough.
Committing to my library card:
I used to buy most of my books, but I always wanted to make sure I really wanted a book before I spent the money. This approach made me hesitant to take risks on authors or genres outside of my norm, and I often had gaps between books as I tried to decide what to read next. This year, I almost exclusively read books from the library and only bought ones I already knew I wanted to own. Rediscovering my library card was a blast. I can read all of these books for free? What a gift. (As an added bonus, my library got rid of late fees this year, which has been super freeing. Thanks, Johnson County!)
Writing down recommendations:
As good as my intentions may be, I won’t remember the name of a book tomorrow if I don’t write it down, so I made a simple spreadsheet for keeping track of books I want to read, who recommended them, and which ones I finished each month. Then I looked for recommendations everywhere.
I wrote down books from podcasts, Instagram, and books quoted in other books. I asked friends what they were reading, got a list of book-club favorites from one sister-in-law, and perused another sis-in-law’s bookshelf (sisters-in-law for the win!). I’ve also saved several Substack and Instagram posts recently as other writers recap their favorite reads from the year. (I’ll link a few at the end of this post!) Having a long list of recommended books helped to eliminate the guesswork and gave me plenty of options if the book I wanted wasn’t available at the library.
(Side note: I know a lot of people use Goodreads to track what they’re reading and what they want to read next. I’ve never used it, but I’m going to try it out this next year.)
Putting multiple books on hold:
When I hear about a book I’d like to read in the near-ish future, I make a point to put it on hold ASAP. Having multiple books on hold at any given time has created some really helpful momentum, because knowing that books are waiting for me (or will be soon!) motivates me to finish my current read and keeps me excited about what’s next.
This doesn’t always work out perfectly. Sometimes every book I want has a crazy-long wait, and other times, way too many become available at the same time. Once I asked Isaac to pick up a book for me, and he called as soon as he got to the library: “Um, so there are seven books here for you. What do you want me to do?” Oops.
In spite of the occasional snafu, having multiple books on hold has eliminated gaps between books and helped me keep up a consistent pace.
Listening to audiobooks on Libby:
I know I’m late to the game here, but I hadn’t gotten into audiobooks before this year. I’m a faithful podcast listener, but I tended to read books with my actual eyeballs. But this year my sis-in-law introduced me to Libby—the library app that lets you check out audiobooks—and it has been a game changer. Granted, there are usually really long waits for popular books, and sometimes the app automatically returns them before I’m done. (See you in seven weeks, Demon Copperhead.) Again, it’s not a perfect system, but this is where having multiple books on hold at the same time comes in handy.
I’m finding that I especially enjoy listening to fiction and memoir. I still prefer physical books for nonfiction (I absorb information better when I can see the words on the page), but I’m enjoying taking in narrative-driven books through my earbuds far more than I thought I would.
Just trying it:
I’ve read very little fiction in the last few years. I’m more drawn to memoirs and other nonfiction to begin with, and since I was buying most of my books, I tended to shy away from fiction even more. Novels felt like more of a gamble to me, and I honestly wasn’t even sure what I liked anymore.
I really wanted to read more fiction this year, so I tried not to overthink it. If a trusted booklover recommended a novel, I put it on hold, no questions asked. This meant I didn’t always know what I was bringing home, but it was a fun way to explore different genres. A few books haven’t been for me, but others have taken my breath away, and I’m so happy to be reading fiction again.
Reading in the mornings and in the cracks:
I am not a morning person, but knowing that I get to start the day on the deck or in our oversized chair by the window with coffee, a good book, and Marty makes getting out of bed more palatable. I listen to audiobooks while I’m walking the dog, driving, cooking, raking leaves, doing laundry, etc., and I’ve tried to get into the habit of listening in short bursts of time. Even if it’s just five minutes while I clean up from lunch, it’s worth it.
I’ve also looked for times that I tend to fill with TV or being on my phone. For example, in the past when Isaac would watch a football game, I’d either go do something else or I’d be in the room but spend most of the time on my phone. Reading while he’s watching a game has been a good way to make myself rest while also resisting mindless scrolling.
Taking notes:
I’ve started a Google Doc for all of my reading notes. I don’t like stopping every few pages to take notes, so as I come across a quote I want to remember, I jot down the page number and the first few words on my phone. Then I take the time to write down all the flagged quotes before I return a book to the library. Ideally I’d do this every couple of days, but more often than not, I end up with a ton of quotes to type up all at once. I’m still figuring out the best way to do this, but I love having quotes I can come back to later.
What I Want to Try in 2024
For me, this year was about rediscovering the joy of reading, and I’m glad I didn’t go into it with a bunch of rules or strategies. I think too much intentionality upfront would have paralyzed me and stripped the fun out of it. But now that I’ve built the habit, I’d like to add a little more intentionality while also keeping it sustainable. Here are a few things I’m considering.
Writing down key takeaways:
In The Gifts of Imperfection, Brené Brown recommends organizing your notes from books into categories. Some of her favorite categories include quotes, definitions, takeaways, beautiful language, and do more research. I’ve primarily adopted quotes and takeaways for my notes, but I’ve been very inconsistent with writing down takeaways. Putting things into my own words helps me absorb information better, so I’d like to do this more; however, I’m still toying with the best way forward here. I need this habit to be simple and sustainable or else it’s just not going to happen.
Becoming more intentional:
I’m considering setting specific goals around what types of books I read. For example, maybe I’ll set a goal for how many books I read about spiritual formation or neuroscience or the craft of writing this year. Or maybe I’ll aim to read at least one memoir per month. I’m still thinking through what this looks like, because while I value intentionality, I don’t want to take the fun out of reading by becoming legalistic.
Giving myself more freedom:
One way to avoid the legalism pitfall is to give myself more freedom to not finish every book I start. With a few exceptions, I finished almost every book I checked out this year. Since I was experimenting with genres, I wanted to give books a fair chance, but I could use a little more flexibility here. Maybe a book isn’t for me or maybe it’s just not for right now, but if I can’t get into a book, I want to give myself more freedom to put it down and move on for the time being.
Investing in the books I loved:
I really enjoyed taking advantage of the library this year, but there were some books I borrowed that I’d love to own, and I didn’t do a great job of buying those throughout the year. Next year, I want to continue buying books from authors I love as well as make sure I’m investing in the books I know I’ll return to.
Finding a content rhythm:
I am in a bit of a content overload at the moment. My newfound enjoyment of audiobooks has been fun, but it has also meant I’ve temporarily abandoned some of my long-time favorite podcasts. I subscribe to some amazing Substacks, but I’m struggling to keep up with those and my library books. I want to figure out a regular rhythm for when I read (and listen to) what.
If you’re just starting (or restarting) a reading habit, my best advice is to not overthink or over-strategize it. Find a few books that excite you, put them on hold at the library, and experiment until you find a pace that’s sustainable. I think that’s key—do what works for you in this season, in your actual life. Keep it simple. Let yourself get lost in a story. Let it be fun and see where the reading takes you!
Booklovers I Love to Trust
If you’re like me, knowing where to start is one of the hardest things about doing anything new. To help you overcome that hurdle, here are a few of the voices I regularly turn to for book recommendations.
Sarah E. Westfall: Sarah is one of those friends whose opinion holds a lot of weight. If she recommends it, you can bet I’m gonna read it. Here are Sarah’s top picks for 2023.
Emily P. Freeman: Emily’s voice is one I highly value, and I love taking a peek at what she’s reading in her monthly letter. She also shared her favorite books of 2023 on Substack, plus she included links to her favorites from the last ten years. Talk about a gold mine!
Shauna Niequist: It stands to reason that I’ll take recommendations from one of my favorite authors. Check out what Shauna’s reading on her aptly named Substack: Reading & Eating.
Sarah Bessey: Sarah is another wise and trusted writer, and her 2023 book list is robust. I can’t wait to dive in!
I’m often introduced to new authors through podcasts, especially The Holy Post and Kate Bowler’s Everything Happens.
My Top Books of 2023
Making this list was hard. There were so many books I loved and found really rewarding, but I did my best to narrow it down.
I’m not going to give you my thoughts on each one, because a) I have way too many thoughts and b) our Christmas celebrations have already started, so I’m simply out of time, folks. Instead, enjoy this list, and let me know if any of these are favorites for you too!
Books that hooked me with true stories of heartbreak and hope:
Tell Me the Dream Again by Tasha Jun
All My Knotted-Up Life by Beth Moore
You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith
Books that gave me rich language for this painful, beautiful life:
This Here Flesh by Cole Arthur Riley
The Lives We Actually Have by Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie
Books about trauma, neuroscience, and relationships that I’ll be thinking about (and quoting) for a long time:
The Soul of Desire by Curt Thompson, MD
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, MD
No Bad Parts by Richard C. Schwartz, PhD
Talking to Strangers by Malcom Gladwell
Books that challenged me to think critically about the church and culture:
Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin Kobes Du Mez
The Color of Compromise by Jemar Tisby
Jesus Feminist by Sarah Bessey
When Thoughts and Prayers Aren’t Enough by Taylor S. Schumann
Books that took my breath away with incredible writing and powerful insights about being a human:
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
Your Turn
What reading habits worked well for you this year? Is there anything you’re planning to do differently next year? What were your favorite books of 2023? What’s on your must-read list for 2024?
Tell me all the things in the comments! I’ll be over here taking notes.
Thanks Missy! I am late to this post, but it struck a chord as I am looking to reacquaint my love of reading with absence from phone (I still have to compel my house to cooperate with that wish). In the meantime, if you are willing to commit to reading The Expanse, listen to the Bible Project mini-series on chaos dragons first (first episode ~June 2023). James S.A. Corey has produced the first compelling modern retelling of ancient, apocalyptic literature that I have seen.
Goals for 2024:
1) Read the fun parts of the Bible (the battles, dragons, and apocalyptic stuff) from the Immerse Bible to Nathaniel out loud. I am realizing that the chapter and verse headings change the flow when I read.
2) Read The Fall of Gondolin and weep bitterly - it's in the name
3) Read something unexpected and be prepared for it to change my mind about something
This was a GREAT post