At the start of every year, most of us like to set a few goals that we would like to accomplish. For many, this may be to read a certain amount of books or perhaps just to read more in general. This newsletter is to help you kick off your reading goals with a good read. The last thing we need is to start off in a reading slump…
2023 Reading Wrap-Up
From the 38 books I read this year, here are a few that I recommend:
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
Babel by R.F. Kuang
Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne
Keeper of the Lost Cities series by Shannon Messenger
I missed my reading goal by two books this year. However, I noticed that compared to previous years, my “pages read” average was higher. So I’m pretty happy with that. Going to try to aim for 40 books in 2024 as well.
24 books for 2024
With so many new books that are published every year, it’s easy for books on your TBR to get drowned out by the new releases. In 2023 I shared 23 books I wanted to read in 2023. This list contained a mixture of new releases and classics I have been meaning to read for years. I only read 9 of those books, but it was nice to be able to refer to this list on my Notion when looking for my next read.
So now this is my list for 2024 (with a couple of repeats from last year):
A Short Story:
Rain Catches Fire
by Bonita Kowalski
Only a year ago, the air in Village Park smelled of hot dogs and burgers. Families filled the picnic tables and teenagers ran around wreaking havoc. Children spent the day swimming in the creek that ran through the middle. The rocky sea floor was always filled with pieces of shattered glass where if you stepped just right you'd leave a streak of blood in the water and an infected cut on your toe. The children never cared, but most parents made their kids wear some type of water shoes. The kids would throw a fit before giving in.
The train roared by above the park at the same time everyday. Twice. The commotion gave away what time it was without having to rustle through your picnic bag in search of your phone.
But this morning is different.