In 2023, I read 100 books. 100!
There are people who read more than 100 books per year, but for a parent of two neurodivergent kids living a relatively modern lifestyle, I’m deeming this an accomplishment worth celebrating and dissecting.
I’m not attempting a Best of 2023 list. For that, try SheReads.com, LitHub, Publishers Weekly, NPR, and The New York Times. What I’d like to offer in lieu of a list or second memoir review this month is a window into the reality of how and what I read before choosing what lands in your inbox.
How I found the time to read 100 books
If there was a job to get paid for reading all day, I would apply. The reality is I find and create pockets of time between writing, parenting, and doing the things we all have to do to keep ourselves and our loved ones alive.
For a dear friend, that means reading instead of watching TV in the evenings for entertainment. For me, that means listening to an audiobook on my morning run, playing more of that audiobook on the blasted 30-minute drive to my oldest son’s school, and reading a print book in the hour between getting home from afternoon pickup and starting dinner. Sometimes I’ll play more of that audiobook during my sporadic marathon gardening sessions.
I’ve never been a fast reader. To compensate, I’m almost always working my way through one print and one audiobook at a time.
I’ve never been a fast reader. To compensate, I’m almost always working my way through one print and one audiobook at a time. I do watch shows in the evening, but reading is the last thing I do before falling asleep. In good months, I’m also reading more slowly through a thoughtful morning book, almost like a devotional.
How I found the money to read 100 books
If I bought every book I read, I’d be more broke than most writers already are. The library is my best friend. Sometimes Hoopla has audiobooks through my library that Libby does not, and vice versa. Often, I request new releases through my library’s website. And I adore a good library book sale.
For audiobooks not available through the library, I have a subscription to LibroFM, with Femme Fire Books as my selected independent bookstore to receive a portion of those funds. I also have a credit card that comes with a free Audible subscription, which I like less than LibroFM.
For print books not available through the library, I look for used books at Chamblin Bookmine, Femme Fire Books, and ThriftBooks. I aspire to purchase new books through my local independent bookstores, Bookshop.org, or directly from the publisher for small and independent press reads. I do still use Amazon, especially if I decide I want a book quickly for a photo or an upcoming timely review. I’m trying to rely less on Amazon.
And finally, I request digital advance reader copies (ARCs) of my most anticipated, soon-to-be published memoirs through NetGalley. Publishers have also started sending me ARCs in the mail, which has been both overwhelming and fun.
What I read when I say I read 100 books
I mostly read memoir (usually NOT celebrity memoir). If you’d like to know more about why I emphasize this genre by authors who are not necessarily famous, I wrote about it here. I also wrote about the memoir whose title served as inspiration for this subhead here.
Since leaning away from Goodreads and into The Story Graph to track what I read, I have a lot more insight into my habits overall. Here are a few of the visuals you might appreciate and may want to create for your own reading list (it’s free!).
My favorites of the 100 books I read in 2023
Star ratings and rankings feel reductive because I read, review, and recommend books for various reasons. I prefer literary reads that are still accessible to a general audience and have a soft spot for stories by queer authors. I intentionally seek out authors from diverse backgrounds and life experiences. Sometimes I’ll recommend a book for the pure fact that a story needs telling, for example, Inverse Cowgirl, by Alicia Roth Weigel.
I prefer literary reads that are still accessible to a general audience and have a soft spot for stories by queer authors.
Another reality: ratings and reviews help authors. And that is part of why I read what I read and write what I write. It’s rare that I’ll rate a book (especially a memoir) below four stars.
So which books were my favorites? Thanks to a carefully constructed To Be Read (TBR) list, I honestly did love most of the 100 books I read in 2023. But I am human, and I did have favorites. So in the spirit of transparency, here are the books I read in 2023 that I especially loved.
Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture, by Virginia Sole-Smith
The Part That Burns: A Memoir in Fragments, by Jeannine Ouellette
Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World, by Maryanne Wolf
Running (Practices), by Lindsey A. Freeman (Scroll past My What If Year, by Alisha Fernandez Miranda to see this review.)
Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now, by Jaron Lanier
You Could Make This Place Beautiful: A Memoir, by Maggie Smith
One final note: I can’t end this post without mentioning how thrilled I am to read memoirs written by two of my subscribers: Entwined: Essays on Polyamory and Creating Home, by Alex Alberto and The Only Way Through Is Out, by Suzette Mullen. Stay tuned for more on these books in February 2024.
To see all of the books I read, visit me on The Story Graph. I am still on Goodreads to support authors with my reviews, but did I mention I love The Story Graph so much more?
What were your favorites of the books you read in 2023?
Memoirs with Melissa shares twice monthly reviews intended to expose readers to diverse authors and life experiences. I welcome and value every free subscriber. Paid subscriptions are an extra way to support my work in elevating the canon of human experience. Thank you!
I love this behind the scenes look, thank you! Your work-activism-in sharing memoirs is so appreciated.