Sunday 31 December 2023

My Reading Year 2023

I managed to get my reading mojo back in 2023 and have enjoyed a wonderful year of books. I also spent a week at the Sydney Writers' Festival which introduced me to many new books and authors. 

My reading goal for 2023 was 30 books, which I achieved, reading 33 titles this year. When planning for 2023 at the start of the year, I had a stack of books on my to-be-read pile, and managed to read most of them.  I also updated my reading bingo card  to help me diversify my reading. While I didn't read all categories, I succeeded in most of them (highlighted below). 


So here's what I read in 2023:

Fiction

I wanted to read some classics this year. In January I discovered the #BigBronteReadalong on Instagram and so joined that group online. I have read all the Bronte novels before, but many decades ago (indeed, last century!). I managed to read four Bronte novels - Jane Eyre, Shirley, The Professor and Agnes Grey. I tried to read Wuthering Heights again, but still did not like it, and lost my Bronte momentum, after slogging my way through Shirley and The Professor.  So I never did re-read The Tenant of Wildfell Hall or Villette. While my readalong was a bit of a fail, I quite enjoyed the idea of it and may see if I can join one next year for a #DollopofTrollope or similar. Regardless I will continue my reading of classics as I work my way through my Fifty/Five list.

Some of the more modern classics I read this year include George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, Elizabeth Von Armin's Vera, Winifred Watson's Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, and John William's Stoner. I enjoyed all of these novels and am so glad I pulled them off the shelf. Orwell was a re-read but all the others were new to me but had been on my wishlist for many years. The delightful Winifred Watson novel was so hard to come by, but has made me want to search out other neglected books by women writers published by Persephone.
My interest in feminist retellings of ancient myths continues. This year I read two novels based on myths - although not the ones I had on my to be read pile! I picked up two new novels published in 2023 - Jennifer Saint's Atalanta and Costanza Casati's Clytemnestra. Both were really enjoyable and I look forward to reading more myths in 2024.


I read quite a few Aussie Noir crime novels this year. Hayley Scrivenor's Dirt Town was brilliant and I have been recommending it to everyone I know who loves a good page turner. In 2022 I heard Scrivener speak at the Sydney Writers Festival on a panel with Garry Disher. This started my love of Disher's Hirschhausen series and after reading Bitter Wash Road last year, I gobbled up Peace and Consolation this year.  Likewise, I enjoy Chris Hammer's novels and read two in the Lucic/Buchanan series - The Tilt and The Seven. Both were excellent. 

I also read some crime/thriller novels by non-Australian authors. I pre-ordered the latest Robert Galbraith (JK Rowling) novel in the Cormoran Strike series, The Running Grave. It was such an enjoyable read and my favourite in the series so far. Dervla McTiernan is another gifted crime writer and I was delighted to learn about her Cormac Reilly series through reading The Ruin. I pre-ordered Eleanor Catton's novel Birnam Wood and was delighted to get to meet her at the Sydney Writers' Festival. This novel had me gripped from the outset and lingered long after the last page was read. Likewise Percival Everett's magnificent The Trees has not left my mind. I heard about this novel when it was shortlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize, but had difficulty finding a copy. I am so glad to have read this and look forward to exploring more books by Percival Everett. 

The Sydney Writers' Festival was also a chance to meet Colson Whitehead. I absolutely loved his novel The Nickel Boys and at the time I declared it would be a contender for one of my favourite books of the year. I am looking forward to reading more of Whitehead's books in 2024. 

Award longlists provide me with much reading inspiration but this year I didn't read as many longlisted novels as I normally do, in part because the ones I was most interested in were hard to find. 

Sophie Mackintosh's Cursed Bread was longlisted for the 2023 Women's Prize and sounded really intriguing, but unfortunately left me disappointed. Likewise, Jessica Au's Cold Enough for Snow has won countless awards and was on my wishlist for ages. I read it as my #NovellaInNovember and was underwhelmed. I had avoided Sally Rooney's Normal People for years due to the hype around it but finally read it this year and can now understand why it was so popular. Another much hyped novel is Ann Patchett's Tom Lake which I read and enjoyed with the audiobook performed by Meryl Streep - the first novel I have read which features the COVID-19 pandemic. I also read Miriam Toews' Women Talking, as I wanted to see the film but read the book first. Both the novel and the film were great! 

Of all the novels I read this year it is really hard to pick a favourite. My top five would be:

Non-Fiction
This year I didn't read as much non-fiction as I had planned to. It was a difficult year for me on many fronts, so perhaps I needed the escape that novels provide!

In January I read Julia Gillard's excellent essay collection Not Now, Not Ever - which looks back at the infamous misogyny speech she gave while Prime Minister and the aftermath ten years later. I loved this book and the diversity of voices she gathered to reflect on politics, sexism and the unfinished business of equality. Another revelatory book on Australian politics was Margot Saville's The Teal Revolution. I attended a session with Saville at the Sydney Writers' Festival and heard her speak about the wave of women entering politics as independents. I found her book a fascinating insight into the current shake up of Parliament.

I also read some interesting memoir this year. Grace Tame's memoir The Ninth Life of a Diamond Miner was an interesting exploration of the life of this remarkable woman. While the book was challenging and in need of an edit, I have nothing but admiration for Tame.  Similarly Britney Spears' The Woman in Me was not particularly well written but was such as interesting read. It is a fascinating look at the music industry and the perils of early fame, and I really loved this book and the audiobook performed by Michelle Williams. 

Another memoir of sorts was Anna Funder's Wifedom - a look at the life of Eileen O'Shaunessy Blair, wife of George Orwell. I love Anna Funder and would read anything she writes. I pre-ordered this book as soon as it was announced.  Wifedom does not fit neatly into any category as Funder fuses styles, melding her life with Eileen's. I found it an engrossing read, and made me look at Orwell and his work in a new light. Definitely my favourite non-fiction this year.


Other Genres

I also explored a mishmash of other genres in 2023. 

I re-read a play I had studied in high school, Our Town by Thornton Wilder, to assist me in my reading of Ann Patchett's Tom Lake, and found I still didn't love it after all these years. Shirley Jackson's Dark Tales - a collection of her eerie short stories, was wonderful and made me want to read more of her work.  I also read an amazing poetry collection - Sarah Holland Batt's award winning The Jaguar. I picked this up after hearing her read from the collection at the Sydney Writers' Festival and have savoured her verse.


Best of 2023
I read so many great books this year. I loved and highly recommend:
If I had to choose my absolute favourites, I would pick Anna Funder's revealing exploration Wifedom and Eleanor Catton's page-turning eco-thriller Birnam Wood.



Well, that's my year of reading! A new year starts tomorrow and I cannot wait to discover new books and rediscover old favourites. Happy New Reading Year!

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