Since I shared my 2023 gaming goals on Monday, I thought for today’s post I would share my reading goals for this year- don’t worry, there won’t be as many books listed! So, let’s take a look at my book goals for 2023.
Let me start with my target number of books I want to read. In 2022, my passion for reading was reignited whilst reading through the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. As a result, I managed to read 75 books last year. So, for this year, I decided to up that target number- I am going to read at least 80 books. I feel like this will be achievable, as I intend to read some manga and light novels as well as some longer novels as well.
Like with my gaming goals, I do have some books I want to re-read, as well as read some books for the first time. Let’s take a look at five books/series I would like to re-read this year.
Books/series I want to re-read.
Sword Art Online light novels by Reki Kawahara.
OK, I’ll admit, I am a bit of a sucker for two types of novels: Beauty and the Beast retellings and stories about people stuck in video games. I mean, it does make sense- I love gaming so a gaming themed novel series would attract my attention. Whilst the Sword Art Online light novels won’t win any literary awards, they are some nice easy reads that will be great to read in between more denser books.
Fairy Tail manga series by Hiro Mashima.
Speaking of nice easy reads, I want to revisit one of my favourite manga/anime series, Fairy Tail. I love Fairy Tail. It was one of those series that I consider a ‘comfort’ series. It is one I return to when I want to switch off and relax. It has been a while since I read any of the manga, so 2023 would be a great time to revisit the series from the beginning.
The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski.
This next book, The Last Wish, is another book I haven’t read in a long time. In fact, looking at Goodreads, the last time I read it was in 2016! I am hoping that by re-reading The Last Wish, it will encourage me to read through the rest of The Witcher series, as I’ve only read the first two books in the series, despite loving the world and characters- hopefully I can change this in 2023!
Bitten by Kelley Armstrong.
Moving from a series I haven’t completed, to one that I have many years ago, I would love to not only re-read Bitten by Kelley Armstrong but the entirety of the Women of the Otherworld series. I have read any book in this series since 2015 when an anthology of short stories was released. Since it has been many years, it would be great to revisit an urban fantasy series that actually got me into the genre.
The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson.
I’m not going to lie, this won’t be the last time that you guys will see Brandon Sanderson in this post, but that won’t surprise some of you! It has been nearly seven years since I first picked up a Brandon Sanderson novel, The Final Empire, so I would love to revisit the series, Mistborn, that introduced me to Brandon Sanderson.
So, those were five books/series that I would love to re-read, which I think should be achievable. Now, let’s move onto the books I want to read for the first time.
Books I want to read for the first time in 2023.
The Black Prism by Brent Weeks.
OK, this first book is mainly here because my brother has been pestering me to start Brent Weeks’ Lightbringer series.I have to admit that The Black Prism has been sitting on my bookshelf since 2010, when it was released. In fact, I think my brother got tired of waiting for me to read it that he went ahead and read my copy before me! Perhaps in 2023, I will finally make him happy and jump into this fantasy novel…
Thief’s Magic by Trudi Canavan.
Trudi Canavan holds a special place in my bookworm heart. Her Black Magician trilogy was my stepping stone into the fantasy genre and last year, the trilogy helped me get that reading bug once again. So, it only feels right for me to include a Trudi Canavan book in my to-read list. I’ve decided to pick Thief’s Magic, the first novel in the Millennium’s Rule series. The fact that the story is set during an industrial revolution powered by magic and one of the characters is an archaeologist that discovers a magical book, feels like it ticks all the boxes to pique my interest.I’m not going to lie, this probably will evolve into me reading the entire series.
The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan.
I really want to continue reading through The Wheel of Time series. Last year, I managed to read the first three novels and would love to at least read the fourth novel, The Shadow Rising. It is a pretty hefty tome, weighing in at just under 1,000 pages but since the series keeps getting better with each entry, I can’t wait to get lost in this classic fantasy series again.
Malice by John Gwynne.
Moving from a classic fantasy series to a more modern one, I would love to start John Gwynne’s The Faithful and the Fallen series by reading Malice. I have heard this is a challenging read with a slow start but incredibly rewarding experience for those that finish it. People on Goodreads seem to liken it classic fantasy with a good versus evil plot but with a bit of grim dark undertones and a large cast of characters. To be honest, all of this appeals to me and I love a fantasy novel that makes me pay attention, especially if its because it has a lot of lore and world building.
Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson.
I promised you that Brandon Sanderson would pop up again in this post and here he is! In 2023, I want to continue with The Stormlight Archive by reading Rhythm of War. The Stormlight Archive is fast becoming one of my favourite fantasy series and I can see why some people think it is Brandon Sanderson’s best series to date. I love the varied cast of characters and the worldbuilding in this series.
So these are the books I want to read for the first time this year. The only thing I want to add, before I finish this post, is that I also plan to continue my Sword and Laser book club challenge, in which I read every book that has been picked by the Sword and Laser book club since it started. I made some great progress with this challenge last year, by reading fourteen novels on the list, but I want to progress even further this year.
Right, those are all my reading goals, I would love to hear about your reading goals for 2023. Do you have any specific books that you want to read? Or have you just set a target number of books to finish? Let me know in the comments and I’ll talk to you soon!
A Reluctant Hero 