Year In Books 2023

One of my missions this year revolves around writing. And writing means books: writing the second draft of a book plus sharing the books I read through the year.

Yes, I’ve done the whole Good Reads annual reading challenges and I’ve shared Amazon links…but I felt something was missing from those.

Bookshop.org

And then I learned about Bookshop.org. This company “connects readers with independent booksellers all over the world. More specifically, they given over 80% of their profit margin to independent bookstores.

My local, independent bookstore is Sleepy Dog Books. The community-focused boutique bookstore opened in downtown Mount Pleasant last year. It’s been a pleasure to have a bookstore just a few blocks from my house.

Just before Christmas I walked in and asked for recommendations for gifts. The two recommendations ended up being some of my favorite books this year: Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt and The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek.

I’m A Bookshop Affiliate

Once I learned about Bookshop and realized that I could get books and support my local bookstore (and walk in the bookstore, too) I jumped at the chance to be a Bookshop Affiliate.

For you, that means if you click through one of the links below and finalize a purchase, I earn a small commission. My affiliate store is also linked to Sleepy Dog, so some of that purchase will also benefit Sleepy Dog. (I’m not quite sure how all that works, it’s my first year doing this.)

(Disclosure: All of the links to books are Bookshop.org affiliate links. If you click through the link and finalize a purchase, I earn a commission.)

Bookshop Advantages and Disadvantages

The most obvious advantage is that any purchase from Bookshop helps me and my local, independent bookstore a little bit. It also helps keep dollars away from Amazon, which I contribute to enough over the year!

The biggest disadvantage I’ve found so far is that Bookshop doesn’t have the depth that Amazon or even Barnes and Noble has. For example, because I published my poetry book through Amazon KDP, it’s not available at Bookshop; maybe I should do something about that, right?

If it’s an older or out-of-print book, you may not find it at Bookshop because they (so far) don’t deal in used books. In turn that means you’re buying a new book which can be pricey at times.

Still, I feel the opportunity to support local, independent bookstores far outweighs the extra cost – especially when I’d buy the darned books anyway. This year, I’ll look to Bookshop first!

Favorite Books of 2022

• D: A Tale of Two Worlds by Michel Faber
• Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson
• Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
• The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek (and the sequel The Book Woman’s Daughter) by Kim Michele Richardson
• Anything and everything by Mary Robinette Kowal. This year I learned about the Lady Astronaut series and fell absolutely in love with both the story and the writing. Start with The Calculating Stars and, if you’re like me, you’ll read your way through the rest of the series in no time.
• The Falcon’s Eyes by Francesca Stanfill
• The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova (and The Shadow Land by the same author)
• The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton
• The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie
• Women of the Silk by Gail Tsukiyama

Felt Like Visiting An Old Friend, ie, Honorable Mentions for 2022

• A Sunlit Weapon by Jacqueline Winspear. Sigh, the Maisie Dobbs mystery series is fantastic.
• The Dressmaker’s Secret by Rosalie Ham (great if you loved the first book or movie)
• The INFJ Writer by Lauren Sapala
• The Nature of Jade by Deb Caletti
• The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna.

All Books Read in 2022

• A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
• A Sunlit Weapon by Jacqueline Winspear
• Birthright by Nora Roberts
• Crossings by Alex Landragin
• D: A Tale of Two Worlds by Michel Faber
• Don’t Stop The Music by Hannes A. Jonsson
• Fire Monks: Zen Mind Meets Wildfire by Colleen Morton Busch
• Galileo’s Dream by Kim Stanley Robinson
• Groupies by Sarah Priscus
• How to Tell A Story by Meg Bowles
• Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey
• Living to Tell The Tale by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
• Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson
• Memoir of the Sunday Brunch by Jula Pandl
• My Antonia by Willa Cather
• Owen 9 by George C. Wilson
• Poor Man’s Feast by Elissa Altman
• Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
• Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman by Elizabeth Buchan
• Secrets of the Tides (also known as The House of Tides) by Hannah Richelle
• Super Host by Kate Russo
• Take the Long Path by Joan de Hamel
• The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate
• The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson
• The Book Woman’s Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson
• The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant
• The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal
• The Dressmaker’s Gift by Fiona Valpy
• The Dressmaker’s Secret by Rosalie Ham
• The Falcon’s Eyes by Francesca Stanfill
• The Fated Sky by Mary Robinette Kowal
• The Fire by Night by Teresa Messineo
• The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
• The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moritary
• The INFJ Writer by Lauren Sapala
• The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
• The Last Mrs. Summers by Rhys Bowen
• The Little Lady Agency in the Big Apple by Hester Browne
• The Long Quiche Goodbye by Avery Aames
• The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny
• The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton
• The Nature of Jade by Deb Caletti
• The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie
• The Relentless Moon by Mary Robinette Kowal
• The Shadow Land by Elizabeth Kostova
• The Shortest Way Home by Miriam Parker
• The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
• The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
• The Yellow House by Sarah Broom
• Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty by Anderson Cooper
• Wither by Lauren DeStefano
• Women of the Silk by Gail Tsukiyama
• Write Away by Elizabeth George

Your Turn

What’s in your to-read stack for 2023? I’ve already worked my way through one book and am starting on another. I’ve found another interesting website to help track books (and I already have Good Reads and Library Thing;) so I think I’ll work on a comparison of the three sites.

What are you currently reading? What do I need to read?