Well, gentle reader, it has come a time for an accounting. Or a counting. How many books did I read in 2023?
Well, I held the accounting period open for a couple extra days, to the end of the year–normally, I call a lid on the counting sometime after Christmas, but I held out to the end of the year to more align it with the beginning of the 2024 Winter Reading Challenge–and then finished The Making of the Old Testament on January 2 before beginning a book for the Winter Reading Challenge.
So here’s the list.
- Lay Down My Sword and Shield by James Lee Burke
- Finding Lizzy Smith by Susan Keene
- For the Love of Benji by I.F. Love
- A Black Woman’s Civil War Memoirs by Susie King Taylor
- Racing the Light by Robert Crais
- Merchanter’s Luck by C.J. Cherryh
- Breathe! You Are Alive by Thich Nhat Hanh
- The Book of Irish Limericks by Myler Magrath
- Fantin-Latour by Michelle Verrier
- Conquistador by S.M. Stirling
- Weird Hikes by Art Bernstein
- I’m No Hero by Charlie Plumb as told to Glen DeWerff
- A Beginner’s Guide to Glass Engraving by Seymour Isenberg
- Murder, She Wrote: The Maine Mutiny by Jessica Fletcher & Donald Bain
- Real Phonies and Genuine Fakes by Nicky Beer
- Twice a Week Heroes by Danny Miles
- The Art of Strategy by R. L. Wing
- Starwolves #2: Battle of the Ring by Thorarinn Gunnarsin
- The Best of Saki by Saki (H.H. Munro)
- The Playboy Book of Humor and Satire by
- The Union Club Mysteries by Isaac Asimov
- Seasons of the Four States by edited by S.V. Farnsworth
- Woodburning with Style by Simon Easton
- Open Net by George Plimpton
- From Ghetto to Glory: The Story of Bob Gibson by Bob Gibson with Phil Pepe
- From Gold to Grey by Mary D. Brine
- I’m Here for a Purpose by LaDonna Greiner
- Old Acquintances by Ursula Gorman
- Tough Times in Grubville by James R. Wilder
- Wolves Can’t Fly by Dan Meers
- Earth Games by Ruth Loring
- Jeopardy! by Harry Eisenberg
- Into the Night by Caroline Giammanco
- Catnapped! by Elaine Viets
- Truth or Dare & Other Tales by V.J. Schultz
- Our Oriental Heritage by Will and Ariel Durant
- The Adventures of Slim and Howdy by Brooks and Dunn and Bill Fitzhugh
- Night Thoughts of a Classical Physicist by Russell McCormmach
- Self-Reliance in the 21st Century by Charles Hugh Smith
- Ozarks Impressions by Robert E. Gustafson
- The Gift of the Magi and Other Stories by O. Henry
- Fraktur: The Illuminated Manuscripts of the Pennsylvania Dutch by Frances Lichten
- Vengeance Is Mine! by Sage Hunter
- Hierarchy by Jeremy Daryl
- Samurai Cat Goes to the Movies by Mark E. Rogers
- The Sanibel-Cayman Island Disc by Thomas D. Cochrum
- With Ridiculous Caution by Susan Stevens
- Star Rebel by F.M. Busby
- Star Running Backs of the NFL by Bill Libby
- Rebel’s Quest by F.M. Busby
- Hey, Cowgirl, Need a Ride? by Baxter Black
- A Week in the Life of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod by
- Wizard by Ozzie Smith with Rob Rains
- Wizard by John Varley
- The Barrabas Fire by Jack Hild
- Sheriff Without A Badge by James R. Wilder
- The Barrabas Kill by Jack Hild
- Moonbeams and Ashes by Margarite Stever
- Murder at Morse Mill by James R. Wilder
- A Kinghts Bridge Christmas by Carla Neggers
- Surely You Can’t Be Serious: The True Story of Airplane! by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, Jerry Zucker
- Brett Favre: The Tribute by editors of Sports Illustrated
- Danica Patrick: America’s Hottest Racer by Jonathan Ingram & Paul Webb
- Dave Barry’s History of the Millennium (So Far) by Dave Barry
- Jim the Wonder Dog by Nancy B. Dailey
- Why We Watch: Killing the Gilligan Within by Dr. Will Mueller
66 books in all. Not a lot of heavy reading in the year; the only classical or heady things are The Gift of the Magi and Other Stories, Our Oriental Heritage, and maybe Night Thoughts of a Classical Physicist. A lot of local authors, a couple of westerns, and some pulp.
It’s funny how the Winter Reading Challenge dominates my reading year. Well, maybe not dominates, but it does guide my reading for the year. Last year, it accounted for 14 of the books I read (21%).
I’m already buckling down in my reading this year for the reading challenge, so perhaps I can get it out of the way before the end of February. And maybe pick up The Greek Life, the second volume of The Story of Civilization, again. If I read one of those a year, I can finish the set in 2034. Ah, but I have so many fine sets to read in between the pulp. I should stop typing and settle in by the fire with a book or two.
