ASAP Book Reviews: 2023 Edition

Welcome back to Jo Jo's ASAP Book Reviews 
(As Short As Possible)

2023 Edition

It's already that time again, since I posted my 2022 reviews a year late- in November 2023-  I want to get my 2023 book reviews up during this first quarter of the year 2024. 

Goal Setting:

In my last post, I mentioned I had a numeric goal for 2022, to read 28 books, and I barely made it to half (19).

It's good to have goals, but it's also quite freeing to not hold yourself to it if you realize you have to or want to prioritize other things. I would have loved the satisfaction of surpassing my goal, but it was also my last year of grad school, when I was reading hours a week for class, so I did not feel guilty for not hitting my "fun reading" goal. I accomplished other similar goals like journaling [almost] every day and writing ideas for children's books.

In 2024, I'm not setting a reading goal at all. At times when I can't choose what to read next, just for fun, I'm going to refer to this list of 25 Books Every Millennial Woman Should Read. By chance, I've already read 5 of them, so only 20 to go... whenever I feel like it, I guess. 

2023 Reviews (in backwards date order):

purple = audiobook (11); gold = traditional reading (7)

1. You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi: 3/5
intriguing character background stories; surprising start with dramatic sex scene; annoying ending

2. More Myself, by Alicia Keys: 4/5

beautiful personal reflections; inspiring triumphs in her career; fun to listen to the audiobook because she sings a little!

3. Killers of the Flower Moon by Dan Gunn: 5/5

detailed descriptions; a little hard to follow the characters; fascinating and heart-breaking true story!

4. Becoming by Michele Obama: 3/5

awesome depictions of Chicago; funny reflections of meeting Barack; inspirational advice (but I'm very grateful I listened on audio because I may not have read that long of a book on my own)

5. The House Maid by Freida McFadden: 3/5

way more twists than I anticipated; powerful point-of-view switch halfway through; a little creepy

6. The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix: 3/5

too many plot holes; interesting but not captivating; good for book club discussion

7. It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover: 5/5

strong female friendships; depressing content; entertaining plot spanning one woman's childhood and young adulthood

8. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates: 3/5

inspiring message about anti-racism; practical life lessons; a little more poetic and metaphorical than I expected

9. The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict: 4/5

engaging plot that feels like historical fiction but is all real; a little convoluted with descriptive details; I listened too quickly on audiobook but still got the gist!

10. Once and For All by Sarah Dessen: 4/5: I say it almost every year. Sometimes you just need a little cheesy teen drama Sarah Dessen moment. This was mine of 2023!

sweet and sappy; clever intertwining of past and present; beautiful mother-daughter relationship

11. Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins-Reid: 5/5: TJR does it again! Iif you've been wanting to read this, read it before you watch the Amazon show!

Gripping story and characters; hilarious banter; emotional plot

12. Obviously: Stories from My Timeline by Akilah Hughes: 4/5

laugh out loud funny; extremely relatable; I definitely picked this up initially because I thought she was the real person behind "Akeelah and the Bee" which is hilarious because that's one of the first points she addresses in the memoir

13. 101 Essays that Will Change the Way You Think by Brianna Wiest: 4/5

compelling advice; some mindsets were a little jarring, but helpful perspectives; a good one to read again later in life

14. Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala: 4/5
silly mystery with a few good twists; cool representation of Filipino culture; unique inclusion of recipes and food culture

15. Educated by Tara Westover: 3/5
unbelievable true story; upsetting but captivating plot progression; a little slow at times

16. The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking: 5/5
makes me envious of Danish culture; calming and uplifting; a quick & easy read to pick up during major life transitions and physical moves

17. It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover: 5/5 (I read this one before It Starts With Us, the sequel. Hoover makes her books pretty easy to read out of order if you do accidentally)

equally as depressing as the sequel; the Ellen Degeneres aspect was a good mood-brightening contrast; very moving & emotional family dynamics

18. Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld: 4/5

super interesting topic and relatable humor; the covid portion written in email format was a little boring; sweet story overall

If you still feel like reading my thoughts, here is some end-of-year wrap-up & personal context about my 2023 reading:

Throughout 2023, I barely even remembered to mark books in Goodreads or write them in a note on my phone. I started reading at least 5 that are still sitting on my shelf, and another 5 that I returned to the library before I barely made it through a few chapters. My goal was 24 (2 per month).

I ended 2023 with 18 books, so 1.5 per month. Not amazing, but not bad! I guess that's a blessing & a curse of being in 2 book clubs :) I love both groups, but I prefer not to go to the meeting if I haven't read the book. It's a good thing I love all the women in these 2 groups, so I try to see them a lot outside of book club anyway.

For the first half of 2023, my schedule was the most... unique... it's ever been for me. From January to July, I had no consistent routine. It changed every week. When I did have time at home, I wanted a break from all the reading I'd done in graduate school, so I watched a lot of TV, applied to jobs, and slept.

During my 7 months of having 7 different part-time jobs, I enjoyed all of the new experiences, and I embraced the chaos. However, I made minimal time to be fully quiet,  and I did not get much access to the escape from reality we all enjoy while reading. 

Eventually, I realized the convenience of audio books. Of the 18 books I "read" this year, 11 were audiobooks (yes, it still counts!). I listened sporadically during a lot of fun travels, beach volleyball set-up shifts, and early morning bus rides to the school where I subbed.

Like many of you, I still love holding a real book or reading on my Kindle paperwhite screen. Sometimes, however, it's really comforting to listen to a book while you're cooking, doing laundry, or doing your bedtime routine. It gives your eyes a break, and you might be shocked how many more books you are able to read in a month or a year!

If it's your first time using audiobooks, I'd recommend starting light and entertaining!

1. Choose a favorite celebrity
2. Rent their memoir from your public library
3. Listen to them narrate it themselves (but first, crank it up to at least 1.5 speed)

Two of my favorites have been Greenlights (Matthew McConaughey) and I'm Glad My Mom Died (Jennette McCurdy). I listened quickly and attentively to both books because of the authors' smooth voices, fun accents for different characters, and abilities to convey points of view from all different phases of their life as if they were currently happening. 

Happy reading (and listening) in 2024!