1. Bookish Books Reading Challenge: Of course, I'm planning to do my own challenge! I'm going to go with the highest level, too, because why not? So, I'll be "Living in the Library" by reading 30+ books about books. Sweet!

2. Literary Escapes Reading Challenge: Once again, I'll be taking on the task of reading books set in all 50 U.S. states plus Washington, D.C. You get bonus points for each foreign country you visit as well. This is a fun one, even if some of the states are really hard to find. I'm looking at you, Arkansas and North Dakota!

3. Historical Fiction Reading Challenge: I love hist-fic, so this one shouldn't be much of a challenge. Still, I'm going to dial myself back a little and do the "Ancient History" level, which requires reading 25 historical novels. 

4. POPSUGAR Reading Challenge: Will 2023 be the year I actually complete this challenge? We'll see. 

5. Booklist Queen Reading Challenge: This will be my third year for this challenge, which I always enjoy.

6. 52 Book Club Reading Challenge: I think this will be the third year for this one as well. 

7. Build Your Library Reading Challenge: Since I had fun with this one in 2022, I'm signing up again in 2023. This year's prompts all follow an "Adventures in Science and Nature" theme. Not my favorite kind of reading, but the prompts are general enough that I should do fine.

8. Pioneer Book Reading Challenge: My husband and/or I will be in Provo at least once this year, so I'm going to give this one a go. I've yet to actually complete it, but it's still fun to try.

9. Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge: I'm still enjoying my cozies, so I'm going to do this one again. I'll join at the "Peckish" level again, so I'll be reading 1-25 cozies. No problem!

10. Medical Examiner Mystery Challenge: Playing M.E. is always a good time, so I'll be doing it again in 2023.

11. Book Bingo Blackout—I've never done this one before, but I love me a bingo-style challenge! The theme of this year's board is "School." I'll go for a blackout, naturally.

12. Pick Your Poison Reading Challenge—Another new one for me, this one involves choosing prompts from 27 topics (each of which has five categories). I think I'm going to go for the "52 Pick Up" level, which requires reading from two categories in each topic, with the use of one wildcard. Sounds fun!

13. Children's Book Reading Challenge...for Adults—I already read a lot of children's books, but why not encourage myself to read more? This challenge is simple. You just read books that could be found in the children's section of a library or bookstore. Easy cheesy.

Whew! Are you overwhelmed yet? Me too. Seriously, though, I'm looking forward to tackling all these. My idea of a good time, yes sirree! (Is it any wonder my kids think I don't know what fun is?) 

Are you taking on any reading challenges this year? If you need some ideas, look here:

I did it! By slogging through Dakota Born by Debbie Macomber yesterday, I even managed to finish reading a book set in every U.S. state. Plus seventeen other countries. Not too shabby.

So, how did my reading break down this year? Let's see:

Total Books Read: 200—This is three fewer than last year, but ten more than in 2020.

Number of fiction books read: 188 (94%)—I've always been more about fiction than non-, but I have been increasing the number of non-fiction I read incrementally over the years. Last year, I was at 95% fiction, so a slight improvement this year.

Number of non-fiction books read: 12 (6%)—I enjoyed the non-fiction I read a lot this year, so I'll definitely make an effort to up this number for 2023.

Number of adult books read: 112 (56%)—I continue to read mostly books targeted at adults, but I also read a bunch of middle grade this year because of the two book awards programs that I've been involved in helping to judge. I'm not sure I'm going to take them both on next year, so this number may increase in 2023.

Number of YA books read: 17 (8%)—YA used to be a genre I read quite a lot. Not anymore. I do like all the YA mystery/thrillers that are being published these days, so I'll probably read a handful of those in 2023 as well.

Number of MG books read: 71 (36%)—Middle grade continues to be a favorite genre of mine. Even if I don't do as much book award judging in 2023, I'll still read a fair amount of these. Better and better books are being published in this genre every year!

Number of books by female authors: 172 (86%)—I've always tended to read mostly female authors and this has not changed, apparently.

Number of books by male authors: 25 (13%)—To make this number even more pathetic, 3 of these books were written by the same man. What can I say? I discovered the great Jason Reynolds this year!

Number of books written by a combination of authors, mixed genders: 3 (1%)

Books read, by genre:

General Fiction: 69

Mysteries and Thrillers (contemporary and historical): 66

Historical Fiction: 29

Sci-Fi/Dystopian: 9

Fantasy: 7

Supernatural/Horror: 5

Biographies/Memoirs: 5

Historical Non-Fiction: 5

Romance: 2

General Non-Fiction: 1

Self-Help: 2

No surprises here, really. I've always tended to read mostly mysteries, thrillers, and historical fiction. The General Fiction majority is probably due to all the middle-grade novels I read, most of which were contemporary stories. I'm a titch surprised there aren't more supernatural/ghost stories here, but since I counted Gothic novels (sans ghosts) as general fiction, so I guess that makes sense. 

Based on these stats, I'd say that—surprise, surprise—I read pretty much the same thing every year! I'm a creature of habit for sure. In 2023, I would like to up my non-fiction reading. I will also try again to read a book from every state and even more foreign countries. Once again, I'll set my Goodreads reading goal at 200 books. I'm nothing if not consistent. Ha!

As for blogging, I was absolute rubbish at writing reviews this year (except on Goodreads). I plan to do better in the new year. Not having to deal with a big house move in 2023 should help.

How did your reading year go?

For my records, here is a list of the books I read in 2022. Asterisks denote favorites.

• 1. The Hand on the Wall by Maureen Johnson (Jan)
• 2. Ghost Ship: The Mysterious True Story of the Mary Celeste and Her Missing Crew by Brian Hicks (Jan)
• 3 The Fossil Hunter by Tea Cooper (Jan)
• 4. Lies That Comfort and Betray by Rosemary Simpson (Jan)
• 5. Cheddar Off Dead by Korina Moss (Jan)
• 6. The Box in the Woods by Maureen Johnson (Jan)
• 7. The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain (Jan)
• 8. The Girl Who Wrote in Silk by Kelli Estes [audio] (Jan)
• 9. Aunt Ivy's Cottage by Kristin Harper (Jan)
• 10. The Lady in Residence by Allison Pittman* (Jan)
• 11. Murder at the Beacon Bakeshop by Darci Hannah (Jan)
• 12. Anxious People by Fredrik Backman (Jan)
• 13. The Renegade Reporters by Elissa Brent Weissman [audio] (Jan)
• 14. The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan* (Jan)
• 15. Hot and Sour Suspects by Vivien Chien (Jan)
• 16. Endurance by Alfred Lansing (Jan)
• 17. The Ice House by Monica Sherwood (Feb)
• 18. The Cure For What Ales You by Ellie Alexander (Feb)
• 19. Scribbles, Sorrows, and Russet Leather Boots: The Life of Louisa May Alcott by Liz Rosenberg (Feb)
• 20. A Murder for the Books by Victoria Gilbert (Feb)
• 21. Drawn by the Current by Jocelyn Green (Feb)
• 22. Madam by Phoebe Wynne (Feb)
• 23. Tips for Magicians by Celesta Rimington (Feb)
• 24. I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys* (Feb)
• 25. The Orphan Collector by Ellen Marie Wiseman [audio] (Feb)
• 26. The Birdcage by Eve Chase (Feb)
• 27. Murder on Cape Cod by Maddie Day (Feb)
• 28. Home or Away by Kathleen West (Feb)
• 29. The Floating Girls by Lo Patrick (Feb)
• 30. News of the World by Paulette Jiles* [audio] (Feb)
• 31. The Edge of Lost by Kristina McMorris (Feb)
• 32. Buried in a Good Book by Tamara Berry* (Feb)
• 33. Tilly and the Bookwanderers by Anna James (Feb)
• 34. Breathless by Amy McCulloch (Mar)
• 35. The It Girl by Ruth Ware (Mar)
• 36. The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart (Mar)
• 37. Thunderstruck by Erik Larson (Mar)
• 38. Farm to Trouble by Amanda Flower (Mar)
• 39. On What Grounds by Cleo Coyle (Mar)
• 40. Under Lock and Skeleton Key by Gigi Pandian (Mar)
• 41. The Atomic City Girls by Janet Beard (Mar)
• 42. Girl Underwater by Claire Kelly (Mar)
• 43. Them Bones by Carolyn Haines (Mar)
• 44. The Secret, Book, & Scone Society by Ellery Adams [audio] (Mar)
• 45. I See You by Clare Mackintosh (Mar)
• 46. The Last Mona Lisa by Jonathan Santlofer (Mar)
• 47. Séances Are For Suckers by Tamara Berry (Mar)
• 48. The London House by Katherine Reay (Mar)
• 49. The Christie Curse by Victoria Abbott [audio] (Mar)
• 50. Time Will Tell by Barry Lyga (Apr)
• 51. Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters* [audio] [re-read] (Apr)
• 52. The Good Sister by Gillian McAllister (Apr)
• 53. The Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon (Apr)
• 54. The Curse of the Pharaohs by Elizabeth Peters [audio] (Apr)
• 55. Murder at Beechwood by Alyssa Maxwell (Apr)
• 56. The Mothers by Genevieve Gannon (Apr)
• 57. The Dead Cat Bounce by Sarah Graves [re-read] (Apr)
• 58. Two Girls Down by Louise Luna (Apr)
• 59. The Dark Intercept by Julia Keller (Apr)
• 60. The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill (Apr)
• 61. Strong Like the Sea by Wendy S. Swore (Apr)
• 62. These Fleeting Shadows by Kate Alice Marshall (May)
• 63. The Skeleton Tree by Iain Chamberlain (May)
• 64. The Sayers Swindle by Victoria Abbott [audio] (May)
• 65. Vintage by Susan Gloss (May)
• 66. Horace & Bunwinkle: The Case of the Rascally Raccoon by P.J. Gardner (May)
• 67. Gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson (May)
• 68. Flipped for Murder by Maddie Day (May)
• 69. A Rip Through Time by Kelley Armstrong (May)
• 70. The Widows of Braxton County by Jess McConkey (May)
• 71. Shaking Up the House by Yamile Saied Mendez (May)
• 72. Wishes and Wellingtons by Julie Berry* (May)
• 73. Crime and Carpetbags by Julie Berry (May)
• 74. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling* [re-read] [audio] (May)
• 75. Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls by Kaela Rivera (May)
• 76. Cold, Cold Bones by Kathy Reichs (May)
• 77. Only If You Dare by Josh Allen (May)
• 78. Keep the Memories, Lose the Stuff by Matt Paxton [audio] (May)
• 79. Deep Water by Emma Bamford (May)
• 80. On Spine of Death by Tamara Berry (Jun)
• 81. Friends Forever by Shannon Hale (Jun)
• 82. How to Survive Your Murder by Danielle Valentine (Jun)
• 83. The Boys by Ron Howard and Clint Howard [audio] (Jun)
• 84. The Unquiet Dead by Stacie Murphy (Jun)
• 85. The Night They Vanished by Vanessa Savage (Jun)
• 86. Momentous Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling [audio] (Jun)
• 87. Lost Cost Literary by Ellie Alexander (Jun)
• 88. Dead Wind by Tessa Wegert (Jun)
• 89. One of the Girls by Lucy Clarke (Jun)
• 90. The Last to Vanish by Megan Miranda (Jun)
• 91. A Mother Would Know by Amber Garza (Jun)
• 92. Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come by Jessica Pan [audio] (Jun)
• 93. The Family Game by Catherine Steadman (Jul)
• 94. The Second Husband by Kate White (Jul)
• 95. Lines of Courage by Jennifer A. Nielsen (Jul)
• 96. The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes (Jul)
• 97. A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham (Jul)
• 98. What You Wish For by Katherine Center (Jul)
• 99. The Nurse's Secret by Amanda Skenandore (Jul)
• 100. Lost Among the Living by Simone St. James (Aug)
• 101. Inherit the Bones by Emily Littlejohn (Aug)
• 102. To Catch a Killer by Sheryl Scarborough (Aug)
• 103. The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer (Aug)
• 104. The Making of Her by Bernadette Jiwa (Aug)
• 105. Taken by Erin Bowman (Aug)
• 106. Frozen by Erin Bowman (Aug)
• 107. Forged by Erin Bowman (Aug)
• 108. Ancestor Trouble by Maude Newton (Aug)
• 109. Any Other Family by Eleanor Brown* (Aug)
• 110. The Messy Lives of Book People by Phaedra Patrick (Aug)
• 111. The Girls With No Names by Serena Burdick* (Aug)
• 112. The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager (Aug)
• 113. Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six by Lisa Unger (Aug)
• 114. The Lindbergh Nanny by Mariah Fredericks (Sep)
• 115. The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin (Sep)
• 116. Queen of the Tiles by Hanna Alkaf (Sep)
• 117. The Drowning Sea by Sarah Stewart Taylor (Sep)
• 118. Contagion by Erin Bowman (Sep)
• 119. Immunity by Erin Bowman (Sep)
• 120. Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan (Sep)
• 121. These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant (Sep)
• 122. The Woman They Could Not Silence by Kate Moore* (Sep)
• 123. Silver Like Dust by Kimi Cunningham Grant (Sep)
• 124. The Maid by Nita Prose* (Sep)
• 125. Come Down Somewhere by Jennifer L. Wright (Sep)
• 126. The Last Heir to Blackwood Library by Hester Fox (Sep)
• 127. Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm (Sep)
• 128. So Not My Thing by Melanie Jacobson (Sep)
• 129. Brave Bird at Wounded Knee by Rachel Bithell (Oct)
• 130. Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston (Oct)
• 131. Hummingbird by Natalie Lloyd (Oct)
• 132. When the World Turned Upside Down by K. Ibura (Oct)
• 133. The Star That Always Stays by Anna Rose Johnson (Oct)
• 134. Holler of the Fireflies by David Barclay Moore (Oct)
• 135. Attack of the Black Rectangles by Amy Sarig King (Oct)
• 136. The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty [audio] (Oct)
• 137. New From Here by Kelly Yang* (Oct)
• 138. Out of Range by Heidi Lang (Oct)
• 139. The Book of Elsie by Joanne Levy (Oct)
• 140. The Swallowtail Legacy: Wreck at Ada's Reef by Michael D. Beil (Oct)
• 141. Worser by Jennifer Ziegler (Oct)
• 142. Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence by Sonja Thomas (Oct)
• 143. The View From the Very Best House in Town by Meera Trehan (Oct)
• 144. Only the Beautiful by Susan Meissner* (Oct)
• 145. The Best Liars in Riverview by Lin Thompson (Oct)
• 146. Yonder by Ali Standish* (Oct)
• 147. Caprice by Coe Booth (Oct)
• 148. Strangers On a Train by Patricia Highsmith [audio] (Oct)
• 149. The Way I Say It by Nancy Tandon (Oct)
• 150. Those Kids From Fawn Creek by Erin Estrada Kelly (Oct)
• 151. Anybody Here Seen Frenchie? by Leslie Connor (Oct)
• 152. Coming Up Short by Laurie Morrison (Oct)
• 153. Be Real, Macy Weaver by Lakita Wilson (Nov)
• 154. Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone by Tae Keller (Nov)
• 155. Spineless by Samantha San Miguel (Nov)
• 156. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (Nov)
• 157. Just Harriet by Elana K. Arnold (Nov)
• 158. Miraculous by Caroline Starr Rose (Nov)
• 159. Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper [re-read] [audio] (Nov)
• 160. Drew Leclair Gets A Clue by Katryn Bury (Nov)
• 161. The Lucky Ones by Linda Williams Jackson (Nov)
• 162. Maizy Chen's Last Chance by Lisa Yee* (Nov)
• 163. Best Friends, Bikinis, and Other Summer Catastrophes by Kristi Wiengte (Nov)
• 164. The Secret Battle of Evan Pao by Wendy Wan-Long Shang (Nov)
• 165. Freewater by Amina Luqman-Dawson (Nov)
• 166. Lemon Drop Falls by Heather Clark (Nov)
• 167. Confessions of a Class Clown by Arianne Costner (Nov)
• 168. The Last Adventure by Ryan Dalton (Nov)
• 169. Sphere by Michael Crichton [re-read] (Nov)
• 170. Coming of Age: 13 B'Nai Mitzvah Stories by various authors (Nov)
• 171. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (Nov)
• 172. Snow Struck by Nick Courage (Nov)
• 173. Air by Monica Roe (Dec)
• 174. At the Quiet Edge by Victoria Helen Stone (Dec)
• 175. Thirst by Varsha Bajaj* (Dec)
• 176. Roll For Initiative by Jamie Formato (Dec)
• 177. Wishing Upon the Same Stars by Jacquette Nammar Feldman* (Dec)
• 178. The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal (Dec)
• 179. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens* [re-read] (Dec)
• 180. The Hope of Elephants by Amanda Rawson Hill (Dec)
• 181. How to Fake An Irish Wake by Eliza Watson (Dec)
• 182. The Seed of Faith by Daniel Petronelli (Dec)
• 183. Ghost at Work by Carolyn Hart (Dec)
• 184. The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell [audio] (Dec)
• 185. Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister (Dec)
• 186. Willis Wilbur Wows the World by Lindsey Leavitt* (Dec)
• 187. Cure for the Common Breakup by Beth Kendrick (Dec)
• 188. Ghost by Jason Reynolds [audio] (Dec)*
• 189. Patina by Jason Reynolds [audio] (Dec)
• 190. Death Al Dente by Leslie Budewitz (Dec)
• 191. The Gods of Green County by Mary Elizabeth Pope (Dec)
• 192. Lu by Jason Reynolds [audio] (Dec)
• 193. The Ghost of Wyvern Lake by Sheila A. Nielson (Dec)
• 194. Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie (Dec)
• 195. By Book Or by Crook by Eva Gates (Dec)
• 196. Liam Lewis and the Summer Camp Curse by Brandon J. Greer (Dec)
• 197. Miss Classified by Susan Phelan (Dec)
• 198. Dragon Pox by Camille Smithson (Dec)
• 199. Atomic Habits by James Clear* [re-read] (Dec)
• 200. Dakota Born by Debbie Macomber