2023 in Books

 Hello lovelies,

It's that time of year again. We come to the final page of the last chapter. I'd like to have a 2023 wrap-up of all the books I've managed to read over the previous 12 months. My goal for the year started at 40, but after some consideration, I moved it down to 25. 2023 was the year of realising I set myself up to fail a lot with unrealistic goals!

I didn't meet my reading goal once again; it's annoying, but it's clear that I am setting my goals too high. So, next year, I will put my reading goal to the same number of books I read this year, a grand total of 21.

Books I have read in 2023, with ratings:

• Song of the Forever Rains by E.J Mellow ★★★★★
• Hiding in Plain Sight by Eoghan Egan ★★★★☆
• Chilling Adventures of Sabrina #2 by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa ★★★★★
• The Moon is a Lesbian by Lauren A McDonald (cheeky self-mention) 
• The Kiss Curse by Erin Sterling ★★★★☆
• Saving the Star by Rachel Bowdler ★★★★★
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ★★★★☆
• Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston  ★★★★★
• Lights, Planets, People! by Molly Naylor ★★★★☆
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows ★★★★☆
• Dirty Laundry by Roxanne Emery & Richard Pink ★★★★★
• Wild and Wicked Things by Francesca May  ★★☆☆☆
• The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Anderson ★★★★★
• Beyond the Wand by Tom Felton ★★★★☆
• Girls Like Girls by Hayley Kiyoko ★★★★★
• The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner  ★★★☆☆
• Sex and the City by Candace Bushnell ★★☆☆☆
• Dance of a Burning Sea by E.J Mellow ★★★★★
• The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho ★★★★★
• Pride: The Story of the LGBTQ Equality Movement by Matthew Todd ★★★★☆
• Path of Night by Sarah Rees Brennan ★★★★☆

The books I enjoyed the most and stood out this year were Song of the Forever Rainds, Dance of a Burning Sea, Dirty Laundry, Girls Like Girls, and The Alchemist. These were my favourite reads of the year, for sure. I have read some excellent books this year, many of which I 5-starred. 

Although I didn't mean either of my reading goals, I am glad I got to read some amazing books and be introduced to authors I didn't know before.  I’m not sure what book I’ll read first in 2024, but I’ll let you know! 

2023 in Books

Sunday 31 December 2023

Goals for 2023

 Happy New Year!!

2022 has finally ended, and I, like so many, have welcomed 2023 with open arms. I've started the year with so much positivity and just an eagerness to do more and really be the best me possible. I've been journalling about what I'd like to happen this year and I thought it would be nice to share some of my goals and aspirations with you lovely lot on the blog. 

But first, let's do a little reflection about the WritingMyHeart blog! In 2022 we achieved:

• Over 38.5K views - this has blown my mind!!
• The two most read posts were pieces of my creative writing: Diary Entry of Rita Rosco & Such A Fall
• Posted 23 blog posts! 
• 6 book reviews
• 5 pieces of creative writing!

We've had a fab year on the blog, I am so happy that people come here and read what I've got to say. It's heartwarming seeing you guys enjoy my blog content. My creative pieces are so well interacted with it really makes me feel so amazing. All I've ever wanted to do is write, and I love that you guys are reading my words so much! I can't thank you enough, anyone who has read a single post on my blog and or if you're someone who keeps coming back- just know I appreciate you so much!

I'm setting some goals for the year ahead, these are mainly writing based because that's a very important aspect of my life.

My 2023 goals:

• Post at least one blog post a week-every week.
• Write more book reviews- at least once a month.
• Continue to share my creative writing.
• Finish writing my novel.
• Self-publish my own poetry collection.

So, those are what I'm working with in my writing life. The last one I am particularly excited for, I have been collecting and writing a lot of poetry over the past year and I'm hoping to get the self publishing process underway by my birthday (March). I will share more details about this in the future, I'm currently still putting the poetry together for this but I think this is going to be pretty big for me- so keep an eye out!

I shared a blog post on New Years Eve about the reading I did in 2022, and I wanted just reiterate here that last year I read 30 books and this year I am hoping to beat that! My first read of the year is Song Of The Forever Rains by E.J Mellow, I was gifted this book by my lovely friend Meg and it sounds like everything I could ever want in a book!

I hope you all have the best year ahead and all your hopes and dreams come true! See you next week. 

Goals for 2023

Monday 2 January 2023

I Read 30 Books in 2022

 Hello!

It's that time of year again when I reflect on all the books I've read this year. I managed to read a whopping 30 books. If you'd like to keep up with my reading, please feel free to follow my Goodreads. In 2021, I managed to read 16 books. I am really glad that I managed to surpass this and read more this year.

As the years go on, I consistently aim to read more. Why? I am a strong believer in that there is so much we can learn from books, and each book is a new opportunity to enrich our souls. So, naturally, for the year ahead I'd like to read more than I did this year.

Before we talk more about the books I'm looking forward to reading in 2023, let's talk about some of the ones I've read this year. 

As always, I fit in my annual read of The Great Gatsby. A pleasant read every single time. My reading this year definitely expanded past this favourite which I'm really chuffed with. 

Some of my favourite books this year:

• The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling
• Witch by Finbar Hawkins
• Season of the Witch by Sarah Rees Brennan
• Daughter of Chaos by Sarah Rees Brennan
• Delilah Green Doesn't Care by Ashley Herring Blake
• Purple Panties by Zane

I have been raving about quite a few of these books in various blog posts this year, and I'd highly recommend each and every one of them!

One of my resolutions this year was to buy more second-hand books. I think I could restrict myself to only a couple of new books purchased but I am determined to do better in 2023. I didn't quite whittle down my TBR pile, so some of the last year's will be seeping into my 2023 TBR list! I'm determined to finish The Morganville Series this year, I read the first six books and there are nine more to go. 

For the year ahead I'd like to read more queer fiction, I read a few LGBTQ+ books in 2022 and quite frankly my brain (and heart) is eager for more queer romances!

I Read 30 Books in 2022

Saturday 31 December 2022