A Reflection on Reading Habits: My 2023 Goodreads Year in Books

Just like that, another year is gone, and with it, a chunk of books off my TBR list. One of my favorite New Year’s traditions is reviewing my Goodreads Year in Books. 

Goodreads is one of the only social media platforms dedicated solely to books and lovers of books. For those of you unfamiliar with the Goodreads Year in Books, it’s basically like a Spotify Wrapped but for books. 

Books read

This year I read 32 books. Not as many as other years, but I was also busier than other years. I’m happy to have accomplished my goal of 20 books in 2023.

Pages read 

This year I read 8,898 pages. 

Shortest book read

The shortest book I read was The Grownup by Gillian Flynn. It was only 64 pages! I picked this slim volume up at a thrift store for 99 cents over the summer. It was spooky and concise; not my favorite read of the year, but if you’re looking for an easy way to boost your book count, The Grownup will do the trick. 

Longest book read 

The longest book I read was Scythe by Neal Shusterman at 435 pages. I picked up this novel on recommendation from my boyfriend, and I am so glad I did! Scythe was one of my favorite reads of the year. 

Average book length 

My average book length of 2023 was 278 pages. 

Most shelved 

My most shelved book of the year was Pride and Prejudice. For anyone unfamiliar with Goodreads lingo, “most shelved” means that of the 32 books I read this year, more Goodreads users finished Pride and Prejudice than the other 31 books. 7,047,264 users also shelved Pride and Prejudice. 

Least shelved 

My least shelved book this year was The Woman of Colour by an anonymous author. I read this book last year for a Critical Research and Analysis course. 1,985 users also shelved The Woman of Colour. 

Highest rated on Goodreads

The book I read with the highest rating on Goodreads was Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. I’m not surprised; this book is definitely a new favorite of mine! 

Average rating for 2023 

My average rating is 5 stars, because I only leave 5-star ratings. When it comes to leaving reviews, I like to operate under the adage “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” 

I left 5-star reviews for the following three books:

1. Nothing More to Tell by Karen M. McManus 
2. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt 
3. Scythe by Neal Shusterman 

This is not to say I only enjoyed three books in 2023. I enjoyed a lot of books this year, but only gave 5-stars to my absolute favorites. 

My reading goal for 2024 is to read 25 books this year. I’ve already finished five, so I am well on my way. I am looking forward to another great year of reading, and I hope everyone else has a great year as well!