Hey there, readers! Can you believe it? I managed to devour a whopping 10,467 pages spread across 39 books during the first half. I gotta admit, that’s way better than I anticipated, especially after going through a major reading slump. Pretty proud of myself, I gotta say!
I have awarded a significant number of books a 5-star rating this year, however, I do not possess an extensive list of personal favorites. I am unsure if I have been overly generous with my ratings or if it is necessary for me to reevaluate my approach to rating books. It appears unbalanced to have bestowed 16 books with a 5-star rating while only regarding one as a favorite.
My preferred book that I have read in the past half-year was “he Marriage Act by John Marrs. This book happened to be the most recent one I enjoyed before the end of June. Another book that I hold in high regard is Yellowface by RF Quang.
I believe it would be beneficial for me to pursue some books with a lighter and more relaxed theme. Lately, the majority of my reading material has centered around matters of significant gravity, such as sexual assault and racism.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with those books, but I simply feel the need to take a break. It seems that a small portion of the chart as majority of my books span a wide range of genres. I have thoroughly enjoyed those books! However, I believe it is time for a significant change in my reading selection for the latter half of 2023. I usually read more diversely across genres, too. I mean, I have, but I usually read even more diversely.
As per usual, the majority of my reading materials consist of audiobooks. Since my discovery of Libby in 2019, audiobooks have constituted the majority of my choices. Even if an actual physical copy of the book is within reach, I frequently opt to listen to the audiobook as well. This preference significantly enhances my focus and absorption of the content. Furthermore, my inclination to misinterpret passages in books is mitigated when I engage with audiobooks.
It may not make sense unless you are familiar with ADHD, but I find that I am more productive when engaged in multiple activities simultaneously. For instance, I prefer to listen to an audiobook while playing a game or accomplishing household tasks. This helps me stay focused, as otherwise, I tend to daydream excessively and lose track of the audiobook’s content. There have been instances where I have daydreamed through entire sections of audiobooks, forcing me to rewind and listen again.
I still chuckle when I think about the time I was a young teenager and got completely bamboozled by Twilight. I genuinely thought the newborn vampires were literally babies. I was so confused when I was in the movie in theatre and there wasn’t a baby in sight. I distinctly recall reading about Victoria losing her head in the book, and somehow, my brain decided to add a little extra drama by making all her hair fall out too! Don’t ask me where I got that from, though. Misreading things was my specialty, especially when it came to physical books. Thank goodness for audiobooks, rescuing me from my own literary blunders!
As for the age groups, I’ve been mostly reading adult books. The closer I get to my 30s, the more I read only adult. I am very shocked to see almost 40% of my reads being YA. I really was tiring of YA the past few years, but I guess it’s resurfacing in my life.
Now, as for the source of the books I am reading, I primarily rely on Libby. The Libby app has become my preferred choice. It allows me to indulge in my passion for reading in a way I couldn’t without it.
Earlier this year, my library combined with some other libraries and expanded the selection on Libby as well. That has been absolutely amazing. Before living where I have since 2020, I lived near a library that was part of a consortium, which allowed them to have a huge selection. I used that library card until it expired and had to get one for where I live now.
In the first half of 2023, I read 13 new releases. This year, I have taken great satisfaction in placing new releases at the top of my priority list. Looking back at 2022, I thought I had read extensively until the Goodreads Choice Awards were announced, leaving me unable to vote. I hate not being able to vote!
You know what? Back in 2021, I was at the top of my game for self published authors and I just fell off in the past two years. I need to fix that for sure. I have to say, my favorite of the top 5 publishers is Macmillan. They just have some of the best subsidiaries like Wednesday Books, Celadon and Tor.
Please let me know what self published authors you love! I prefer self pubbed cozy mysteries. In general, I love cozy mysteries that center around food or bakeries, but I’m open to other ones! I read one last year that centered around a thrift store that was really good.
Goal Updates
I know I updated my goals a few months ago, but things have changed since then. I’m back to reading at my usual speed. I set my Goodreads goal to 50 in May, and I’m definitely going to reach it. I’ll be increasing it soon. I just enjoy having a goal to achieve, and reaching it halfway through the year wouldn’t be as exciting for me.
I’ll probably bump it up to 75, and maybe even go up to 100 if I’m approaching that by the end of the year. I’m totally loving my reading spree at the moment and I don’t see myself taking it easy anytime soon.
For the aim of reading a fave author every month, I’ve been doing pretty good on that. Out of the six months of 2023 so far, I’ve managed to read a fave author in three of them. I’m gonna keep on going with this plan. It’s been sweet to make my faves a priority instead of devouring new authors every other week. Gotta find a balance somewhere, ya know?
I had this goal to binge-read more series, you know? I really wanted to complete 12 series this year. But, who am I kidding? There’s no way I’m gonna make that happen. I mean, I only managed to finish one series in the first half of the year. At least I caught up on another one, though. But hey, I did manage to finish a whole trilogy this month! Well, not yet, actually. As I’m typing this, I still haven’t finished the Bill Hodges trilogy. I’m gonna finish it at some point this month, no doubt about it!
I’ve pretty much thrown in the towel on the Buzzwordathon. I always love the idea of doing it, but I never actually follow through! In my last update, I thought I could make up for lost time and give it a shot, but truth be told, I haven’t even bothered to try.
Happy blogging and bookish adventures! 📚🦒✨
This post was created by Allison Wolfe for www.allithebookgiraffe.com and is not permitted to be posted anywhere else.
Where to find me: https://linktr.ee/AllithebookgiraffeAdd this user on Goodreads for all your trigger warning needs: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/86920464-trigger-warning-database
Alli the Book Giraffe 
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