2023 Reading Goals!

Wed, 2023-01-11 20:10 -- Jocelyn Green

Do you give yourself reading goals for the year? Lately I've heard about one that I am totally up for: to read 23 backlist titles in 2023. If you're unfamiliar with the term, "backlist" refers to a published book that is not a new release. I love this idea because it helps me focus on catching up on a variety of wonderful books I haven't been able to keep up with. I already had a list in mind, but I asked readers for ideas on my author Facebook page (link is external), and they delivered! I'll share with you my list of 23 in a moment. But first, I have to tell you that I have enjoyed a winning reading (and listening) streak over the Christmas break, and finished four 5-star books! They are:

1. Count the Night by Stars (link is external) by Michelle Shocklee

2. The Rose and the Thistle (link is external) by Laura Frantz

3. Within These Walls of Sorrow (link is external) by Amanda Barratt

4. Yours is the Night (link is external)by Amanda Dykes (Audiobook lovers, rejoice! This is in the top 3 audiobook productions I have ever experienced.)

Feel free to follow me on Instagram (link is external)for more book recommendations!

Also, I've decided that "backlist" will mean that it was published more than two months ago. That leaves me with a whole stack of releases from December and January that I'd love to read, in addition to the backlist beauties. These include:

1. The Blackout Book Club (link is external) by Amy Lynn Green

2. In Love's Time (link is external)by Kate Breslin

3. The Sisters of Sea View (link is external) by Julie Klassen

4. All the Lost Places (link is external) by Amanda Dykes

5. Hearts of Steel (link is external) by Elizabeth Camden

6. Yesterday's Tides (link is external) by Roseanna White

7. The Sound of Light (link is external)by Sarah Sundin

And those are just the very most recent releases! Is it any wonder I can't keep up? There are more releasing in 2023 that I can't wait to get my hands on, and I expect the same is true for you. Speaking of which, did you know there is a list on Goodreads of the Most Anticipated Christian Fiction of 2023 (link is external)? You can take a look at the books and vote for as many as you'd like! The Metropolitan Affair (link is external)by yours truly is on the list somewhere... feel free to give it some love by voting for it or marking as "Want to Read"--or both! Pre-order now (link is external)!


The top tier of my TBR cart!

(Editor's note: Gasp! I just noticed that in this short stackof books pictured above, no less than four of them have the word "lost" in the title! Did you catch that? What are the odds?)

And now, without further ado, here are 23 backlist titles I'd like to read in 2023, about half of which were recommended to me by my readers. In no particular order:

1. Hope Between the Pages (link is external) by Pepper Basham

2. The Curse of Morton Abbey (link is external) (link is external)by Clarissa Harwood

3. Tacos for Two (link is external) by Betsy St. Amant

4. The Amory Ames series and A Peculiar Combination (link is external) by Ashley Weaver

5. Every Wicked Man (link is external) by Steven James

6. Elysium Tide (link is external) by James Hannibal

7. To Dwell Among Cedars (link is external) by Connilynn Cossette

8. Mist O'er the Voyageur (link is external) by Naomi Musch

9. The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion (link is external) by Beth Brower

10. The Winter Rose (link is external) by Melanie Dobson

11. June Bug (link is external) by Chris Fabry

12. The Bookshop of Secrets (link is external) by Mollie Rushmeyer

13. Beyond the Lavender Fields (link is external) by Arlem Hawks

14. The Souls of Lost Lake (link is external) by Jaime Jo Wright

15. The Lady of Galway Manor (link is external) by Jennifer Diebel

16. The Lost Melody (link is external) by Joanna Davidson Politano

17. The Lost Lieutenant (link is external) by Erica Vetsch

18. The Italian Ballerina (link is external) by Kristy Cambron

19. The Letter from Briarton Park (link is external) by Sarah E. Ladd

20. Night Bird Calling (link is external) by Cathy Gohlke

21. Secrets of a Charmed Life  (link is external)by Susan Meissner

22. My Cousin Rachel (link is external) by Daphne du Maurier

23. Long Way Home (link is external) by Lynn Austin

This is not an exhaustive list, but it's a great start. Feel free to ask me on the last day of the year how this plan went.

What about you? What backlist or new books are you looking forward to reading in 2023?

(*FYI, I moderate the comments to keep out spammers, so if you don't see your comment show up right away, never fear. I will approve it soon!)

About the Author: 

Jocelyn Green

Jocelyn Green inspires faith and courage as the award-winning and bestselling author of numerous fiction and nonfiction books, including The Mark of the King; Wedded to War; and The 5 Love Languages Military Edition, which she coauthored with bestselling author Dr. Gary Chapman. Her books have garnered starred reviews from Booklist and Publishers Weekly, and have been honored with the Christy Award, the gold medal from the Military Writers Society of America, and the Golden Scroll Award from the Advanced Writers & Speakers Association. She graduated from Taylor University in Upland, Indiana, with a B.A. in English, concentration in writing. As a speaker, Jocelyn inspires faith and courage in her audiences. She loves Mexican food, Broadway musicals, strawberry-rhubarb pie, the color red, and reading with a cup of tea. Jocelyn lives with her husband Rob and two children in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Visit her at www.jocelyngreen.com.

Comments

Submitted by Karen Hoyt on
I love both lists! Many of my TBR books are on your list. Because I order books from the library instead of the publisher, it takes a while for me to obtain them. If I cannot get a book within a year of its publishing date, then it comes off my list. Unless, of course, it is written by one of my top ten authors. Or it has GoodReads ratings of 4.5* or more. So I rarely read older books. Every time there is a contest on either GoodReads or LibraryThing.com, I enter it. That is how I am able to read some of the newest books. Right now I am waiting for a copy of "Drawn by the Current" from the library. Thank you again for the lists, especially "The Most Anticipated Christian Fiction of 2023". I would have never known about that one without it. And, yes. I did vote for your next one. It was already a TBR for me.

Submitted by Jocelyn Green on
Sounds like you have a great system on keeping your TBR list from getting out of hand! Thank you so much for requesting Drawn by the Current, and for voting for The Met Affair on Goodreads!

Submitted by Lana Maskus on
River of Doubt by Candice Millard The Secret History by Donna Tartt Barkskins by Anne Proulx The Cellist of Sarajevo by Stephen Galloway The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christi Lefteri Trailed by Katherine Miles

Submitted by Martha on
Ooooh I love that you share the list, lots of books for me to check out. Thank you.

Submitted by Jocelyn Green on
My pleasure! I'm glad you like it, and hope you find some great reads!

Submitted by Sarah Taylor on
Thank You for sharing I Love entering the contest for paperback books I Love to read added to my list!

Submitted by MICHELLE WHITWAM on
I'm trying to get through Jodi Taylor's Chronicles of St. Mary's series. I adore these books and just discovered them this past year. I'm also waiting for Deanna Raybourne's newest Veronica Speedwell novel.

Submitted by Lelia “Lucy” Re... on
I also gave 5 stars to the same four you did. I read In Love’s Time and All the Lost places and am now reading Yesterday’s Tide. # 1, 7, 12, 14, 17, & 23 are all great. Thank you for sharing. Several of these I have on my TBR shelf.

Submitted by Jocelyn Green on
Lucy, you are so great at supporting authors and keeping up with reading! Thanks for chiming in.

Submitted by Andrette Herron on
I like both of your lists. I have only read a few of the books on your lists. Some back list books I haven't gotten to are Ashley Clark's series which I received for Christmas. New releases I am excited about include The Cairo Curse by Pepper Basham and War of Torment by Ronie Kendig. Lots of variety for me.

Submitted by Laura W on
Your lists look wonderful! Oh, so many on my TBR list for ‘23! I loved The Sisters of Sea View. I have all of the other 6 out of 7 on my TBR wish list! I have pre-ordered Sarah Sundin’s new book. I’m also excited to read Pepper Basham’s coming book, The Cairo Curse, and my beautiful copy of Laura Frantz’s The Rose and the Thistle! Of course I look forward to your coming book too. Thank you for the giveaway opportunity!

Submitted by Jocelyn Green on
I see we have similar reading tastes! So many excellent titles have just released or are scheduled to release this year.

Submitted by Anne on
Your list is impressive and captivating. I am looking forward to enjoying Homecoming by Kate Morton, Code Name Sapphire by Pam Jenoff, A killing of Innocents by Deborah Crombie.

Submitted by Caryl Kane on
I love your backlist reading goal. I've been sporadically catching up on backlist reading of my favorite authors. With your suggestion I'll be more intentional in reading for my goal of 200 books this year for the Goodreads Challenge.

Submitted by Jocelyn Green on
Wow! 200 books is an impressive goal indeed!

Submitted by Dana McReynolds on
I try to pull one book each month from the bottom of my TBR list. A few I’m looking forward to are…Wedding Dress Sewing Circle, The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs Kip, Authentically Izzy.

Submitted by Jocelyn Green on
I love that method! The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip was one of my fave reads from last year.

Submitted by June Sheppard on
I just started a new book, Where the Blue Sky Begins by Katie Powner. It’s really good so far!

Submitted by Elsie on
This is all new to me and I find it very intriguing. I am trying to read more authors that are new to me. I did read Dr, Gary Chapman's Five Languages of love many years ago and so did one of my daughters. I am just now becoming familiar with Goodreads. I am familiar with Lynn Austin, but I have not read Long Way Home. I would especially like to read from this black list: numbers 1,3,10,11, 12,18, and 20 - 23. Right now I just finished Tracie Peterson's Along the Rio Grande ( historical Christian fiction) which I loved - it tells of of Christ as our Creator and Savior, how to receive His salvation and how to live it out John 10:10 b. I am now reading By Way of the Moonlight by Elizabeth Musser I love both of covers of these hardcovers books. I got these two books from my public library. Many thanks for this blog. Have a God blessed New Year filled with His love, joy, strength, trust, guidance, and lots of HOPE.

Submitted by Jocelyn Green on
Yes, I did. (I moderate the comments, approving each one individually to weed out spammers.) Thank you!

Submitted by Michelle Hernandez on
I love your list! I'm making my way through All the Lost Places by Amanda Dykes and The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner right now. Some books I want to read in 2023 are The Blackout Book Club by Amy Lynn Green, Veiled in Smoke (by you ;), A Distant Melody by Sarah Sundin and Where the Last Rose Blooms by Ashley Clark. I'm also looking forward to Roseanna M. White's new book coming out next week!

Submitted by Jocelyn Green on
Sounds like some great reads are ahead of you! Thank you so much for wanting to read Veiled in Smoke!

Submitted by Rachael Merritt on
I love both lists. I just finished Yeterday’s Tides…and now going to All the Lost Places! I have a backlist that goes a long way back. I usually do a better job of reading those than this year. I just keep buying or getting on street teams for such fantastic books! I loved Frantz release this year, and Amanda Barratt’s release for tomorrow is just outstanding. I’ve started off the year with some great reads. Looking forward to yours and Sarah Sundin’s…as well as Jennifer Deibel’s….and so many more!

Submitted by Jocelyn Green on
There are just so many good books to read. I personally think we authors should just slow down so you all can catch up. :)

Submitted by Mary Preston on
I'm adding books on my list from yours. So helpful. My daughter says I must read the Terry Pratchett books - so many to backlisted books to catch up with.

Submitted by Kay on
I’m reading The Rose and the Thistle right now—so good! A lot of the new releases are in my TBR pile. Once I find an author I like, I start in on their backlist—it’s lead to some great reads. Plus, I always have a mix of new releases and backlist books in my TBR pile. That way I can always go to a favorite author for a guaranteed good read!

Submitted by Sharon Moore on
Our book club is reading Hope Between the Pages, looking forward to reading my second Pepper Basham novel. We read The Mistletoe Countess in 2023. We are reading an older book of your - Mark of the King. This week we are discussing Yours is the Night. Total agreement on the narration - I think it was the best narrated book I have listened to! As a break, I am currently listening to The Destiny of the Republic by Candice Miller when my son recommended it. President Garfield sounds like an amazing man. Such dependence on God's Word for wisdom.

Submitted by Karen Terry on
I am reading Silent Cries by Lisa Peck. I have read The Wild Girls by Phoebe Morgan and Blood Will Tell by Heather Chavez. I haven't read any of your books because I just started receiving your newsletter..

Submitted by Gloria Moseley on
I'm waiting excitedly on a copy of Julie Klassen newest release my library ordered for me!!

Submitted by Barbara on
Love your lists. Tacos For Two was a really good read as is Secrets of a Charmed Life. I have a stack of books I want to read this year and Paint and Nectar by Ashley Clark is my next fiction read, and Paul Newman's autobiography is my next non fiction read.

Submitted by Loraine Ertelt on
I love your list and almost all are on my TBR list. I just finished 2 that were at the top of my TBR list: Pepper Basham's The Mistletoe Countess and The Cairo Curse. I'm looking forward to reading: The Sound of Light by Sarah Sundin Daughter of Eden by Jill Eileen Smith In Spotlight and Shadow by Rachel Scott McDaniel Remember Me by Tracie Peterson Fields of Bounty by Lauraine Snelling The Metropolitan Affair by Jocelyn Green The Tapestry of Grace by Kim Vogel Sawyer Blind Trust by Natalie Walteers The vanishing at Castle Moreau by Jamie Jo Wight The Tiffany girls by shelley noble A Shadow in Moscow by Katherine Reay 13 June 2023) Double Indemnity by Robert Whitlow (R)

Submitted by Lynette on
I love the books you chose from your backlist. I started to make a list, and it’s more like 230 books. I need to read faster! I’m looking forward to reading The Sound of Light by Sarah Sundin…and so many others!

Submitted by Marti on
These lists are great! I have several of these books on my tbr shelf. Thanks for sharing!

Submitted by Debra Slonek on
There are so many books that I want to read! I am currently reading and enjoying Holding the Line by Jennifer Delamere. I am looking forward to reading The Lost Melody by Joanna Davidson Politano, The Memories We Painted by Caitlin Miller, The Secret Society of Salzburg by Renee Ryan, The Rose and the Thistle by Laura Frantz, In Love’s Time by Kate Breslin and In Spotlight and Shadow by Rachel Scott McDaniel.

Submitted by Linda F Herold on
I have a whole pile of books that are older than a couple of months!! My goal is to read 120 of them in 2023!

Submitted by Brenda Murphree on
I’m definitely wanting to read your new book The Metropolitan Affair, The Lost Melody, The Sisters of Sea View and The Winter Rose and many more. I have gotten 2 of them for Christmas and I have The Lost Melody on my birthday list for this month. I won Winter Rose and I still got to buy yours. So many good books and so little time.

Submitted by Joyce Mante on
This is quite a list, many by authors I am unfamiliar with. I have a long list on Goodreads and a big pile next to my desk and no organization at all about how I read them! Right now I have just started The Wedding Dress by Rachel Hauck after finishing Sweetwater Gap by Denise Hunter. Coming up soon are The Thorn by Beverly Lewis and Phoebe's Light by Suzanne Woods Fisher. I would like to also read some non-fiction to learn and grow a bit!

Submitted by Eunice Song on
Fantastic list of books! Many of these are also on my own list, or favorite books from this past year as well. I just finished Yours is the Night by Amanda Dykes and I loved it so much! I'm currently reading Set the Stars Alight. I'm most looking forward to Yesterday's Tides by Roseanna White, The Sound of Light by Sarah Sundin and Hearts of Steel by Elizabeth Camden. The Metropolitan Affair looks great as well! Will be adding to my TBR list!

Submitted by Danielle Hull on
I am reading Yours is the Night by Amanda Dykes right now! And I found 2 older books by Jaime Jo Wright on my Kindle that I totally forgot about! I will participate, too!

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