Books I Read in 2023

[fabled_librarian]

This is my blog post to keep track of the books I've read in 2023. I am participating in the Beat the Backlist Reading Challenge for the sixth year in a row. There is no sign-up for it this year. But there is an optional spreadsheet you can use this year, which I'm very grateful for. I am also going to include sections in this post for books I read in 2023 that don't qualify for this year's Beat the Backlist for various reasons. *

 

 

Books that don't qualify for Beat the Backlist 2023:

 

 

Books I started reading in 2022 or before and finished reading in 2023:

*A Pine Barrens Odyssey: An Naturalists' Year in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey by Howard P. Boyd (partial reread) probably started on 12/23/22 and finished on 2/2/23

*Six Ways of Being Religious: A Framework for Comparative Studies of Religion by Dale Cannon started on 3/15/20 and finished on 3/15/23

*The Jotunbok: Working With the Giants of the Northern Tradition by Raven Kaldera and others (ebook format) started on 4/2/20 and finished on 3/1/23

*The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern (reread) started on 9/6/22 and finished reading on 3/15/23

*Kushiel's Chosen by Jacqueline Carey (reread) started on 1/5/22 and finished reading on 4/25/23

**Empty Cauldrons by Terence P. Ward (ebook edition and physical edition) unknown start date in 2022 or 2023 (in ebook format) and officially quit reading on 7/29/23. Picked up where I left off on9/13/23, then bought a physical copy and started where I had left off on 9/15/23. As of this writing, I have not quite finished it yet, but I already wrote all of this out and checked the dates. 
 

Books I read in 2023 that were published in 2023:

*The Path of the Sacred Hermit: Exploring Monasticism in Modern Pagan Spirituality by Avallach  Emrys started on 5/7/23 and finished reading on 7/27/23

*Cassiel's Servant by Jacqueline Carey started on 8/1/23 and finished on 8/21/23

*Honoring the Wild: Reclaiming Witchcraft and Environmental Activism edited by Irisanya Moon started reading on 10/12/23 and finished reading on 10/15/23

*Dolls of Our Lives by Mary Mahoney and Allison Horrocks (audiobook edition) started on 11/18/23 and finished on 11/22/23

 

Books I started reading in 2023, but didn't finish reading until after 2023:

 
*Holistic Tarot by Benebell Wen started on 1/2/23 and officially quit reading on 10/11/23. Restarted in ebook version where I had left off in the physical version on 11/6/23

*One Square Mile on the Atlantic Coast: An Artist's Journal of the New Jersey Shore by John R. Quinn started on 4/11/23 and quit in 2023. Restarted in (I believe) September or October of 2023

*Kushiel's Chosen by Jacqueline Carey (reread) started on 8/21/23

*The Witching Year by Diana Helmuth (audiobook edition) started on 12/1/23

*Green by Jay Lake started on about 12/2/23

*The Book of the Great Queen by Morpheus Ravenna started on 12/4/23

*Deepening Witchcraft by Grey Cat started on 12/4/23

*The Poetic Edda translated and edited by Jackson Crawford (partial reread in this translation. Previous partial read was in audiobook format, and this time it's in a physical format. I have read The Poetic Edda before, but translated and edited by a different person) started on 12/5/23

*Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner by Scott Cunningham started on 12/9/23

*Sandry's Book by Tamora Pierce (reread) started on 12/14/23

*Persuasions of the Witch's Craft by T.M. Luhrmann started on 12/29/23

 

Books I started reading in 2023 or before and quit reading without finishing in 2023:

*We Seek No Kings by T. Thorn Coyle (ebook format) started in 8/22 or 9/22 and officially quite reading on 3/15/23

*Active Hope by Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone started on 2/14/23 and officially quit reading on 3/15/23

*American Gods by Neil Gaiman (reread) started on 3/8/23 and quit reading before 4/23

*Ripper by Isabel Allende (partial reread) started on 4/17/23 and quit reading on 4/18/23

*Northern Farm by Henry Beston started on 4/17/23 and quit reading on 5/31/23

*The Princes of Ireland by Edward Rutherford started on 4/17/23 and officially quit reading prior to 5/31/23

*Witchcraft for Tomorrow by Doreen Valiente (ebook edition) started reading on 10/17/22 and officially quit reading on 7/29/23

*How Witchcraft Saved My Life by Vincent Higgenbotham (ebook edition) unknown start date and officially quit reading on 7/29/23

*Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport (ebook edition) unknown start date and officially quit reading on 7/29/23

*The Horned God of the Witches by Jason Mankey (audiobook edition) started in 1/23 and officially quit reading on 7/29/23

*Care Work: Dreaming Disability Justice by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha (audiobook edition) started towards the end of 2/23 and officially quit reading on 7/29/23

*The Forest by Edward Rutherford started about 4/30/23 and officially quit reading on 7/29/23

*Bird by Bird: Some Notes On Writing and Life by Anne Lamott (reread) started on 4/1/23 and officially quit reading on 7/29/23

*Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg (partial reread) started on 5/4/23 and officially quit reading on 7/29/23

*The Princes of Ireland by Edward Rutherford started reading sometime in June or July of 2023 and officially quit reading on 7/29/23

*Naamah's Kiss by Jacqueline Carey (reread) started on 7/23/23 and officially quit reading on 7/29/23

*Naamah's Blessing by Jacqueline Carey (partial reread) started on 7/27/23 and officially quit reading on 7/29/23

*Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce (reread) restarted a few pages in on 7/29/23 and officially quit reading on 10/10/23

*Writing Dow n the Bones by Natalie Goldberg (partial reread, possibly full reread) started on 9/13/23 and quit reading on 10/10/23

*Portrait in Sepia by Isabel Allende (reread) started on 10/10/23 and quit rereading 10/10/23

*The Onion Girl by Charles de Lint (reread) started on 6/19/23 and officially quit reading on 12/1/23

*Santa Olivia by Jacqueline Carey started on 12/19/23 and quit reading in 12/23

 

Books that do qualify for Beat the Backlist 2023:

 

 *Reclaiming Witchcraft by Irisanya Moon (reread) started in January 2023 (probably in the second half of the month) and finished reading on 1/24/23

*The Gnostic Celtic Church Clergy Guide started on either 2/14/23 or 2/15/23 and finished on 2/16/23

*By Rust of Nail and Prick of Thorn by Althaea Sebastiani (ebook) started probably in 12/22 or 1/23 and finished reading on 3/7/23

*Liquor by Billy Martin (published as Poppy Z. Brite) reread started on 3/27/23 finished on 3/28/23

*Prime by Billy Martin (published Poppy Z. Brite) reread started on 3/28/23 finished on 3/29/23

*Soul Kitchen by Billy Martin (published as Poppy Z. Brite) reread started on 3/29/23 and finished on 3/31/23

*The Atlantic Coast: A Natural History by Harry Thurston start date 2/22/23 finished on 4/11/23

*Kushiel's Avatar by Jacqueline Carey (reread) started on 4/25/23 and finished on 5/27/23

*Kushiel's Scion by Jacqueline Carey (reread) started on 5/27/23 and finished on 6/7/23

*Kushiel's Justice by Jacqueline Carey (reread) started on 6/7/23 and finished on 6/16/23

*Kushiel's Mercy by Jacqueline Carey (reread) started on 6/16/23 and officially quit reading sometime in June 2023, then then picked up again where I had left off sometime in June or July 2023 and finished reading on 7/23/23

*The Wood Wife by Terri Windling (reread) started on 9/9/23 and finished on 9/14/23

*Empty Cauldrons: Navigating Depression Through Magic and Ritual by Terence P. Ward (ebook and physical copy) I started reading in 2022 or 2023 as an ebook edition, quit in 2023, and then picked up where I had quit in the ebook on 9/13/23 and then picked up where I stopped in the ebook in a physical edition on 9/15/23. I finished reading it on 10/10/23.

*Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende (reread) started on 9/19/23 and finished on 10/9/23

*Starless by Jacqueline Carey started on 11/9/23 and finished reading on 12/1/23

*Dark Currents by Jacqueline Carey started on 12/16/23 and finished reading on 12/19/23