booksbydorothea - 2023 Year End Wrap-up

Hello, all!

This is my first year-end book blog wrap-up for booksbydorothea!!!

 

Some history of the blog - I started this blog in August of 2019 to keep track of my books. It was a very simple blog with updates of the book that I was reading and then the review (cut and pasted) from Goodreads.

 

Unfortunately, the pandemic intervened in my developing the blog further. I had to take a hiatus in March 2020 as I was unable to read, period.

 

Then in April 2023, I was beginning to read again so I restarted the blog and now it has grown to where it is now. I look forward to continuing to develop this blog even more! Thank you for your support!

 

One last housekeeping item, as of today, I am closing out the booksbydorothea reading blog for 2023. Also, I will be off social media from December 20, 2023, to January 2, 2024. So be ready to see me again on January 3, 2024!!!

Now onto the MAIN EVENT:

booksbydorothea BEST BOOKS OF 2023 (5-star reviews)

THIRTEEN books vied for the Inaugural booksbydorothea Book of 2023.

• The Wind Knows My Name by Isabel Allende (May)
• Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See (June)
• How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair (July)
• A Council of Dolls by Mona Susan Power (August)
• The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman (August)
• Evergreen (Japantown Mystery #2) by Naomi Hirahara (August)
• The Women by Kristin Hannah (September)
• After Annie by Anna Quindlen (September)
• Finding Margaret Fuller by Allison Pataki (October)
• The Leftover Woman by Jean Kwok (October)
• Making It So by Patrick Stewart (October) audiobook
• Every Time We Say Goodbye by Natalie Jenner (November)
• Being Henry by Henry Winkler (November) audiobook

Interestingly, some months had a LOT of great books that were 5-star (like August and October). But every month except January and December had a 5-star book.

 

As you may have read previously in the blog, the booksbydorothea INAUGURAL Book of the Year 2023 is:

How To Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair REVIEW

 

GOODREADS BEST BOOKS OF 2023 FINALISTS

Congratulations to Henry Winkler for being awarded Best Humor. It was a great audiobook and Henry is a great narrator! Unfortunately, it is the only book that I read that was a Goodreads Best Books of 2023 Finalist.

Being Henry by Henry Winkler REVIEW

2023 MONTHLY BEST BOOK

This is my VERY best book in each month, period. These are some great books that are worth exploring and reading other than the 5-star books.  PLEASE NOTE: there were no blog reviews until May 2023. 

 Surrender by Bono (January 2023)

Unraveling by Peggy Orenstein (February 2023)

Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan (March 2023)

The Ferryman by Justin Cronin (April 2023)

The Wind Knows My Name by Isabel Allende (May 2023) REVIEW

Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See (June 2023) REVIEW

How To Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair (July 2023) REVIEW

A Council of Dolls by Mona Susan Power (August 2023) REVIEW

The Women by Kristin Hannah (September 2023) REVIEW

The Leftover Woman by Jean Kwok (October 2023) REVIEW

Every Time We Say Goodbye by Natalie Jenner (November 2023) REVIEW

Dying of Politeness by Geena Davis (December 2023) REVIEW

 

2023 GOODREADS STATISTICS

This continuous updating of the book goal became tedious in 2023; in 2024, it will be 100 books from the start!

2023 Goodreads Book Goal:

48 books – set January 1, 2023

60 books – set May 15, 2023

80 books – set September 23, 2023

100 books – set October 28, 2023 (serious stretch goal):

2023 Goodreads Book Total: 94 physical books, ebooks, and audiobooks!! I think that I did a great job and enjoyed reading such fantastic books!

  

2023 MONTHLY WRAP-UPS

As I restarted this blog in April 2023, there are no monthly wrap-ups for January-April 2023. The monthly wrap-ups were started in May 2023 and are linked below. 

May Monthly Wrap-up: LINK

June Monthly Wrap-up: LINK

July Monthly Wrap-up: LINK

August Monthly Wrap-up: LINK

September Monthly Wrap-up: LINK

October Monthly Wrap-up: LINK

November Monthly Wrap-up: LINK

December Monthly Wrap-up: LINK

 

HELPFUL LINKS

Glossary: LINK

Book Ratings: LINK

2023 TOTAL STATISTICS:

Now for all of the statistics of 2023! It is all so fascinating to me, but you may find it boring so feel free to skip this! Next year, I plan to do some analysis!

 

2023 total books (ALL book types)

TOTAL: 94 physical, ebooks, and audiobooks

2023 eBooks

TOTAL: 57 ebooks

 

2023 Audiobooks

TOTAL: 34 audiobooks

 

2023 Personal Physical Books 

TOTAL: 2 personal physical books

 

2023 Library books (ebooks)

TOTAL: 23 library ebooks

 

2023 Library books (audiobooks)

TOTAL: 35 library audiobooks

 

2023 Amazon Prime First Reads books (First Reads) (part of ebooks)

TOTAL: 3 First Reads ebooks

 

2023 ARCs (Advance Reader Copy) (part of ebooks)

TOTAL: 29 ARCs

 

2023 Total Listening Time (audiobooks)

TOTAL: 358 hours, 20 minutes listening time

 

2023 Pages Read (physical and ebooks)

TOTAL: 19,974 pages read (very different from Goodreads, hmm???)

 

 

2023 TOTAL BOOK RATINGS

5.0-star books

TOTAL: 24 books

 

4.5-star books

TOTAL: 29 books

 

4.0-star books

TOTAL: 23 books

 

3.5-star books

TOTAL: 8 books

 

3.0-star books

TOTAL: 11 books

  

Thank you for coming along with me on my book blog journey in 2023! I hope that you join me in 2024 for more adventures in reading!!

  

Happy Holidays 🎅🎄 and Happy Reading📚!

Dorothea 💜

December 2023 - Monthly Wrap-up

 

Hi, everyone!

 

What a typical December!! Lots of activities, visits, and family time. As expected, my reading was down. I always TRY to remember that it is not a contest or a chore, but personal reading is for joy and pleasure!

So as of today, I am closing out my reading blog for 2023. Also, I will be off social media from December 20, 2023, to January 2, 2024. I will be back on January 3, 2024, trying to remember to write 2024 not 2023 on my checks AND reading new books!!

 

INAUGURAL BEST BOOK OF 2023

THIRTEEN books were vying for booksbydorothea Best Book of 2023.

• The Wind Knows My Name by Isabel Allende (May)
• Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See (June)
• How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair (July)
• A Council of Dolls by Mona Susan Power (August)
• The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman (August)
• Evergreen (Japantown Mystery #2) by Naomi Hirahara (August)
• The Women by Kristin Hannah (September)
• After Annie by Anna Quindlen (September)
• Finding Margaret Fuller by Allison Pataki (October)
• The Leftover Woman by Jean Kwok (October)
• Making It So by Patrick Stewart (October) audiobook
• Every Time We Say Goodbye by Natalie Jenner (November)
• Being Henry by Henry Winkler (November) audiobook

 

Unfortunately, I didn’t have a Best Book of 2023 candidate in December. Hopefully, 2024 will be another fantastic book year!!

As you may have read previously in my blog, my booksbydorothea INAUGURAL Book of the Year 2023 is:

How To Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair REVIEW

 

Of these thirteen BEST books, only one made it to the Goodreads Choice Awards 2023. Congratulations to Henry Winkler, who was awarded Best Humor. It was a great audiobook and Henry is a great narrator!

Being Henry by Henry Winkler REVIEW

 

GOODREADS READING GOAL:

My Goodreads reading goal kept increasing in 2023! In May, it increased from 50 to 60 books; in September, it increased from 60 to 80 books; and in October, it increased from 80 to 100 books! T

The final number: 94 books out of 100 books GOAL. Only 6 shy of my yearly goal which I increased THREE times!! Yeah, ME!!

For 2024, my goal will be 100 from the very start!!!

 

DECEMBER STATISTICS:

4 total books

1 e-books; 3 audiobooks

0 books were an ARC (Advance Reader Copy)

3 books were library books (0 ebooks; 3 audiobooks)

0 books were purchased ebooks

1 book was an Amazon First Reads

0 books were a gifted physical book

Audio listening time in December: 25 hours, 35 minutes

Pages read in December: 31 pages

 

DECEMBER BOOK RATINGS with BOOK COVERS: 

5.0-star books (0)

4.5-star books (0)

4.0-star books (3)

Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe audiobook REVIEW

Dying of Politeness by Geena Davis audiobook REVIEW

Two Women Walk Into A Bar by Cheryl Stayed ebook REVIEW

3.5-star book (0)

3.0-star books (1)

Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry audiobook REVIEW

 

If you want to read my full review of any of these books, there are individual review posts for each e-book or audiobook below the picture of the book. You can click on the specific book link to get to that book review!! 

 

Happy holidays 🎅 and Happy reading 📚, 

Dorothea 💜

 

P.S. For more information about my book ratings, you can find out more HERE.

LAPL Best Books of 2023

I am thrilled that FIVE books I have read or listened to this year were selected for the LAPL (Los Angeles Public Library) Best Books of 2023. The LAPL is my personal, fabulous, and PUBLIC library!!

Congratulations to Marie Benedict, Lisa See, Luis Alberto Urrea, Naomi Hirahara, and Henry Winkler for making this amazing list of books! 

All five were ebooks except for Harry Winker's memoir which was an audiobook. Below is the LAPL write-up scan, my rating, and a link to my review! (NOTE: all of these books were rated 4.5 stars or 5.0 stars)!

The Mitford Affair by Marie Benedict (4.5 stars REVIEW)

Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See (5.0 stars REVIEW)

Good Night, Irene by Luis Alberto Urrea (4.5 star REVIEW)

Evergreen (Japantown Mystery #2) by Naomi Hirahara (4.5 stars REVIEW)

Being Henry by Henry Winkler (5.0 stars REVIEW)

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

P.S. I am not sure how many more books that I can get in before the end of the year - maybe one or two more. I am at 94 with a goal of 100!

 

UPDATED (1/2/2024) My next ebook is...

 The Phoenix Crown by Kate Quinn and Janie Chang (ebook)

Updating this post to reflect that I am starting this book TODAY, the explanation is that I took a Holiday break and then another ARC became available with a shorter read time! 

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

My next audiobook is...

 Baggage by Alan Cumming

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

REVIEW - Dying of Politeness audiobook

 Dying of Politeness by Geena Davis

OVERVIEW

This was a great book by Geena Davis - well-written, well-narrated, and interesting! It definitely held my interest. 

Geena was fantastic at not being salacious or obnoxious about her intimate and Hollywood relationships. She also talked very little about her kids protecting their privacy. 

The biggest achievements that she has in her life are her three kids AND her Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media Foundation. I love her hope for her future granddaughter someday comes true for my future granddaughter too.

OVERALL REVIEW: 4.0 stars

Writing: 4.0 stars

It was beautifully written - Geena comes across as warm, kind, and real. She seems very authentic and a true New Englander, especially with politeness as a personal issue. 

Narration: 4.5 stars

Geena is a beautiful narrator. She was engaging, personal, and emotional when discussing her family. 

Character Arc: 4.0 stars

It was written in a fairly chronological order, but it did diverge at times. However, it was not difficult to follow. 

Memorable: 4.0 stars

I loved how Geena talked about the gender disparity in television and movies. Hopefully, her foundation will help end this type of disparity. 

Entertaining: 4.0 stars

Geena was very entertaining and fun. However, if you want a typical gossipy Hollywood tell-all, this is NOT it! 

Book cover: 3.0 stars

I thought it was a little too quirky.

Book title: 4.0 stars 

It was very appropriate. 

DEFINITE recommend

STATISTICS

Dying of Politeness by Geena Davis

7 hours, 36 minutes

Listened to as an audiobook from the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL)

Release date of 10/11/2022

INFORMATIONAL LINKS

Geena Davis

My Goodreads review

HarperCollins

Los Angeles Public Library

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

Goodreads - My Year in Books 2023

Hi, everyone!!

Well, My Year in Books 2023 from Goodreads is now available. Yeah!!

I have two weeks to increase my number of books read by SEVEN before the end of the year! If I increase "pages read" and "books read", I will definitely update this post!

There were a few interesting statistics:

• Pages read: 33,111 - REALLY???
• Books read: 93 - my MOST ever!
• Shortest book: 31 pages
• Longest book: 960 pages
• Average book length in 2023: 356 pages
• Average book rating in 2023: 4.1 stars

If you want to see My Year in Books 2023 data, you can check it out HERE.

I was shocked that I was in the top 25% of readers on Goodreads! So very cool! Note: This is based on the NUMBER of books.

So go check out YOUR My Year in Books 2023!! To find it:

• Go to your Goodreads app on your phone or to the website on your computer. 
• Log in, if necessary.
• Click on "My Books" towards the top-middle of your screen.
• Scroll down to "Your reading activity" on the left.
• Click on "Year in Books".
• Your 2023 information will populate the screen. 
• In the upper left under "Home", click on "Go to previous year" to compare and/or contrast to the previous years!!
• Enjoy!!

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

booksbydorothea INAUGURAL Book of the Year 2023

Hi, everyone!

This is booksbydorothea INAUGURAL Book of the Year! If you have been reading my blog since I restarted it in April 2023, you may have known which book would be my favorite. From the moment that I finished this book, I knew it would be my personal book of the year.

 How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair REVIEW

 

Of course, I do not want to re-review this book, the original review link is just above. But if you want to increase your worldview, this is a great start with a beautiful book journey and just a fascinating read. This memoir was written by an incredible Black woman (BIPOC) who was raised by a Rastafarian family in Jamaica. Safiya’s writing is poetic, beautiful, and consciousness-raising.

 

Full disclosure: I have never been to Jamaica, nor has it been on my radar as Hawaii is closer to the West Coast. Sadly, there are many similarities in the endemic issues in Jamaica and in Hawaii due to the former colonization of both islands (both are now colonized by tourists).  

 

Read this book – I cannot recommend it more!!!!

5.0/5.0 stars

HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION

My December Monthly wrap-up AND my Annual Wrap-up will be posted at the end of the year (or maybe a little earlier as I am not reading much which was to be expected during the holidays)!!

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💚

P.S. Notice the green heart (instead of my purple heart) in honor of this beautiful book!