Books to Read in 2023: My TBR List

I wasn’t sure if I should create a list a to-be-read (TBR) list for 2023, because I didn’t hold myself accountable for my TBR list for 2020. But then again, 2020 was an overall unpredictable year.

Like 2020, my list of books to read in 2023 will include fiction and non-fiction. I’ll leave the poetry books to chance.

On a positive note, I just realized that I read 2 books from the 2020-to-read list in 2022! Yay! (Or how embarrassing!) Those books were Bound by Kirsten Weiss and Uncommon Service: How to Win by Putting Customers at the Core of Your Business by Frances Frei & Anne Morriss. I’ve not reviewed Uncommon Service yet, but I’ve shared a few quotes from the book on Instagram and LinkedIn.

I figured I’d give the TBR-list-blog-post another go. Especially since I’d like to read more non-fiction books. And maybe I’ll be able to hold myself a bit more accountable this time. At least to complete 50% to 60% of this list.

If you’ve read any of these books, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Or if you’re planning to read any of them, let me know and let’s share each other’s reviews.

 

Note: I’ll be updating this list with reviews of the books I read.

Further reading: Here are my best books of 2022

 

Books to Read in 2023: My TBR Non-Fiction List

So, what am I planning to read in 2023?

Let’s look at the non-fiction books first. Then, I’ll try to list a few of my upcoming fiction reads.

 

Published: The Proven Path From Blank Page to Published Author by Chandler Bolt

One of my books to read in 2023 is Published: The Proven Path From Blank Page to Published Author by Chandler Bolt from Self-Publishing School, now Selfpublishing.com. I don’t remember what I signed up to on SPS but I got a free copy of this book and I can’t wait to start reading it!

Plus, I want to start my publishing journey, so this should be a good start to getting published.

 

Atomic Habits by James Clear

Bringing this book back from 2020, I’d like to try again and read Atomic Habits by James Clear.

I've heard many good things about this book. And I desperately need to create a few positive habits – specifically time-management-related habits – in 2023.

So, what better way to start? Reading Atomic Habits sounds like a pretty good idea.

 

Red Flags: How to Spot Frenemies, Underminers, and Toxic People in Your Life by Wendy L. Patrick

I picked up this hardcover book a few years ago. It’s been collecting dust on my shelves for a while. This year, I’d like to read. I’ve been diving into human psychology for various reasons. 

So, Red Flags should jump on my books to read in 2023.

I also want to read more physical books instead of just having them sit on my shelves. Red Flags is one of them.

  

This Is Marketing by Seth Godin

If you work in marketing, then Seth Godin’s This Is Marketing is one of the highly-recommended books in the field. When I’m not a book blogger, I’m a freelance B2B copywriter. So, I live and breathe marketing – or specifically content marketing.

I’ll let you know how helpful This Is Marketing really is when I get to it.

 

Writing the Cozy Mystery by Nancy J. Cohen

I request this book a while back from its author Nancy J. Cohen. Every time I say I want to start it, I pull back because I want to time the read it when I can also work on my cozy mystery.

Since I’ve not been able to do much creative writing in the past 2 years, I decided I’ll read Writing the Cozy Mystery in 2023 regardless of my writing schedule or plans.

I’m really looking forward to reading this one. Plus, it’s one of those self-help books on writing that’s short.

 

Everything Is F-cked by Mark Manson

I read the first book in this series, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F-ck, about 2 years ago (how time flies!). Now, I want to start this one.

Mark Manson’s are books are those easy-looking but effective books. They’re light, with a decent amount of storytelling.

Read my review, featuring book quotes, of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F-ck.

Here are my books to read in 2023. The print books at least.

 

Books to Read in 2023: My TBR Fiction List

Now, on to the fun books. If you’ve been following this blog, you’ll know my two favorite genres are Fantasy and Mystery. The latter includes thriller, cozy mystery, and paranormal cozy mystery.

As I sat down to write this list, I tried to add a few other genres but it seems I was unsuccessful. We’ll just have to wait and see what other books pop up during the year that I add here.

 

The Case of the Uncommon Witness by Alison Golden

I’ve been in love with this series since I discovered it during the pandemic. The Case of the Uncommon Witness is the nineth book in the Detective Inspector David Graham Series. It’s also my sixth (?) book in the series.

As part of Alison Golden’s book review street team, I should read and review this book in January. So, fingers crossed that I do so.

 

Dead Letters by Sheila Lowe

I received a free copy of Dead Letters from its author Sheila Lowe in exchange for an honest review that’s LOOOONG overdue! 

So, I’m bumping up this book to my 2023 to-read list as much as I can.

It's a mystery, thriller with a stint in Egypt. So, I'm super curious and excited to start reading Dead Letters. 

 

Echo: The Curse of the Blackwood Witches by Yasmine Maher

Yasmine is a friend and former work colleague. And in 2022, she published Echo: The Curse of the Blackwood Witches and I started it but haven’t finished it. I look forward to finishing it around February.

It's an urban fantasy novel with magic, witches, and monsters. Plus, it's written by a friend. :) 

 

Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie

Last year, I bought a set of Agatha Christie books. I had planned to read Murder in Mesopotamia last year but I had fewer reading months and hours in 2022 than I did in previous years.

I’m planning to read Murder in Mesopotamia during the summer when I’ll, hopefully, have more time and will need paperbacks for reading on the beach.

 

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

Another book by Dame Agatha Christie. My friend and work colleague Mai recommended this book to me. And as a lover of all things mystery, I’m adding it to my list of books to read in 2023. Possibly another summer read.

Yes, I know. My summer reading looks like it’s going to full of murder! Can’t complain :D

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

This book has been getting lots of positive reviews. In fact, it currently has 484,000 ratings, with over 250,700 5-star reviews on Goodreads. So, it must be good, right?

It’s a paperback and on my books to read list for 2023. So, I’ll let you know how it turns out.

It’s likely going to be a summer read so you may have to wait a bit though.

 

Andersen’s Fairytales by Hans Christian Andersen

I bought this paperback copy of Andersen’s Fairytales years ago! I found another fairytales book in my car recently and figured it’s time to pick this one up again. I had read a few stories, but don’t remember any of them.

So, here’s another paperback book added to my 2023 to-read list. 

The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty

“Step into The City of Brass, the spellbinding debut from S. A. Chakraborty, an imaginative alchemy of The Golem and the Jinni, The Grace of Kings, and Uprooted, in which the future of a magical Middle Eastern kingdom rests in the hands of a clever and defiant young con artist with miraculous healing gifts.”

This is the opening of the blurb for The City of Brass via Goodreads. I received a free copy in an international giveaway by the author several years ago and I’ve no idea why I didn’t start this book.

2023 is going to be the year I read it. *fingers crossed*

 

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

I bought this book based on a recommendation from a friend – I think! It’s one of the shorter books on my 2023 to-read list so I hope it’ll be a quick and good read.

Besides, I haven't read anything for Neil Gaiman yet. So, 2023 is a good time to start.

 

Final Words 

Based on this list, I have 14 books. My to-read reading target for 2023 is 24 books. I’ve realized that there are months when I can read more often, and months when I can’t read at all. December 2022 was one of those months. And so far January is proving to be problematic too. ☹

 

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F-ck by Mark Manson – Book Review

I wasn't sure what The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson was going to be like when I started it but I was curious what 'the hype' was all about. So I figured 'why not?'

I bought both The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck and the second book Everything Is F*cked. Though I was planning to read the latter in 2021, that never happened. So hopefully I'll be reading and reviewing it this year – 2022. (I'm just giving myself a timeline.)

"There is a simple realization from which all personal improvement and growth emerges. This is the realization that we, individually, are responsible for everything in our lives, no matter the external circumstances."

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck is a book about life and experiences. While it's not for everyone, there's lots of storytelling and ideas that serve as food for thought. 

Here are my main takeaways and notes from the book: 

1)    Mark Manson is a great storyteller. No he's not a novelist but he can keep you captivated with a story for a few pages till he gets to the point he wants you to see.

2)    There are many worthwhile thoughts and quotes in there. (You'll see many of them here and the rest are on my Instagram page.)

3)    There's lots of food for thought. Particularly this next quote/section:

"Take a moment and think about something that's really bugging you. Now ask yourself why it bugs you. Chances are the answer will involve a failure of some sort. Then take that failure and ask why it seems "true" to you. What if that failure wasn't really a failure? What if you've been looking at it the wrong way?"

If you're wondering about how much profanity is in the book, well the title should be a strong indicator. Personally, I thought Manson overused the 'f' word. I mean there were parts where you could just move on without using it, but he just added it.

Though The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck involves good storytelling there were many stories where Manson speaks about ex-girlfriends that I thought were boring.

And since the book focuses on experiences, here's an interesting thought/comment/quote about experiences:

"Values underlie everything we are and do. If what we value is unhelpful, if what we consider success/failure is poorly chosen, when everything based on those values – thoughts, the emotions, the day to day feelings – will all be out of whack. Everything we think and feel about a situation ultimately comes back to how valuable we perceive it to be."

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck is a light read. It's a break from suspense and fantasy novels (that I like to read) and the heavy informative self-help and non-fiction books (that I come across).

But if you really want to summarize the book, then this is it: (excuse the profanity)

The 3 subtleties of not giving a f*ck:

Subtlety #1: Not giving a f*ck does not mean being indifferent, it means being comfortable with being different.

Subtlety #2: To not give a f*ck about adversity, you must first give a f*ck about something more important than adversity.

Subtlety #3: Whether you realize it or not, you are always choosing to what to give a f*ck about.

And if you're looking for some confusing wisdom, read this one. Think about it and you'll realize it makes a lot of sense:

 

Overall rating for The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson: 3 stars. Hopefully, I'll get to his second book over the summer.

Keep up with me on Instagram to see the remaining quotes that I liked in the book.

How My Blog Got 1 Million Visits in 7 Months by Patric Morgan – Book Review

This book review is quite different from my other reviews because it relates to my work. You'll find bits in blue italics. These are my personal comments.

 

How My Blog Got 1 Million Visits in 7 Months by Patric Morgan is the book I wanted to read 2 years ago. That said, the book is filled with helpful information and advice on blogging, content writing, and launching a blog.

I found lots of helpful ideas and tips in there that I'm planning to use and experiment with when writing blog content for my freelance clients.

By the way, the full book title is: How My Blog Got 1 Million Visits in 7 Months: A practical and straightforward guide to increasing traffic to your blog in your spare time - and without having to pay for advertising.

While Patric Morgan's blog (Wales on Craic) is a bit different compared to other blogs, his tips and experiments are quite helpful. That said, the part on viral posts is still a bit hazy.

I'm still of the opinion that you can't really create viral posts. You can try, but whether they go viral or not depends on your audience and some ad spend.

How My Blog Got 1 Million Visits in 7 Months is divided into seven parts. Part 2 is where Patric talks about finding a niche. And as a freelance writer, I can tell you that's the hardest thing.

I've been freelancing full-time for almost a year now (had previous freelance gigs in the past but as a translator) and I only discovered the idea of a niche and what it means to narrow down on niches a year ago.

I kept changing and editing my LinkedIn profile (based on the type of working I was getting and exploring) and when I zoomed in on a niche, people started approaching me.

"I always remember my first ever boss telling me that you have to invest to get money back," says Morgan. And I can't agree more.

Before I shifted to freelancing full-time, I was a managing editor and later an editorial manager for different companies. Because budgets were tight, we didn't have training options in these companies.

So, I would constantly encourage my team members to invest in courses (online or offline). Whenever I tried anything on Udemy, I'd send them the courses when they were on sale and tell them which were the good ones.

My advice to any person in the world is "don't stop learning" and that normally involves some investment. It doesn't have to be financial, but investing your time, effort, and energy also pays eventually. And it shows in your work.

There are lots of quotable parts in How My Blog Got 1 Million Visits in 7 Months. If I could I'd like to quote pages 39 & 40 WHOLE! I've bookmarked them for my next blog post and will see how things turn out.

Overall I want to thank Patric Morgan for writing this book. It's short, easy, to the point, and doesn't make over the top promises.

It's about one man's experience with blogging and it's not a "get rich quickly scheme" compared to what you'd often find online.

 

Overall rating for How My Blog Got 1 Million Visits in 7 Months: 4 stars

 

Note: I got a free copy of How My Blog Got 1 Million Visits in 7 Months by Patric Morgan as part of a newsletter subscription.

 

Other non-fiction and self-help book reviews on Nadaness In Motion

Write Your Book in a Flash by Dan Janal

The Beginner's Affiliate Marketing Blue Print by Alex M.

The Financial Diet by Chelsea Fagan

 

Nadaness In Motion's To-Be-Read List for 2020

I saw a fellow book blogger (Armed with a Book) write a list of books they have reserved for 2020 and I was inspired to do the same.

There are many books I wanted to squeeze in 2019 but couldn't so including them in my 2020 to-be-read (TBR) list was the logical next step.

Also, having this list would keep me on track on how I was progressing with books I want to read.

With the Cairo International Book Fair launching in late January and with new books being written, published, and discovered, and review requests coming in, this list will probably get larger - the bookworm's dilemma. But for now I'll like to see if I can finish this list in 2020.

So here's the list, including fiction and non-fiction.

1.  No Longer Safe by A.J. Waines

I've had this book and another by Waines on my TBR pile for a while, but I don't want to rush them because they're psychological thrillers and Waines was a psychoanalyst so I want to dive into her books without distractions.

I've previously featured A.J. Waines on my blog through an interview and excerpt of No Place to Hide and another interview about No Longer Safe.

Update: I've read this book and gave it a 3.5-4-star book review.

2.  A Fantasy Writer's Handbook by Richie Billing

Another book I planned to read in 2019; this was a review request that I wanted to dedicate time and energy to. It's about 300 pages long and I wanted to take my time with it as I work on my own fantasy novel(s).

3.  Letters to a Young Novelist by Mario Vargas Llosa

I originally added this book to my TBR pile in 2018, but haven't had a chance to start it. I was told that people studying for their Masters of Fine Arts (MFA) had this Nobel-Prize-winner as part of their syllabi so I figured I'd read it as well. It's short, about 130 pages, and so far the index indicates it would be a good read. Will read it in 2020 and let you know.

4.  Reading Like a Writer, a Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them by Francine Prose

Another book that I was told was part of the MFA program and that I included in my TBR pile. The book title is catchy and while I've been critiquing books for some time (You can see that on my Book Reviews page), I'm curious what and how others look at it. 

With these types of books and with book reviews, it is likely there'll be parts I agree with and others that I don't. But I won't pass judgement yet.

5.  Atomic Habits by James Clear

I've heard a great deal about this book and I found that my cousin, whose Kindle account we share, had downloaded it. Atomic Habits moved from my I'm-considering-this-book-but-won't-add-it-yet pile to my ever-growing TBR pile :D

So, will see what the hype is about.

6.  Bound (ADoyle Cozy Mystery) by Kirsten Weiss

I love reading Kirsten Weiss' books, in fact I've already reviewed several of her works. But this one is a paranormal cozy mystery so I couldn't pass the opportunity when I downloaded it free (it was on sale for subscribers to Weiss' newsletter).

I have several other books by Weiss on my TBR pile, but I'll focus on this one first.

Books I've reviewed for Kirsten Weiss include: The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum (Book 1 in a series by the same name), Pressed to Death (Book 2 in The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum series), Tales of the Rose Rabbit (a poetry collection that's part of the Doyle Witch series).

Last but not least, I interviewed Kirsten in October 2019. Here's our interview.

7.  Uncommon Service: How to Win by Putting Customers at the Core of Your Business by Frances Frei & Anne Morriss

Another book I found on the shared Kindle account but one with a really cool and quirky cover. Also, as I delve into non-fiction, business development, and marketing, I feel this book would be great to read, review, learn from, and perhaps write about.

8.  Achieving the Paris Climate Agreement Goals

One of the things I've developed an interest in over the course of 2019 was green technology and renewable energy. Something I plan to write and blog more about via LinkedIn (and my upcoming freelancer writer's website).

9.  Magora: The World Beyond by Marc Remus

The last book in the middle-grade Magora series by author and artist Marc Remus, the most-likely-epic conclusion to this amazingly artistic and magical series.

I'm super excited about this. In 2018, I read the first 4 books in the series, this year I read the 5^th and as far as I know the 6^th book will be released in 2020. Remus will tie up all the loose ends, Holly will come face to face with the Duke of Cuspidor and hopefully all the questions from previous books will be answered.

Here are my reviews of the previous books: Magora: The Gallery of Wonders (Book 1), Magora: The Golden maple Tree (Book 2) Magora: The Bridge in the Fog (Book 3), Magora: The Uprising, and Magora: The Woodspeople. I've finished reading book 5, but will provide the review later.

10 and 11.              The Laws of Jartin Books 2 & 3

I picked up the first book in this Arabic paranormal-ish series as 

part of a book club. It's been a while since I've been hooked on an Arabic book. It's not amazing but the writing style is definitely similar to many English books I read. 

I plan to buy books 2 & 3 during the Cairo International book Fair in January and read them during the course of 2020. 

Book review of Book 1 is a work in progress.

12.              Past Deeds by Carolyn Arnold

A thriller that is similar to the series Criminal Minds. This will be the second read for me in this series by Carolyn Arnold. 

The first was On the Count of Three in December 2018.

13.              Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

I'm a huge Harry Potter fan but for some reason I've been delaying reading Harry Potter and The Cursed Child even though it's been on my kindle for some time (A couple of years?)

No more delaying. When I wrote this list I had actually forgotten about this book/play but decided to add it halfway through 2020, when I started reading it.

And these are just the books I already have planned, aside from the requests that keep coming in and books I pick up as part of a book club I joined. :D

In 2019, I published a post titled Why I Fear Reading Self-Help Books, but since then I've not only overcome this fear but have developed an appetite for non-fiction, seeking as much knowledge as I can.

As much as I can, I'll be publishing book reviews for all of the above-mentioned books. If you've read any of them or plan to read them, let me know, and we can do a short talk or we can compare notes (especially for the non-fiction books).

Don't forget to Check out My Top Books of 2019.