Hygge Dreamer

The 2023 Bookish Books Reading Challenge

I love a good book.

But do you know what’s even better than a good book? A good book – about books!

There’s something so meta about reading a book involving book lovers, or that takes place in a library, or that jumps from book to book within that book. It’s like a secret that only book lovers can appreciate.

When I saw this reading challenge over on Susan’s blog Bloggin’ ’bout Books, I knew I had to sign up. I could already think of a handful of books with book themes on my shelves that I wanted to read, and what better motivation to read them than a reading challenge?

2023 Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge

Raise your hand if you love a reading challenge!

I know it’s already February, but I’ve had the idea in the back of my mind that I really should join a reading challenge other than the usual Goodreads reading challenge (where, if you’re curious, I’ve said I’ll read 50 books this year).

I was clicking around the internet and trying to get ideas on what to write for my blog (even though there is a handful of reviews I could write but keep putting off) and came across the 2023 Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge over on Helen’s Book Blog.

This challenge is hosted by Dollycas over at Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book and runs for the entire year.

Two Book Reviews: A Man Called Ove & Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

Book review for A Man Called Ove, a hilarious and heartwarming story of a grumpy old man, and Anxious People, a relatable story of a bank robber.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the provided links, this blog will receive a small commission to put towards the maintenance of this blog. All thoughts are my own.

337 pages / published July 19, 2022 / Goodreads: 4.37 (out of 5) / Amazon

All you need is Ove.

At first sight, Ove is almost certainly the grumpiest man you will ever meet, a curmudgeon with staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People think him bitter, and he thinks himself surrounded by idiots.

Ove’s well-ordered, solitary world gets a shake-up one November morning with the appearance of new neighbors, a chatty young couple and their two boisterous daughters, who announce their arrival by accidentally flattening Ove’s mailbox with their U-Haul. What follows is a heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unlikely friendships, and a community’s unexpected reassessment of the one person they thought they had all figured out.

A word-of-mouth bestseller that has caused a sensation across Europe, Fredrik Backman’s irresistible novel about the angry old man next door is an uplifting exploration of the unreliability of first impressions and a gentle reminder that life is sweeter when it is shared with other people.

Ove is all you need.

Simple & Relaxed: My 2023 Reading Goals

If the past three years have taught me anything, it’s that being busy isn’t a lifestyle I want to choose for myself. I absolutely LOVE my downtime. One of my favourite times of day is when everyone goes to bed, and I can cozy up in my room with a good book (especially if the window is open and a nice cool breeze comes through). I really wanted my 2023 reading goals to reflect that.

My 2023 Reading Goals

Make lists – but don’t stick to them.

Or, in other words – don’t feel like I HAVE to stick with them. Personally, I love to compile and list or stack of books I would love to read in the month, but chances are I’ll throw the list away and read what I want. Sometimes I might stick with it, but it’s rare. I don’t want to force myself to read something I don’t want to read.

My Back-To-Reading Year – Exciting 2022 Reading Wrap-Up!

Here is my 2022 Reading Wrap-Up!

2022 was an exciting year for me.

In June, I finally started reading again after a TWO YEAR hiatus.
I read a whopping 56 books!
I got my excitement back for reading and started my blog, and started to get social again with other readers.

Let’s have a closer look.

In June, I finally started reading again after a TWO YEAR hiatus.

Two years without reading was a LONG time for me. I remember years where I read upwards of almost 200 books in a year, so to jump from that to reading barely anything (and by “barely anything,” I mean I read ONE book one year.)

I definitely longed to read and would pick up a book here and there, but nothing excited me or kept my focus. That’s not to say the books I picked up weren’t going to be fantastic books, but my mood just wasn’t there.