A little roundup of what I read in 2023. And some general blog thoughts about my reading routines below. All of these graphics come from my stats on Goodreads.
I always struggle to pick a star rating for what I read. So take it with a grain of salt. The yellow stars are my rating & the average is from all Goodreads users:
I think those last two I just never bothered rating, rather than being 0 stars.
Favourites
I think if I had to pick favourites, it would be two:
No Fixed Address: a middle school book that was really a clever read about the topic of a boy and his mum that live in their van & how he navigates that with school & his social life. Great exploration of the issue of being unhoused from the POV of a tween.
and
What We Saw: a pretty difficult read as it deals with teen rape, but I thought it was a really interesting way to tackle the topic as it did so from the perspective of another girl who was at the party, and not the victim herself. Plus I thought it was a pretty realistic look at teen lives & social interactions.
What / Who do I read?
I read a mix of fiction (physical books) – both adult & YA/middle school, graphic novels (more one-off stories rather than manga series), and non-fiction (always in audiobook format). I read books folks recommend to me, ones I’ve seen recommended for high school libraries, ones that are in our school library that look good & interesting. I tried to read more muslim authors this year as I was also trying to build our collection of muslim authors in our library (mostly by me buying the book, reading it, then donating to our school library since there hasn’t been any budget allocated to us in 2 years). I think my reading list is fairly diverse, but if you spot any holes in what I read above, please let me know in the comments! Every year for a while now, I try to read all 5 books on the Canada Reads shortlist before the radio debates begin; that list comes out tomorrow!!
Where do I get my books?
Once upon a time I bought all my books as I wanted to have bookshelves full of every book I’ve ever read. Since our latest house move, I pared down. Those bookshelves are now in a guest bedroom where folks, unless staying over, don’t see them. So I gave away everything but our favourite / meaningful books. Our absolute faves line a shelf in the living room where folks can see them; hopefully it gives a little insight into who we are & what we like. The rest I donated to our school or other people.
So now I try to borrow books from our school library or the public library (I purchase an Ottawa library card annually to have access to their collection which is bigger than the library in my small village, especially audiobooks). Some I purchase when I want to read them now, but they aren’t available to borrow yet, or if I know I want to donate it to our school library so our students have access to it. I dropped my subscription to audible & just purchase from the app when I can’t get an audiobook from the public library (more rare than the number of free credits I got with the purchase plan).
I am subscribed to the free ALC (audio listening copies) program for educators & librarians from Libro.FM, which I love. Some ALCs & graphic novel ARCs I’ve gotten from NetGalley but haven’t done so lately – I should get back on there. But I don’t do fiction from there as I’d rather be off screen for the majority of my reading.
When do I read?
Most days I get some reading time in before bed. I try to make sure my last 30 minutes before sleep are off screens, so reading a physical book in bed is perfect! I have also started doing screen-free Saturdays so I tend to read a lot more on that day of the week. I listen to my audiobooks while driving, cooking, or doing other chores around the house. I don’t think I spend all that much time reading, but others suggest I must based on my annual book count.
What was your favourite book of 2023?
What book do you want to read in 2024?
What reading routines do you want to establish for the coming year?
Let me know in the comments!
– Laura Wheeler (Teacher @ Ridgemont High School, OCDSB; Ottawa, ON)
Wheeler's thoughts on teaching 