Are you like me just so close to making your reading goal?
I chose to shoot for 52 books this year, a book a week which according to Goodreads puts me in the top 25% of readers. This is a big step up from last year (44/35), but not the most books I’ve ever read since I started tracking them online. However I dearly wish that I had access to the amount of books I read as a child those pizza hut rewards gift cards were so motivating and I read so much pre-cellphones that I was walking to classes with my nose in a book! Alas, now I have real adult responsibilities and many small screens to distract me.
So if you like me are running pell-mell toward your goal here are a few titles that you can read or listen to in minutes to hours! I’ve been reading most of these as audiobooks, but will break these down into categories for you on non-fiction, fiction, fanfic, graphic novel etc. I am not here to judge how you track your reading and all of these are just lovely recommendations of stories I have read or are on my TBR!
Fiction/Fantasy/Sci-Fi:
Voices: The Final Hours of Joan of Arc by David Elliot
Pages: 208
Narration Time: 1 hour 59 minutes
This amazing book of poems is delving into the life of Joan of Arc as imagined through everything surrounding her: the men, her clothes, her sword, the angels, Joan, the prison she was held in, everything. I devoured it as I was cutting fabric one night and the full cast of characters who narrated it really brought it to life.
Bookshop.org ~ Libro.fm ~ Goodreads ~ Storygraph
This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone
Pages: 208
Narration Time: 4 hour 15 minutes
I started writing this post as I was in the middle of this audiobook, now I have finished and I am obsessed, unmoored, and delighted. One of my best reads of 2023. A delightful enemies-to-lovers epistolary between two opposing players in the time war. Follow Red and Blue as they jump back to talk with Socrates and forward to worlds where technology is worshiped as a god. Utterly enthralling from the very first letter.
Bookshop.org ~ Libro.fm ~ Goodreads ~ Storygraph
Galatea by Madeline Miller
Pages: 64
Narration Time: 46 minutes
A very fast short story from the queen of Greek retellings, join Galatea as she tells her story of life with her husband Pygmalion, and what it means to be a woman who was born of stone from an obsessive husband who loved his statue so the Gods gave it life. A story of finding your voice, and what it means to be a mother, a woman, and a wife when backed into a corner. I am still thinking of this one days later.
Bookshop.org ~ Libro.fm ~ Goodreads ~ Storygraph
Enter the Body by Joy McCullough
Pages: 336
Narration Time: 4 hour 22 minutes
This strange yet interesting setting takes you below the stage where several of Shakespeare’s most tragic heroines talk about their stories, their roles in it, what it means to be a woman, and if they had a choice. In a similar vein to Six the Musical allowing women to have a voice in their place in history, but with a much more wonky level of depth in storytelling and their day to day life. Quick, fun, and thought provoking read.
Bookshop.org ~ Libro.fm ~ Goodreads ~ Storygraph
A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers
Pages: 160
Narration Time: 4 hour 8 minutes
Becky Chambers story is of a almost utopian moon, that reverts back to natural labor and cedes half the land back to nature after robots become sentient. However, we are 300 years after the fact following our narrator as they set out to figure out their place in society, and why they keep feeling like there is more to learn. I was enamored of this small novella from the get go, and I too would love to have a moment with a tea-monk as they paddle across the country.
Bookshop.org ~ Libro.fm ~ Goodreads ~ Storygraph
A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers
Pages: 149
Narration Time: 3 hour 53 minutes
Book two in the Monk and Robot series dives deeper into finding where you belong in a new space and when to take time for yourself and how to help others. I was so delighted that there was a companion to the first book which stole my heart!
Bookshop.org ~ Libro.fm ~ Goodreads ~ Storygraph
Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher
Pages: 116
Narration Time: 3 hour 43 minutes
Have you ever thought that fairytales might be wrong? T. Kingfisher did and so two of the next three recommendations (her horror is so good!) are new or retold fairytales and I am delighted by this one that instead of focusing on the princess, instead tells the story of the toadling-changling-fairygodparent that is doing a very good job of keeping that thing hidden behind the brambles mind you.
Bookshop.org ~ Libro.fm ~ Goodreads ~ Storygraph
What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher
Pages: 176
Narration Time: 5 hour 11 minutes
A retelling of the Fall of the House of Usher, one I’ve had on my list & shelf for far too long to let it stay there. I will be fixing that potentially on my holiday travels. So if you are looking for something darker this is a good pick for you!
Bookshop.org ~ Libro.fm ~ Goodreads ~ Storygraph
Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher
Pages: 256
Narration Time: 9 hour 3 minutes
My first T.Kingfisher book that made me fall in love with her writing. I read it on a flight several years ago and it now holds a spot in my heart as on of my ultimate favorite ‘new’ fairytales. Please go give it a try, I promise you’ll love it and there is a dog made out of bones that can never die, what more not to love?
Bookshop.org ~ Libro.fm ~ Goodreads ~ Storygraph
Even Though I Knew the End by C.L.Polk
Pages: 136
Narration Time: 3 hour 51 minutes
C.L. Polk stole my heart with her other series, so I knew I had to get this one to help finish off my end of the year reading goal! Magical detectives, a offer you can’t refuse, and a serial killer! What more could you ask for?
Bookshop.org ~ Libro.fm ~ Goodreads ~ Storygraph
An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good by Helene Tursten
Pages: 178
Narration Time: 3 hour 12 minutes
A murder mystery-esque tale, where the murderer might be our 80 year old narrator who has no problem being herself. This beautifully translated work is hilarious and will be a fast read!
Bookshop.org ~ Libro.fm ~ Goodreads ~ Storygraph
Non-Fiction/Memoirs:
The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet by John Green
Pages: 293
Narration Time: 10 hour 42 minutes
I easily read this one on 1.5x speed so it went by much much faster, however I did not realize that it had three additional essays that aren’t in the paperback / hardcover editions. A good book to pick up and down as John originally wrote these as podcast episodes before turning them into this book of reviews. You get to walk through the pandemic with John, look at how he views the world, and hear how someone else truly feels with their anxieties about our society. It is both realistic and idealistic, an interesting view point on a variety of subject matter like Dr. Pepper, Sunsets, and Geese. You will laugh, mourn, and remember that we are all human.
Bookshop.org ~ Libro.fm ~ Goodreads ~ Storygraph
The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman
Pages: 32
Narration Time: 9 minutes
While some might find it cheating to have a single poem on here, I think the poem read at a presidential inauguration by the youngest poet to ever take that stage is well worth a listen. Plus there is a forward by Oprah! So go ahead, count this very quick read on your lists it’s worth a listen.
Bookshop.org ~ Libro.fm ~ Goodreads ~ Storygraph
Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History by Vashti Harrison
Pages: 88
Narration Time: 1 hour 38 minutes
A beautiful illustrated short story, I listened to the audio which is done by a great cast of characters that taught me more about some amazing figures in black history as well as introduced me to others I hadn’t known of yet! A great one to listen to with kiddos.
Bookshop.org ~ Libro.fm ~ Goodreads ~ Storygraph
Graphic Novels/Picture Books/Cook Books:
The Moth Keeper by K. O’Neill
Pages: 257
I adore Katie O’Neill’s works and was so excited to see this at one of my local indies!! Her Tea Dragon Society stories are some of my favorites, but to watch this gorgeous story come to life in her most recent graphic novel about Anya who is training to become the next Moth Keeper, to the lunar moths who pollinate the Night-Lily flowers that keep her community thriving. It delves into finding your place in community, loneliness, family, and mythology. The subplot of mental health and asking for / giving help are beautifully woven in.
Bookshop.org ~ Goodreads ~ Storygraph
When in Doubt, Play Dead: Life Advice from an Unexpected Source by Ally Burguieres
Pages: 128
Cute life lessons from a rescue opossum! I love getting to support rescue animals and learned a lot more about opossums than I had before.
Bookshop.org ~ Goodreads ~ Storygraph
Tea Dragons: Whimsy and Water Color by Kit Steele
Pages: 72
A sweet cookbook for anyone who enjoys dragons, tea, and wants to see which dragon goes with which tea and how to best prepare it. I love the watercolor and will be looking out to get the coloring book in the future!
Art of Kit Steele Shop ~ Goodreads ~ Storygraph
Homecoming by Patricia Briggs, David Lawrence, Francis Tsai, and Amelia Woo
Pages: 112
If you love the Mercy Thompson world did you know that Patty has turned some of them into graphic novels? I have yet to dive into all of them but I’m planning on fixing that soon! Homecoming is set before book one, so if you are just looking to dive in, there’s no better place to start!
Barnes & Noble ~ Kindle Unlimited ~ Goodreads ~ Storygraph
Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe
Pages: 384
I adore a Hades/Persephone retelling, but Lore Olympus is next level. While this is one of the longest books I’ve put on the list this (and Volumes II, III, IV, and V) are all so incredibly bingeable they can be finished very quickly! Plus Barnes and Noble has special editions of all but volume I…
Bookshop.org ~ Goodreads ~ Storygraph
Fanfiction
While there are so so many amazing fanfics out there there has been some commotion listing them on goodreads/etc. because you shouldn’t be rating fanfiction as it is a hobby and is only out there to enjoy. If you don’t like it don’t read! I only head of this stance from folks on listing them on these website recently, but in the past I have listed them as some of these stories are massive and I adore them. So, instead of me linking to any specifics, may I instead recommend adding some podfics made by a friend and her motley crew of narrators who do all of this for free? They’ve got a bunch of one shots if you track your reading that way or some longer ones but the crew over at ETL Echo is amazing. It is a lot of Harry Potter, but they’ve also done Star Wars, Avatar: The Last Airbender, as well as The Grishaverse. They specialize in enemies to lovers. Let me know if you want podfic / fanfic recommendations in the future!
Spotify ~ Ao3 ~ Linktree
Looking for some holiday short stories? My darling Tricia Day (founder of ETL Echo) is narrating holiday short stories and releasing them! Make sure to find her on Spotify or her Patreon (where you can join us for live reads)!
As a side note, some of the links to Bookshop.org or Libro.fm will either provide me or an indie bookshop I support a portion of the affiliate sales if you use them to buy a book I recommend!
my way by Starlight 
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