2023 Wrap-Up
(This post was updated on December 30 and December 31, 2023.)
Since both Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve land on Sundays this year, I’ve decided to pause the Sunday Missives from the Moratorium Library until 2024. I’ll catch you up on any exciting books I finish reading between now and then on Sunday, January 7.
Like last year, I’ll kick it off with some book stats. Those are always fun!
Total books read from the Moratorium Library: 55
Library books read in 2023: 33
Total books read in 2023: 50
Total books purchased since the start of the Library: 115
Books purchased in 2023: 78 (oof)
(The total was originally 74 for the year, but I purchased four more books on New Year’s Eve, HUSH.)
Average Goodreads rating of Moratorium Library books: 3.47
Favorite book(s) of 2023: I loved Severance by Ling Ma and Matrix by Lauren Groff, both of which were surprises for me. I really didn’t know what to expect from either, but had the best, can’t-put-these-down experiences reading them. Also definitely recommend Jessica Knoll’s Bright Young Women and Bret Easton Ellis’ The Shards (of course). Not a Library book, but I also cannot hype The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson enough. I reread it for Gothic lit and fell in love.
Least favorite book(s) of 2023: Did not enjoy Nerd, so much so that I didn’t rate it as part of the Library. I also wasn’t super into Hazardous Spirits. (Apologies to Tin House, who wasted a galley on me.) A late dislike was A Haunting on the Hill, an official sequel to Hill House that was disappointing in so many ways, both as a sequel and just as a book (more details to come in the first missive of the new year).
There were a lot of disappointing books this year, I realized while reviewing my Goodreads list. A lot of books I was looking forward to that didn’t live up to my hype, a couple authors (who shall remain nameless) who I was excited for more from but didn’t hit the highs of previous titles. But you read and you learn,and any year you can read dozens of books is a good one.
And now, some ideas, plans, hopes, and goals for 2024:
Total reading goal: 50 books
Library books reading goal: 40
Number of books to purchase: under 10, I BEG OF YOU
More: writing, travels, walks, parks, flowers, friends, therapy, learning
Less: second-guessing, anxiety, work stress, YouTube
2024 motto: Roll with it
I’m going to keep my more personal reflections and resolutions to myself, but I did want to share a few thoughts about the end of 2023 and the start of 2024. For the last few months of this year, I’ve been really trying to evaluate what I even want from life. Most of the time, thanks to friends and my parents and my cat and therapy, I’m very happy, or at least content, and that’s thrilling! I’m content being single, though I’m not closing the door on an eventual relationship. I like my apartment. I am so glad to have found myself writing again (thank you, grad school), though I would like to work on building more of a routine and finding a community to keep me motivated and engaged.
But I’ve also made some decisions, some of which I hope to put into motion in the first few months of 2024 and others that will take some more thinking and planning and saving. I don’t know where I want to live for the rest of my life, but I have some ideas. I have vague ideas about wanting to be more involved in my community, but I don’t totally know how or in what capacity. I love writing and editing, and I want to make sure I get to keep using those skills in ways that bring me joy.
I’m not a religious person, and I don’t think I’d call myself a spiritual one, either. I don’t really pray or ask anyone for guidance, and though I like to share the occasional Aries meme on Instagram, I don’t follow horoscopes or readings of any kind.
That said, I do find comfort in two sets of cards I own: Archangel Oracle Cards, which Alyssa (hi, Alyssa!) bought me a long, long time ago (so long ago, I literally don’t remember when it was) and the Literary Witches Oracle, from Britt (hi, Britt!). I’ve written about pulling a Literary Witch card before, but for the last two months of 2023, I’ve found myself turning to both decks for a bit of reassurance, especially when things feel too heavy or complicated or overwhelming.
Recently, after making some of the aforementioned decisions, I figured I’d check in with the decks, to see what they had to say about everything. It was a little too early for a “what should I carry into the new year” kind of ask, so I just asked what I should know or keep in mind about the plans I’m putting into motion.
From the Archangel deck, I pulled: Take Back Your Power! (Yes, exclamation point and all.) What most resonated from that write-up were these lines: “Now is the time to summon your spiritual strength and power and put your authority into action. Lovingly and firmly transform your intentions into reality.”
From the Literary Witches deck, I pulled: Virginia Woolf. The three phrases/words that sum up the card are “developing a vision, innovation, and limitations.”
It feels like both cards are pointing at changes, at finding the courage to put plans into action, at starting the ball rolling and then just rolling with it. I don’t know how all or any of it will turn out, but I feel comforted by these cards.
So, these are some of the things I’m bringing with my into 2024. These affirmations and ideas . . . and a fuck-ton of books to read.
