The books I read in 2023

The books I read in 2023

One of my resolutions this year was actually to read less books, odd, I know. I wanted to slow it down a bit and just savor the books, or at least that was the theory. I ended up reading more books than ever before. That was really odd. I think I can point at having a routine of forcing myself to read at least one chapter a night before bed. That seemed to give me consistent results, so you may want to try it.

If you are interested in some of these books, all you need is an online search to find them. I stopped doing affiliate links years ago

The List

  • Strength Training After 40: A Practical Guide to Building and Maintaining a Healthier, Leaner, and Stronger Body

This was a great way to start the year, by focusing energy on my workouts and where I wanted to go on that part of my life. I'd recommend this one

  • Superfans

I've wanted to start a podcast forever, and eventually I will [just really don't know what to talk about on a consistent weekly basis]. This book helped me start thinking about it in a more practical manner. I'd recommend this one.

  • The Stars My Destination / Tiger! Tiger! by Alfred Bester

This one is technically a young adult or kids book, but there is no shame in having some darn fun reads on your list. I really enjoyed the quick story and I'd recommend this.

  • Quantum Beginnings: A Near-Future CyberPunk Thriller (Entangled Fates Book 1)

I love sci-fi and cyberpunk themes, so I picked this one up. The main problems I had with this book and why I will not be continuing the series, is that it was cliché and super predicable in almost all aspects of the book, which in turn threw me out of the story multiple times. I should have just dropped it at my usual 25-30% threshold (If not having fun or generally enjoy a book at 25-30% through I drop kick it). I do NOT recommend this one

  • So You Want to Start a Podcast

Hey another podcaster book, yeah I'm getting there, I probably would recommend this if you are just learning about podcasting in general.

The Murderbot Series

  • The Murderbot Diaries: All Systems Red
  • The Murderbot Diaries: Artificial Condition
  • The Murderbot Diaries: Rogue Protocol
  • The Murderbot Diaries: Exit Strategy
  • The Murderbot Diaries: Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory (0.5)
  • The Murderbot Diaries: Network Effect
  • The Murderbot Diaries: Fugitive Telemetry

Yes, I binged on the entire series! Pick up the first one and see what you think. If you enjoy it, go ahead and grab the rest, I'd definitely recommend them.

I only made it through 50% of the latest book, and ended up dropping it as it really departs from the overall feel of the rest of the series, I would not recommend that one.

  • Manna: Two Visions of Humanity's Future

With AI and other fun things making huge wave, this one felt pretty good to read. I'd recommend it as an exercise in thought about where we are going as a species. I'd recommend this.

  • The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect

This one started of really fun, then got really weird...
I'd still recommend this as a thought provoking weird read.

Self help success thought books

  • How to get rich
  • I will Teach You To Be Rich
  • $100M Offers: How To Make Offers So Good People Feel Stupid Saying No
  • Anything You Want

For these three books, I will lump them together and say that sometimes you gotta read these types of books. Still not rich though...I'd recommend them.

  • The Gentle Seduction

This one was pretty fun in a sci-fi futuristic way and would highly recommend it.

  • Blood Music

Another weird sci-fi book, yes I'd recommend it, just because it’s weird.

  • The Wizard Hunters: Book One of The Fall of Ile-Rien

By the same author as the MurderBot series, but this one dragged on, and I should have punted it earlier. I will in most likelihood not finish the series.

  • Axiom's End

Another weird sci-fi book, but I'd recommend it if you are into alien encounters and first contact type books.

  • Zoey Punches the Future in the Dick

OK, so this one was super fun, I have my criticism of the lead character, and the way she's written, but the whole book makes up for that part. I actually didn't think I'd read it all before the end of the year, but I finished up the other day, hooray! And yes, you should probably read this if you like near future type sci-fi things.

Final Thoughts

Oh nifty, 23 books in 2023. That was totally not planned, and technically I read others, but they got the boot at between 25 and 50% read. These are just the ones that made it to the finish line.

I guess I could try for reading less in 2024, but I am longing for some of the best sci-fi books ever written and reading them again next year [search for top 100 sci-fi books of all time].

Lastly, I picked up actual physical copies of the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings series, along with the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, so 2024 is sounding like a fun reading year already.

Have fun,

Jeremy