52 books in 52 weeks (2023 edition)

Year 10 of Reading 52 Books in 52 weeks! That's 520 books in the last ten years. WOWZA! #NerdAlert

I love reading and this year I read some great books and some stinkers too. I wanted to read more books by women and BIPOC and I think I accomplished that. Out of the 52 books I read:

29 books were written by female authors. And of those 29, there were 21 different female authors because I read 8 books by Agatha Christie, my most-read author this year.

23 books were written by male authors. And of those 23, there were 20 different male authors. I read 4 books by Tom Perrotta, my most-read male author. 

So, I'm pretty happy with those stats. I made my way through a lot of Dame Christie's books, but still not done. Also, only read one Wheel of Time book this year which is less than I wanted to, but those books are hefty and long and take a bit... but maybe I'll try for two next year! 

As always, thanks to Goodreads and Storygraph for helping me keep track of my reads. Now onto my superlatives because that's the most fun part of these end-of-year blogs:

Favorite Book: Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami. Love his prose and imagery and this one really made me think. 

Least Favorite Book: If On A Winter's Night A Traveler by Italo Calvino. MY GOD, this book pissed me off. What started as a clever conceit, quickly became nonsensical, boring, and wrath-inducing!! Hated this! 

Longest Book: Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan. The Wheel of Time books do not mess around. They are long and plodding but I'm still invested, even 912 pages later! 

Biggest Letdown: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Somehow... this book just completely misses the mark for me and rang hollow. Surprised because of all the love it got... but nah, it didn't work. Special Mention to: All of Us Our Lying for also being really bad. Ugh. 

Least Favorite Character: That girl from Ninth House. Or, anyone and everyone in Stranger in a Strange Land or The Cabin at the End of the World. 

Most Batsh*t Character: Alex from The Guest. She had me sweating and screaming and cursing and frustrated at every turn, and yet, I couldn't put the book down!! 

Shortest Book: Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose. Short, but gripping and effective!

Favorite Character: Prince Harry from Spare. Jk, jk. But I am Team Sussex through and through. Hard to pick a favorite character but maybe Hercule Poirot from Agatha Christie's books. He manages to be charming, smart, and hilarious at every murder, which is saying something.

Favorite Author: You probably think I'd say, Agatha Christie, and you wouldn't be wrong, but unfortunately for that great dame, my favorite author I read this year is Haruki Murakami! Something about his novels just really relates to me and I admire his original, deeply emotional prose.

And that's it for 2023. George RR Martin still hasn't finished The Winds of Winter or even part 2 of Fire & Blood, but at least we're getting more House of Dragon in 2024. There's always hope he'll finish it or another great fantasy book series rises to the top. Happy reading to all.

- ben fleck

1. Bonfire - Krysten Ritter

2. Now Is Not The Time to Panic - Kevin Wilson

3. All the Light We Cannot See - Anthony Doerr

4. Foundation and Empire - Isaac Asimov

5. The Cabin at the End of the World - Paul Tremblay

6. The Fires of Heaven - Robert Jordan

7. Fleishman is in Trouble - Taffy Brodesser-Akner

8. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue - V.E. Scwab

9. Spare - Prince Harry

10. Commonwealth - Ann Patchett

11. Americanah - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

12. Fire & Blood - George R.R. Martin

13. Without Remorse - Tom Clancy

14. The Westing Game - Ellen Raskin

15. Twelve Angry Men - Reginald Rose

16. The Two Faces of January - Patricia Highsmith

17. Little Children - Tom Perrotta

18. The Labours of Herclues - Agatha Christie

19. Taken at the Flood - Agatha Christie

20. Burn It Down - Maureen Ryan

21. How to be Perfect - Michael Schur

22. The Interestings - Meg Wolitzer

23. Stranger in a Strange Land - Robert A. Heinlein

24. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - Maya Angelou

25. Mrs. Fletcher - Tom Perrotta

26. Children of Dune - Frank Herbert

27. Sea of Tranquility - Emily St. John Mandel

28. After All These Years - Susan Isaacs

29. The Abstinence Teacher - Tom Perrotta

30. Three Blind Mice - Agatha Christie

31. The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller

32. The Under Dog - Agatha Christie

33. The Inheritance Games - Jennifer Lynn Barnes

34. Mrs. McGinty's Dead - Agatha Christie

35. Tracy Flick Can't Win - Tom Perrotta

36. Crazy Rich Asians - Kevin Kwan

37. Circe - Madeline Miller

38. The Light We Carry - Michelle Obama

39. Under the Whispering Door - TJ Klune

40. Kafa on the Shore - Haruki Murakami

41. If On A  Winter's Night A Traveler - Italo Calvino

42. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak

43. Before the Coffee Gets Cold - Toshikazu Kawaguchi

44. Charmed Life - Dianna Wynne Jones

45. Dead Man's Folly - Agatha Christie

46. The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho

47. The Golden Spoon - Jessica Maxwell

48. Ninth House - Leigh Bardugo

49. One of Us Is Lying - Karen McManus

50. The Guest - Emma Cline

51. Hickory Dickory Dock - Agatha Christie

52. After the Funeral - Agatha Christie