I literally have a post saying that TBR lists do not work for me but here I am talking about a TBR list-ish goal I have in my mind for this year… well. I’ve started 2023 quite well and I wish to continue this pace as much as I can. Though I still believe that no TBR list would work with this ADHD brain of mine, I still wanted to make a post for myself to turn back at the end of this year and see how much I achieved my goal.
I want to read at least 45 books this year, and on Goodreads, I already started my challenge. I know some people are sceptical about the fact that manga/comic books also count there and they say that they are not “real” books but here I am not giving a single f*ck about what those standard people think. Everything I spend my time reading, everything I see worthy of not sleeping but reading is a book to me and I do not care who says otherwise.
I won’t be listing 45 books here of course, mainly because it is impossible for me to read everything if I make a list full of books to reach my goal. I like to be spontaneous most of the time but there are some amazing books that I’ve been telling myself to read and didn’t for some god-forsaken reason for years now. Yep. Years.
The first goal I have in my mind is that I’d love to read more Japanese literature, I’m ashamed to tell you that I started reading Japanese Literature only in 2021 and so far I am liking it a lot! I want to continue reading the most famous authors and then go deeper to find books nobody heard of etc. I also want to continue reading Greek mythology re-tellings as much as I can, by now it is nothing but an unhealthy obsession but I truly enjoy reading them. I also wish to read more classical literature, by classical I do not mean the books they made me analyse in uni, I mean the deep, depressive, gut-wrenching Russian literature, the obsessive French literature and so on. I’ve been putting them on the side since I graduated from uni and as a literature graduate, I’d like to learn more about other cultures as well. Personal development goals, wooo! I would love to read more poetry, though I do write them myself, I do not even like reading my own work. We need to work on this as well.
Now let’s list the books I’m dying to read this year, shall we?
#1 The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
“The Alexandrian Society is a secret society of magical academicians, the best in the world. Their members are caretakers of lost knowledge from the greatest civilizations of antiquity. And those who earn a place among their number will secure a life of wealth, power, and prestige beyond their wildest dreams. Each decade, the world’s six most uniquely talented magicians are selected for initiation – and here are the chosen few…”
The Atlas Six has been everywhere I looked for the past couple of months, I’ve been wanting to read it but I was so stuck with the dark romance genre I didn’t really have time last year. This year, however, I will read this beauty no matter what.
#2 Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
“Galaxy “Alex” Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. By age twenty, in fact, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicides. Some might say she’s thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world’s most elite universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her?”
A dark academia-vibed book? Hell yes! Another book that has been on my list for so long, I am quite sure that I will read this one quickly because I am in love with the academic settings in books!
#3 The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
“The Brothers Karamazov is a murder mystery, a courtroom drama, and an exploration of erotic rivalry in a series of triangular love affairs involving the “wicked and sentimental” Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov and his three sons―the impulsive and sensual Dmitri; the coldly rational Ivan; and the healthy, red-cheeked young novice Alyosha. Through the gripping events of their story, Dostoevsky portrays the whole of Russian life, is social and spiritual striving, in what was both the golden age and a tragic turning point in Russian culture.”
I and Russian literature never got along well, mainly because I didn’t enjoy reading books deep into a person’s desperate obsessions, thoughts and the darkness it usually came with it. However, after reading some Japanese literature, I think I can handle this one. This baby is a big book and it will take a lot of time for me since I am completely new to the genre, but I am sure that I can handle it!
#4 Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
“In a land without magic, where the king rules with an iron hand, Celaena, an assassin, is summoned to the castle. She comes not to kill the king, but to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she is released from prison to serve as the king’s champion.”
Another book that has been on my list for years. I do have a love-and-hate relationship with Maas, though I have read all of her books -almost- years ago I tried to read this one and after a few pages I decided that I hated it. I do not remember the exact reason right now but I really want to read this! IDK why but I do!
#5 If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
“Oliver Marks has just served ten years in jail – for a murder he may or may not have committed. On the day he’s released, he’s greeted by the man who put him in prison. Detective Colborne is retiring, but before he does, he wants to know what really happened a decade ago.”
Instagram is going to make me read this by saying that it is quite similar to The Secret History. A dark academia-inspired novel and it also has a criminal story to solve? I’m sold! We love some suspension, we love some mystery. We love clever people. I cannot wait to read this.
Though I only shared five of my to-read list, you can always check my Goodreads to see what I have on my Want To Read shelf and if you want to, please add me there so we can be bookish friends! I will keep reading my dark romances of course, and lots of re-tellings, lots of manga! I am also thinking about making a review series with the classics I read, I am surely planning a lot for this blog to thrive!
What do you want to read this year? Let me know! 💕📚
Luster of Books 
I think your reaction to Throne Of Glass isn’t wrong. I felt the exact same way. And that’s my first book I ever tried from Maas. I know that I won’t be getting into that book. But since you’ve read her other books, maybe this just isn’t her best work, and that I should give her a chance in my efforts to expand my usual reading genres.
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To be quite frank, I find Maas’ books as the kind of books that when you read at the right time do magic but when the timing is wrong they become like any other “pointed ears, muscular fae men” based books. TOG was exactly the wrong time book for me, and I want to enjoy the series since I am desperately into reading fae porn these days. But if you think that you’re going to give her books a try, I highly suggest that you try the Crescent City series because it is less annoying -still annoying though- and since the characters are actual adults with some spine, you may enjoy more!
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