Last year, I read some incredible books but there are always books I don’t get a chance to read. Here are the top ten books I meant to read in 2023 — and will be making an effort to read in 2024!
Looking at my reading statistics is something I do all the time. Between Goodreads and my own journals, I’m always looking at the books I want to read and the books I manage to read.
While I do get to a lot of the books I have high expectations for, sometimes things fall through. I get busy and I just don’t have a chance to read big fantasy books I’m excited to read or I just simply don’t have the time to curl up with a cozy romance I was looking forward to.
On this list you’ll find the top ten books from 2023 that I was hoping to read but didn’t get a chance to read. These new releases are a mixture of authors I know and love and some debut releases that I looked forward to.
While I didn’t get to this books in 2023, I have high hopes that I’ll get to them this year!
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10 Books I Meant to Read in 2023
Bellegarde by Jamie Lilac. As soon as I heard about Bellegarde, I knew it was a book I wanted to read. It sounds like the perfect young adult historical romance. With my love for Bridgerton and my recent obsession with The Gilded Age, I think this book will be the perfect read! I have high hopes for this one and will definitely be making an effort to read it this year.
Chain of Thorns by Cassandra Clare. I can’t believe this book is on this list — I adore Cassandra Clare and all of the books in the Shadowhunter series. I was so excited to pick up Chain of Thorns — but life had other plans! While I’m sad that this trilogy is ending, I’m excited to see what happens. I’m hoping to re-read Chain of Gold and Chain of Iron before jumping into this final book.
Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood. I’m so excited to pick up Ali Hazelwood’s debut young adult book! Even though I pre-ordered this one, I just didn’t have the time to pick it up. I really enjoy her adult romance books so I’m looking forward to seeing the story she creates for a young adult audience! I also just love the premise of this one!
Falling Hard for the Royal Guard by Megan Clawson. As soon as I saw this cover and heard the synopsis I knew it was a book I wanted to pick up. I’m really looking forward to reading the next book in the series so it only makes sense that I pick this one up sometime soon. I love London and the Royal Family is always so interesting to me — I think this will be a fun romance focusing on the Royal Guard!
Mrs. Nash’s Ashes by Sarah Adler. This book sounds so intriguing to me and I’ve been wanting to read it since it was released. My Mom bought me a copy for a Christmas present and I’m excited to finally pick it up! It has such a funny and interesting premise and I have high hopes for it!
Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare. Another Cassandra Clare book on this list! I’m so excited to pick up Cassandra Clare’s first adult fantasy book. Even though I pre-ordered this one, I just didn’t have the time to commit to a big fantasy book. I envision myself reading this in the summer on the dock at the cottage, which sounds like the perfect combination to me!
The Scarlet Veil by Shelby Mahurin. I really enjoyed reading Serpent & Dove and Blood & Honey but I haven’t read Gods & Monsters yet. Since I’m hoping to finish that trilogy, I just didn’t pick up The Scarlet Veil — even though I was highly anticipating it! Here’s hoping I pick up Gods & Monsters soon so I can jump into this vampire themed story!
The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young. I adore Adrienne Young and her books. Her young adult and adult books are just fantastic — with incredible writing and atmospheric settings, what’s not to love? As soon as I heard about her most recent adult release, I added it to my TBR. Time just got away from me and I wasn’t able to get to it before the end of 2023. But, I’m determined to read it sometime soon!
Throne of the Fallen by Kerri Maniscalco. I really loved the Kingdom of the Wicked trilogy and as soon as I heard about this companion series, I knew I was going to pick it up. Even though I had Throne of the Fallen pre-ordered, I just wasn’t in the mood to pick up a big fantasy. I’ve heard good things about this book and I know there’s a sequel coming so I need to pick it up soon!
Wreck the Halls by Tessa Bailey. I always try to pick up Tessa Bailey’s new releases. But, I didn’t get a chance to read her holiday release in 2023. I actually didn’t read any holiday themed books last year! I’m really looking forward to the story though, so I’ll look forward to picking this up during the Christmas period.
More Book Lists you might like
- My Top Ten Favourite Books of 2023
- The Best New Romance Books to Read in Winter 2024
- The Best New Adult Books to Read in 2024
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Your list sounds so much fun. Also, completely understand the CASSANDRA CLARE FOMO…I just graduated from my Bachelor’s degree only to find that she completed THE LAST HOURS trilogy and published SWORD CATCHER. My reading game is so behind schedule, but hey, bright side is that you kept those beauties for your 2024 reading year! Lovely surprise that you’ll be able to read them for the first time this year! Enjoy!
Aww thank you! I’m so glad you understand my feelings about Cassandra Clare! I can’t wait to read them this year — and you’re so right, I get to look forward to that first time reading experience 🙂 Happy reading!
Most of these I haven’t heard of before but they certainly look interesting. I hope you are able to find the time this year to read these.
I’m so glad to hear you discovered some new books on this list! It’s always amazing to see how everyone’s reading taste is different. Thank you for the kind wishes 🙂
Looks like some fun RomComs are in your future! I hope you enjoy all of these when you get an opportunity to read them!
I agree! I tend to gravitate towards rom-coms lately and I don’t mind it! Thanks for the well wishes 🙂 Happy reading!
It’s a truth universally acknowledged among book bloggers that no matter how many books we read in a year, we will never read as many as we wanted to. LOL. I feel your pain 🙂 I hope you love all these when you get to them.
Happy TTT (on a Wednesday)!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
I love the way you used that Jane Austen reference! It’s so true, the TBR pile keeps growing and it’s just impossible to keep up! Thank you so much for the well wishes! Happy reading 🙂
Check & Mate and The Unmaking of June Farrow were so good! I hope you love them and get to them soonish.
Ah! So glad to hear you enjoyed them. I really can’t wait to read them. Happy reading! 🙂