2023 reading plans
Reading is fun for me, there is no way around it. Yet, there are ways to make it more focused, especially if you believe you are a mood reader. I have been thinking about themes and guidance for 2023 and I am really excited to share what I chose!
Well, the first came from an author. And not just any author but one of the most famous, prolific and influential modern fantasy author: Brandon Sanderson. He made 2023 the year of Sanderson and I, like many others, have signed up for the kickstarter. Now, for me it will not be the year of Sanderson but it will have a more “limited” scope: 2023 is the year of Cosmere. I know that one of the four secret projects does not revolve around the Cosmere and I am sure I will enjoy it but I prefer to focus on the Cosmere for 2023. Elantris, Warbreaker and Mistborn era 2 (this would be a first time read for me) are some of the key books for me. Plus the three secret projects. Culminating in the Stormlight Archive (mostly a re-read but I have left Rhythm of War unread for now on purpose).
With a male author being so prominent for 2023, I want to make sure to balance things out. And what better approach than having one of the most influential authors for fantasy and sci-fi to color 2023 for me? *So 2023 is also the year of Ursula K. LeGuin*. She is one of the queens of fantasy (and sci-fi) (her website). She is one of the authors that helped establish the genres the way they are today. And so I will go back to the Earthsea series (partially a re-read for me, partially a new read for me) and sprinkling other books here and there (for example, Lavinia). One of the main goals I have as a reader is to expose myself a lot more to women in fantasy - and there are plenty of fabulous authors, new and old, that just deserve my time as a reader and I want to make sure I focus on this goal too.
There are two more pillars that will guide my reading journey through 2023: the first is fantasy published in the 80s. Clearly, one cannot read all the books that are interesting and published in the 80s in one single year, even if this was the only focus. Yet, what I would like to do is a rotation, reading each year books from a decade. And where to start if not the decade of my birth? You probably would suggest other decades would be better suited but I will just arbitrarily decide on this principle (and so, 2024 will focus on the 90s and 2025 on the 2000s and then I will go back to the 60s for 2026; I am sure you get the approach to this pillar).
The list I will be using? The one I found on Goodreads (here, if you are interested).
The very last one is a brand new project for me; I have been hearing of the Forgotten Realms for a very long time but I have never pushed myself to read the books in this vast world. Mostly because I have rarely liked books adapting a different genre (it is driven entirely by my own internal processes, there is no judgement whatsoever to what others like and / or what authors have created). This was until I watched a video by Rodger focusing on the Forgotten Realms and how there are so many different approaches to fantasy even within this world. And last year, I started with Drizzt (and I think many start there, with the [Dark Elf Trilogy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Forgotten_Realms_novels#Unbroken_Chain) by [R.A. Salvatore](http://rasalvatore.com)) but I also expanded to know more of Elminster. And I will continue exploring. This prompt also works nicely with the fantasy in the 80s pillar. Also, this is the [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Forgotten_Realms_novels#Unbroken_Chain) list I am currently using as general guidance on this topic!
All in all, I am enjoying this process. I started accidentally to think about 2023 this way (mostly driven by Sanderson’s announcement in 2022) but I like how I ended up shaping my plans for 2023. Yet, please do not think this will limit my exposure of newer series and/or new releases. I still plan to read the Rook and Rose series by M.A. Carrick and The Downing Empire series by Andrea Stewart (her website). I plan to (re-)read Anthony Ryan’s the Convenant of Steel series that will also end in 2023 (his site here). Yet, when I don’t know where to go and what to read next, I plan to use these pillars as guidance!
What are your plans for 2023? Have you considered having plans and / or guiding principles for a year? I am genuinely curious to know how I will react to this approach and I hope to stick to it. If not, I will update you on how plans (and they are called plans instead of goals) change over time!
