 Hello, hello, everyone. My name is Laura. This is my channel, Laura's Little Library, and welcome to today's video, which is going to be 23 books to read in 2023. Also, time when people make videos like this. I remember doing this last year and thinking of 22 books to read. I wanted to read in 2022. We were all thinking new releases, new books coming out, things that we wanted to read that were new. I'm going to do it a little differently this year. 23 books that I want to read in 2023 are going to be all books that have been out and I have not gotten to. In the past year or two, I felt like there have been some books that I've been really wanting to read but not allowing myself to read, either it being I wanted to own the entire series or have access to the entire series before I started it or I wanted to wait for the right season or I just something to do with access or I wanted to sit down and read it physically with the audiobook or there has been some lame excuse that I have used to not have read these books. So this year I want to not do that anymore. I want to let myself read the books that I want to read. Like I want to read all of these books. I just I want to have the best experience reading them but honestly if I wait for that and it never happens and then I never read the book that's kind of sad. So these are 23 books that I want to prioritize to actually read and enjoy reading them this coming year. Another thing to note is that these are all fantasy books. Yes, these are all fantasies because I feel like last year I read a lot of contemporaries so be like oh summer romances and holiday romances and all that which is great and I've enjoyed reading them and that's perfectly fine. But because of that I kind of forced myself to read more contemporary books than I wanted to and then I put fantasy on the back burner even though that is my number one true love. I love it first and foremost so the fact that I was putting it on a back burner kind of rude. So this is all fantasy books. There's also a little part of me that kind of wants to do this with historical fiction as well because I do also love reading historical fiction and I just haven't been reading it a lot. Let me know if that's something you'd be interested in is a list of 23 historical fiction that I want to read this year because then maybe I'll actually prioritize it and I'll read it. Who knows? But anyway, let's jump right into the list. So the first book series that I'm going to mention so when I mention book series it still only holds one slot even if there are multiple books in the series. So the first one is the Ember and the Ashes. I haven't read this. I've always wanted to read it and I know it's it's been quite some time like the phase of it is over but like I still I'm still intrigued and I still want to read it. So I'm gonna try and read that this year. Number two Jade City. These ones I haven't read because of Panic of Size along with the fact that I wanted to have the audiobook and the physical copy that just hasn't happened and so one way or the other I'm going to read the Jade City series and I've seen a lot of good things about it and I'm really intrigued by it and it seems like it would be right down my alley. So I'm going to read that this year. Number three the what are they like City of Brass City of Copper City of Gold that series the Dave Bond trilogy I think is what is actually called those because it again it's right down my alley it deals with gin it's fantasy and magic. I hadn't read these because again I wanted access to all the books all at once so I could read one right after another and then I just never pushed myself for it and I think just so many of these I want to read physically and I'm afraid that because I read slower physically it would take me a while but I need to be okay with that. It's okay if I don't read an insane amount of books in a month. Four the Guild series this is this is a recent series I've seen some people read it and really fall in love with it it's like a King Midas retelling I think it's a fantasy romance but yeah so I really want to read it I've heard good things about it and it hasn't been too long of a wait so we're gonna get there. Book number five is a magic steeped in poison yes magic steeped in poison this is tea based the magic is around tea and poison and things like that I think it sounds super like dark but the cover is super bright and I was really hooked when I heard of this book so I'm definitely I'm going to read it this is less of a I didn't read it because of A, B, and C reasons and more just I didn't get a copy of it so I didn't have a way to read it so I'm going to try this year and read it. Number six is the Dragon's Promise by Elizabeth Lim so I own the first book Six Crimes and Cranes the Dragon's Promise came out after it's the second book and the reason I haven't gotten this one is because I am buying the UK covers because I think they are significantly prettier and I just haven't purchased the second one yet I like the instant gratification of going to a book store and buying the book and taking it home versus buying online I have to sit and wait for it to ship so I will hopefully be buying that sometime probably this spring and then continuing on with it hopefully before the next is it just a duology I think it's just a duology I'm going to prioritize that one this year as well it is based off of Chinese mythology and like I said I love the first book so it's perfect. Number seven is the Jasmine Throne this one I keep going back and forth on it is a sapphic South Asian fantasy and again it's chunky a lot of these are just going to be chunky or series I was really excited by it I loved the premise but then I had seen people who are reading it and not loving it as much so hopefully I will bring down my own hype and then I will still enjoy it I've been kind of going back and forth but I do think I want to give it a try. Number eight is Gallant this is by V.E. Schwab it it came out this past year so it's not that like oh I haven't read it it's it's still relatively new I was really excited to read it but I felt like it was the wrong season so I just didn't get it and I didn't read it but I will be reading it this year for sure. Nine is Kingdom of the Wicked by Mary Carrie Menescalco actually on this book it's right there I don't know why I'm not holding it up at first I thought it was over hyped or like everyone was so excited about it and I was like you know I'm not that excited so I'm just not going to read it but then I realized that Carrie Menescalco is the author of this Talking Check the Ripper series I adored that series I loved it and so I'm like okay well it's Carrie Menescalco and if I'm being honest with myself I do like the sound of the Kingdom of the Wicked books so I should read it because I will probably enjoy it so like I said I have the first book I'm going to read it I might even read it before 2023 probably not though most be honest because at this point I am home and I am with my family. Number 10 is Daughter of the Moon Goddess and again this is based off of Chinese mythology it's the second book just came out I've heard a lot of great things about it the reason I didn't get this one was because with how my book budget works I used to get just $20 a month now I'm up to $30 a month that I can spend on books and I basically made the decision it was either going to be Daughter of the Moon Goddess or The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by XEL and that's based on Korean mythology and I chose The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea I still want to read Daughter of the Moon Goddess and so I will be prioritizing that this year I'm gonna do it I'm gonna. Number 11 is Autumn of the Grimoire by J.L. Vampa this was a book that I saw somebody on Instagram post about and I thought wow it looks really good and but I was like it's autumn obviously I have to read it during like fall season or spooky season I hadn't heard about it until the end of autumn and then I didn't have a way to get my hands on a copy so I didn't pick it up but I think this year I want to read it come September or really October so I'm going to save it for then but this is like a reminder to myself when I look back and think oh did I read the 23 books I wanted to this year I'm gonna see this and I'm gonna make sure that I read it. Number 12 is Golden Enclave by Naomi Novick so it's the third and final book in the Skullamance trilogy obviously I'm gonna read it because I want to finish the trilogy and I have been enjoying it a lot this so far it's a book that I'm going to read in 2023 if I don't I have serious issues. The other thing is is that I own the first book physically but I own it softcover and the rest of the books haven't come out in softcover yet they're all still hardcover and I want to have them match so I've also been waiting for those to be released and then because of that that's been holding me back of actually reading the books and it's and it's fairly popular so getting it through the library has been a bit of a challenge as well. Number 13 Sky in the Deep I can picture the cover and I know that I want to read this I just don't quite remember why but there you go Sky in the Deep I'm gonna read it. 14 Twin Crowns this is like your classic royal assassin fantasy dealing with sisters and one of them gets the crown who knows which one that'll be it intrigues me I'm going to read it. 15 is Rise of the Snake Goddess and this is by Jenny Elder Moke her first book was Curse of the Spectre Queen it was based off of Irish mythology I wasn't super pleased with it but I still enjoyed it enough that I want to read her next book Rise of the Snake Goddess so this is Egyptian mythology and I love her characters which is good because that's what's going to carry through to the next book and I'm hoping that just as she writes more book her writing gets better so that's why I still want to read it but that's also I'm hesitant just because I didn't enjoy the first one quite as much which is such a big letdown because nobody writes about Irish mythology or like when they do okay that's not true people write about Irish mythology but they either don't realize that they're doing it or like don't acknowledge it they don't lean into it so for someone to lean into it and then for it to like be a letdown of a book I was so bummed and yeah so sorry that's my whole side tangent I'm debating on making a video about it we'll see let me know comment down below if you want that video uh but let's move on 16 is skin of the sea this was one that was like oh this would be the perfect summer read because it's a mermaid fantasy so it's watery and perfect for summer didn't get my hands on the coffee when the summer came around and then when it was available it was no longer summer and I was like and I want to read it anymore so we're gonna try again this year 17 is the prison healer again this was one that I was very intrigued to read and I really wanted to and then I feel like I missed the season that I was going to and it's just yeah like it's like a magic steeped in poison where I want to read it and there's a certain time that I want to read it but I feel like the only way I'm gonna read it is if I buy it and then do I really want to spend my budget on a book I don't know if I'm gonna love or not 18 is the bridge kingdom just another fantasy book that sounded good that I didn't pick up this year and we're gonna pick it up next year 19 witches steeped in gold this I think it's like creepy inspire kind of genica I think um witches steeped in gold chunky fantasy witchy fantasy I'm here for it it's just the size and the fact that I could not get my hands on a copy for the life of me so we're gonna try again this year 20 is the kiss of deception this is an older like kind of dystopian fantasy series and I heard the premise of it and I thought wow this sounds really good and so I wanted to read it and then I was like oh it's kind of old and there are a lot of books that I want to read do I really want to prioritize it so now I'm saying yes I do want to prioritize it 21 is beast of prey it came out I wanted to read it okay there is a lot of hype for it pre-release and then once it released I felt like nobody actually talked about it nobody actually read it and so I kind of forgot about it and lost interest but I do still really want to read it it's like a zoo kind of thriller fantasy so number 22 is crown of coral and pearl again this is another like mermaid fantasy so it fits really well for summertime this is honestly one of the oldest books on my tbr like if you go into my goodreads and you sort it by recently added and then go all the way to the bottom is right there along with six of crows and journey to the center of the earth it's been on there for a very long time I keep saying I'm gonna pick it up in the summer and then I don't get a copy of it and then summer ends or or like I don't prioritize it because I'm reading summer romances and then summer ends and I'm like oh well I guess I can't read anymore and I've done that for a couple of years so this year I'm gonna read it I'm gonna read all these summer fantasies that I've been putting off because this summer I'm only gonna read the romance that I want like really want to but I'm gonna let myself read fantasy this summer I'm thinking about what the summer holds for me and seeing if that's actually gonna be possible oh and if you're confused by that I'll explain more in my goals for 2023 video now the last book book number 23 that I want to read in 2023 it's called Mirage it's another fantasy kind of summary I think I don't have much I'm not giving a description of a lot of these books because it's 23 books and I don't want this video to be 23 hours long so let me know if I should do this but with historical fiction 23 books that are historical fiction that I want to read this year comment down below some books that you have been wanting to get to and are hoping to get to this coming year like I mentioned I will be making a goals for 2023 video so subscribe and hit the bell to be notified when that goes up I am posting videos three videos a week in January give this video a thumbs up if you liked it otherwise I have bookish social media link down below you can keep up with what I'm reading down there and until I see you all in the next video I wish you a happy reading