Happy New Year! Book Goals, 2022 Book Recap and more

Hello my lovely readers!

Happy New Year!

I know it's been a while since I've updated this blog. After the last two books I reviewed in November, I took a break from reading....and thank goodness I did!

I was definitely in a reading slump and reading two bad books, back to back, did not help me in the slightest. With the holidays, shopping, cooking, working and just settling into newly married life, ya girl was E-X-H-A-U-S-T-E-D.

I'm pretty sure it didn't matter that I left, since I don't think anyone reads this blog, but I'm enjoying my book blogging anyway!  So let's get to it!

2023 BOOK GOALS
Now, it took some time for me to figure out my reading goals for 2023, but I've got them!

1.  Read 100 books
2. Shrink my shelf/read what I own
3. No new books ALL YEAR (except for when I travel internationally)
4. Read my collections on the following authors: Zora Neale Hurston, Ralph Ellison, Richard Wright and Langston Hughes
5. Read all my books on slavery, Black literature; make a dent in my women's biographies and men's biographies

My goal this year is to read 100 books. Yes, you read that right...100! This is the largest amount of books I've ever decided to read in one year, and I'm ready! I created a "vase of books" which have all the titles of books I am going to read. Every week, my husband or I will close our eyes and select two books from the vase that I get to read. I'm sure it's not going to be easy, but it'll definitely be worth it.

Why 100? Well, I definitely need to shrink my shelf. I've been spending WAAAY too much money on books and I need to actually read what's on my shelf before I buy anything else.

I have a LOT of books by and about the classic Black authors mentioned above. I've read some here and there, but I want to do it all at once now. For example, I've read Zora Neale Hurston's autobiography and I've read Langston Hughes autobiographies and Richard Wright's biography and autobiography. But I really would like to read ALL the books I own on them in one year.

I also own a lot of books on slavery and a lot of Black literature and it's time I really tackled them. I also have a huge biography collection that I need to make a dent in.

I guess this year could be the Black History year of reading for me? I won't put label it, but that's pretty much what it is aside from the biographies and fiction I've selected. It's ambitious, but I know I can do it!

2022 BOOK RECAP
Last year, I read 30 books. Some were terrible, some were amazing and the rest were reviewed here on this blog. Here are my top five books of 2022.

1. The Underground Railroad by William Still
2. Salaam, Love by Ayesha Mattu and Nura Maznavi
3. Passed On by Karla FC Holloway
4. The Woman in Valencia by Annie Perreault
5. Plum Bun by Jessie Redmon Fauset

All these books were five star reads. They each resonated with me deeply in different ways and they were all on a range of different subjects. If you know me, reading just one genre or books catering to the same topic is just not my style. This top five has books on sex and relationships (Salaam, Love); death and mourning in the Black community (Passed On); Black history (The Underground Railroad); fiction and suicide (The Woman in Valencia) and racial identity and love (Plum Bun). These books were absolutely fascinating and I loved them all so much. 

MOVING FORWARD

What can we expect from Naomi's Global Book Nook in 2023? 

Well, there will be TONS of reviews. TONS. I'm going to review every book I read, even if I DNF it.

I'm also going to dig into the books that shaped me as a young woman and my childhood. I'll share with you a little bit more about who I was as a person while reading those books and how it affected me.

Author profiles/biographies/spotlight. It's no secret that I'm a fan of Dorothy Koomson, Zora Neale Hurston, Richard Wright etc., so why not showcase who they are/were? I also have an author I'm really excited to talk about because he had me in a CHOKEHOLD in college days....but now looking back, those books were just not good. I can't wait to share it with you...maybe I'll even turn it into a YouTube video...hmmm...

Finally, there's going to be a lot more "Books from Abroad" on this blog. I have a lot of international trips planned this year and I'm also going to finally start reading a good portion of all the books I bought while abroad. So there will be lots of travel photos and stories on how I got those books in the coming months!

I hope you're ready for this year with me! I know I am.