The Trends Team’s 2023 Reading Goals

By Hayley Cadel, Maisie Clarke and Alexandra Constable

New Year is the time for fresh starts, resolutions and goal setting! This is reflected in our building of book habits at this time of year, with many turning to books to adopt new hobbies. In this issue, the Trends Team have chosen to mark the New Year by sharing our reading goals for 2023 and the books we’re most looking forward to reading this year!

Maisie’s Goals and Anticipated Reads

At the beginning of a new year, I like to set myself a target of books to read to encourage myself to spend less time on my phone and more time with my head in a book. I know that this is a goal that many others give themselves, especially as new year resolutions are the most prominent topic of conversation. I would love to achieve my goal of reading thirty books this year, continuing to expand on the genres that I have already ventured into, such as literary fiction and translated fiction with a focus on finding the hidden gems of the book world.

In addition to this, I’m excited to see the trendiest books of 2022 being brought to life on the small screen; for example, a TV adaptation of Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid is set for release in early March this year. In terms of anticipated reads, I’m eager to get my hands on Caleb Azumah Nelson’s upcoming book Small Worlds as I adored the beautiful and poetic prose of his debut Open Water. I’m also excited for Laura Purcell’s The Whispering Muse. Her novel The Silent Companions featured lifelike figures eerily haunting a crumbling manor house, written with a haunting style comparable to The Woman in Black. Finally, I will continue reading non-fiction books in 2023, especially those which integrate history with the modern day, such as Sathnam Sanghera’s Empireland and Kavita Puri’s Partition Voices. Anything similar to those will be the first on my wish list!

Hayley’s Goals and Anticipated Reads

I have a number of reading goals for 2023, including reading more translated fiction and continuing to be mindful of the diversity of the books on my shelf. I also want to read newer releases and continue reading broadly. Last year, I read the shortlists for the Women’s Prize for Fiction and the Booker Prize - I would love to do something similar this year as prizes can be a great way to introduce you to some of your new favourite books.

A book which has caught my interest for 2023 is Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma by Claire Dederer which is being published by Sceptre in May 2023. In this book, Dederer unpacks the connection between creator and creation, exploring whether it is possible to still love someone’s work without condoning their behaviour or liking them as an individual. Dederer dissects this question by asking whether artists get special privileges and whether history excuses them. Amid conversations around cancel culture and movements like #MeToo, this sounds like a pertinent and important book.

Alexandra’s Goals and Anticipated Reads

After recently completing my postgraduate degree in English Literature, my reading goals for this year are to begin to enjoy more light-hearted fiction again. Whilst classics will always hold a special place on our shelves, it’s important to change up the tone of our reading list every once in a while and read something that we haven’t yet had the time to, but have always wanted to.

One book I have always wanted to read is Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2009); I have always loved the classic Austen novel, so I am interested to see what this eccentric remake brings to the tale! Another book on my list is Lizzie Blackburn’s Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? (2022). Blackburn’s book has been credited with subverting the typical tropes of romantic comedy, providing an easy going yet fresh take on this well-loved genre. I also intend to read Miranda Cowley Heller’s The Paper Palace (2022) which, since its release, has already been named a Number One New York Times Bestseller and a Reese Witherspoon Book Club top pick. The novel traces the story of Elle Bishop, a woman who finds herself at the centre of a very complex love triangle whilst visiting her family’s holiday home in Cape Cod.

Overall, the Trends Team hope that everyone has a brilliant 2023, filled with many exciting new books! As always, there are many anticipated reads for the new year and we hope that you have found a few more to look forward to from our team. We will seek to keep you up to date with the latest trends in the publishing world and provide you with all the best books to keep your eye out for!