End of Year Book Tag 2023 | Reading Reflections | 2024 Plans

The End of the Year Tag is here
Thanks as always to ‪@ArielBissett‬ for the original video.
If you want to let me know your answers please do in the comments. The questions are:
1. Are there any books you've started this year that you still need to finish?
2. Do you have an autumnal book to transition into the end of the year?
3. Is there a new release you're still waiting for?
4. What are three books you want to read before the end of the year?
5. Is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favourite book of the year?
6. Have you already started making reading plans for next year?
Videos mentioned:
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Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
01:29 Question 1
06:07 Question 2
07:03 Question 3
09:07 Question 4
12:14 Question 5
12:58 Question 6
16:26 Plans for 2024

[@BookishTexan]

Huzzah, for The Beauty and the Sorrow. (Fingers crossed) Thank you for sharing.

[@ReadheadReads]

Hi Jen, I never comment but just wanted to say, you are such a wonderful person and I’m glad you’re here on booktube ❤️

[@JentheLibrarianreads]

Thank you so much for commenting, and thank you for your lovely comment. It really does me a lot to me. ❤️❤️

[@SavidgeReads]

I really enjoyed full chaotic Jen, more I say, more.

[@JentheLibrarianreads]

I'm always happy to bring the chaos, there will inevitably be more as it seems to be so popular!

[@thelefthandedreader6632]

Jen, it's SO wonderful seeing you. 🥰 I loved this video and appreciate you talking about your bouts of depression. Alot of us can relate in various degrees. And it's helpful, i think, to hear someone talking frankly about it. Not just someone though! You, indeed, have had a heck of a year, for sure. Your 2024 reading plans sounds absolutely delightful.

[@JentheLibrarianreads]

Thanks so much for your lovely comment, I really appreciate it. I do hope my 2024 reading is delightful, that's certainly my aim.

[@thelefthandedreader6632]

@@JentheLibrarianreads , I wish the same for you too. 😍. This video has made me think ahead to what I want my reading year to look like too!

[@JentheLibrarianreads]

@@thelefthandedreader6632 I’m looking forward to hear about your reading plans for 2024 when you’ve decided ☺️

[@SupposedlyFun]

Three cheers for chaotic Jen! I hope you enjoy The Rain Heron if you manage to fit it in. I have also struggled on and off with depression since I was very young--thank you for sharing your experience. I went through a period where I wasn't reading very much at all. It lasted for about four years! Taking a step back from strict goals is probably a good thing. I have also been thinking that I want to mood read my way through 2024 to alleviate some pressure from myself.

[@JentheLibrarianreads]

I think mood-reading through 2024 is definitely the best way for both of us...something to soothe the stresses of 2023 away!

[@SupposedlyFun]

@@JentheLibrarianreads I agree! ❤

[@bookinwithdebra]

Love this video Jen. I really appreciate your honesty about depression and how this has impacted your reading and the knock on effect of this. My physical and mental health has really impacted my reading. I am struggling to read anything at all at this point. Nothing will stick. Reading is usually really beneficial for my health, so without it, everything just feels even more difficult. Mood reading is definitely a good way to go. Wishing you all the best. Keep looking after yourself. Tak care x

[@benreadsgood]

We love the chaos 😂 Thanks for sharing - honestly can’t get enough of this tag. I’m just so nosey about everyone’s plans!

[@JentheLibrarianreads]

Always happy to bring the chaos 😂

[@scallydandlingaboutthebook2711]

I'm so glad you squeezed this in before going to work. Rather a profound video to record in a hurry but maybe that helped. Hurrah for reading whatever you fancy in the moment next year. I'm sure that will nourish your mental health too. I love George Eliot with a passion so picking her as your one goal seems a grand plan to me.

[@JentheLibrarianreads]

I record all my most profound videos in a chaotic rush without thinking about what I'm doing - if I planned them they would never happen 😂 You need to tell me which George Elliot novel I should read first! I'm secretly hoping you say I need them all in publication order, then I'd have to do it.

[@scallydandlingaboutthebook2711]

@@JentheLibrarianreads well I recommend either Adam Bede or Silas Marner for a first one. Bede was her first full length novel although Scenes from Clerical Life was published first and has three connected stories set in the same area. It's good but seems an odd place to start if you might not read everything by her whereas Bede is pretty amazing for a debut novel. Silas Marner was fourth in publication order but is short, almost a novella and delightful. The Mill on the Floss was her third book and second novel but I have some frustrations with it, possibly because it is the most autobiographical of her fiction. I think it would be sad to read that and not get to Middlemarch or Daniel Deronda which are the last two she published and probably the best of her novels. Felix Holt and Romola are her historical fiction. Holt is recent history and her most explicitly political novel whilst also being surprisingly romantic. I prefer Romola but some people find it a bit inaccessible. It helps to have a soft spot for early Renaissance Florence! Not sure if all that will help. The main thing is do get to Eliot. She is perhaps the most intellectual of Victorian women novelists but also humane, funny and so thoughtful about people and psychology.

[@LaurieInTexas]

I hope you have a wonderful reading year by reading by whim. I have aspirations to do that and then reading challenges and theme months pop up and I jump in with plans. I read only books by women for a year during March 2022-23. It was great. My plan next year is to read at least 80% from books I own as of now. I am giving myself leeway for some library books. We'll see how I do.

[@JentheLibrarianreads]

Thank you, I'm quite optimistic about next year. I'm hoping for a positive experience. It's great to hear you had a good time only reading books by women - it's something I've thought about doing for a while, and I'm sure will push me to read some different and interesting books. Good luck with your reading plans for 2024 as well - let me know how it goes!

[@angelacraw2907]

I was so glad to see an end of year tag as I always enjoy them and yours was no exception. You objectives for next year sound great. I have a list of possibilities, but I never stick to it. However, I get a lot of books from the library so I have to be flexible. Which Pym do you suggest starting with? I've read around 40 books by women this year and they were all great. Thanks for sharing your life with us; it is always difficult to discuss mental health with strangers. Your description of books 'side eyeing you' from the bookshelves was so funny and true. I love book tube and love all contributions, no matter how sparse the output. So, I look forward to seeing your next video - whenever you feel like putting it out.

[@JentheLibrarianreads]

Thank you so much for watching, and for your very kind comment. I definitely haven’t read enough Barbara Pym to say anything useful about her. I’ve also not read her books that everyone considers the best. Before the end of the year I should be reading Excellent Women and Quartet in Autumn, which will go some way to fixing that. Much more to read next year hopefully

[@atbirth888]

If I think about my favourite books of all time, Quartet in Autumn is always the one that surpasses all others. For this year, my top read has been Falling Animals, picked up after your recommendation (with I Sent a Letter to my Love by Bernice Rubens a close second). Delighted to see this video on my feed this morning.

[@JentheLibrarianreads]

I have a video all about Quartet in Autumn uploading now, so that should be live by tomorrow morning I hope. I'm so glad to hear you've read and loved Falling Animals - I loved it so much but I haven't heard many people talking about it ❤

[@ChaoticBibliophile]

Very late to this video but I am sooo here for the chaotic energy 💚 Best of luck w your reading marathon!! I definitely think mood reading will help so much! But also maybe not having a huge tbr will make you feel less like you have to be reading all the time… in turn making reading more fun even?? 🤔

[@Lokster71]

Nice video. Barbara Pym is glorious. I loved Excellent Women. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. It started me on a bit of a Pym read, which I need to finish. I get a bee in my bonnet about a writer and try and read everything they wrote occasionally. I did it with Tove Jansson, although there are a couple of her books that are unaffordable second hand out of print that I've not got to yet. I'm currently in the throws of my Remembrance Reads month, with a main focus on re-reading Vera Brittain and David Jones and a new 'front' opened on Isaac Rosenberg. I finally went to seek help for my depression as it reached a scary level one night in the summer.

[@JentheLibrarianreads]

We have a copy of the recent biography of Barbara Pym, which I really want to read but I feel like I need to read a lot more of her novels first. Hopefully next year I can get around to a fair few as well. It's wonderful to hear that you're seeking help for your depression. It can be so difficult to even realise yourself that you need help, and to know where to go to get it. I hope that reaching out has started to help. I've had so many bad times when I was much younger that I can now spot the warning signs a mile away - it doesn't always help stop episodes from happening, but at least I know it's coming.

[@gloriawandrous6461]

I LOVE George Eliot & hope you enjoy her books too. Middlemarch is my favourite, but I would recommend all of her novels, except maybe for The Mill on the Floss - it still has some wonderful writing, I'm just not overly fond of most of the characters or the direction of the plot, particularly the ending! I rate her lesser known novels like Romola & Felix Holt the Radical above Mill on the Floss.

[@JentheLibrarianreads]

I was intrigued to try The Mill on the Floss but only because I remember really liking a tv adaptation many decades ago - I don't really remember any of the story though. I always tend to want to read lesser known novels, so maybe I'll start with Romola.

[@jenniferlovesbooks]

Thanks for sharing Jen 💞 I always think that reading whatever takes your fancy is the best approach 😊

[@mimine12344]

I loved this video!! I'm too tired to find anything more intelligent to say, but I just wanted to say that I appreciated you sharing your thoughts about your reading 💛 Wishing you a good "whim-ful" reading year in 2024

[@JentheLibrarianreads]

Whimful is such a great word - I'm definitely using that all the time in future! ❤

[@mimine12344]

@@JentheLibrarianreads 💛 I initially looked it up before writing my comment, and was deeply disappointed to find out it didn't exist 😆 So I decided to still use it

[@MsReadsAlot]

I have way too many books on my 2023 TBR 🤦‍♀️ I have yet to read a Barbara pym book! Definitely an author I want to try. Love your plans for 2024. Books giving the side eye 😂

[@JentheLibrarianreads]

My unread books are always giving me the disapproving side eye, I can't cope with their judgement anymore!!

[@noteworthyfiction]

This is hilarious! I also own the Rain Heron thanks to Greg and I too have no idea what it's about. At this point I'm just keeping it that way, so I even skipped over your very brief "not sure what this is about" description!😄

[@JentheLibrarianreads]

I just finished Rain Heron last week and I think it’s definitely worth reading and definitely worth ignoring all spoilers and going in still knowing nothing.

[@noteworthyfiction]

@@JentheLibrarianreads yay! Even more excited now!

[@ariannefowler455]

I'm currently reading The Beauty and the Sorrow thanks to Brian's recommendation. I'm really enjoying it so far. As someone who has suffered from depression, I can totally understand and relate to what you were describing. Oddly enough, this year, I've been reading more because it has helped me escape.

[@JentheLibrarianreads]

It's really wonderful to hear you've been reading more as an escape this year. I'm always cheered to hear of people being able to escape into books, it can be such a comforting place to be in a good book.

[@GemofBooks]

Love chaotic Jen! Good luck with Elliott - I made it about 100 pages into Middlemarch earlier this year before I lost the will to live 😂

[@JentheLibrarianreads]

I may not start with Middlemarch, I'm not sure I'm willing to do that to myself just yet 😂

[@judybrown1624]

I finally read Middlemarch and really liked it.

[@jillybeanh67]

Love the reading plans for next year, sounds like a good low pressure approach. Lok forward to hearing which one it is. I have so many partially read books, so many in fact I'm going to do DNF December to make a final decision on them to clear the decks for next year. Jill (also a librarian)

[@JentheLibrarianreads]

Hello fellow librarian! DNF December sounds great, I may end up accidentally stealing that idea when I inevitably run out of time to get through everything and have to start being brutal.

[@jillybeanh67]

@@JentheLibrarianreads feel free to steal away!

[@jacquelinemcmenamin8204]

Love The Rain Heron ❤ As a fellow depression & anxiety person , I get your feelings. Mine got worse during menopause and during the Covid crisis. I battle it ( and the related insomnia) with audio books, walking, Epsom salts baths. Hugs 🤗 Jen 🤗 ☘️👋🍀📚☕️📖📕🇮🇪💐

[@JentheLibrarianreads]

I'm the same as you - audiobooks are such a blessing during bouts of insomnia. When I'm tried my eyes won't focus on anything, so listening to books is the only way I can enjoy any reading. Glad to hear you loved The Rain Heron too.

[@ameliabarlowbooks]

hello chaotic Jen! so lovely to see you 🩷 your 2024 reading plans sound fantastic x

[@joy_ofbooks]

❤

[@ChattieTheMadChatter]

💜📚

[@marytumulty4257]

The Molly Keane novel, “Good Behavior” definitely sounds like a book I would enjoy. I hope to read a Barbara Pym sometime in 2024. Also, that WW1 narrative history sounds really interesting. I too strongly dislike magic, ghosts or fantasy elements in novels. “A Christmas Carol” is probably the only story where I don’t mind it. Good luck with the reading plans you’ve set up for yourself.

[@JentheLibrarianreads]

I don't so much mind novels that are entirely supernatural focused, but I think it's the way magical realism sometimes feels like it's an interruption in an otherwise perfectly 'normal' novel that always jars for me. I prefer realism in stories, or occasionally I'll got for un-realistic, but it has to be one or the other for me. I've not found many novels that successfully combine the two together.

[@RovingReader]

Did you finish the Jessmyn Ward book? It seems like a lot of people aren’t the biggest fans so I was curious what you thought 😊

[@JentheLibrarianreads]

I did finish it, and I didn’t really like it. There were too many fantastical elements that I thought didn’t work and made it harder to get into the story and connect with the characters.

[@arlo8392]

Promo-SM

[@Khatoon170]

How are you doing mrs Jen . Happy new year and Christmas in advance. Iam Arabic lady subscriber to several British and American KZbin channels. We are as foreigners subscribers as overseas students want to increase our cultural level improve our English language as well and literature lovers too , first of all make friendships with people from different countries share emotions of love and respect and have cultural exchange. My name is khatoon it’s Turkish origin means Nobel lady as princess and your name is welsh origin means fair one , white , smooth and soft . I read about history of libraries in England it’s very ancient since 19 th century. Chetham library in Manchester was founded in 1653 , it’s oldest public library in England. British library in 1973 is one of largest libraries in world contained between 170 and 200 million items for many countries. I just found out publishing degree study and definition of publishing is to learn how books and magazines are designed and products to budget and marketed for sales as well as Learning writing and editing skills. Iam so sorry to be little long but reading and writing both are great ways to improve our English as none native speakers. Best wishes for you your loved ones. I hope we became intimate friends and learn a lot from your knowledge.