It's the end of 2023, which means it's time to review all the reading and listening I've done over the past calendar year. Here's how this past year broke down in terms of titles and numbers:
 = favorite
 = favorite
 = also really enjoyed
 = also really enjoyed
Books (click to expand full list) ▼
           Upgrade
 Upgrade by Blake Crouch
          
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood by Quentin Tarantino
          
The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis
          
We Lie Here by Rachel Howzell
          
The Midnight Lock (Lincoln Rhyme #15) by Jeffrey Deaver
          
Mothered by Zoje Stage
          
No One Knows Us Here by Rebecca Kelley
          
Someone Else's Life by Lyn Liao Butler
          
Chrysalis (Jeremy Logan #6) by Lincoln Child
          
Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson
          
Hollow Beasts (Jodi Luna #1) by Alisa Lynn Valdes
          
State of the Union (Scot Harvath #3) by Brad Thor
          
Where They Lie (Nora McTavish #1) by Joe Hart
          
 The Last Orphan (Orphan X #8)
 The Last Orphan (Orphan X #8) by Gregg Hurwitz
          
Delta-v by Daniel Suarez
          
A Killer's Game (Daniela Vega #1) by Isabella Maldonado
          
The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson
          
Doomsday Match by Jeff Wheeler
          
The House at the End of the World by Dean Koontz
          
To Die For by Lisa Gray
          
Broadway Butterfly by Sara DiVello
          
 Dark Matter
 Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
          
Salt House Place by Jamie Lee Sogn
          
 Mexican Gothic
 Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
          
Deadlands by Victoria Miluch
          
X-Men: Hellfire Gala (2023) by Gerry Duggan
          
X-Men: House of X / Powers of X by Jonathan Hickman
          
Book of Night by Holly Black
          
All the Little Raindrops by Mia Sheridan
          
Oblivion's Dawn (The Confederation Saga #1) by Dave Alexander
          
Hell House by Richard Matheson
          
Fomorian Brigade (Gene Soldiers #1) by James David Victor
          
 Starter Villain
 Starter Villain by John Scalzi
          
A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay
          
Jessica'a Vampire Diary by Bob Saenz
          
The Rise: A Short Story by Ian Rankin
NONFICTION
          The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson
          
Feral: Losing Myself and Finding My Way in America's National Parks by Emily Pennington
          
Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God by Tim Keller
          
 Letters to the Church
 Letters to the Church by Francis Chan
          
 Live No Lies
 Live No Lies by John Mark Comer
          
Multiply: Disciples Making Disciples by Francis Chan
          
 The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey
 The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey by Ian Morgan Cron
          
Passionate Marriage: Keeping Love and Intimacy Alive in Committed Relationships by David Schnarch
          
 The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact
 The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact by Chip Heath & Dan Heath
          
The Bullet Journal Method: Track the Past, Order the Present, Design the Future by Ryder Carroll
          
The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin
          
The Woman in Me by Britney Spears
          
The Holy Bible (NLT) by Various Authors
          
10 Things Jesus Never Said by Will Davis Jr.
  
After eight straight years of reading over 100 books a year, I intentionally scaled back this year and set a goal of 50 books. Overall, I enjoyed the much slower pace this year; I definitely was able to enjoy and appreciate books more than when I was powering through them at a rate of two a week. I didn't end up writing much more than in previous years or picking up any additional habits, but it was nice to take a more relaxed approach to the things I read this year. I'm looking forward to doing the same in 2024.
Podcasts (click to expand full list) ▼
          Ask N.T. Wright Anything - 5 episodes
          Dead Pilots Society - 15 episodes
          

 Deadline Strike Talk - 30 episodes
          

 Economics of Everyday Things - 30 episodes
          The Ezra Klein Show - 50 episodes
          Freakonomics - 38 episodes
          The Gray Area - 23 episodes
          Hard Out - 1 episode
          How Did This Get Made? - 14 episodes
          How I Built This - 10 episodes
          Imaginary Worlds - 21 episodes
          Matter of Opinion - 34 episodes
          

 Offline with Jon Favreau - 46 episodes
          

 Pod Save America - 106 episodes
          Pod Save the UK - 1 episode
          Pod Save the World - 37 episodes
          Positively Dreadful - 26 episodes
          The Q&A - 4 episodes
          

 The Rewatchables - 36 episodes
          Scriptnotes -  57 episodes
          Six Figure Authors - 3 episodes
          

 Slate Political Gabfest - 59 episodes
          TED Radio Hour - 18 episodes
          Untitled Female Driven Podcast - 9 episodes
          Weeds, The - 13 episodes
          What A Day - 238 episodes
          Write On - 4 episodes
          Writer's Panel - 16 episodes
          Ye Gods - 27 episodes
Last year, I wondered if the 900-ish podcasts I've listened to annually over the past few years would be some kind of equilibrium and it seems like it very much is. I listened to about 100 more than last year, but that's probably owed to the fact that there are a few new shorter-length podcasts that I've found and really enjoyed this year, including The Economics of Everyday Things (which are usually only 15-20 minutes long), as well as the fact that Scriptnotes did a series of about 50 mini episodes during the WGA writers' strike this year.
Comics (click to expand full list) ▼
          Hellfire Gala (2023) #1
          House of X #1-6
          Powers of X #1-6
 
I read fewer comics than last year. For some reason, it just never occurs to me to open my comic book app (probably because I have a long list of books I want to read), but like last year, I'm going to resolve to read more comics in 2024 because I really do love the medium and want to get more familiar with what's being released.
Scripts (click to expand full list) ▼
PRODUCED
          YELLOWSTONE (Pilot) by Taylor Sheridan
          THE CHRISTMAS STAR by Bob Saenz
          A BRUSH WITH CHRISTMAS by Bob Saenz
UNPRODUCED
          FALLING/APART (Pilot) by Steve Basilone
          THROUPLE (Pilot) by Richie Keen
          WHELAN MOTORS (Pilot, Episode 2, Episode 3) by Brooks Whelan & Isaac Rentz
          YOUNG PROFESSIONALS by David Litt
          THE KINGS OF OHIO (Pilot) by Katt Likkel & Josh Hoberg
          THE SLEEPING FATHER (Pilot, Episode 2) by Michele Mulrony & Kieran Mulroney
          EAST WILLY B (Pilot) by Julia Ahmada Grob & Yamin Segal
          TRIAL (Pilot) by Matteo Borghese & Rob Turbovsky
          PRETTY (Pilot) by Lindsey Kraft
          LET'S DO LUNCH (Pilot) by Maria Blasucci & Amanda Lund
          SAM IN RETROGRADE (Pilot) by Sam Jarvis
          FULFILLMENT (Pilot) by Vali Chandrasekaran
 
I only read about twenty scripts this year, same as last year. I still haven't quite gotten my mojo back when it comes to screenwriting, so it makes sense that I haven't been reading a lot of screenplays lately. I'd like to change that in 2024, but I'm also hesitant to be too prescriptive about what I'm trying to read. If scripts pop up that I want to read, I'll read them. 

TOTALS: 50 books, 971 podcasts, 13 comics, 18 scripts
According to Goodreads, my book reading resulted in the following stats:
          Total Pages Read: 16,828
          Average Pages Per Book: 336
          Shortest Book: 78 pages
          Longest Book: 1,152 pages
That's it for my 2023 reading... time to see what 2024 has in store! 