2023: A Year of Wonder

2023: A Year of Wonder

A yearly review, by Kate O’Brien. 

I can’t believe how quickly this year has passed by. I feel as though Christmas has come around so quickly this year, and I won’t complain as it is my favourite time of the year. 2023 has been filled with lots of love, lots of hard work, lots of fun, and of course lots of books! 

It has been a special year for me. I feel incredibly lucky to say that it has been filled with personal and professional achievements that I am so proud of. I finished my master’s programme and now I can very proudly say that after lots of hard work, I have a master’s degree in Children’s and Young Adult Literature. Encouraging a love of reading in young children is a particular passion of mine because I truly believe that a love of literature can open so many doors for us in life. It has been wonderful to see my passions paying off. I’ve really felt that all of the work that I’ve been doing for the last few years has started to pay off and have visible results in 2023. 

I’ve had some brilliant opportunities this year. I’ve had the opportunity to attend lots of literary events. I’ve gotten to meet and interview several authors with Beehive Books. I had a fantastic time at Dublin Castle when I had the opportunity to work as a CBI Book Doctor at one of the wonderful CBI Book Clinics. I’ve continued to review books for Children’s Books Ireland, and I was delighted to see my reviews featured in this year’s CBI reading guide. I’ve received some beautiful books from HarperCollins Ireland. It was an honour and a dream come true to write an article all about the lifelong benefits of being a reader for writing.ie. I’ve continued to work on my own website Katelovesliterature.com, and if you’ve followed me for a while then you’ll already know that this is my passion project, and if all of that was not amazing enough, I’ve been working behind-the-scenes on a new, upcoming project that is launching in 2024. I couldn’t be more excited about what lies ahead and I can’t wait to share my news in the New Year. 

To everyone who has followed along here and on Instagram/TikTok @katelovesliterature, I want to say thank you so much. Thank you for following along, for tuning in, for commenting, and for sending lovely messages. I’ve gotten to put a few faces to names this year at different book events and it has been really lovely to feel so welcomed in the Irish book community. 

This will be my last piece published in 2023. I will be taking some time away from my laptop screen to enjoy the Christmas and New Year festivities. 

I am planning to publish my first piece of 2024 on January 12th. My first piece of 2024 will be my review of Gods Don’t Cry by Ellen Ryan. 

I will still be active on Instagram over the next few weeks, as I will have fun sharing some festive snaps. Wishing everyone who celebrates a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. 

Sending best wishes and good health to you all. 

Thank you for reading. 

Until January, 

Kate xo