I am keeping my reading goals modest this year and only attempting to finish two book series in 2023. I’m focusing more on reading a wide selection and only want to spend two series I’m emotionally invested in so I can explore a lot of new authors.

The Crown Colony Series by Ovidia Yu (Su Lin Mysteries)

I read the first book of the Crown Colony series in 2022 and loved it. The six-book series follows Su Lin, a young Chinese woman in 190’s Malaysia, in her adventures as an assistant to detective Inspector LeFroy to a full-fledged private investigator. Su Lin, a sharp-witted woman with a limp from POlio, pulls back the curtain on the native cultures of Malaysia’s interaction with British Imperialism. It’s a beautifully written series that has so much more to it than a mystery. The world is so rich and interactive, the puzzles are challenging to unravel, and I find more to love every time I return to this series.

The Peter Wimsey Series by Dorothy L. Sayers

Over the last 2 years, I’ve read or listened to the audiobooks of the first 6 novels in the Lord Peter Wimsey Series. I find the titular Peter Wimsey a compelling character, foppish and droll but never silly. He’s cultivated an air of carefree aloofness that lulls people into forgetting that he’s incredibly observant and can’t let inconsistencies go. His persona is so charming that when his real personality comes to the fore and breaks his facade, it surprises other characters and the reader. I am fascinated by the interplay of Peter Wimsey’s facade and his actual inner workings. The cases seem to have a macabre edge, and Dorothy L. Sayers creates complex mysteries without cheating the reader by disclosing anonymous information or waving away coincidences. The clues to the puzzles are in the text and can be found if you don’t get swept away by the characters. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series.

What are you hoping to finish in 2023? Tell me about a series you’re loving in the comments below!