My Favorite Books of 2023

Come for the book recs, stay for the pie charts

Dec 16, 2023

white and gray heart book art — Photo by Benjamin Raffetseder on Unsplash

The time has come for my end-of-the-year favorites list. I love books and lists, so getting to put books on a list is more joy than I could ever ask for.

Thankfully, 2023 has been a fantastic reading year for me. I'm on track to hit my goal of reading 75 books, but more importantly, I've loved much of what I've read. I gave more five-star ratings this year than I have since 2012. I'm excited to share my picks, so let's begin!

My Top 10 2023 Releases

Here’s what I had to say about The Bee Sting in my latest reading recap:

This doorstopper of an Irish novel follows four members of the Barnes family. Dickie is married to the beautiful Imelda, and they have two kids, Cass and PJ. Dickie took over his father's car dealership and garage, and thanks to the recession, he's losing money, and the dealership is on the verge of bankruptcy. Imelda is angry with Dickie for losing the wealth to which she's grown accustomed. Cass is tired of her parents' constant fighting and can't wait to leave town with her best friend, Elaine, and start college at Trinity in Dublin. PJ is lonely, so he starts talking to a friend online who offers him a place to stay if he wants to run away.

There is much to admire about The Bee Sting, but what I found most impressive is how Paul Murray brought these characters to life. I thought I knew who Dickie and Imelda were, but through flashbacks, you see their histories and understand why they turned out the way they did. Cass and PJ are complex kids with different personalities and needs, and their identities match their ages.

The ending of this novel is unlike anything I've ever read. Murray crafts this book's finale with expert tension, slowly building to an earth-shattering conclusion that'll leave readers talking. The Bee Sting is without a doubt the best book I read in 2023. The next two titles are close behind, but Murray’s novel edged ahead at the last minute.

Athena and June are writers whose careers are going in different directions. June’s first novel wasn’t very successful, while Athena is literature’s new darling. Her work is beloved, and she just signed a deal with Netflix. While celebrating with June, Athena chokes and dies, leaving behind her newly finished manuscript. June takes the draft, decides to do some editing, and presents the book as hers. What follows is a timely story about representation, creativity, and who can tell what stories.

Yellowface isn’t a thriller, but it’s most certainly a page-turner. The tension builds slowly as June’s lies start to unravel, and I couldn’t stop reading because I needed to see what mess she’d make next. I found June’s panic and sense of entitlement fascinating, as well as the behind-the-scenes look at publishing. It’s hard to do satire well, but R. F. Kuang nailed it with Yellowface.

I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai

Bodie Kane is a successful podcaster and professor who returns to Granby, the New Hampshire boarding school she attended as a teen, to teach a couple of classes. In her podcasting course, a student starts digging into the murder of Thalia Keith, Bodie’s former roommate at Granby, who was killed on campus. Though the case has been solved for years and the culprit is in prison, Bodie can’t help but ask questions and begins to wonder if justice was really served.

I Have Some Questions for You is a masterful mystery novel about growing up, injustice, and the secrets we keep. Granby feels like a real place, and the characters who populate its campus are complex and interesting. This novel is the very best of dark academia.

Jack and Elizabeth are college students living in Chicago when they meet and fall in love in the 1990s. Their connection is immediate, and they're confident they will build a life full of passion and adventure. Twenty years and one son later, their relationship is breaking down. Jack's work as an artist and teacher isn't fulfilling or earning him enough money. Elizabeth's work involves deceit, which she believes is for the common good. The two are at an impasse brought about by purchasing and building a new condo, their "forever home."

Nathan Hill explores these characters and their marriage through asides and flashbacks. Readers learn about their families, wounds, ideologies, and regrets. Wellness is an intricately crafted novel that covers a lot of ground and years, yet the story is ultimately a love story about two misfits who found each other when the time was right. I've not read anyone else who writes like Nathan Hill. This book is a gem because of his ability to weave multiple storylines and characters together into a beautiful tapestry.

It's 2020, and twenty-year-old Mia and her twin brother are home from school and staying with their parents and nonverbal younger brother. Mia narrates Happiness Falls and explains what happens when her little brother, Eugene, returns home from a trip to the local park, agitated and without his father, who’s now missing. Since Eugene can't tell the family what happened, they must piece together clues with help from the local police, whom they don't entirely trust.

Happiness Falls is a gripping mystery and family drama about identity, belonging, and how we show up for the people we love the most. Mia isn't always the most reliable narrator, which adds another layer of interest to an already engaging story set during the height of the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement. This title would make a great book club pick since there's so much to discuss. I was captivated from the first sentence to the last.

Congratulations, the Best Is Over by R. Eric Thomas

I've been a fan of R. Eric Thomas since I read his first essay collection, Here for It, in 2020. Thomas has hilarious takes on life and pop culture, often making me laugh out loud. Congratulations, the Best Is Over is funny but much more serious than Here for It. In this new book, Thomas writes about moving to the country as a gay Black man and how he's afraid he won't be safe or welcome there. He also tells of a tense confrontation he had with a police officer outside his parents' house. Despite these heavier essays, there’s still plenty of laughter to be found throughout the book, especially when Thomas talks about his attempts at gardening. This collection is from an older, wiser writer who balances humor and insight to create a compelling book I adore.

Alix Summers is a beautiful, successful podcaster with a wealthy husband, two small children, and a gorgeous home. Josie Fair is a plain woman married to a much older man and has a highly complex relationship with her two grown daughters. The two women cross paths at a restaurant on the evening of their forty-fifth birthdays. Convinced it was fate for them to meet, Josie is immediately infatuated with Alix and reaches out to her to suggest a new podcast. Josie is ready to leave her husband and change her life, and she wants Alix to document it. When the two women begin recording, Josie’s life story is full of tragedy after tragedy and many unanswered questions. Alix soon begins to wonder about the integrity of Josie’s claims.

This propulsive thriller had me glued to every page. It’s exciting and deeply disturbing. Lisa Jewell always delivers atmospheric page-turners with well-developed characters, and this book is Jewell at her best.

Margo is a library clerk living and working in a small town named Carlyle. She’s a hard worker who her colleagues and patrons adore. When Patricia, the new reference librarian, arrives, Margo starts to spiral. She doesn’t want anyone new invading the world she’s built for herself. Patricia begins to suspect that Margo isn’t who she says she is when a library patron is found dead in the building’s bathroom.

Though one plot point didn’t make sense, I absolutely loved this fast-paced story about murder, obsession, and identity. Even though this story dealt with dark subject matter, it was such a fun read. I need more books about deranged librarians ASAP.

Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma by Claire Dederer

In Monsters, Claire Dederer raises a question: what are we to do with the art of monstrous men? She discusses Roman Polanski, Woody Allen, Michael Jackson, Ernest Hemingway, and other famous artists. Dederer also brings several women into the conversation, such as J. K. Rowling and Doris Lessing. I found this book to be thoughtful and engaging from beginning to end, thanks to Dederer’s skillful writing. I highlighted many passages along the way, a sign that a book will stay with me. I highly recommend this title if you’ve ever wondered how to approach art when the artist has broken your trust.

I love reading a novel with solid character development, and that’s what I got with Sam. The book begins when Sam is a little girl and follows her through her teen years. Throughout the book, Sam lives with her single mom, Courtney, who’s working two jobs to keep her family afloat. Sam’s dad Mitchell struggles with addiction, so he’s in and out of her life, making promises he can’t consistently deliver. As Sam grows up and becomes more complex, so does Allegra Goodman’s writing, which I loved. Sam is a heartfelt and memorable coming-of-age story about a girl that seems so real. Older teens would love this book.

My Favorite Backlist Books

Tookie is a formerly incarcerated woman who's now a bookseller in Minneapolis. One of the store's most frustrating customers, Flora, dies, but Tookie is sure her ghost haunts the bookstore. This story takes place in 2020, so alongside the story of Flora's ghost and Tookie’s journey, Louise Erdrich also explores the murder of George Floyd and the COVID pandemic.

Despite its subject matter, The Sentence is a witty novel, and it perfectly captures a moment in time. Magical realism doesn’t always work for me, but it was used well in this story. The Sentence has dethroned The Round House as my favorite Erdrich novel.

Now Is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson was one of my 2022 favorites, so I was eager to pick up more of his work. I listened to Nothing to See Here and was surprised by how much I loved it.

The novel revolves around two friends, Lillian and Madison, who were roommates for a brief time at a boarding school. Lillian lives with her mom and has yet to accomplish much of anything, but Madison married a senator who's on the rise. When Madison needs a nanny for her two stepchildren, she calls on Lillian. Lillian will make a lot of money and have all of her needs met by Madison, but there's a catch: the twins catch on fire, news that can't get out without destroying their father's political career.

I laughed out loud as I enjoyed this audiobook, which I expected, but what shocked me was how touched I was by the relationships between Lillian and the kids. I expected the quirkiness, but I was surprised and delighted by the emotional depth of this story. (The audio narration is outstanding, by the way.)

Dominicana is a story about Ana, a 15-year-old girl living in the Dominican Republic. Her mother forces her to marry a wealthy and much older man named Juan so he can help provide for the family. Juan moves to New York City with Ana, and she endures his fits of rage and abuse. When Juan has to return home for a while, Ana is left in the city with his brother, Cesar, and the two form a quick bond.

Dominicana is based on the life of the author’s mother, which makes this story of perseverance and flourishing even more powerful. In Ana, Angie Cruz has created a genuinely vibrant and memorable character whose grit and strength are beautiful to behind.

Honorable Mentions

Here are a few more 2023 releases I couldn’t not mention.

So Late in the Day by Claire Keegan
- A collection of three very good short stories about men and women not getting what they want.
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
- A beautifully written novel about family, remembrance, and change. Patchett writes families so well.
The Guest by Emma Cline
- A great summer read about an unforgettable protagonist trying to make it on her own for a week before going back to her rich boyfriend.
The Laughter by Sonora Jha
- A wonderful, dark satire about academia, racism, and obsession.
My Last Innocent Year by Daisy Alpert Florin
- A tender story about a woman’s time in college and the sexual assault that shapes her experience.

My 2023 Reading Stats

In addition to Goodreads, I track my reading on this spreadsheet so I can see all of my data at the end of the year. There are charts! I know this might seem like a lot to some people, but reading is one of my greatest passions, and I get a lot of joy from tracking it closely.

The Charts!

Does anyone but me want to see these charts? Probably not, but it’s happening anyway.

I usually read a bit more nonfiction, but this breakdown isn’t too surprising:

This is the most digital content I’ve ever consumed:

I’m proud I read so widely:

I read many titles through NetGalley this year, so my 2023 reads outnumbered backlist titles:

I’d like to get my Own TBR number higher in 2024:

Reading diversely is important to me, so this chart could be balanced better next year:

My 2024 Reading Goals

I had several goals for 2023, including finishing an A-Z reading challenge, an unread books challenge, and a challenge I created myself. One of my goals for 2024 is to lighten up and ditch the challenges.

The challenges were fun (sometimes), but I don’t like putting too many constraints on my reading. I don’t want something I love to start feeling like homework.

My 2024 goals are much simpler. I want to:

Read 75 books.
- This is the goal I’ve set for the past few years, and it works well for me. It encourages me to read, but it doesn’t overwhelm me.
Read at least one book I own per month.
- I buy books faster than I can read them. I want to pull from my personal library more often instead of relying on the public library or local bookstores.
Catalog my library.
- I’m blessed with a large collection of books that I’ve accumulated over the years, and I’d like to catalog them so I know exactly what I have. I’m not sure the best way to do that, but I know I’d enjoy seeing the data. If anyone has home cataloging suggestions, I’ll take them.
Read more translated and/or off-the-beaten-path books.
- I like keeping up with the big and buzzy releases, but I also like finding hidden gems that introduce me to new cultures and settings. I find a lot of this stuff on the shelves at my favorite indie bookstore.

We’ve finally reached the end! Congratulations if you’re still reading this. I hope you found a few books you’re excited to pick up. Let me know in the comments what books you read and loved this year. Thanks for reading!

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