I read 38 books in 2023 which is pretty normal, but I only reviewed 14 of them. What can I say, it was a strange year. A good percentage of the 38 books were re-reads (comfort reads) and some were new-to-me books in series that I stopped reading years ago. Here’s more on that –
https://bookthrasher.com/2023/09/22/comfort-reading-or-what-i-did-this-summer/
Despite the strangeness, it was still a great year for reading. Here are my 2023 picks!
MEMOIRS
I’ve never been a big memoir reader, but I started 2023 with two standouts. I think that a good memoir not only gives you a glimpse into another life, but it also reveals things about yourself and gets you thinking about similarities, differences, and choices. It takes a certain kind of bravery to write a memoir.
Joy Enough by Sarah McColl
https://bookthrasher.com/2023/01/21/joy-enough-a-memoir/
A Place Called Home by David Ambroz
https://bookthrasher.com/2023/02/15/a-place-called-home-a-memoir/
FICTION
An elevated rom com, a stunner, a novella with a giant heart, and a political farce.
Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan
https://bookthrasher.com/2023/04/09/nora-goes-off-script/
After That Night by Karin Slaughter
https://bookthrasher.com/2023/10/22/favorites-old-and-new/
Foster by Claire Keegan
https://bookthrasher.com/2023/11/07/foster-by-claire-keegan/
Mr. Texas by Lawrence Wright (No review. I listened to it on Audible and you should read it for the “existential golf” scene alone. Wright wrote one of my favorite non-fiction picks of 2022, the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Looming Tower as well as the acclaimed pandemic novel, The End of October.
https://bookthrasher.com/2022/08/17/the-looming-tower-al-qaeda-and-the-road-to-9-11/
https://bookthrasher.com/2020/12/04/the-end-of-october/
ROMANCE
I started reading these authors over the last few years even though romance was never one of my usual genres. But Hibbert and Guillory are different, they can write and their characters always ring true. I like to listen to these books while I’m driving or walking around on my lunch break. Easy, breezy, and super spicy.
The Princess Trap and Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert
https://wordpress.com/post/bookthrasher.com/3343
Drunk on Love by Jasmine Guillory (No review, but here’s an earlier take.)
https://bookthrasher.com/2022/05/26/3-books-2-authors-1-series-0-complaints/
NONFICTION + POETRY
Kurashi at Home by Marie Kondo
https://bookthrasher.com/2023/05/12/kurashi-at-home/
Van Gogh’s Second Gift by Cliff Edwards
https://bookthrasher.com/2023/12/31/the-gifts-of-vincent-van-gogh/
Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright illustrated by Britta Teckentrup and edited by Fiona Waters (No review. A gorgeous animal poetry coffee table book for children of all ages. A wonderful poem for each day of the year!)
FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIME
I read these three again but via audiobook this time and WOW. They were just as good as the first time and then some. When a great narrator clicks with a great story magic happens.
Cop Town by Karin Slaughter (I’ve mentioned this standalone novel in other Slaughter reviews. It’s unflinchingly feminist and badass.)
In the Woods by Tana French (This is writing on another level. Few can match French’s grasp of language, nuance, emotion, mood. This novel is a mystery and a devastating portrait of a doomed friendship.)
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty (Secrets, deceptions, friendships, love, dread, it’s all here. Loved the book, loved the mini-series, loved the audiobook. The narrator’s voice was perfect for each character and it’s a cliché, but I didn’t want it to end.)
Here’s the full list of every book I read: https://bookthrasher.com/2023/01/21/2023-book-roundup/
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