My Top 10 Reads of 2023…A Year-End Review
I read a total of 115 books this year, my most yet. Again, I can mainly attribute this to audiobooks and airpods, as 52% of my reading occurred in that format. I did read more in print this year, and I credit that to the fact that I just don’t watch as much TV anymore, so my free time at night was more available for physical reading. 115 books sounds like a lot and it is haha, but when you break it down it averages out to about 90 minutes of audio/day and 45 pages/day. All that to say, if your resolution or goal is to read more, just start small and you’ll be surprised how much you can actually get through. Even 10 pages a day averages out to 10 books in a year. And DON’T READ THINGS THAT BORE YOU. Just put them down, we’re not in school anymore and it’s not worth it. I’m trying to follow this advice more and more myself.
I read a lot of great books this year, with only 3 DNFs and 16 five-star books. Here’s a quick breakdown:
- 103 fiction, 12 nonfiction
- 60 audiobooks, 55 print
- 72 books published in 2023, 43 backlist titles
- 92 books by women, 22 by men, 1 non-binary author / 27 books by POC / 18 books with queer representation
- Top genre: General Fiction (31%), followed by: Romance (15%), Historical (14%), Fantasy (10%), Mystery (9%), Memoir and Sci-Fi tied (8%)
- 96% of the books I read were from the library! (Yay for libraries saving my wallet!)
I think my main reading goals for next year are:
- Read less contemporary romance. There are so many of these books getting published all the time and I honestly am not a huge fan of most of them. I’m going to try and stick with my go-to authors in this genre, but then move more toward romantasy, sci-fi, and literary fiction.
2. Re-reads. I’d like to revisist some of my old favorites in 2024.
3. Backlist. I read a ton of new releases in 2023 and I’d like to mix in more backlist this year.
Now on to my Top 10 Reads of 2023. As mentioned above, the majority of books I read were published in 2023 so I only have one list this year, as only one of the books in my Top 10 wasn’t published last year (and it was published in 2022 lol).
Top 10 Reads of 2023
10. Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb (2023)
It’s the second year in a row that Slocumb has appeared on my list, so he’s quickly become an auto-read author. I honestly thought this novel was even better than The Violin Conspiracy and I loved the character of Josephine. Slocumb is so skilled at highlighting issues of marginalization within the classical music world in a way that feels authentic, on-point, and riveting.
They love music because it has all colors.
9. The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell (2022)
I was pleasantly surprised by this gripping historical novel. Lucrezia was such a compelling character and O’Farrell really brings this Renaissance-era European world to life through her eyes. The novel moves between two timelines that slowly converge and it really ratchets up the tension of the situation. Reminded me of the film, The Last Duel, which I also liked.
To lose your temper is to lose the battle.
8. Yellowface by RF Kuang (2023)
What a crazy ride of a book. Full of dark humor, Kuang bravely tackles the privilege and faux-wokeness of the publishing world, as well as peer rivalries, the muck of the Twittersphere (RIP Twitter), appropriation, and inner isolation within today’s hyper-connected world. The plot is breakneck and it’s a loaded book. I found it deftly executed, funny, and memorable. I also loved Kuang’s Babel this year ( a wildly different book from this one), she’s another auto-read author for me now.
Awards don’t matter — at least, I am told this constantly by the people who regularly win them.
7. The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon (2023)
Between this, ACOTAR, and the Empyrean series (more on that later), this was my year of romantasy. I’ve really wanted to highlight this book because I thought it was absolutely great, I think most Fourth Wing maniacs out there would dig it, and I feel like it has flown under the radar of booktok/bookstagram. With a Kylo Ren/Rey inspired dynamic, this fantasy novel takes place in a Southeast Asian-inspired world gripped by war and geopolitical maneuvering. I can’t wait for the sequel.
You’ve been fighting all your life. Your instinct is to strike first, before anyone can hurt you. But, sometimes it’s the blow that molds us. Taking it. Letting it ring against our defenses, until we are assured in the the knowledge that, when it’s over, we will still be standing.
6. I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai (2023)
This was another surprising read for me, as I wasn’t a huge fan of Makkai’s previous novel The Great Believers. I was sucked into this mystery novel, however, and loved the setting at a secluded boarding school. The writing was fast-paced and the plot was propulsive. I enjoyed the legal aspects to the story and would recommend this as a great page-turner with some literary depth to it.
What could be more romantic? Girl as blank slate. Girl as reflection of your desires, unmarred by her own. Girl as sacrifice to the idea of girl.
5. The Woman in Me by Britney Spears (2023)
Ok, I’m getting repetitive, so it’s the last time I will say it, but I was SUPER surprised by how much I loved this memoir. I like Britney Spears’ music, but I’m no superfan or anything, and I’m known to be super critical of celebrity memoirs, but this one really spoke to me. The book is concise and to-the-point, which makes it all the more powerful. She said what she needed to say. I’m not a fool and I know this is a carefully curated view of things — but if any celebrity has earned the right to that — it’s Britney Spears. I honestly felt like this was a deeply feminist work about the way women are treated differently, especially when it comes to fame, mental health, and parenthood. (And the Michelle Williams audio narration is amazing.)
I wanted to hide, but I also wanted to be seen. Both things could be true.
4. In Memoriam by Alice Winn (2023)
This is a beautiful and heartbreaking debut novel. Set during WWI, the story starts at an elite British boarding school where oblivious teenage boys play at being brave soldiers. When they actually enlist, however, the horrors of war become all too real. The story follows two boys, Gaunt and Ellwood, as they navigate the atrocities on the front as well as their forbidden love for one another. The plot moves, the writing nears the poetic, and everything feels steeped in a history that we should remember.
You’ll write more poems. They are not lost. You are the poetry.
3. The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue (2023)
This Irish novel was definitely a right place/right time situation for me but I LOVED it. I am around the same age as the protagonist, so I could really relate to this coming-of-age in the late-aughties tale. The book is humorous and irreverent, but also takes a very loving and forgiving look on a time in your life when things can be very messy and scary. You don’t have to be 22 forever, and let’s all admit that’s ultimately a good thing lol.
I was twenty and I needed two things: to be in love and to be taken seriously.
2. The Empyrean Series (Fourth Wing/Iron Flame) by Rebecca Yarros (2023)
Does this make me basic? Hahd maybe, but I’m on the Empyrean train and I’m not getting off. I definitely fell hard for this dragon-rider romantasy series in 2023 and I’ve loved all the hype and fan theories as well. The books are immersive page-turners and I am so excited to see what happens next, as I think Yarros has done a really great job with plot development, world building, and character arcs. Those endings!
A dragon without its rider is a tragedy.
A rider without their dragon is dead.
1. The Postcard by Anne Berest (2023)
This novelized nonfiction historical investigation/memoir really blew me away. I guess in French it’s called a “roman vrai” (true novel). I was swept up in the story of the Rabinovitch family, and then remembering that it is all more or less true was all the more impactful. Berest covers so much history seamlessly, weaving the past with the present in a vital way. There is a mystery revolving around uncovering the sender of an anonymous postcard that also adds so much tension to the narrative. I was so moved by this and it has really stuck with me ever since I read it. History is a living thing, and it’s important that we feel connected to it.
I search in the history books for the things I was never told.
Honorable Mentions:
These are books that don’t really fit into my Top 10, but have really stuck with me through the year for one reason or another.
Excavations by Hannah Michell (2023)
I thought this was a really gripping novel about a South Korean mother in search of her missing husband. The plot had this haunting, tense feeling and I learned a lot about modern South Korean history that I did not know.
The Square of Sevens by Laura Shepherd-Robinson (2023)
This is an epic Dickensian tale that was beautifully plotted. I was super impressed by the ending and I feel like this has not gotten a lot of attention. If you’re into Georgian England, check this out.
Jane & Edward by Melodie Edwards (2023)
2023 wasn’t my best year for romance novels, but I did love this one: a modern reimagining of Jane Eyre set in a Toronto law firm. I feel like this one has also flown under the radar (maybe because of that awful cover)?
Ghost Music by An Yu (2023) or American Mermaid by Julia Langbein (2023)
These two tie for my most weird and surreal reads of 2023. I really love a fun, WTF is going on ride. Ghost Music was an eerie and moody Chinese novel, while American Mermaid was kind of a fun satire of LA and Hollywood.
We are all like trees, our heads swaying in the wind, our roots buried in the ground, unseen by anyone and at times forgotten even by ourselves. -Ghost Music
That’s it folks! Happy New Year and Happy Reading!
