Best Books of 2023
I read 40 books in 2023 and some were absolutely incredible, and some were a little tough to finish! Below are all of my favorite books I read, along with a list of every book I read in 2023.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
This book was amazing. A great story of love (romantic, platonic, and of our hobbies and work), I read this book at every available moment: while brushing my teeth, when cooking dinner, before teaching Pilates, etc. This was my favorite book of the year.
Confessions by Kanae Minato
I’m prepared to say this is the best thriller I’ve ever read. A teacher’s daughter dies and she suspects 2 of her students are responsible. Each subsequent chapter is a different POV of characters surrounding the incident. A great story of long-form revenge and the dangers of isolation, it is incredibly well-written, quick witted, and smart.
Manacled by Senlinyu
Technically a Harry Potter fan fiction, this book had me in a chokehold. Set in an alternate reality immediately after Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix where Voldemort is winning the war and sets witches with high-ranking Death Eaters to “repopulate the wizarding world,” Hermione is now Draco Malfoy’s “Handmaid.”
The writing was surprisingly incredible, the storytelling was high-level, and it was a very enjoyable read!
A Short Stay in Hell by Steven L. Peck
At just over 100 pages, this little novella packs a punch. A Mormon man dies and finds himself in a hell of a religion he’s never heard of. The rest of the story is him grappling with the dismantling of his lifelong held beliefs and morals. While the story doesn’t end with a neatly-tied bow, the dilemma he faces is so thought-provoking, it had me pacing my apartment obsessing over it for days.
In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
An incredibly powerful story of an abusive relationship, each chapter is told through different story-telling tropes. Some of these chapters hit incredibly close to home, but also raised my awareness that abusive LGBTQ relationships are not seen or protected the same as heterosexual couples. Overall, ending and preventing domestic violence clearly has a long way to go.
A Luminous Republic by Andrés Barba
The start of this book discusses how a group of 32 feral children who wreak havoc upon an Argentinian town all die. The rest of the book is figuring out: where these children came from, are they truly feral, why does the city hate them so much, why did they “deserve” to die, and how did they die. I thoroughly enjoyed the storytelling and also the debate over the follies of viewing childhood, as in, are children inherently innocent?, or are they all feral and “growing up” means becoming a responsible human in society. I absolutely loved this read.
All books I read:
In the Dream House (January)
Under the Whispering Door (March)
Beach Read (April)
Guncle (April)
Ascension (May)
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow (May)
The Other Black Girl (May)
The Users (June)
Natural Beauty (June)
Oh My Mother (June)
Yellowface (June)
Manacled (June)
Remain Nameless (July)
Office of Historical Corrections (July)
Once More With Feeling (July)
Confessions (July)
The Centre (August)
Harry Potter 1 (August)
Harry Potter 2 (August)
Red, White and Royal Blue (September)
The School for Good Mothers (September)
Monstrilio (October)
The Land of Milk and Honey (October)
Notes on Grief (October)
Harry Potter 3 (October)
Fourth Wing (October)
Hurricane Girl (November)
Milk, Blood, Heat (November)
Harry Potter 4 (November)
Iron Flame (November)
A Short Stay in Hell (November)
Black Friend (November)
The Saturday Night Ghost Club (November)
The Dinner (December)
Chain-Gang All-Stars (December)
Harry Potter 5 (December)
Big Swiss (December)
The English Understand Wool (December)
A Luminous Republic (December)
Leave the World Behind (December)