Can you believe this year is already over? Hope you and yours are having a fantastic holiday, whatever you celebrate. Next week I’ll head to Mexico to watch my little sister marry a fantastic guy, then scarf as many tacos and margaritas as humanly possible. It’s the perfect way to ring in the new year.
Speaking of 2024, I’ll have lots of exciting news come mid-January! I get to share the title and US/UK covers of my third book with you, plus FINALLY clue you into the story I’ve spent all year working on. Book 3 will publish in fall 2024, and I could not be more thrilled to get her out into the world.
Now onto the main event. This was a somewhat slow reading year for me, with 43 books under my belt. I would’ve liked to land closer to my usual 60-70 range, but sometimes real life gets in the way, and imaginary worlds have to take a backseat. Lower quantity doesn’t mean lower quality, though! As per tradition, I’ve rounded up the best books I read in the 2023 calendar year. Many didn’t publish last year, but all are worth your consideration. I’ve only included five-star reads, books I consider flawless. Maybe you can curl up with one of them on these cold December nights.
Here they are, in the order I read them. If you follow me on Instagram or have subscribed to this newsletter for a while, these reviews may sound familiar. They’re copy and pasted from my original posts.
Motherhood by Sheila Heti - This book is not for everyone, but the people whom it is for will be blown away. It's fiction but there's no plot—more like a thought experiment. Definitely will make my top-five list at the end of the year. [Ed. note: I read this back in February, but I was right!]
Writers & Lovers by Lily King - This year I found myself drawn to stories about people trying to make it as writers. Send me all your portrait-of-the-artist-as-a-young-woman recs. (I've already got The Idiot on deck.) I just loved this book. Contemplative and quiet and yearning.
The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay - Did I just find a new favorite author? Last year I raved about A Head Full of Ghosts, and Cabin is another five-star read for me. It has a few graphic scenes (it’s classified as horror but was more suspenseful than scary IMO) and an ambiguous ending. If you can tolerate those things, this one is a must. I read it in one sitting with my breath held.
Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld - Another perfect book. I especially loved the inside baseball talk about life as a comedy writer on an SNL-esque show.
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver - It won the Pulitzer for a reason. Listen, I do not throw around the “M” word lightly, but this book is a masterpiece. It should be read in schools. Pick it up. You’ll learn something, as I did. Despite its 500+ pages, it’s a pacey read. Probably the single best book I read in 2023.
Hope the coming year is your best yet,
Demon Copperhead was one of my top reads for 2023. I also really enjoyed GO AS A RIVER by Shelley Read. Her writing is beautiful.other favs were THE PARIS DAUGHTER, LADY TAN’s CIRCLE OF WOMEN, CROW MARY, and THE VIOLIN CONSPIRACY..
I forgot about Romantic Comedy. I listened to that one and laughed so hard. Writers and Lovers was so good but I read that one awhile ago. Demon Copperfield was so heartbreaking that I needed to take a long break from. I bow to finish the last quarter. It just kept pummeling me!