This year, I read 88 books. Last year it was 87, the year before (pandemic) it was 80, and the year before that it was 96. I never like to set reading goals as reading is something I do for pleasure. It has become a part of my job but I always want to keep it as a fun thing I do; keep it feeling like a hobby vs. work. If I set goals where I had to read a certain number of books per month or for year, it would feel less fun. Still, I enjoy seeing how the year shakes out. I’m never sure if I will net out higher or lower than the previous year.
My reading patterns were ultimately pretty similar to last year. Lots of thrillers and mysteries, per usual! I am a little bit disappointed in myself with that non-fiction number and aiming to read more non-fiction this year.
If I had to pick a favorite book from the whole year I would say that it would be Demon Copperhead. It’s beautifully written and so well crafted (Demon is one of the best characters I’ve encountered in a long time; I still think about him!). It manages to break your heart and make you laugh (at different points, of course). I loved it so much.
EVERYTHING I READ IN 2023
PS – If you want longer reviews of any of these books, just search the title within The Library. They’re also each reviewed in my monthly reading lists. And if you are looking to read more this year, read this post: How to Read More Books.
PPS – My usual reminder! This is all subjective. There were books considered great works that I just didn’t enjoy. I am not a literary critic, just a person who likes to read and share my opinions.
PPPS – Check out everything I read in 2022 and everything I read in 2021!
My Favorite Non-Fiction from This Year.
As with last year, I chose not to rank these – it’s impossible to rank them, they were all really enjoyable!
- Crying in H Mart, by Michelle Zauner
- Spare, by Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex
- Kingdom of Prep, by Maggie Bullock
- Swipe Up For More, by Stehanie McNeal
- Confessions of an Art Addict, BY Peggy Guggenheim
- Glossy, by Marisa Meltzer
- Extremely Online, by Taylor Lorenz
- The Woman in Me, by Britney Spears
- Amongst the Bros, by Max Marshall
- Romney: A Reckoning, by McKay Coppins
- Hitchcock’s Blondes, by Laurence Leamer
My Favorite Thrillers and Suspense from This Year.
- The Only One Left, by Riley Sager
- None of This is True, by Lisa Jewell
- The Chateau, by Jaclyn Goldis
- The Social Climber, by Amanda Pellegrino
- Yellowface, by R.F. Kuang
- No One Needs to Know, by Lindsay Cameron
- The Mystery Guest, by Nita Prose
- She Started It, by Sian Gilbert
- Bye, Baby, by Carola Lovering
- Between Two Strangers, by Kate White
- The Guest, by Emma Cline
- Gone Tonight, by Sarah Pekkanen
- The Senator’s Wife, BY Liv Constatine
- The Night She Disappeared, by Lisa Jewell
- The Golden Spoon, by Jessa Maxwell
- Anywhere You Run, by Wanda M. Morris
- The Whispers, by Ashley Audrain
- Watching You, by Lisa Jewell
- The Villa, by Rachel Hawkins
- Women are the Fiercest Creatures, by Andrea Dunlop
- The Intern, by Michele Campbell
- What Lies in the Woods, by Kate Alice Marshall
- Age of Vice, by Deepti Kapoor
- Midnight is the Darkest Hour, by Ashley Winstead
- The St. Ambrose School for Girls
- On a Quiet Street, by Seraphina Nova Glass
- Five Bad Deeds, by Caz Frear
- The Third Wife, by Lisa Jewell
- The Girls in the Garden, by Lisa Jewell
- Bright Young Women, by Jessica Knoll
- The Girls of Summer, by Katie Bishop
- Before We Were Innocent, by Ella Berman
- The Housemaid, by Freida McFadden
- The Personal Assistant, by Kimberly Belle
- The Writing Retreat, by Julia Bartz
- Woman of the Year by Darcey Bell
- The Perfect Marriage, by Jeneva Rose
My Favorite Light Reads from This Year.
This also includes YA!
- The Christmas Orphans Club, by Becca Freeman
- Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt
- The Five-Star Weekend, by Elin Hilderbrand
- Expiration Dates, by Rebecca Searle (Out 3/19/24)
- Happy Place, by Emily Henry
- The Summer of Songbirds, by Kristy Woodson Harvey
- Under the Influence, BY Noelle Crooks
- The Daydreams by Laura Hankin
- Reign, by Katharine McGee
- A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
- A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
- A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
- A Court of Frost and Starlight, by Sarah J. Maas
- One of Us is Back, by Karen McManus
- The Legacies, by Jessica Goodman
- Main Character Energy, by Jamie Varon
- Maame, by Jessica George
- The Ten Thousand Doors of January, by Alix E. Harrow
- Kismet, by Becky Chalsen
- Romantic Comedy, by Curtis Sittenfeld
- The Farewell Tour, by Stephanie Clifford
- Bad Summer People, by Emma Rosenblum
- We Deserve Monuments, by Jas Hammonds
- Snap Out of It, by Maddie Dawson
- Social Engagement, by Avery Carpenter Forrey
Serious, Literary, + Historical Fiction
- Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver
- The Island of Sea Women, by Lisa See
- Woman on Fire, by Lisa Barr
- Tom Lake, by Ann Patchett
- The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post, by Allison Pataki
- The Secret Book of Flora Lea, by Patti Callahan Henry
- The Paris Daughter, by Kristen Harmel
- Let Us Descend, by Jesmyn Ward
- Pineapple Street, by Jenny Jackson
- I Could Live Here Forever, by Hanna Halperin
- Adelaide, by Genevieve Wheeler
- The House We Grew Up In, by Lisa Jewell
- Leave the World Behind, by Rumaan Alam
- Trust, by Hernan Diaz
- The Lobotomist’s Wife, by Samantha Greene Woodruff
TELL ME YOUR FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR IN THE COMMENTS!
I’m so glad Romantic Comedy made your list! My FAV novel of the year! I also loved Adelaide and The Idea of You and Hotel Nantucket for fiction. I did really like Demon Copperhead! Agree with you that I have thought about it a lot. I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 stars because I did think it was a bit long and hard to get through at points.
Such a fun list to read! My favorites this year were Fourth Wing (just sexy & fun) and the beautifully written Talking at Night by Claire Daverley (poignant, emotional love story).
Adding Demon Copperhead to my 2024 list!
I hope you’ll enjoy Iron Flame, it struggles a bit- as many sequels can- with maintaining the momentum of Fourth Wing, but I enjoyed it all the same and it’s made me so excited for the third book. Adding Talking at Night to my TBR list!
Totally geeking over this list! Your book reviews are what drew me to your site in the first place and I love that you read YA too. Keep on keeping on! : )
Such an amazing list, Grace! Also loved Maame and Adelaide
My favourite reads of 2023: As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh, Next of Kin by Kia Abdullah, What My Bones Know by Stephanie Foo (audiobook), Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka, The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston, The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson, The Lies You Told by Harriet Tyce, Only Love Can Hurt Like This by Paige Toon, The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer, The Measure by Nikki Erlick, No Way Out by Cara Hunter, His & Hers by Alice Feeney, The Leftover Woman by Jean Kwok
The Demon Copperhead link links to a different book, just wanted to let you know. What a great list – can’t wait to read!
Loved Demon Copperhead, also one of my top books of the year. Recommend Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow as well as Hello Beautiful.
What a great list! My favorite non-fiction this year was The Art Thief by Michael Finkel. A man stole hundreds of pieces of art from museums around western Europe a got away with it for years!
Favorite fiction was Unlikely Animals by Annie Hartnett, an engaging mystery that also made me feel the importance of human connection. Set in New Hampshire which, as a New Englander, was an extra fun part.
Some of my favorite books of the year are on this list–The Guest, The Social Climber, The Kingdom of Prep, Spare… The only one you don’t have listed that I LOVED this year was The Wager by David Grann.
Great list!
Great list!
I also really enjoyed Demon Copperhead. I would definitely recommend more books by Barbara Kingsolver if you haven’t read them. Unsheltered and Flight Behavior were 2 of her books that I read this year and really enjoyed. I also really liked Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri as a top 2023 read.
And thanks for the recommendation on American Spy and Tomorrow & Tomorrow & Tomorrow. Both at the top of my list for 2023 reads.
I so loved the book “The Idea Of You”….. I could not forget about it for a long time . I’m sure it’s because I had my own personal experience much like that but it was not a famous guy. An extraordinarily Amazing young man. My ending had to be the same too but I never stopped longing for the what if I stayed?
Excellent list!!! Also where is your pink and orange dressing gown from, it’s ace!!!
Oh thank you! It is from Lake Pajamas – part of Blair Eadie’s collection; I don’t think it’s still available (it’s from last Spring) but you may be able to track down on Poshmark, etc.
We just chose None of this is True for our Feb book club! I’m so excited to finish it. I started it yesterday and stayed up way too late reading and need to hide the book today so I get work done.
That makes me SOO happy! It is a treat of a book.
Love this list. Demon Copperhead & Tomorrow & Tomorrow & Tomorrow were my favorite books this past year. I also really enjoyed Lisa See’s Lady Tan’s Circle of Friends and Ann Patchetts’s short story collection, This is the Story of a Happy Marriage. Her essays are terrific. I’m adding Island of Sea Women to my list for this year as well as Remarkably Bright Creatures. For non-fiction, The Wager was my favorite.
Demon Copperhead link is directing to “The Ten Thousand Doors of January”
I love your reading lists(currently reading “The Maid” because of your suggestion.
Love Katie’s list also https://katiecouric.com/entertainment/book-guide/life-changing-books/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=WUC_Dec30&utm_term=Saturday%20Send%20List
The one book that is missing from that list, in my opinion, is “The Gift of Fear”
oops, great catch – thank you. Just fixed it.