I’m excited to bring you my list of my top ten favorite books of 2023. Making top ten book lists is a tradition of mine dating all the way back to 1999! In the early years, I just e-mailed my list to a small group of friends and family - then added more and more recipients over the years, then started posting to Facebook, then on this blog, and then a few years ago I started a bookstagram account and started posting my list on there too! So clearly more and more people have seen my list as the years went on.
And it’s not just the audience that has increased - so has the amount of books I read a year. Back in 1999, I read just 53 books, which means my top 10 represented almost 20% of books I read that year. In 2023, I read a record 244 books, which means my top ten represents less than 5% of the books I read this year! No wonder this list was so hard to narrow down! I had only one book this year which I gave 5 stars to, so that was an automatic selection for this list. But I also had 18 books which I awarded 4.5 stars. So to choose between those, it was a combination of how the books affected me, how much they have stayed with me, and how much I have recommended them to other people, and a little dash of gut feeling. And it was really hard to narrow down!
As a reminder, these are books I read in a particular year, not necessarily books which were published that year - though nine of these were in fact published in 2023.
Without further ado, my ten most favorite of the year, listed in alphabetical order by author’s last name:
The Ferryman - Justin Cronin
Shark Heart - Emily Habeck
Exiles - Jane Harper
The Quiet Tenant - Clemence Michallon
Homecoming - Kate Morton
We All Want Impossible Things - Catherine Newman
Charm City Rocks - Matthew Norman
Tom Lake - Ann Patchett
Romantic Comedy - Curtis Sittenfeld
Read on for a little more about each book:
No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister - This book is essentially an interconnected book of short stories, and the connection between each one is a fictional book within the book. We see the writer of the book, the literary agent’s assistant who finds it in the slush pile, the actor who records the audiobook, and various readers who come in contact with the book in some way, from a homeless high school student to a grieving widower to a bookseller, and more. I could tell right from the start of this one that it was going to be a special book, and I was right. It’s a love letter to readers and writers about the power of fiction and how, as the title suggests, every person experiences a book in a different way. But it’s also just an incredibly poignant book about people. Each chapter/story is not just about that person’s experience with the book, but an incredible portrait of who they are as a person. The characters are so distinct and so real, with each one coming to life more in 30 or so pages than most authors can do in an entire novel. And I happily would have read a whole book about any of them - this book left me wanting more not in the sense that it felt underdeveloped, but in the sense that I loved the characters so much that I wanted to know more about what was going to happen to them - and absolutely loved when we got a glimpse of them in later stories. It all came together so beautifully in the end and I finished the book in tears.
The Ferryman by Justin Cronin - This novel is set some time in the future on an island called Prospera, where people can live a pretty long time, and when they either have had enough or start deteriorate according to a meter on their arm, they “retire” and basically are born again in a new body without any of their memories. Much of the book unfolds from the perspective of a character named Proctor who is a “ferryman” like in the title because it’s his job to escort the retirees to the ferry they take to where they are reborn. I don’t want to say too much about the plot because it’s best uncovered yourself, but let’s just say it quickly becomes clear that perhaps this utopia might actually be a dystopia. I’m going to go out on a limb and declare myself Justin Cronin’s biggest fan - he wrote my favorite series of all time, The Passage trilogy, and all together he’s written 6 books and now all 6 have made my top ten lists over the years - the only author to ever achieve this feat. Whether he’s writing about characters in ordinary situations in our world (like in his first two books), or about characters in crazy dystopian societies (like in The Passage trilogy or this book), he’s just so amazing at creating characters you care about and really illuminating what it means to be human. I really couldn’t put this book down, with its great characters, eerie atmosphere, and some jaw dropping surprises along the way. Even though it’s 500+ pages I raced through it. And yes, I cried.
Shark Heart by Emily Habeck - Shark Heart is such a unique book that I don’t even know how to describe it to properly capture its essence. It is set in a world just like our own, but where some people develop a condition that causes them to begin to mutate into an animal. It starts with the story of Wren and Lewis, who are newly married when Lewis learns he’s turning into a great white shark, before going back in time to the story of Wren’s mother Angela, then circling back to Lewis. I know, this sounds like such an odd premise, but if you can go with it, this book is just incredibly beautiful and sad. Whether you see the animal transformation as a metaphor for terminal illness or dementia, or simply as an element of magical realism not meant to signify anything more, this is truly just such a beautiful story of what it means to be human. The writing in this book is so amazing, somehow simultaneously both spare and lyrical. Parts are written like dialogue in a play (perhaps a play Lewis is writing), parts are almost more poetry than prose, but all of it is just so lovely. I couldn’t put it down and of course it made me cry. This one is going to stay with me for a long time.
Exiles by Jane Harper - Another fabulous, literary, character-driven mystery by Jane Harper! In this book, Australian police officer Aaron Falk is visiting friends in a small town. When he was last there a year before, a woman in their circle of friends and family went missing, and although her body was never found, the police concluded she committed suicide. Now a year later, Falk gets drawn into trying to figure out what happened (and of what happened with s hit and run murder in the same town years earlier) although not in an official capacity - while at the same time becoming closer to the close knit group of people. The unfolding mysteries are great, with surprising but totally plausible explanations, the setting really comes to life, the writing is terrific, and most of all the feel for the characters and their development is just amazing. Although I’m a big book crier, it’s rare for a mystery to make me cry but this one did. This is Harper’s third book featuring Aaron Falk, and while you definitely could read it as a stand-alone, if you know Falk’s background from the first two books (but especially the first book, The Dry), you will definitely have an even more emotional response to seeing his journey. Jane Harper is one of my absolute favorite mystery authors, right up there with Tana French. This is her fifth book, and it’s the fifth book by her I’ve loved. (And the third one to make my top ten list, including the other two Aaron Falk books.) Just note that her books are not fast-paced crazy thrillers but slower-moving, more atmospheric mysteries. I love them, and will continue to read whatever she writes.
The Quiet Tenant by Clemence Michallon - This novel is told mostly from the perspective of “Rachel”, who has been held captive by an outwardly normal seeming man for 5 years - and he has killed multiple other women but inexplicably has kept her alive. There are also chapters told from the perspective of the man’s 13 year old daughter, and of a woman in town who has a crush on him. All I can say about this one is WOW! One of the best thrillers I have ever read, in part because it’s not just a typical thriller - although the suspense was fantastic, it also was an incredible character study with terrific writing. It reminded me a bit of a cross between Emma Donoghue’s Room and Danya Kukafka’s Notes on an Execution, both books I loved as well. I seriously couldn’t put it down and lost sleep over it - not because it was too scary to sleep though it was pretty creepy in a non-graphic way, but because I just wanted to keep reading it. And I’m all the more impressed that not only is it a debut novel, but that English is not the author’s first language! Amazing, can’t wait to see what she writes next.
Homecoming by Kate Morton - This novel starts in Australia in 1959, with the (fictional) Turner Family Tragedy, when a woman and her children are found dead on their estate, and then jumps to 2018, when a journalist named Jess returns home from London to Australia because her grandmother is in the hospital - only to find out about the tragedy and discover that her family has a connection with it though her grandmother never told her about it. As Jess begins to investigate, there’s also a book within a book, a non-fiction account of the case that Jess finds. In sum, this is a classic Kate Morton novel - dual time period historical fiction, a great mystery that lets you guessing til the end, family secrets, wonderful literary writing, and a terrific sense of place that is almost a character itself, in this case including not one but two old mansions though perhaps a bit less gothic than some of her other books. I have been a devoted fan of Kate Morton since her very first novel - if you know me you know I have many many authors on my favorite authors list, but she’s right up at the top! I’ve read and loved all six of her previous books, a whopping four of which have been on my top ten of the year lists in the years I read them. So this one makes five! And despite its hefty length (550ish pages), I couldn’t put it down and tore through it in less than two days!
We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman - A short but deeply felt and deeply moving novel about friendship, family, and grief. Main character Ash has been best friends with zero since they were kids - they’re now in their 40s and Edi is dying of cancer, with almost the whole book taking place while Edi is in hospice. Ash visits her every day, while also dealing with her teen daughters, her ex-husband, Edi’s family, and all the people at the hospice. You’d expect a book like this to make you cry - and impressively I had tears in my eyes right from the start, not to mention sobbing by the end - but it also is one that made me laugh too. It is so beautifully written, and the characters come to life so vividly, even the side characters who you just see a little bit. Truly amazing how attached I felt to everyone in a book that’s just 220 pages. And it all just felt so real and true. I couldn’t put it down and read the whole book in one day. While the author has apparently written non-fiction and a middle grade novel, this is her adult debut novel, and I really hope she writes more. If you’re not in a place in your life where you can handle a book about death and grieving, this might not be for you, but if you’re up for it, it’s truly a wonderful read.
Charm City Rocks by Matthew Norman - LOVED this novel! Billy is a 40ish piano teacher in Baltimore who gets a funny meet cute with his long ago celebrity crush Margot, who used to be the drummer of a super famous all women rock band but has been living a somewhat reclusive life since the band broke up. Told from both Billy and Margot’s perspectives, along with the perspectives of Billy’s ex Robyn, their 18 year old son Caleb, and Margot’s famous actor ex Lawson, this book is not just a great romance book but also a family drama, a book about music and fame, a funny and quirky character book, and a love letter to the city of Baltimore. And I loved every minute of it! I’m a big fan of Matthew Norman - I’ve read three of his four past books and loved them all, and he’s one of my husband’s favorite writers as well. I always describe his books by saying he writes the male version of contemporary women’s fiction, like authors like Jonathan Tropper, Nick Hornby, and Tom Perrotta. But this one just might be his best book yet, and though I’m always recommending his books to people, I hope this one is his big breakthrough to more readers! And it blows my mind that a man wrote one of my favorite romances of the year so far! With it’s awesome celebrity romance of mature characters, it’s not unlike last summer’s Nora Goes Off Script, so if you loved that one, definitely add this to your list! But like I said above, there’s so much more to this book than romance as well, and all told with lots of humor and heart. A perfect summer or vacation read!
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett - Ann Patchett’s latest literary masterpiece is set in two time periods, present and past, but in a unique way. In the present day, in an unspecified time that seems to be around 2020, 57 year old Lara and her husband own a farm with orchards, and it’s cherry picking season, and all three of their adult daughters are home helping. They ask their mother to tell them the story of how she once knew and dated Peter Duke, who later became a super famous actor. The parts set in the past are Lara recounting the story of her teens and early 20s to her daughters (and the parts that she does not tell them but tells to us, the audience), culminating in her time playing Emily in the play Our Town at a summer stock theater in Michigan called Tom Lake. But trying to describe the plot of this one sort of misses the point, it’s a quiet character novel with the absolute most masterful writing that Ann Patchett is known for. This one got a lot of early raves, and about halfway through I was thinking that while I absolutely loved it, did I really love it more than any other book I’ve given 4.5 stars to this year? But by the time I finished the book and kept crying, I knew I had finally read my first (and it turns out, only) 5 star book of 2023 (and indeed my first 5 star book in more than a year. I know, I’m picky.). Why it’s 5 stars for me is hard to put into words - it’s just that special of a book. The writing is just so wonderful, but it’s also subtle and masterful character work and the depth of feeling. Some characters are brought to life almost solely through dialogue and yet you feel like you know them so well. And the unique structure of the narrative creates a powerful and emotional feeling of nostalgia - it’s not just a book that cinematically brings Lara’s story to life as if you were watching a movie, but almost makes me you feel as if you have lived that life yourself. I will say that I wish I had re-read Our Town before reading this, but luckily I am familiar with it having read it and seen it performed when I was younger (and I read it again after reading this book). And if you’re keeping track, this is the 6th Ann Patchett novel I’ve read, and the third one I’ve not just named a top ten of the year but also given my elusive 5 star rating to (after Bel Canto and State of Wonder).
Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld - This novel is told from the perspective of Sally, a writer for a late night comedy show on Saturday nights called Night Owls (basically Saturday Night Live under a fictional name). She has written a sketch bemoaning how the shlubby guys on the show end up with hot women but the reverse never happens to ordinary looking women - but then a singer named Noah is the host/musical guest for that week and she starts crushing on him. And then, well, look this book is called Romantic Comedy so you may guess where this might go - but it definitely does not get there the way you might expect. This book was one of my top most anticipated books of this year, and it did not disappoint! I've read all of Curtis Sittenfeld's books and I just love her writing, and especially her ability to bring her characters to life and to inhabit the minds of ordinary, flawed women. My two favorites of hers are both former top ten of the year books for me - Rodham (a sort of literary and feminist alternate history that explores what if Hilary never married Bill Clinton), and Eligible (a modern day take on Pride & Prejudice). This book is probably more like Eligible than any of her other books in that that is her only other book that's primarily a romance, but it still definitely fits with her previous books. Sally is a great character who definitely makes this book different than your typical banter-y romance, she is prickly and insecure and bemoans her inability to flirt and is just as likely to push a guy away who tries to flirt with her. And the book isn't just about romance, it's also about her friendships, her job, her relationship with her step-dad, her own feelings of self-worth or lack thereof, and much more. Loved the behind the scenes look at working at a sketch comedy show, loved the parts of the book told via e-mail, loved the characters, and yes, I loved the romance. I really needed a light book and this totally hit the spot - it was light enough to bring me pure happiness reading it, but also deep enough to be totally compelling and keep me reading all day and distract me. I didn't just love it, I LOVED it.
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A few other interesting things about these books:
Genres - this list has four contemporary fiction books (one a short story collection and one with a bit of magic realism); two romantic comedies; one mystery; one thriller; one historical novel; and one dystopian novel
Repeat authors - This list marked the sixth appearance by Justin Cronin, the fifth by Kate Morton, the third by Jane Harper, the third by Ann Patchett, and the third by Curtis Sittenfeld. It also includes two authors I’ve read before who’ve never appeared on the list; two debut novels; and one debut adult novel.
Netgalley/ARCs - Six of these books I received for free from Netgalley and one I received a physical ARC from the publisher, but this did not in any way affect my opinion.
Publication year - One of these books came out in the end of 2022 (We All Want Impossible Things); the rest came out in 2023.
Reading month - Often I worry that recency bias affects my top ten, but not this year - I read everything on the list from January to August and nothing I read in the last four months of the year cracked the list.
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Note that I give all these posts the tag "Top 10," so you should be able to click on the label "Top 10" at the bottom of the post and see all my other Top 10 posts. (If you are reading this on your phone and can't see labels, you can switch to web view instead of mobile view and you should be able to see them.) And if you just want to see all my old Top 10 lists, you can also click through to my Goodreads profile - I have a separate shelf for each of my old lists.
And if you have an Instagram account and are not already doing so, you can follow my bookstagram account at https://www.instagram.com/electric_bookaloo/ where I post book-related stuff almost every single day from reviews to anticipated books to other book features. In the coming days on there, I’ll also be highlighting my other favorite books of 2023 which didn’t quite make the cut for my top ten, and my favorites of each of the genres I read.
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