My year in books: 2023 edition
Let’s get this out of the way, 2023 wasn’t my best reading year.
I struggled to find my flow. I was surprised to find myself reading multiple books at the same time, something I have never found useful.
And I spent far too much time fretting over whether the interwebs had finished robbing me of all that is good in a 500-page tome.
Or maybe it was just my middle-aged rage spiking anew.
Lest this be all doom and gloom, I still take joy in browsing the shelves of the library, listening to podcasts about what other people are reading, and organizing my TBR list.
One big change that came about this year was letting go of documenting my reading life online. This gave me the space to re-focus on my decades old reading journal, flipping through the pages of which brings me a happiness like no other.
Here are my favorite seven reads of 2023. And while I do not typically rank them, the first on this list was a runaway favorite. The other sixish float in and out of my head at will.
I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai
Full disclosure: It’s possible nostalgia for the pre-internet life of 1995 as told by a podcaster 25 years on is what I needed this year. While I typically loathe a page-turner, this one got me in unexpected ways. Maybe it will get you, too. My only quibble, the uber-generic title that I can barely hold on to.
The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa / translated by Philip Gabriel
This book pulled at my heart-strings, strumming at all the things hitting me hardest in this post-pandemic existence. What is the meaning of companionship? How do we hold on to those friendships of the past? And how easy it is to forget it is life that’s the only journey that matters.
Siren Queen by Nghi Vo
Magical realism sneaking into a tale of Hollywood glamor, yes, please. One of the best outcomes of reflecting on my reading life is realizing which authors get you — and it turns out Vo is one of my favorites. I look forward to gifting her works to friends and family.
Easy Beauty by Chloe Cooper Jones
As part of being more intentional with my reading, I’ve also been able to make space for voices I don’t typically encounter. With gravitas and humor in equal measure, Cooper Jones gives her readers a glimpse of what it’s like to move through the world in a body many see as disabled. This memoir is stocked with so much food for thought, I kept putting it down to think. Every time I believe I’ve come to terms with my privilege, I’m gob-smacked by how short-sighted I have been.
Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano
Brutal and heart-wrenching family saga with a nod to Little Women. Is love a choice or something you cannot deny?
Inciting Joy by Ross Gay
In the face of global injustice and personal trauma, Gay gives readers permission and a path to finding joy. Reading this essay collection filled me with hope in ways I hadn’t felt since I was much younger. Bonus: I had the opportunity to attend one of Gay’s readings this year, and he was everything I hoped for and more.
And surprise, my last pick is a shout out to three books I loved for very specific reasons:
- Trust by Hernan Diaz because this book really challenged the notion of how to story tell, experimental craft still lives.
- Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell for bringing a dead topic to life with unparalleled prose. Seriously, this woman can write.
- Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop by Danyel Smith because there are so many stories of Black women’s contributions yet to be told. This book had me scouring YouTube for songs I had forgotten and those I had never known.
I’m finishing the year strong with Big Swiss by Jen Beagin, a laugh out loud take on vulnerability and darkness. But ain’t that what we’re living.
Cheers to what 2024 will bring.
