Top Ten Books I Read This Year [2023]
Plus Five Favorite Kids Books and Five Honorable Mention
It’s time for my annual roundup of books! With more than 110 books read this year, it was terribly hard to narrow it down to ten, so I’m cheating and adding in five kids books and five other Honorable Mention, because I don’t want them to go unnoticed.
My Absolute Favorite Book of the Year
The cover of Museum of Ordinary People made me think it would be a light read, but goodness gracious it is so much more than the cover represents. It is a story filled with stories of grief and loss but it’s told in such a way that makes you more happy than sad. I can’t stop thinking about this book, and will definitely be reading it again.
The Book That Most Made Me Think
Charis in the World of Wonders was the first book for the new Well Read Moms group that I’m a part of. I had never heard of Marty Youmans before, and this book just knocked my socks off. My favorite part about this story is the way grace is interwoven throughout Charis’s life of faith.
My Favorite Fiction Based on True Events
The House is On Fire is a thrilling tale of a Richmond, VA theater fire in 1811. It had a slow start, but once I got into it I could not put it down.
My Favorite Vacation Read
I read The Secret Book of Flora Lea on a early summer vacation and it was pure bliss. The writing is gorgeous, the storytelling is impeccable, the characters are lovable; it’s really everything you want in a good vacation read.
My Favorite Memoir(s)
I usually avoid hype like the plague, but I love Maggie Smith’s poetry so I just had to see what all the hype was about for You Could Make This Place Beautiful. You guys … this book did not disappoint. I love the outside-the-box writing style, her vulnerability and authenticity, and the way she did not cave to any “typical” writing style. I loved this book for the craft of writing memoir, but the story made me fall in love with her. I can’t say enough good things about this one.
My Favorite Graphic Novel
I don’t typically read graphic novels, but I had to do some research for my book club this year, so I read my fair share in 2023. Most of them fell short when it came to storytelling, but I just loved The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse. There are not enough good books about how beloved each one of us is. I bought my own copy and might just read it once a month in 2024.
The Book that Took Me To a Tropical Place
The Violins of Saint-Jacques is a novel written as if it’s a memoir and I couldn’t get enough. About a fictional island that was destroyed by a volcano in the early 1900s, this book took me right into the heart of the Caribbean.
My Favorite Historical Fiction
It’s not often that a book makes me gasp out loud in the final pages. That’s all I’m going to tell you about The House of Eve. Read it and report back.
My Favorite Long Book
Early in 2023, I declared it to be the year I read all the long books on my shelf, but the truth is I didn’t make it through very many. Homecoming by Kate Morton was long, but I flew through it. I loved the way she intertwined a (fictional) true crime book throughout the main narrative and brought everything together in the end.
My Favorite Depressing Book
Parable of the Sower may be the most important book to read right now—especially with a presidential election looming. I won’t lie. It is a tough and depressing read. But that is precisely why it is an absolute must. Even in the dark message, I found hope. Octavia Butler is not only an incredibly talented writer, but a prophet of our time. I’m in awe at way she uses storytelling to call us all to simplify, to empathize, and to unite together to demand our world become a better place.
Five Favorite Kid Lit Books
I grew up knowing the story of Pollyanna because of Haley Mills, but I had never read the book before assigning it to my kids for Literature this year. We invited friends to read it with us and turned it into a Kids Book Club, which I highly recommend. The kids adored the story and we had a fantastic time talking about the book and making our very own prisms to hang from our windows.
We Dream of Space was one of our first read alouds in 2023 and I loved every bit of it. I vaguely remember The Challenger disaster from Kindergarten and this book was a terrific way to introduce the subject to my own kids. It’s not just about the disaster though; the character development in this book is superb.
The Lost Library is a cute read aloud for all ages. It’s a mystery about a cat and a little free library and so much more. I don’t want to tell you more because I don’t want to give anything away!
The Windeby Puzzle by Lois Lowry alternates between fictional narrative and historical facts to tell the story of the 2,000-year-old body found in the Windeby bog. I read this on my own, but will be assigning it to my kids for Ancient History in a year or so. I’ve never read anything like it!
The Vanderbeekers Ever After is the very last book in my favorite children’s series of all time. I almost didn’t include it in this list, because it has a different vibe than the other six books. It’s sad from the beginning to the end — which first made me angry. I want the series to end on a happy note! But the more I think about this book, the more I love it. The Vanderbeekers have always struggled with real problems, and this book really shows how one family can support each other through the unthinkable. But goodness gracious make sure you have a box of kleenex when you read it.
Five Honorable Mention
Yellow Wife has been on my list since it came out two years ago. After reading House of Eve, I decided to try more of Sadeqa Johnson’s writing. I loved this book almost as much as House of Eve — it didn’t make me gasp, but it’s still well worth a read.
Nobody Will Tell You This But Me almost took the category of my favorite memoir this year. I still go back and forth between whether I liked it better than You Could Make This Place Beautiful. It’s another creative storytelling adventure and I simply loved every word.
Caleb’s Crossing takes place on Martha’s Vineyard in the 1660s, which makes it almost mandatory reading for me. Based on the true story of the first Wampanoag graduate of Harvard College, I loved the locality of it. And I always love Geraldine Brooks’ writing style.
Emily Henry’s latest book, Happy Place, launched my summer reading adventures when it came out in mid-May. Henry has a fantastic way of digging deeper into storytelling while keeping romance alive, and you can never go wrong throwing a hot pink book into your beach bag.
2023 was the year I discovered that I really enjoyed reading Charles Dickens. It took me months to read David Copperfield, but I really loved it in the end. I’ll be reading more of Dickens in 2024, for sure. A Tale of Two Cities is up next, I think.
Did you read any of these? What were your favorite books from 2023? What’s on your TBR pile for 2024?
Until next time,
What a wonderful roundup of books! I'm not a graphic novel reader either but loved the Charlie Mackesy gorgeousness of a novel!
Great list. I've only read "You Could Make This Place Beautiful" (loved it) and "Happy Place" (I always enjoy her books). I've added a bunch of these to my Libby holds. I'm bummed that Kate Morton's book isn't available as an audiobook there, since I get totally intimidated by long physical books these days :).