My top books of 2023
plus, a giveaway! Because holidays + books = joy.
Before we get to my favorite books of the year, how, How, HOW have we already reached the end of 2023? Where did this year go? And the fact that I’m feeling this way and asking this question means yes, I am officially old, a fact that my always-in-pain left foot seems to confirm.
And with age comes the sensation that time moves more quickly. The irony is terrible. My kids are counting down the days until Christmas (or summer camp, or their birthdays, always wishing the time away) while I am desperate to slow the days down. Fortunately, we have books. I’ve found that immersing myself in a different world can seem to stop time in a rushed or chaotic life. So, on to the list!
Over the past twelve months, I read 106 books, with a goal of reading more slowly and intentionally than in past years. And I did so, usually. (With all respect to Prince Harry and his memoir Spare, which made me laugh out loud at times, I zipped through that audiobook. We need not labor over everything.)
Without further ado, here are my top 10 top 12 books of the year (I couldn’t find a way to cut two more). If you’re curious about my favorites from past years, you’ll find them here: 2022, 2021, 2020. The links below will take you to each book’s page on Bookshop.org, and yes, they will probably send me a penny if you end up buying through that link. Who says the writing life doesn’t pay?
Without further ado, here are
My Favorite Books of 2023
In Memoriam by Alice Winn (historical fiction, debut). Set before and during WWI, this novel follows two British boys from their last years at boarding school, when they are friends with a mutual attraction, into the war, where they’re turned into hardened soldiers. Tragic, poignant, and not too gruesome and war-focused for me (a softie). Think of this as Song of Achilles meets Dunkirk.
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt (contemporary book club fiction, debut). If you’ve heard of this one, it may because one of its three point-of-view characters is an octopus. Van Pelt pulls off other miracles with this novel, which is an ideal book club read: not too heady, not too fluffy. Interesting characters, humor, and even some tearful moments make this a winner.
The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue (contemporary Irish fiction). Rachel works in a Cork, Ireland bookshop while earning her English degree. She and co-worker James become platonic best friends, and she confides in him about her crush on her English professor. This was one of those books I couldn’t wait to get back to, every time I had to put it down. Funny, smart, and more entertaining than Sally Rooney (snap!).
You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith (memoir). The first of three memoirs to make my list, this one shows a poet going through a divorce, parenting through the difficulty, and about how creative work is still work, even if it is not a nine-to-five with steady paycheck. I listened to this (I prefer memoirs on audio) and especially enjoyed the musicality of her poetic turns of phrase.
Finding Me by Viola Davis (celebrity memoir). Not your typical Hollywood memoir; Davis has truly led a difficult life, suffering through childhood poverty, abuse, and racist treatment. Having come out on top, she tells a story of hope and inspiration. I highly recommend this one on audio.
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett (contemporary book club fiction). The only author to have made my “best books” list in each of the last four years, Patchett writes a beautiful, wistful family novel about COVID, lost love, coming of age, and how the stories we tell often have threads we keep to ourselves. There is a Russian doll aspect to this novel, keeping some of its nested surprises hidden until the end.
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee (historical Korean-American fiction). I had delayed reading this for so long, in part because I feared it wouldn’t live up to its considerable hype. Happily, my misgivings were unfounded. This novel tells of Koreans in Japan, following three generations from roughly the 1930’s through the 1980’s, in a style reminiscent of classic literature. I love when books teach me about unfamiliar times/places/circumstances. In Lee’s stories of displaced Koreans, I found echoes of narratives of the immigrant experience in America.
All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews (contemporary Canadian fiction). Toews wrote my favorite novel of 2022, and while I didn’t love AMPS quite as much, it was still a five-star book for me. The narrator is a woman in her 40’s, and at the book’s opening, her sister, a concert pianist, has just attempted suicide. This book will make you cry and laugh and cry again, and Toews is one of the authors I want to be when I grow up. Her generous intermixing of humor and pathos just gets me. Writing this, I’m wondering whether this novel should rank higher than #5.
In Love by Amy Bloom (memoir). My favorite memoir of the past year. Bloom’s husband, upon receiving his Alzheimer’s diagnosis, asks for her help in ending his life, and this memoir recounts their journey (emotional and literal). As with All My Puny Sorrows, there is a marvelous blend of humor and sadness here, a chiaroscuro I find irresistible.
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders (short stories / writing craft). Note: unless you love analyzing short stories or are a writer (or both), you can ignore this recommendation. But if you fall in either of the above categories, seriously, click on the link and buy this book already. There may be no better (read: empathetic, wise, funny) writing teacher than Saunders, and regardless of how you feel about the Russian short stories included here, you will come to love them thanks to Saunders’ careful analysis mixed in with personal anecdotes about his writing life. Reading this book, I feel like my dog seeing the red fox that frequents our yard: curious, excited, hungry. We can’t get enough.
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan (historical Irish fiction). Before June, I hadn’t heard of Keegan, whom I discovered while searching for a contemporary Irish writer to read during my trip to Ireland. Now I’ve read three of her books, listened to a number of interviews with her, and even considered donating a hefty sum to spend Thanksgiving with her on a writing retreat in Ireland but discarded the idea for reasons of practicality. Set in small town Ireland in the days leading up to Christmas 1985, this slim novel is compact and efficient (you can read it in one sitting), but the story offers a layered main character and moral complexity that will leave you thinking about it long afterwards. Keegan endlessly revises her work, testing every word for its aptness, including only what is essential. Yes, I want to be her when I grow up. I also enjoyed Keegan’s Foster and So Late in the Day, but I’m giving the slight edge to this book.
And my top book of the year is…
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (contemporary literary fiction). In my Goodreads review, I called this an instant classic, worthy of ten stars. I mean, I fell for this book so hard from the outset, and it carried me right through its five hundred pages without letting me down. I’m not alone, apparently (Pulitzer, Women’s Prize, and nearly 300k Goodreads reviewers agree— not your usual triptych). Kingsolver so convincingly inhabits the character of Demon, a poor boy from the Appalachian part of Virginia, it’s a feat unto itself, but then throw in her perfection at the line level, her mastery of character and conflict, and you have literary incandescence. I am in awe.
A giveaway!
Because it’s the holidays and I love sharing my favorite books, I figured I’d do a giveaway. To enter, make sure you’re subscribed to this newsletter, and then comment on this post with the best book you read in the past year. I’ll pick one winner at random and send you the book of your choice from my list of my 2023 favorites. US-based addresses only, please.
So, tell me- what was the best book you read in the past year?
Hi Jill! Excited to try some of your Recs here. Loved Demon Copperhead as well. My prize this year goes to The Covenant of Water. And reading in companion with Oprah’s podcast with Verghese made it that much sweeter. Happy holidays!!
Hey Jill,
I just finished a book about two women who met at Yale as undergrads, both of whom who aspire to be world renowned authors....Yellowface. A great read, with a main storyline about plagiarism, and support subtexts about racism (Asians), vitriol on social media, and the publishing industry. I'm 90% sure you must have read it by now, but if not, it would be an honor to send you a copy.
And how goes Bennington? Proud of you for taking that leap.
Phil