My 23 Favorite Books of 2023
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I always enjoy writing my annual ‘Year in Books’ blog post (check out my roundups for 2022, 2021, and 2020 if you missed them!). Reading is the hobby that’s been there for me consistently, year after year, regardless of whatever changes may be happening in my life.
2023 has been busy! In January, my husband Tim left his day job in engineering to pursue murals and design work full-time under his business Tenderchomps Art. I helped him run a community art event for elementary schoolers at a local library, ghost wrote blog posts for his website, started running his social media, and offered guidance based on my own experience as a business owner.
In May, I celebrated four years of running Serve Me the Sky Digital! And in August, I dove into a new endeavor: teaching a social media course for undergraduates at Nazareth University. It’s been a year full of learning, new experiences, changes, and great books! At the time of writing, I’ve read 163 books so far this year.
Let’s get into it! Here are my 23 favorite books of 2023, organized by genre.
Horror
1) Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin
Rosemary’s Baby is a classic for a reason. I read it with my book club this October, and I was shocked at how well it holds up. Although it’s from 1967, everything its messages about the patriarchy, women’s bodily autonomy, and toxic, gaslighting family systems is spot on in 2023.
2) Mister Magic by Kiersten White
I picked this up on a whim at the library because I thought the cover and premise were cool, and it exceeded my expectations! A cult classic TV show disappears from the air without a trace; the protagonist learns that she starred on it despite having no memories of it. She reunites with the cast and goes on a journey to regain her memories. Ultimately, this creepy book ends up being a story of religious trauma, unlearning negative beliefs we were taught at a young age, and being your truest self. It really resonated with me.
3) Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica
This book is often hyped on TikTok and I thought it lived up to the hype. In a dystopian future, humans can no longer eat animals due to a virus that made their meat poisonous…so instead, they farm people. While it’s clearly a critique of factory farming, it also illuminates how brutal humans can be when operating out of desperation, fear, and grief.
4) My Murder by Katie Williams
Also deeply dystopian, My Murder features a protagonist who was cloned from a dead woman murdered by a serial killer. It’s meant to bring her husband and infant daughter peace…but things are just a little off. I couldn’t quite predict where this was going. I loved all the dark elements that were just close enough to our own reality to make them especially disquieting. Like the video game where you can either play as one of the women murdered by the serial killer…or as the serial killer.
5) Motherthing by Ainslie Hogarth
Another recommendation from TikTok, Motherthing is a great choice if you’re a girlie who loves weird, dark books. The protagonist is married to a husband who struggles with depression, she’s haunted by the ghost of her mother-in-law, and feels she is nothing without a man or baby to define her. Not a traditional horror (the mother-in-law’s ghost plays less of a role than some readers expected), but scary stuff!
Fantasy, Magical Realism, & Surrealism
6) The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
When you’re ready to pick up something wholesome, reach for this. Found family is a major theme; protagonist Mika Moon has to be vulnerable enough to let herself belong somewhere. That vulnerability is what finally allows her to thrive. A cozy fantasy with a sweet, romantic subplot.
7) Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater
I discovered Olivia Atwater’s books at the library this summer and found them delightful. They blend historical fiction with satire, fantasy, and light romance, in a way that’s not at all confusing and easy to get lost in. Dora, our protagonist, seems to symbolize what it’s like to be neurodivergent and not quite fit in with mainstream, neurotypical society. So naturally, she finds a weird magician who hates high society niceties to fall in love with, trampling social norms and taking down faeries along the way.
8) Shark Heart by Emily Habeck
This summer, I received an ARC of Shark Heart from the publisher and was so thrilled that I did. It’s a beautiful novel that’s hard to explain. In brief: a woman with a traumatic upbringing is losing her husband to the fact that…he’s transforming into a shark. In this world, some humans have mutations that cause them to turn into an animal later in life, similar to how common cancer is in our own world. Ultimately, this is a powerful reflection on all the small beauties of everyday life.
Romance
9) The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by KJ Charles
I absolutely adored this queer romance. The relationships are lovely and heartwarming, plus there’s an intriguing plot that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The steamy scenes are top notch, too. Honorable mention goes to the Will Darling trilogy by KJ Charles, which begins with Slippery Creatures. More queer love in a historical British context, more mind-bending plots, and more sexy moments between two great characters. KJ Charles is excellent at what she does.
10) Here for the Wrong Reasons by Lydia Wang & Annabel Pauslen
If you love The Bachelor, you’re going to want to get your hands on this romance novel! It’s a queer story set on a Bachelor-like show that does a fantastic job satirizing all the goofiest parts of reality TV. It made me giggle multiple times. The authors do a fabulous job with creating characters who feel real and building a sweet, unexpected romance –all while the two women are trying to woo a guy on national TV!
Note: I received an ARC from the publisher–stay tuned for this to release on May 21, 2024.
11) Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert
Talia Hibbert can do no wrong! This was her first YA novel, so not as steamy as the Brown sisters trilogy, but this was a wonderful, escapist read with good OCD and mental health representation.
Literary Fiction
12) Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
I cannot say enough good things about this book. It’s on lots of lists right now, so I may not have to. I think categorizing it as ‘speculative fiction’ almost does it a disservice, making it seem like it’s 1) a reality not so close to our own when it definitely is, and 2) makes it seem more niche instead of a mainstream, literary fiction read. This story is beautiful and moving, told in a kaleidoscopic manner, weaving together powerfully with an ending that will surprise you (and maybe make you cry, too).
13) All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews
Miriam Toews is a fantastic writer whose voice jumps off the page. This heavy novel centers on the abysmal mental health of our protagonist’s sister, who is determined to die, and whether or not the protagonist should help her do so. It’s also about womanhood, survivors, and navigating the world that we live in, traumas and joys and all.
14) Your Driver is Waiting by Priya Guns
This novel is intense! If you love a narrator who sucks you in for a wild ride as they make bad choices and get unhinged, this book is for you. It had me SHOOK at the end…and cheering.
15) Small World by Laura Zigman
This was funny, moving, and beautiful. It’s about two sisters reconnecting in adulthood. They must unpack their trauma and grief at how completely neglected they were during their childhood–all because their mother was deeply distracted by caring for their developmentally disabled sibling.
Satire & Humor
16) Several People are Typing by Calvin Kasulke
Likely the funniest book I’ve read all year, this novel is written entirely in Slack messages and is very relatable to anyone who’s ever worked in an office that uses Slack heavily. It gets existential and weird, in the best way possible.
17) The Men Can’t Be Saved by Ben Pukert
This was the perfect book to read after seeing Barbie this summer. It’s a great satire of ad agency culture and toxic masculinity. Our narrator, Seth, is an overconfident pain in the ass, but he’s got a shred of something that makes you want to root for him anyways. I never guessed where this novel was going, which made it super fun to read.
18) Bunny by Mona Awad
I could’ve put Bunny in many different categories, but ultimately, it’s one that makes me laugh. It’s unhinged, it’s magical realism, it’s a satire of academia (particularly creative writing workshops). It’s deeply weird and it’s a great time.
Memoir, Biography, & Nonfiction
19) The Wild Truth by Carine McCandless
Remember Chris McCandless of Into the Wild fame? This memoir by his sister Carine shares vulnerably about all the pain and abuse she and Chris endured growing up together. She reframes his story and shares her own life too–all the ways in which she chose to break the cycle instead of continuing it. It takes courage to write a book like this and I admire her for it.
20) I Feel Love: MDMA and the Quest for Connection in a Fractured World by Rachel Nuwer
I learned so much from this fascinating book! Nuwer is an excellent researcher and writes in an engaging tone. It was mind-boggling to learn about all the potential positive impacts MDMA could have on our society…and all the ways that our government has both suppressed research on MDMA and used it for malicious purposes in the past.
21) The Bride Was a Boy by Chii
Read during the Trans Rights Readathon this spring, this manga was a delightful explainer of how transitioning works in Japan. It’s a graphic memoir by Chii, a woman who was assigned male at birth, sharing her story of realizing her true gender identity, beginning to transition, falling in love, and more!
22) The Trauma Cleaner by Sarah Krasnostein
I initially up this book because I was curious about the trauma cleaning industry, but I ended up enraptured by its subject, Sandra, a trans woman who lived an unusual and tumultuous life. She transitioned in the earliest days of gender affirming surgeries being done in Australia and is a deeply flawed and extremely kind human. She makes for a compelling biography subject.
23) Kusama: The Graphic Novel by Elisa Macellari
This graphic biography of Yayoi Kusama’s life features stunning artwork and a beautiful synthesis of her life story. She had a traumatic childhood, grappled with mental illness for most of her life, made her way in a foreign country at a young age, and forged friendships with other artists, all while creating incredible art. This visual representation of her story is extremely well done.
Eager for a great book to read in 2024? Find curated lists for every kind of reader on my Bookshop.
