My Year in Books 2023

My 2022 book review included 40 books so my goal in 2023 was to keep up that pace. It was a race to the finish, but I managed to log 40 books again in 2024. After years of not reading at all, the last 10 years I’ve really found a love for reading again. When I went to pull this together, I knew it was a really beautiful reding year for me because as I looked at the book covers I actually remembered the story lines for SO many! If I don’t love a book, even if it’s entertaining, I don’t remember it. I’m excited to share my very favorites with you today, but note, it’s not a short list so I’ll break it into a few categories for my year in books 2023.

Most Surprising

How much I loved reading Remarkably Bright Creatures was definitely most surprising. I finally grabbed it because it just continued to be on everyone elses list but I was a skeptic when I saw one of the characters was an octopus. Y’all, when I say I fell in love with Marcellus it was a love that brought me to tears! This is such a sweet story of loss and frienship and how just one relationship can shift us.

Biggest Twist

When I read The Silent Patient I thought it was going to be the book that would take this title and it was a really, really good psycological thriller that I gave 5 stars. However, the biggest twist came when I finished The Perfect Marriage. I cannot even explain how not okay I was with the ending!! So twisted. Both of these are currently FREE with Kindle Unlimited.

Favorite Historical Fiction

Go as a River was a read I couldn’t put down. This book is tragic at times but full of grit, determination and strength to push forward. Based on true events of the destruction of a town in the 1960s in Colorado, the scenery was near Grand Junction where we traveled last summer and I always love being able to really picture the scenery. Per the credits, this novel reflects what it means to lead your life as if it were a river―gathering and flowing, finding a way forward even when a river is dammed. If you love Four Winds or Where the Crawdads Sing, you will love this read. AND it is also free right now on kindle unlimited.

Prime First Read Favorite

If you don’t already know, as a prime member you can choose one free book each month from the Amazon first reads picks. Many times I go ahead a pick the free read but rarely get around to reading them. I’m so glad I made time for The Starfish Sisters! This is a sweet read about lifelong friendship that outlasts your differences.

Most Helpful Read

Atomic Habits has been on my list for several years and I finally made time to dig in. I love his approach and so much of his tactics are so logical. Continuing to incorporate habits that become second nature and stacking them with others that make sense helps too free my mind for other more important tasks. If you are not a “goals” person and often feel like you fall short in this area, this is a practical book you should consider.

Most Touching Memoir

Both memoirs on my list I actually listened to on audible. As much as I enjoyed listening to Spare, it was so long. Beth Moore’s memoir, All My Knotted Up Life, started out a little slow for me but a few chapters in turned a corner. It is full of personal heartbreak and trauma experienced during her lifetime but also a never ending faithfulness in her relationship wiith God.

Most Read Author

Abby Jimenez continues to be one of my favorite authors. In 2023 I read three of her books and have two more on hold at the library. Her writing style is one I love that bounces back and forth between characters. Her story lines draw me in and the love stories roll along and just when you think it’s going to be an easy happily ever after there is a twist with a little past trauma surfacing in one of the characters. I read The Friend Zone, Part of Your World and Yours Truly this year and maybe it’s just becuase it was my very last read of the year and is the freshest, but Yours Truly was my favorite.

Controversial Read

I knew the story line before picking up Mad Honey so I was aware there was a transgender character. Personally, I have a friend who has walked this journey with her child and, while it is still hard to completely step into her shoes and fully grasp, this book honestly helped me to understand a little more what it would be like. Aside from that, this novel is filled with love, heartbreak and tragedy all wrapped in a suspenseful story line and I really enjoyed the read.

Top 5 Chic Lit

Some years just call for easy reads with happy endings and 2023 was that year for me. Truth be told, chic lit is propably always going to be my favorite genre. Here were my top 5.

The Five Star Weekend an Elin classic love story but also a story of rediscovery with a twist of closure that was heartwarming.

I loved Things You Save in a Fire if for no other reason than the main character was a badass female firefighter. The story of love and loss and rebuilding of relationships and trust made this a top 5.

Meet Me at the Lake was a highly anticipated second book for this author. Although I still liked the first book, Every Summer After more, this love story still managed to steal my heart and make it into my top 5.

I’ve really never read a Jojo Meyes book that I didn’t love so I don’t know what took me so long to read Someoone Else’s Shoes. It was full of humor and grit and the power of the female brain when they work together to support each other. Even though Nisha started out a little pompous she was quickly humbled and williing to do whatever job it took to survive and get what she deserved.

Last top five has to go to The Little Italian Hotel. I’m obsessed with sweet stories set in Italy and this was no exception. They all make me want to shuck all my responsibilities and book a flight! Ginny was an easy character to love as were the strangers she took with her to the little Italian hotel. Following all of their stories of heartbreak and each face their sorrows together among strangers was heartwarming. In the end Ginny has to decide whether to reclaim the present, or leave the past behind.

You can find all of my more in depth reviews in my monthly book reviews. There are so many I didn’t list specifically today that I truly enjoyed as well. Forty books feels right for me and so I’ll carry the same goal into the new year.

Now it’s on to 2024! What should I add to my list this year?