Favorite Books Read in 2023 (published in any year)

[Anonymous]

Adelaide

[Anonymous]

This is an older book but I read it this year and recommend it. It’s called Notes on a Silencing by Lacy Chabert about her experiences at St. Paul’s School after being sexually assaulted. Very eye-opening and well-written.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Favorite “new” books
Trespasses by Louise Kennedy - love story set in the Troubles in Northern Ireland
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine - finally tried this and was surprised how much I loved it!
Will and Testament by Vigdis Hjorth - challenging look at abuse, spare writing, grew on me
I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai - appealed to me as a fellow woman who grew up in the 90s, look at what we used to accept as "normal" in male/female interactions
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt - a book with a talking octopus? I thought it would be too cutesy, but absolutely loved it.
The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donaghue - page turner set in the 1918 flu epidemic in a maternity ward
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett - beautiful story of mother/daughter relationships set with the covid pandemic in the background
The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng - historical fiction set in Penang that revolves around Somerset Maugham and his interaction with a couple in that city. One of my favorite authors.

Favorite “classics”
Anne by Constance Fenimore Woolson - little-known American woman author - I LOVED this book and flew through it to find out what happened to Anne
To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf (reread) - no one does stream of consciousness and imagery better
The Summer Book by Tove Jansson (reread) - charming Finnish book about a crabby grandmother and her young granddaughter
Irretrievable by Theodor Fontane - German book about a failing marriage in a beautiful setting
Persuasion by Jane Austen (reread) - probably my favorite Austen, that letter . . .
A Dream in Polar Fog by Yuri Rytkheau - a little out there, the story of an American explorer who gets stranded in Russia with the Indigenous Chukchi people. As he assimilates to their culture, he finds a beauty in their interactions and can't imagine returning to his previous life.
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen (reread) - the most youthful, fun Austen novel
In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden - a novel about nuns! And I loved it! Beautiful look at relationships within a closed circle. I can imagine rereading this.

Favorite Non-fiction
Devil in the Grove by Gilbert King - racism in Florida during the Jim Crow Era, shocking and disturbing and necessary reading
What Matters in Jane Austen by John Mullen - fun series of essays for dedicated Austen readers
Know My Name by Chanel Miller - a rape survivors manifesto, must-read
These Precious Days by Ann Patchett - lovely series of essays, works really well on audio read by the author

Thanks for sharing this detailed list, I think we have similar tastes, so I’m going to work my way through your other picks! I love Rumer Godden in general and In This House of Brede is probably my favorite.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is an older book but I read it this year and recommend it. It’s called Notes on a Silencing by Lacy Chabert about her experiences at St. Paul’s School after being sexually assaulted. Very eye-opening and well-written.

Just looked tbis book up-
It says the author is Lacy Crawford

[Anonymous]

Demon Copperhead
The Wager

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is an older book but I read it this year and recommend it. It’s called Notes on a Silencing by Lacy Chabert about her experiences at St. Paul’s School after being sexually assaulted. Very eye-opening and well-written.

I read that book last year and I still think of it frequently. I read that her manuscript was rejected many times as just another rape story. So she had to think about how to reframe the entire thing. It really sets a high standard for reflective memoir.

[Anonymous]

I spent most of last year and the first few months of this year reading every book written by Mary Kay Andrews. My favorite of all her books is "The Santa Suit", which was a romance novel. It was about a woman who bought a house in a rural area because she had always wanted to raise chickens. She finds a Santa suit in a closet, and later finds a Mrs. Santa suit in the attic. As she asks people around town what is up with the Santa suit, she makes friends. Eventually she gets a new job and falls in love. She and her new sweetheart play Santa and Mrs. Santa at community events for the rest of their lives.

Other favorites this year --
One Italian Summer. Woman goes on vacation to Italy after her mom dies. She sees her mom there, except her mom is 30 years old.
An Elderly Lady is up to no Good. Which is about an elderly lady who is up to no good.
The Four Winds. Which was about the dust bowl and the depression and poverty. The book went on and on but now I know all about what the dust bowl was about.
Orphan Trains -- Riding the Rails to a New Life. This was a true story book written for kids about orphaned or abandoned New York City kids who were sent west on trains to be adopted by farm families from the 1850's to the 1920's. I liked it because I learned what the orphan train movement was all about.
The Orphan Collector. Which was about the Spanish flu epidemic in Philadelphia in 1918. I liked it because it was an engrossing book and I also learned what the Spanish Flu epidemic was all about. This book (and the book Angela's Ashes which I read many years ago) made me so grateful to live in a time when we take indoor plumbing for granted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I spent most of last year and the first few months of this year reading every book written by Mary Kay Andrews. My favorite of all her books is "The Santa Suit", which was a romance novel. It was about a woman who bought a house in a rural area because she had always wanted to raise chickens. She finds a Santa suit in a closet, and later finds a Mrs. Santa suit in the attic. As she asks people around town what is up with the Santa suit, she makes friends. Eventually she gets a new job and falls in love. She and her new sweetheart play Santa and Mrs. Santa at community events for the rest of their lives.

Other favorites this year --
One Italian Summer. Woman goes on vacation to Italy after her mom dies. She sees her mom there, except her mom is 30 years old.
An Elderly Lady is up to no Good. Which is about an elderly lady who is up to no good.
The Four Winds. Which was about the dust bowl and the depression and poverty. The book went on and on but now I know all about what the dust bowl was about.
Orphan Trains -- Riding the Rails to a New Life. This was a true story book written for kids about orphaned or abandoned New York City kids who were sent west on trains to be adopted by farm families from the 1850's to the 1920's. I liked it because I learned what the orphan train movement was all about.
The Orphan Collector. Which was about the Spanish flu epidemic in Philadelphia in 1918. I liked it because it was an engrossing book and I also learned what the Spanish Flu epidemic was all about. This book (and the book Angela's Ashes which I read many years ago) made me so grateful to live in a time when we take indoor plumbing for granted.

Thanks for the orphan train rec! I read a kids book (fiction) about them years ago and would love to read more.

[Anonymous]

Some of mine...I gave up after a bit, so this isn't complete. I like to read.

Historical Fiction/Mystery/Romance
Code Name Helene - Ariel Lawton
Federica - Georgette Heyer
Arabella - Georgette Heyer
Mansfield Park - Jane Austen
The War that Saved My Life - Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (middle grade/ya, but incredible)
The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie - Jennifer Ashley (and most of the series)
Dead Man's Chest - Kerry Greenwood
A Curious Beginning - Deanna Raybourn (and most of this series)
The Widow of Rose House - Diana Biller
The Botanist's Guide to Parties and Potions - Kate Khavari

Fantasy
The Beautiful Ones - Silvia Moren0-Garcia
Divine Rivals - Rebecca Ross
Swordheart - T. Kingfisher
Nettle and Bone - T. Kingfisher
The Adventures of Amina al-Surafi - SA Chakraborty
Little Thieves - Margaret Owen
Painted Devils - Margaret Owen
Half a Soul - Olivia Atwater
This Vicious Grade -Emily Theide
One Dark Window - Rachel Gillig
The Magician's Daughter - HG Parry

[Anonymous]

The Dress Diary, by Kate Strasdin
Zero Days, by Ruth Ware
Clementine, by Sonia Purnell
The Fortunes of Jaded Women, Carolyn Huynh

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I spent most of last year and the first few months of this year reading every book written by Mary Kay Andrews. My favorite of all her books is "The Santa Suit", which was a romance novel. It was about a woman who bought a house in a rural area because she had always wanted to raise chickens. She finds a Santa suit in a closet, and later finds a Mrs. Santa suit in the attic. As she asks people around town what is up with the Santa suit, she makes friends. Eventually she gets a new job and falls in love. She and her new sweetheart play Santa and Mrs. Santa at community events for the rest of their lives.

Other favorites this year --
One Italian Summer. Woman goes on vacation to Italy after her mom dies. She sees her mom there, except her mom is 30 years old.
An Elderly Lady is up to no Good. Which is about an elderly lady who is up to no good.
The Four Winds. Which was about the dust bowl and the depression and poverty. The book went on and on but now I know all about what the dust bowl was about.
Orphan Trains -- Riding the Rails to a New Life. This was a true story book written for kids about orphaned or abandoned New York City kids who were sent west on trains to be adopted by farm families from the 1850's to the 1920's. I liked it because I learned what the orphan train movement was all about.
The Orphan Collector. Which was about the Spanish flu epidemic in Philadelphia in 1918. I liked it because it was an engrossing book and I also learned what the Spanish Flu epidemic was all about. This book (and the book Angela's Ashes which I read many years ago) made me so grateful to live in a time when we take indoor plumbing for granted.

Thanks for the orphan train rec! I read a kids book (fiction) about them years ago and would love to read more.

You are welcome. There are a lot of books about the orphan trains out there in the world. This one happened to be true, and available on the overdrive website for my library. I had never known what it was all about before reading this book.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is an older book but I read it this year and recommend it. It’s called Notes on a Silencing by Lacy Chabert about her experiences at St. Paul’s School after being sexually assaulted. Very eye-opening and well-written.

I read that book last year and I still think of it frequently. I read that her manuscript was rejected many times as just another rape story. So she had to think about how to reframe the entire thing. It really sets a high standard for reflective memoir.

I agree. I have read a lot of memoirs and at this point, I am underwhelmed by most, but this was one of the best I've read. She is a good writer and it was like a slow burn. I thought it was devastating. I found it hard to believe how the school reacted, but believed it all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is an older book but I read it this year and recommend it. It’s called Notes on a Silencing by Lacy Chabert about her experiences at St. Paul’s School after being sexually assaulted. Very eye-opening and well-written.

Just looked tbis book up-
It says the author is Lacy Crawford

Oops, thank you!

[Anonymous]

My favorite books that were not published this year (i keep track of the 2023 books separately):

The Trees by Percival Everett
The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks Dalton
Jade City and Jade War by Fonda Lee (I still have to read the third in the trilogy)
Beautiful Country by Qian Julie Wang
Siren Queen by Nghi Vo
Violeta by Isabel Allende

[Anonymous]

I liked Siren Queen. I also like her novellas with the traveling cleric (esp. the first).

My favorites I read this year were Tomorrow and (…) and the Rebecca Incident.