Welcome to the first of my 2023 Best Of posts! Historically I’ve only done a reading roundup so that’s what we are starting with, but this post will be followed by others sharing the best things I watched, listened to, cooked, bought, and read online.
And with that, let’s get into my favorite books of 2023!
2023 by the numbers.
My goal for the year was to read 35 books, and I’m happy to report I got to 45 by the end of 2023. April [half marathon and packing to move] and November [2 weeks in Memphis] were my lowest months with one book each, and May was my highest with six!
This was the first year I tracked book format, and it was interesting to look back and see how those numbers were distributed:
paperback: 11
hardcover: 14
audiobook: 8
kindle: 12
And here are some other category breakdowns:
authors of color: 13
nonfiction: 17
translation: 3
lgbtq+ author/central character: 4
disabled author/central character: 5
primarily set in nyc: 8
primarily set outside the united states: 15
poetry collection: 1
2023 reading goals.
This was one of the first years I didn’t set specific reading goals for myself outside the categories listed above. Usually I have a series I want to finish or some other kind of challenge I set myself, but I knew last year was going to bring a lot of transition and I wanted to keep things simple. I read some things that had been on my shelves for many years as well as a few new releases. I started and didn’t finish quite a few books, and there were at least three I finished only because I was determined to find out if I was right about who the killer was. It was a very sporadic year of reading for me, and I’m looking forward to seeing what this year brings.
2023 favorites.
fiction.
My favorite fiction read was the first book I read in 2023 — Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead. At the beginning of the year I remarked that it’s not often I want a 650-page book to be longer, but I still contend I could have kept reading. The beginning took me a little while because there were a lot of characters across multiple timelines, but once I got everything straight there was no stopping me. This one has a little bit for everyone — adventure, mystery, romance, heartbreak, family, history — and I spent the entire year referring back to this book. It sat on my shelf for a few years until I was in the right mood for it, and I’m so glad I didn’t force it because I read it at the exact perfect time for me.
other fiction favorites:
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman
This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub
Trust by Hernan Diaz
There There by Tommy Orange
Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld
The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman
Biography of X by Catherine Lacey
nonfiction.
The nonfiction read [listen, technically] that I’ve still not stopped talking about was Good For a Girl by Lauren Fleshman. I first heard about the book when Fleshman was interviewed on Fresh Air, and after that I was hooked. I soared through the audiobook during my summer road trip and subsequently listened to many more interviews and reviews. Fleshman uses her career as a high school, college, and professional runner to highlight all the ways athletics has not adapted to the needs of girls and women, and it is fascinating. It seems such a simple thing, but until the investment is made there will continue to be gaps. At some point I will go back and read a physical copy of the book because there was a lot I want to highlight and remember, but I’m really grateful I had the opportunity to listen to this read by Fleshman herself.
other nonfiction favorites:
Fatty Fatty Boom Boom by Rabia Chaudry
A Heart That Works by Rob Delaney
Ejaculate Responsibly by Gabrielle Blair
Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong
Quietly Hostile by Samantha Irby
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
Hope Not Fear by Hassan Akkad
what’s next.
I’m slowly thinking about what my reading goals for this year will look like. I know I want to read a few more translated novels and I have a few poetry volumes I would like to read soon, but apart from that I’m still open to ideas and challenges. More books set outside the US and Europe? An as-yet-unidentified series? More personal and professional development books? All are plausible, so we’ll see what happens.
What are your reading goals for this year?
xx