You know what time of year it is, my friends! It’s time for me to chat about my favorite reads of the year!
Truth be told, 2023 has been…a weird reading year? Some books were fantastic and others were…not. But the ones I loved I really did love. I actually didn’t rate all of these books 5 stars, some of them I gave around a 4.5, but these are the books that I’ve continued to think about throughout the year.
So, grab your favorite holiday treat, get cozy and let’s talk about my favorite books of 2023!
Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young
If you ask me the book I’ve thought about the most this year, it without a doubt is Spells for Forgetting. I was slightly hesitant to pick up this book because, as we know, I’m not the biggest fantasy person, but a BookTuber that I really like said that she loved this book and I figured why not, I’ll check it out, and I’m so glad that I did! Spells for Forgetting is exactly my kind of fantasy since it leans more to the magical realism side, and I love magical realism. This book really had all the things that I love — small town dynamics, a murder mystery, and just a sprinkle of magic thrown in. I’m definitely looking forward to rereading it soon!
Of Human Kindness: What Shakespeare Teaches Us About Empathy by Paula Marantz Cohen
A nonfiction making my favorite reads of the year list? You bet! I read Of Human Kindness back in April during my Shakespeare reading month (as I do every April) and I honestly have thought about it every few weeks since. I’ve also recommended it to basically everyone I know who likes Shakespeare, because this book was just SO good.
One of my favorite things about Shakespeare’s works is that, while some of his stories take place in fantastical or improbable situations, at the core of all of his stories are characters that are real and are still relevant to today. As I mentioned in my mini review for this (you can read that and mini reviews of all the Shakespeare books I read in April here) Paula Marantz Cohen not only analyzes the evolution of Shakespeare’s writing through his ability to create empathy for characters that would be classified as “other”, but also analyzes how our opinions on these characters shift as society changes and develops.
I thought this was a wonderful read and I’m looking forward to referencing it as I continue my Shakespeare annotations next year.
Women of Will: Following the Feminine in Shakespeare’s Plays by Tina Packer
Yes, you’ve read that correctly, another nonfiction has made my favorites list! This is another book that I haven’t stopped recommending to fellow Shakespeare fans.
The women of Shakespeare’s plays are so fascinating and truly some of my favorite characters to analyze. I loved how Tina Packer went through his plays and the evolution of his writing through his female characters, it honestly was such an interesting read. This one (as well as Of Human Kindness) I read via audio, but once I finished it I immediately ordered a physical copy so that I could easily reread it, especially when annotating.
I can’t recommend this one more highly if you’re a Shakespeare fan!
Happy Place by Emily Henry
Emily Henry, queen of contemporary romance. While Happy Place isn’t my favorite Emily Henry book (idk if anything will top Book Lovers for me if we’re being totally honest), I still really loved this book. In my mind, Emily Henry can do no wrong. I loved that Happy Place had a bigger friend group and that we got to see Henry write some more friend dynamics than she usually does. I felt really connected to Harriet and man, there were times that this book CALLED ME OUT. I just had a great time reading Happy Place and I can’t wait to revisit it.
The Death I Gave Him by Em X. Liu
The Death I Gave Him by Em X. Liu was one of my most anticipated reads of 2023, and it did not disappoint! Of course, we know, I will read any and all things Shakespeare related, but a locked-room thriller retelling of Hamlet is like…VERY specific to my interests. I just loved this book and it’s definitely one of the best Shakespeare retellings I’ve read — check out my full review here.
Murder in the Family by Cara Hunter
If you want a fun murder mystery, look no further than Murder in the Family by Cara Hunter. This is a mixed media murder mystery at its finest, and I had the best time solving this one. I literally had a notion page murder board where I wrote down EVERYTHING and tried to solve the mystery before they did. You can read my full review here, but if you’re a murder mystery fan, I can’t recommend this one more highly.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
We’re back in our Hunger Games era babes! The Hunger Games is actually the series that really got me back into reading when I was in college, so it’s always had a special place in my heart, but I didn’t read The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes until this year when everyone started talking about it again because of the film, and… I have to give my most sincere apology to Suzanne Collins for waiting 3 years after its release to read it.
I could not put this book down. Suzanne Collins’ writing is so easy to get lost in, and once I started it, I really just wanted to spend all of my time reading it. I thought it was absolutely fascinating! I loved learning more about the history of Panem and the Games, and then being in Snow’s POV was SO interesting. The mental gymnastics that this man went through on the DAILY to justify his actions…he’s absolutely delusional. Collins really knows how to write characters that draw you in and captivate your attention — the development of Snow throughout this book really leads the reader to see how he becomes the man we know him to be during the original series. I was utterly hooked and I already can’t wait to reread and annotate it.
There are some other books that made my favorites list, however, they fall under some St. Martin’s Press imprints, and while I support the authors and would love to talk about these books, I am participating in the promotional boycott of St. Martin’s Press which includes, Wednesday Books, Castle Point Books, Minotaur Books, St. Martin’s Griffin, and St. Martin’s Essentials. You can learn more about the boycott and why this is happening here.
Additionally, I have a few honorable mentions of books that I thought were great/really loved, but didn’t quite make my favorites list!
Honorable mentions:
- Chloe and the Kaisho Boys by Mae Coyiuto
- The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston
- I Hope This Doesn’t Find You by Ann Liang (ARC)
- Laertes: A Hamlet Retelling by Carly Stevens
- Nine Liars by Maureen Johnson
- One for My Enemy by Olivie Blake
- The Sundown Motel by Simone St. James
- The Three Dahlias & A Very Lively Murder by Dahlia Lively
- What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall
And there we have it! My favorite books of 2023. I’d love to know if you’ve read any of these and what you thought, and tell me about your favorite books of the year!
This is my last post of 2023, and before I let you go, I wanted to thank you so much for all of your love and support this year! I’m so excited to continue to connect with you all and share more posts in the new year. Happy holidays, everyone, see you in 2024! 💜
Thank you for reminding me that I need to read many of these books.