My Favorite Books of 2023
- Jaimee LaTorra
- Jan 1, 2024
- 5 min read
Updated: Jan 3
Thank you for joining me for a (mostly-for-my-own-recollection) list of my favorite books of the year. Once again, I was reminded to write this post after receiving an email from my friend Hannah with her annual wrap up.
I ended the year having read 19k pages and 52 books, barely hitting my goal of one book per week (though I did not pace this evenly). My reading was up by 11 books year over year, in part because I finally got over my phobia of audiobooks this year and listened to a few of them -- and didn't entirely zone out while listening! One common thread: I loved the covers of the books I read this year (though I did not choose them this way -- at least not entirely!).
As always, reading brought me a lot of joy this year, and some frustration. There were a few books that I just got stuck on, and some that I expected to like much more than I did (I don't like throwing books under the bus because your mileage may vary, but ask if you're curious which ones!).
I read very few nonfiction books again -- I promise I do read nonfiction books -- with the exception of a few autobiographies (Britney, of course!). I found myself gravitating towards romance novels this year when looking for something more digestible, and I have no regrets.
Below is a list of the books I read and loved this year, in no particular order.
My Favorite Books of 2023
Absolutely one of my favorite books of the year. It's set in a harrowing future, where Florida is being devastated by climate change (scary that this is not too far off from where we're at in the real world...). It starts with a woman giving birth in the midst of a hurricane and follows her daughter throughout her life. The wilderness is a beautiful, powerful character in this book and I found the story completely captivating!
I love a coming-of-age story, and this novel (a debut!) was vividly told and heartbreaking. There are some scenes from the book that I can still visualize as if I was there. It's mostly told through the eyes of the main character, 12-year-old Fe Fe, but it occasionally switches to her adult perspective reflect on how this particular summer shaped, and yet didn't entirely determine, her future.
I feel like I read this book slightly ahead of most people in my life, before it became arguably the buzziest fantasy book of the year. Shout out to my coworker, Allie, for recommending it to me!
It was extremely fun and gripping from start to finish, a feat given that it was fairly long (600+ pages). It's set inside of "the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders" and I loved the main character, Violet, and her love interest/nemesis. I have yet to read the sequel, which came out this winter and is rumored to be not quite as good as the first, but I'm excited to pick it up next now that I've made it through the months-long line at the library. (Thank you Allie for the recommendation!)
Unbelievably sad, but also thoroughly hopeful. This book takes place in the midst of the Syrian revolution and follows two characters that have lived amidst the war since they were young adults. I read this before the conflict in Palestine escalated, but I think it would have been even more gutting to read had I started it later in the year. It's a beautifully told love story between two people and their home, and brought deep humanity and some light to a dark setting. It also has my favorite cover of the year.
Is it weird that this book made me wish I could be friends with an octopus? I've had a soft spot for cephalopods since I wrote a report on octopi in the 5th grade (I'm painting tentacles on a piece of ceramics currently). I loved that one of the narrators in this book is Marcellus, an 8-legged creature with a deep well of wisdom. It was heartwarming, humorous, and an all-around joy to read.
As noted above, I am unashamed to have become thoroughly hooked on romance novels this year. They are largely predictable, and often don't have much depth, but they are so satisfying and fun!
I read a few of Ali Hazelwood's books this year, which mostly center around women in STEM, and this one was my favorite. (Thank you Ty for the recommendation)
Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Casey and other various friends have been bugging me to read this for years, and I finally got around to reading it this year. I unsurprisingly enjoyed it a lot, as I've gotten more into fantasy. I also tend to love books set in schools (as evidenced by Fourth Wing), especially when there is magic involved. I wished there were more strong women characters included, but I enjoyed Kvothe's (the main character) attitude, effortless skill at most endeavors, and thoroughly entertaining bad luck.
Continuing on my trend of loving romance this year (and also apparently loving books with women main characters in the medical field), I read my first book by Abby Jimenez -- and I'm likely to read many more. This one was pretty heart wrenching and I loved the at-odds backgrounds of the two love interests. I also feel like it's rare for a female love interest to be quite a bit older than the male (10 years in this case). I definitely cried a time or two.
I read this book the first week of January 2023, so it honestly feels like a distant memory to me at this point, but I remember really enjoying it. I loved the focus on food and how it tied to distinct memories in the origin story of the family this book is centered around.
I love when historical fiction is written so that the characters and storylines feel realistic and as rich as fiction. I had never heard of the devastating theater fire in Richmond in 1811, but I felt as if I was there through the four different characters this book followed. It digs into the misogyny and racism of the time without feeling heavy-handed or cliche, and each storyline weaves together to build tension throughout.
I read three books by McQuiston this year, more than any author. This one was maybe my favorite, and is her most popular, though I honestly enjoyed all three. I have yet to watch the movie adaptation, though I've unfortunately heard it's not very good. I love a enemies-to-lovers story, especially when there's a monarchy and politics involved. The two main characters were likable and easy to empathize with as they navigate their somewhat-forbidden romance.
This book was short but sweet, with a narrator I couldn't help but root for along the way.
If you've made it this far, thanks for reading! If you've read any of the above and want to chat about them, or if you have books to recommend me, please let me know! I'll see you next year :)
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