Five Books I Loved in 2023 | July to December
With only days left in 2023, it’s time to pick my top five books from the last six months. I have to admit, I had a tough time because so many of my five-star books this half were re-reads, many were ones that I was introducing to Frank. I did pick one re-read though, and you’ll see why below, but the other four were novels that were new to me.
According to Goodreads, I have read 216 books this year, absolutely crushing my goal of 150. Work’s been slow and my body has required a little extra R&R, so I’ve had plenty of time to make my way through the huge stack on my TBR list. One fun project that I was working on this year, courtesy of the Reading Glasses podcast reading challenge, was tracking the countries where my books have taken place. What a fun task this was!
Here’s where I’ve been globe-trotting this year: United States, Mexico, Cuba, Ecuador, an unknown or fictional South American country, Canada, England, Ireland, Scotland, various locales in the UK, France, Italy, Greece, Germany, The Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, an unknown or fictional European country, Turkey, Russia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, South Africa, an unknown African country, Egypt, the Middle East, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Sahara Desert, India, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, an unknown or fictional Asian country, Australia, outer space, and five animated fictional worlds. Whew, I’m exhausted!
It was a lot of fun making this list, but it was also difficult to remember while I was plowing through the books, something I’m glad I did but won’t be doing again next year. It did, however, give me an idea of countries I want to read more from, definitely more African and Asian authors will be on my 2024 reading list - which will be up on the first of January. For now, I’m excited about all the books I was able to enjoy in 2023.
Below are my five favorites from the second half of this year.
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
If I could give more than five stars, I would. This was such a touching story about grief and unlikely friendships, in this case, with animals. I loved every moment of this book and wish I could experience it for the first time again. Truly a delight to read.
Anatomy: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz
Schwartz has written a tribute to all female physicians and surgeons who persevered in light of being told they didn't belong. This was a wonderfully crafted female-forward novel about Hazel Sinnett, who wants to be a surgeon more than anything, in a time when only men were considered suited for the job. This book highlights how far we've come in medicine, both the inclusion of women in the trade, but also the horrors of a time when surgery was performed without anesthesia and studying surgical techniques was more a circus act than a lesson in patient dignity. There are some grotesque scenes during which you might not want to be eating as you read them. Otherwise, this is a wonderful story.
Ripe by Sarah Rose Etter
(Content warning: this book discusses depression, abuse, drug use, and abortion. If you are sensitive to these topics, please read with care.) I finished this book a few days ago and can’t stop thinking about it. The interactions that Cassie has with bosses, colleagues, and even family members made me cringe, but I appreciated the way Etter writes about mental health and the use of metaphor to do so. I would have enjoyed an ending that was a little more fleshed out, but this was still such a beautifully written and thought-provoking book.
The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan
(Content warning: depression, references to suicide. If you are sensitive to these topics, please read with care.) What a beautiful debut novel from Emily X.R. Pan! I love the way she so thoughtfully writes about difficult topics like suicide, and how depression and grief are normalized. The use of color in this story was magnificent and really made this a sensory story for me.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
In past reads of this book, I've always relied on an audiobook version and ended up hating it each time. I have a problem staying with a novel when the narrator isn't easy to listen to, and this has been the case with the audiobooks for classics in my library's catalog. This time, I decided to stick with a Kindle version and found it a wonderful experience. No more shrill narrators for the classic books I want to read.
As a reminder, I review each book I read. If you’re interested in my top five books from the first half of 2023, you can check them out here. To see my reviews for all the books I’ve read in 2023, see my Goodreads page.
