My Top 10 Reads from 2023
I read some pretty phenomenal books in 2023— some of which will go on my list of all-time favorites. My top ten is dominated by nonfiction, yet funnily enough, novels hold the top two spots on my list. Five of the ten are memoirs, revealing a particular preference I have for that genre right now. In general, my reading ratios are 1 novel: 1 memoir: 1 additional nonfiction. I want to read more fiction this year. If you have a favorite novel you’d like to share, especially if it’s a thriller or mystery, send your recommendations my way! Without further adieu, here are my favorite books from 2023.
10. Spare by Prince Harry
You know I had to know. Spare was the first book I read in 2023, and it was a good one. Prince Harry goes into a lot of detail describing his childhood, teen years, and the tragic loss of his mother, Princess Diana. I loved reading about how he and Meghan fell in love. I’d say he’s rather honest, admitting faults and accepting responsibility for some poor choices. A great insider look for the royally curious.
9. Ten Steps to Nanette by Hannah Gadsby
My introduction to Hannah Gadsby was through her first Netflix comedy special, the global sensation, Nanette. I’ve never seen a comedy show quite like it— it blew me away. In her memoir, Ten Steps to Nanette, Gadsby tells the story of her life and how her career became the massive success that it is today. She explains her process for writing and workshopping what would become Nanette, the intentional choices she made to create what it is, and the difficulties she experienced along the way.
8. Memory-Making Mom by Jessica Smartt
In this book, author Jessica Smartt inspires mothers to create family traditions. Wildy practical, this book teaches readers thorough tips and ideas for how to make treasured memories through regular practices and traditions. She focuses on holidays, family dinners, and birthdays as well as other, often overlooked, family rituals for things like service, Sabbath, and sickness. I loved the chapter on one-on-one time with your children. I’m sure I’ll read this one again and again.
7. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Every once in a while, I just really crave a good thriller with some twists and turns. After Alicia Berenson shockingly murders her beloved husband, she refuses to speak to anyone about what led her to do such a thing. She speaks not a word throughout her trial and hasn’t spoken again in years. Theo Faber, a criminal psychotherapist, attempts to break through to her to uncover the truth of what happened that fateful night. To be honest, I’m disappointed in myself for not figuring out the twist to this one— the author had me right until the big reveal.
6. An American in Provence by Jamie Beck
Jamie Beck left behind her fast-paced, high-stakes photography business in NYC in favor of the slow life in Provence. She intended to stay only a year, but she fell so wholeheartedly in love with France that she never went back. This gorgeous collection of photographic work is teeming with inspirational fairy dust- the kind of work that knocks the breath out of me and moves me to get on my feet, get out into the world, and make something. Full of recipes, photography tips, and more, this book is sure to incite a hunger for beauty.
5. The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi
Y’all. This is one of the most practical, helpful books I’ve ever read. In The Lazy Genius Way, author Kendra Adachi teaches you how to be a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don’t. Every raiser of children, maker of decisions, buyer of presents, eater of dinners, taker of naps, shopper of groceries, folder of laundry, player of games, writer of lists, liver of life should read it. Her podcast is great, too.
4. Crying in H-Mart by Michelle Zauner
In this elegantly written memoir, Zauner tells of growing up as an Asian American kid in Eugene, Oregon with a strong mother from a strong heritage. Zauner’s adolescence was fraught with neverending conflict with her mother, her mother’s deep disappointment in Zauner’s rebellious antics, and Zauner crushed under her mother’s impossibly high expectations. Their relationship evolves over the years, transforming into a deep bond when Zauner’s mother is sick with cancer. The centering theme of the memoir is Korean food, and the rich heritage of family and the table.
3. All My Knotted-Up Life by Beth Moore
As a long-time lover of Beth Moore’s Bible studies, I anxiously awaited the publication of her memoir. It did not disappoint. Her writing is poetic and image-driven, yet bold and straightforward when the moment calls for it. Moore tells the whole story, from childhood to recent days, her rise as a Bible teacher, and her recent departure from the Baptist denomination. Her thoughts on women and their role as leaders in the church were particularly rich. I was moved by the vulnerability with which she shared her story.
2. Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
I was late to the game for this popular read that was adapted for television last year. This rich novel is written in the style of a biographical record and, while it is fictional, the accounts from each character lend to a colorful and lively story. No one knows why the band known as Daisy Jones and the Six dispersed suddenly at the top of their game in the 1970s, and as we get closer to discovering the truth, we learn there are many sides to the story. It’s fast-paced, meaningful, funny, romantic. Glamorous. Sad. The audiobook includes a full cast— I highly recommend it.
1. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
This is the best book I’ve read in a long, long time. Demon Copperhead is the story of a boy growing up in Appalachia during the opioid crisis in the 1990s. The book follows Demon from birth to manhood, a century’s worth of pain and struggle squeezed into just two short decades. Born to a teen mother, his father gone before he takes his first breath, Demon is raised in a world of poverty, addiction, and chaos. Barbara Kingsolver is a master storyteller. Written in Demon’s plain, funny, and gut-wrenching first-person voice, Demon Copperhead is a beautiful, funny, honest story of a little spark of hope in a dark, hopeless world.
Thanks for reading my list of my favorite books I read in 2023. To stay up to date on all of the latest on the blog, subscribe to my newsletter below.
