Best Reads of 2023

Books

4 Feb

While we may be in February already (!), I’m not quite ready to let go of my 2023 reads just yet. I have finally put together my best books from last year, and it truly was an excellent year for reading. I found a fair few all-time favourites, discovered new authors and delved into the back catalogues of existing faves. Additionally, even if I didn’t love absolutely every single book, almost all of them brought something valuable to my reading. And of course, the quantity of books has bounced back a bit since Ines was born. Partly, of course, to do with running the World’s Best Book Club, which is all down to the incredible community over there. But I also attribute it to listening to a lot more audiobooks this year. I listened to sixteen books in 2023, with three making it onto my favourites list.

You all know I like to start with some stats. You can view my full Storygraph wrap-up here if you’re interested. Do ignore reference to star ratings; I don’t rate books anymore so any that have been rated were re-reads. But one of the things I like to measure each year is what percentage of my yearly reads made it into the favourites and honourable mentions categories.

First though, a qualification. This year I have pruned my favourites right down to those that, for whatever reason it might be, have continued to resonate with me since I set them down, ones that I still think about regularly, and that I know will inform my reading moving forward. The books that when someone asks, ‘what was the best thing you read this year’, pop into my mind without question. Usually this will be a combination of preferred genre or plot along with great writing and themes that usually appeal to and interest me. There are a lot of books on my honourable mentions this year that probably would have made it into the main bulk of this piece in other years. What really differentiates the two lists is just that gut feeling you get when you love a book, that deep-down pull you get to some over others. And I could do that this year because I had such a wonderful reading year. You can see that my honourable mentions list has inflated significantly because half the books I read I would be very happy to recommend. And in turn, I therefore consider my 24 percent of favourites a very big win indeed.

You may notice I have calculated the percentages using 88 books rather than 96, and that is because I removed the eight Shakespeare plays from the equation. The Shakespeare project feels like it lies outside the realms of ‘Best Books’, and anyway, we know he’s going to be good. Nonetheless, he is the writer I read the most of this year! Followed by Toni Morrison and Ursula Le Guin with six books each.

I’m no longer looking to improve on this, I am very happy with this ratio of reads, and constant optimisation isn’t really my goal. A couple years into my ability to DNF (which was quite revolutionary, let me tell you), I’m beginning to truly appreciate those books that I read that don’t make it onto the end-of-year lists like this. Sometimes these will surprise me, the books I liked but then don’t think about very much after the fact (like Ann Leckie’s Translation State). Others, like North Woods, were disappointing, but taught me more about what I do like, and have still given me food for thought regarding some of their themes (whether they were well-realised or not). There is value to not DNFing absolutely everything, and I also have the Book Club to thank for that. I don’t always love every single book we pick, but I do always take something away from our discussions. That’s not to say I won’t be DNFing more books in the future, it’s still a very valuable tool for me, and it’s a fine balance that depends on timing, you, the book, whether you should tip one way or another. Not to mention even those pages of an unfinished read are not completely invaluable, you can still take information away from a book you don’t finish. But in general, as I said, I think the ‘organised reading’ of a Book Club does help me get out my comfort zone a bit, and I highly recommend joining one. Even just reading regularly with a friend can be really rewarding.

And on that, let’s wrap up with a final stat before we get into the books. I read fifty-three books with others this year. That’s 60 percent of my total reading! Our discussions have been memorable, fascinating, and improved my reading experience no end. A big thank you to everyone who participated with me in some read-along this year, whether it was through the Book Club, Mini Book Clubs or buddy reads. I am so grateful for you!

Okay, onto the books finally… we have three categories here which I think just about sum up my reading taste. The books within them are very different from one another, and yet this is how I instinctively want to group them. And I’m going to move fairly fast through these reviews, so I recommend clicking through to the originals if you’re interested in finer detail.

The Fantastical and Strange

The Scar by China Miéville (original review)

This was one of the first books I read last year, and what a way to begin. We are back in Miéville’s Bas-Lag world, but this time, with pirates. Miéville is at his best here, combining endlessly inventive ideas with a rollicking well-paced plot. His city writing is just unmatched, he has one of the most striking world-building styles of all the modern speculative fiction authors. There are multiple scenes and images from this book that I can still conjure up, a year on. I think I would generally recommend reading Perdido Street Station first but if you’re finding that one a bit dense or florid, this is a more accessible read and they can be read out of order.

Pew by Catherine Lacey (original review)

I knew the moment I read Pew for the first time back in 2020 that I wanted to re-read it and unlock some of its secrets a bit more. And our Book Club discussion of this one is still one of my favourites of 2023, even though it was also one of our first. A completely weird dreamlike fable about what happens when a person of unknown gender, origin, race or name wanders into a small town in the American South. Who is Pew? Why are they there? And what on earth is going on at the end of this strange little novel? Profound, impactful, and wonderfully strange. Whist I read and liked Biography of X this year, this remains my favourite Lacey so far.

The Strange by Nathan Ballingrud (original review)

This is one of those books where I think most readers probably wouldn’t place it here amongst these other favourites, and yet something about it just spoke to me. I think it’s one of those books which is obviously so full of love for its genre and influences that I couldn’t help but love it in turn.

Billed as “True Grit meets the Martian Chronicles”, this is a nostalgic Western set on Mars. Already we have a couple of my favourite genres, but then add in the VanderMeer-esque elements and the arresting imagery—the glow of it still resides in my mind’s eye—and you have something that is bound to catch my attention. This isn’t for the science sticklers among you (or those bothered by petulant teen girl protagonists), but oh, it is quite charming.

Veniss Underground by Jeff VanderMeer (original review)

When VanderMeer tweeted that this book involved a character that took the shape of a meerkat’s head stuck to a platter, I began to have my reservations about how much I’d enjoy this book. But being a VanderMeer completist, I took it up regardless of my fears. And as you can see, I should’ve had more faith, because I ended up absolutely loving it. Even finding it surprisingly touching.

It's a strange Odyssean tale that follows the doggedly determined Shadrach in his quest to rescue his one-time lover from the depths of Veniss Underground. It is phantasmagorical and suitably epic in style (and gory as hell, so be careful sensitive folks) but despite its mad twists and turns, I never lost my way in the absurdity, and it felt surprisingly satisfying. Is it because it’s fundamentally such an old story or concept? I’m not sure. I’ve talked a little recently about finding something beautiful in the flaws of a book. This was VanderMeer’s debut, and I find it to be impressive, yes, but also such a mixed bag of every style and theme that he later employs that it is interesting just on that basis, and quite wonderful to see the seeds of later work in a writer who doesn’t yet know where he’ll go. Does that make this book a bit of a Frankenstein’s monster? Yes. And yet it is feels all the more special for that.

The Fifth Season/The Obelisk Gate/The Stone Sky by N. K. Jemisin (original review)

Do I need to speak more about these? I’ve pushed them into the hands of just about everyone by this point. I listened to these this time round and really enjoyed them, but I think it helped that I was so familiar with the story and terms already. A unique world with unique peoples, with some of the most astute writing on race, power and oppression out there. Highly recommended.

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer (original review)

Any year I read Annihilation it will make it onto this list. I’ve talked about this so much before, but this novel opened up a whole new genre for me and a lifelong love of VanderMeer. Perfect combination of his ecology-inspired writing and themes with tense thriller and horror elements, and the piercing, distinctive voice of our first-person narrator, ‘the biologist’.

Sula by Toni Morrison (original review)

Placed with ease into this category even though this is not a speculative fiction novel. I listened to this, and I can still hear Morrison’s hypnotic reading in my head even now (wear headphones though, the recording is old and crackly). The balance of this book is perfection; its cast, its themes, its plotline. And of course, as always Morrison is turning our world inside out through her startling prose, exposing the strangeness at the heart of life; the strange miracle of it; the strange machinations of power that govern us in service to a select few. For whatever reason, it works particularly well in this book, the story of Nel and Sula, best friends who grow up to be very different from one another. I can’t wait to re-read this in time.

The Soul-Touching

Though you can see from some of my reviews above, even some of the stranger books I read this year moved me in some way. And indeed, I think it is primarily this unnameable quality that separates these books from those listed as Honourable Mentions. But in this list, we have a selection of books which are so memorable to me on this basis particularly. More often than not, these books fall into the ‘quiet books’ category that I love so much, though not all of them. But generally speaking, they’re like the two halves of my reading personality: the Weird and the Quiet.

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer (original review)

I listened to this, and it was just the most marvellous, otherworldly experience. Kimmerer blends science, indigenous wisdom and memoir in a way that brings out the best in these different fields, each thread illuminating the others. Her narration is beautiful, her love and joy for the world is palpable, and her observations are incisive. I have thought about this often since I finished it, and it has changed so much of how I see the world. I’ll absolutely be returning to it in the future.

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson (original review)

An elderly reverend is reaching the end of his life, and he decides to write to his son of his life and his faith. Sounds kinda boring, and to some readers I think it is. But I absolutely loved it. And I don’t think you have to be religious to enjoy it. Yes, it deals in the specifics of Christianity, but it also deals with guilt and regret, with how it feels to be part of a family, dealing with what came before and asking yourself what you will pass on. Ames has an innate love of life and of people, and that shines through in this book. It is utterly beautiful, and I can’t wait to continue the series this year.

Paradise by Toni Morrison (original review)

Before I read lots more Morrison, if you’d asked me to describe a Morrison-style book, I think I would have described something a bit like Sula. But reading through her oeuvre has made me appreciate just how many styles she tackled over the course of her career, though all in her unique voice. Paradise is a little longer, it has a large cast of characters, even for Morrison, and concerns the doings of a whole town. The structure feels very ‘American novel’, like something Jane Smiley might write. But obviously it feels entirely different in Morrison’s hands, and she handles this wide scope with characteristic aplomb, pulling together so many different threads into what is probably one of my favourite ever of her novels. I was so attached to the women by the end, and felt moved by the ending of this (hence its category placement). Needs to be read to be believed (but note down those characters’ names!)

In Ascension by Martin MacInnes (original review)

Though this is science fiction, this book feels better to me in this category than the other. A hefty dose of science in this one but delivered in an underwater way by our enigmatic protagonist, Leigh. She is a microbiologist who goes on an epic journey from the depths of the ocean up into the stars. There is something very vulnerable to this book. I wonder how much of MacInnes is in Leigh. It is ambitious and perplexing and a little bulky here and there, but it endears itself to me nonetheless, perhaps because of these things. I love it. I read it twice this year and I’ll undoubtedly return to it again.

Gifts by Ursula Le Guin (original review)

The bleak setting, the anguished characters living difficult, brutal lives, the finding of the self, the healing power of storytelling. And written by Le Guin. For me, the building blocks of a favourite novel. Following two teenagers who live in the forbidding Uplands, a place known for its witchcraft because each of the families here has a ‘gift’. Though whether a gift that is used more to harm than to help can be called a gift is a question Le Guin seeks to explore. This was a beautiful quiet fantasy novel, it’s an underrated Le Guin and should be read by more people. It is also the opening book in a series that is generally great, but this remains the standout for me.

So Long, See You Tomorrow by William Maxwell (original review)

Want to have your heart ripped into tiny shreds by an old man who still misses his mother who passed away when he was a boy? About this same man who bitterly regrets one tiny moment where had he acted differently, he might have given relief and comfort to a close friend (and in turn, himself)? Read this book. Not a word out of place, absolute writing perfection. I talked about it recently so have a look at my original review, or just go out and read it.

Possession by A. S. Byatt (original review)

I bawled at the ending of this, so feels appropriate to put it here. This novel is an incredible accomplishment; we follow two academics in the 80s as they uncover evidence of an affair between the two Victorian poets they have dedicated their careers to. Byatt conjures these poets out of thin air, and the sheer detail and complexity she weaves into this apparently simple narrative is incredible. This book isn’t for everyone, but it does have its dedicated fanbase, of whom I am most assuredly one.

The Shipping News by Annie Proulx (original review)

It took me a while to get to grips with the style of this, but once I found its rhythm I was completely enraptured by it. We follow Quoyle who flees to his ancestral home of Newfoundland with his two daughters and elderly aunt in the wake of a tragedy and watch as he finds himself again amongst a motley cast of small-town characters. I can’t quite tell you what it is that ends up piercing your heart with this, but it’s something to do with Proulx’s lucid, crystalline style.

The Decidedly Enjoyable

Sometimes you just enjoy the reading of a book. You’re confident you’re in good hands and can get swept along with the story. That’s how I felt about these books.

Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton (original review)

An eco-thriller set in New Zealand, this builds tension excellently to a climactic conclusion (which tends to split the crowd, but I’m a fan). Catton just captures something of contemporary life here under the ever-present threat of climate change without feeling like she’s parodying it or shoehorning in material that doesn’t fit. We follow a small cast of characters who all have a special interest in a particular patch of land that has been cut off from civilisation by an avalanche. A guerrilla gardening group, a billionaire, the owner of the property are all brought together with catastrophic effects. I particularly liked the first half where we travelled through each of the characters’ lives and minds. Just great writing.

The Farseer Trilogy: Assassin’s Apprentice / Royal Assassin / Assassin’s Quest by Robin Hobb (original review one, two and three)

If you’ve been anywhere near any of my content this year you’ve probably heard me talk about how glad I am to have found Hobb (thank you Hobb-enthusiasts of the Book Club!) And you know, I have seen her books in bookshops before this but somehow, she has flown completely under my radar. This is wonderful fantasy writing. She has a real sense of psychological realism to her work despite it being fantasy, like she’s met a human before (something that can’t be said of Brandon Sanderson… sorry Sanderson fans). It’s engaging, thoughtful, and proceeds at the kind of pace I like which is slow and meandering. Hobb’s magic system asks important questions about our place in the world and reminds me of Le Guin’s in Earthsea for its inclusion of nature and humanism. And I get a real feeling of nostalgia reading her books, a bit like I’m a kid again immersing myself in a beloved fantasy world. And thankfully there’s about a billion other Realm of the Elderlings books out there. This year I hope to read The Liveship Traders trilogy and I can’t wait.

So that’s it, folks! My favourites of the year. But again, this doesn’t mean I don’t really like a lot of the books below and would absolutely recommend all of them. So please do click through to the original reviews for any that catch your eye.