Best Books of 2023

Time to wrap up 2023. I do this post to highlight my 5 star reads, and then break down my top 5 books, including my best book of the year!

This year I read 305 books (247 audio 58 physical), and I had 16 that earned five stars (yes, I'm very selective in giving out the highest rating, approximately 5% of my reads for the last few years have ended up with top accolades). Here are my unforgettable 5 stars reads:

It's a bit hard to read the title of the book with the black/white stripes, it is Kill Show by Daniel Sweren-Becker.

And of these, here are my top 5:

#5 Happiness Falls by Angie Kim I picked this author's debut novel (Miracle Creek) as my book of the year a few years back. This one also didn't disappoint, her books always teach me something along with the character driven story.

#4 Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb I had two books by this author in my 5 star reads this year (The Violin Conspiracy was a backlist book that I finally got to). While both were excellent, the historical mystery in this one was fascinating.

#3 All the Broken Places by John Boyne This is a sequel to Boyne's young adult classic Boy in the Striped Pajamas. I highly recommend that you familiarize yourself with that book (if you haven't read it), I think you will get more out of the story which follows the characters in the years after.

#2 Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent If I'm being honest, this was probably my favorite book of the year, but because it has such a dark premise, and this blog is read by a wide variety of readers who may find it too disturbing, I'm slotting it in the 2 spot. I will never forget Sally, or this book!

#1 The House Is On Fire by Rachel Beanland Loved this historical fiction novel following four characters impacted by the 1811 Richmond Virginia theater fire. I was equally interested in all four people (which doesn't always happen for me). I picked this for my in person book club, and everyone enjoyed it!

And there you have it, my best of 2023! Here's to all the fantastic reads coming my way in 2024!