I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season! This is my favorite time
of year, not just because of the cheesy Christmas movies, holiday lights, or
gingerbread cookies, but because it's the season for the best-of-the-year book
lists. I could get lost in the different lists. The one I cherish the most is
NPR's Best of lists. They have the least pretentious books (looking at you, New
York Times). Each year I comb through this list and add books to my ever-growing
to-read list. I set a challenge to read 15 books off this list by the year's
end. I wanted to share my list with you, and if you so wish, you could also
challenge yourself to read a few books off this list. Comment below and share
with me some of your 2023 reading goals!
Thank you all for reading! Be sure to return for more book updates, reviews, and news. Happy holidays and happy reading!
Like many
people, I discovered Keegan from her novel Small Things Like These shortlisted
for the Booker Prize last year. She has a way of telling a rich story with
well-developed characters in such a short number of pages (Small Things like
These had a page count of only 118). There is so much to unpack in such a small
package, which is no small feat. I was excited to see her new book, Foster, was
also set in Ireland AND only 89 pages.
They say
never judge a book by its cover, but I couldn’t help it with this one. The cover
of the geese with their long necks stretched up towards the sun was so
beautiful. I’m a sucker for a cute animal on a book cover. I instantly added The
Book of Goose to my list. I’m also a sucker for a story taking place in old
France. So check and check!
Imagine eating books
instead of reading them and remembering everything you read, er, tasted? That is
the premise of The Book Eaters. I have seen this fun little book on a few lists,
and after reading the synopsis, I knew it was going on my list. This one looks
like a fun hang and an excellent palette cleanser!
I knew someone who was set up in an
arranged marriage. She met her soon-to-be husband a handful of times. She met
his parents on their second date, and he proposed AFTER they had already planned
their wedding. Soooo romantic... She uprooted her life to be with him in Houston
because that was what was expected of her. Before this, this 30-year-old girl
lived with her parents, waiting to be assigned her arranged husband. The whole
concept was so foreign to me, and she was patient in answering all my annoying
questions about arranged marriages. When I saw this book, I knew I had to add
this to my list.
Notes on
Your Sudden Disappearance tells the story of a woman addressing the story of her
older sister, who died in her teens. The reviews say it’s splendid and not
depressing. We’ll have to see about that. It’s getting excellent reviews on
Goodreads AND bookmarks, so I added it to my list.
This book seems like such a fun, fluffy book about murder, an
over-the-top wedding, and old lovers. Sometimes you just need a book like this
to lose yourself in.
This is another book
with a cute dog on the cover, and the story also takes place in Wisconsin. I
consider that a double win. I also keep seeing it being displayed front and
center at Barnes and Noble. Wanting to be a part of the conversation around this
book, this is on the list now.
I’m a sucker for non-fiction science books. I was sad
how few non-fiction science books made this year’s list. However, I’m extra
excited about this one. I added it to my list after reading an NRP article
(linked above) about O’Rourke’s struggle with chronic illness. I am so thankful
not to have an undiagnosable autoimmune disorder (along with not having small
teeth and huge gums, but that’s for another discussion).
This book has been getting so much hype I wasn’t surprised to
see it made this year’s NPR list. A few Goodreads friends have read it and rated
it very high. I’m not usually a massive fan of books that take place in the
Appalachia mountains, but my FOMO got the best of me with this one.
I have been waiting for this book on Libby for
over three months. I love a good book about classical music. In another life, I
think I must have been a classical pianist. I’m just going to blame my old piano
teacher for not making that dream a reality in this life and not my lack of
practice. I’m excited for this one if/when my loan finally comes in from Libby.
This book seems like it’s going to be a good hang.
That’s all I have to really say about this one.
I love reading
nonfiction about different topics that I know nothing about. I had never thought
about journalism in the 1920s until this book appeared on my radar. It is
getting rave reviews, so I’m excited about this one.
When I think of poetry, my mind goes to famous poets like Robert Frost,
Edgar Allan Poe, or Walt Whitman. After googling famous Chilean poets, I didn’t
recognize a single one. After reading this book, I hopefully will be able to
name two or three. Stay tuned…
Saunders’ last book, Lincoln in the Bardo, didn’t do it for me. Once again, not
wanting to miss out, I added his new book to my list since it was getting so
much hype. Maybe his writing will work better in short story form.
Have you ever wondered what would happen after you saved
a stranger’s life? Would you become friends? If you were the one being saved,
would you feel like you had to debt to them? This story explores these
questions. I can’t wait to find out how it unravels!
This book explores the lives of people who stay after a hurricane
has made Florida uninhabitable. I hope this story has an eerie feeling, much like
her other book Good Morning, Midnight. If you haven’t read that one, add it to
your list. It’s wonderfully haunting.
After being off
social media since April, I haven’t noticed much difference in my habits besides
an extra-long phone battery. I’m a sucker for any books on social media and its
effects on our society. It’s much like reading books about climate change. I
know I can’t actually change these horrific, irreversible effects it has on us,
but I will binge-read them and then contemplate life and fall into a deep
depression. It’s a sick self-inflicted pain.
If you
haven’t read My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh, do yourself a
favor and read that ASAP. Have you ever felt like yourself jealous of
hibernating animals who get to take a long nap and not worry about life for a
while? This book is for you! But enough hype about My Year of Rest and
Relaxation. I thoroughly enjoyed that book and cannot wait to sink my teeth into
her new one.
A man gets a phone
call from his mom saying his estranged father has gone missing from their
village in China. This sound like a fun plot and one I look forward to
exploring.
This book of reimaged fairy tale
characters in modern times sounds right up my alley. It’s a concept that has
been done before, but I’m okay with getting lost in the story again.
Promising a dark, Ozark (I still haven’t
watched this show) type book. Sounds both exciting and one that’s hard to put
down. Give me, give me!
Usually, I stay away from memoirs. They tend to be boring and are only an
interesting story to the author. However, this memoir has been getting great
reviews and actually sounds like an engrossing story. In her 20s, the author was
involved in a car accident and suffered from amnesia. This is her story about
getting those memories back. It kind of sounds like the plot of a cheesy
Christmas movie if I’m being honest.
Each story is about the life of a tenant in the building. I love
these types of books if the characters are well-developed. After many awaited
months, this one FINALLY is available on Libby. Stay tuned for the review.
This is the February book for my
book club, and I cannot wait to read it. It’s been on my list for months. I know
nothing about the book and am purposely not reading anything. All I know is that
it’s getting great reviews and even won the Goodreads choice award.
*See above
description of bingeing climate change books and falling into a deep, dark
depression* Can’t stop!
Wow, oh wow, am I excited to
read this one! Ed Yong is one of my favorite science writers. He has the ability
to turn complex science concepts into something the average reader understands.
I could not recommend I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander
View of Life enough. It’ll make you think differently about your gut and overall
well-being. Alright, back to An Immense World, my husband got it for Christmas,
and I can’t wait to steal it and read it before him. I’m sure this book will be
nothing short of excellence!
Not the
biggest fan of historical fiction, but this one looks interesting. It’s getting
a lot of good reviews and is being turned into a movie featuring Brie Larson
(YAY!).
The title says it all. Who doesn’t want to read about the
life of grifters, killers, and rebels? Sign me up!
Thank you all for reading! Be sure to return for more book updates, reviews, and news. Happy holidays and happy reading!
"Now that I'm older I know that life is not about what keeps you safe, but what you keep safe, and that's what matters the most." - Beasts of a Little Land by Juhea Kim
Looking forward to reading along with you and hearing your thoughts on these. 2023 is going to be one fun year!
ReplyDeleteI've added so many of these suggestions to my 2023 reading list! Thank you!!
ReplyDelete