This is the time of year when everyone is publishing the “Best of 2023” lists. I like to share my favorite books of the year. They may not all make the best of lists, but they are what entertained me in 2023, whether they were published this year or were backlist books I finally got around to during the last twelve months.

If you read any of my monthly reading posts, you know that I read A LOT! With the volume I read, it is impossible to remember every book I read and it’s even more impossible to chose just one favorite. But last year I got smart and decided that in each monthly summary, I would name a favorite fiction and nonfiction book for that month. That still gave me over 25 books without counting all of December (20 fiction and 8 nonfiction), so I did some more narrowing based on which stories I can still picture vividly in my mind, or those that have stuck with me and made me keep thinking over time. This was a really hard task for me, because out of those 28 favorites, so many have stuck with me this year. I think this demonstrates that I continue to hone how I pick the books I choose to read, and I know what I like!

My favorite fiction books of the year include historical fiction, thriller, climate fiction, young adolescent, and speculative fiction, which is a good representation of my favorite subgenres. What I notice about this list is that almost all of these books have a strong female lead character.

FAVORITE FICTION

• The Attic Child by Lola Jaye (March)
• I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes (May)
• Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson (July)
• Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (July)
• Drowning by T.J. Newman (July)
• No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister (August)
• The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray (August)
• Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano (September)
• Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister (September)
• Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese (October)
• Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley (November)
• The Great Transition by Nick Fuller Googins (November)
• Happiness Falls by Angie Kim (December)

My favorite nonfictions include memoir, self help and an educational professional book, which cover the types of nonfiction I most typically read.

FAVORITE NONFICTION

• The Life Council: 10 Friends Every Woman Needs by Laura Tremaine (March)
• Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner (May)
• Street Data: A Next-Generation Model for Equity, Pedagogy, and School Transformation by Shane Safir and Jamila Dugan (August)
• Spare by Prince Harry (November)

What about you?

What were your favorite books of the year?

What books are already on your TBR for next year?

Where do you get your book recommendations?