9 books I read and loved in 2023
📚Also: Book gift ideas for adults, tween recs from my 12-year-old stepdaughter, and books for kids of many ages with some help from Sarah Miller's "Can we read?"
I love to read. It serves many purposes for me: a way to wind down at night, an escape, a way to study the craft of other writers, a way to expose myself to new ideas.
I’ve always dreamed of opening my own bookstore, because the thought of curating a space like that is thrilling to me (and because, well, I think I’d do a great job of it). I’m the go-to recommender of books for my friends. When I was a kid, I created my own “library,” creating my own borrowing cards by writing Name and Date on sticky notes and putting them in the backs of my books. Books are my love language.
But I don’t have a bookstore (yet), so putting together a list of books I read and loved this year made sense. With that, I give you my completely partial, subjective guide of what I’d recommend to reader friends. (Side note: I made a Facebook post asking people to share the best books they read in 2023, and they delivered.)
Here’s how it’s set up: It’s organized by section (adults, tweens, kids) and genres (fiction, nonfiction). My 12-year-old stepdaughter Sophia also wrote about her favorite books of the year (good recs for tweens). You’ll also find excerpts from a book gift guide for kids of all ages, from
of “Can we read?” If you’re not familiar, Sarah’s Substack is a fantastic weekly guide to children’s books, raising readers, and how to build a culture of reading in your home. If you’ve got kids in your life, I highly recommend her work.Happy reading!
Adults
FICTION
Ripe, by Sarah Rose Etter
I’ve been obsessed with Sarah’s work for years, and it never disappoints. Her latest novel, “Ripe,” is a true masterpiece. It smartly skewers startup culture and “tech bros,” and while that’s amusing and well-deserved, the true story is worthy of your attention. Our protagonist, Cassie, who’s trying to make it in the tech startup world, is faced with one tough decision after another, both personally and at work — until her boss makes a request that threatens the foundation of her own ethics. Luckily, she has a black hole to keep her company (yes, a black hole). This book is at once a little too real and surreal, which is a combination Etter seems to nail each time.
My Last Innocent Year, by Daisy Alpert Florin
I was unable to put this one down. It starts as a psychological thriller and evolves into a criminal one — with extensive fallout. The main character, Isabel, is in her final year at college when a nonconsensual sexual encounter shatters her. It is in that murky aftermath that she turns to her writing professor, a man who encourages her and makes her feel special, only to end up having an affair with him. Of course, there are complications — you already know that. A stunning coming-of-age novel about the messiness of transitioning into “adulthood” — and the mess that comes with it.
White Noise, by Don DeLillo
Full disclosure: I read this at the beginning of 2023, right as a train derailed on Feb. 3 in East Palestine, Ohio, caught fire, and released several types of chemicals in the burn. That is the very irony DeLillo would have appreciated. It’s a novel written for our present time, long before our present time. For me, it eerily captured the paranoia, the conflicting narratives, the anxiety, and the brand-obsessed modern world we live in, even though it was published in 1985. And despite its subject matter (train derailment, collective fear of death, a blended family trying to relate to one another), it has a level of hilarity that somehow makes it all bearable. It’s smart, funny, prescient, and a postmodern classic.
Land of Milk and Honey, by C Pam Zhang
The gorgeous lyricism of each sentence in this book flattened me. Zhang uses language beautifully to tell the story of a young chef whose world has been turned upside down: smog is spreading, and crops are dying all across the globe. But there is one place that seems like it’s a new utopia: high on a mountaintop, run by the superrich, there’s a compound with endless food, clean water, and fresh air. The chef takes a job there, because what other options does she have? Slowly, the reality of such a place unfolds, leaving her with a choice.
Motherhood, by Sheila Heti
Is it a novel? Is a memoir? Is it autofiction? Who’s to say? I loved this genre-defying, questioning novel that reads more like an essay, all circling the same question: to have children, or not? It was refreshing to read something that grapples with the topic from a mostly-not standpoint, and from the perspective of an artist. It is a largely questioning book, and I love its lack of fear and expansiveness. It’s more of a cerebral read than a beach one, and a good bet for the thinker on your list.
The Rabbit Hutch, by Tess Gunty
In this sprawling novel, you’ll enter into the lives of several characters who live in the same apartment complex (“the Rabbit Hutch”). And then, over the span of 400 pages, you watch as their lives play out in drastically different ways around some harrowing events — just over the span of a week. There’s a large cast of characters, each with their own private sadness and fears and joys and quirks. I was especially struck by Blandine, the primary protagonist. Her ethereal oddness and precocious mind had me following her, every step of the way. (Bonus: It’s a National Book Award winner.)
Honorable Mention fiction:
I Will Die in a Foreign Land, by Kalani Pickhart
I Am Homeless if This Is Not My Home, by Lorrie Moore
Up Through the Water, by Darcey Steinke
All-Night Pharmacy, by Ruth Madievsky
Deliver Me, by Elle Nash
NONFICTION & MEMOIR
Brutalities: A Love Story, by Margo Steines
A master class in the personal essay, Steines’ traverses her own history of violence — her attraction to it, her need for it, and eventually, her softening toward herself. She writes with such vulnerability and lyricism that I found myself returning to her work when I was stuck on my own, almost as a way to shore up my own nerve and show up on the page in a more authentic way. That aside, though, Steines’ writing is so damn smart across a wide range of experiences that it’s impossible not to fall a little bit in love with her voice and the life she leaves on the page: whether that’s her history as an athlete, an ironworker, or a dominatrix, there is absolute tenderness to be found amidst the harsh realities she often chose for herself.
The Leaving Season: A Memoir in Essays, by Kelly McMasters
This is a beautiful memoir of place and our attachments to it, and how it becomes intertwined with narratives we create and believe about ourselves. It’s also a memoir of a marriage in crisis, one that’s falling apart, two lives splitting paths. And it asks the question: what happens when we’re living our “fantasy life,” but things aren’t what you thought they’d be? The language is lush and descriptive, and McMasters is a pro at placing us squarely in a place, in a moment in time.
Dyscalculia: A Love Story of Epic Miscalculation, by Camonghne Felix
I’m a sucker for innovative essays, nonfiction, and memoir, especially when paired with a poet’s lyric voice. Felix, a poet by training, delivers on all accounts. The memoir’s inciting incident is an earth-shattering breakup, followed by a stay in the hospital. As she works through her healing process, she addresses mental health, self-love, and family trauma. If you want to sample it, check out this excerpt in The Cut.
Honorable Mention nonfiction:
You Could Make This Place Beautiful, by Maggie Smith
Crying in the Bathroom: A Memoir, by Erika L. Sanchez
The Year of the Horses: A Memoir, by Courtney Maum
Tweens
FICTION
Charlie Hernandez & the League of Shadows (Book 1), by Ryan Calejo
“I highly recommend this book. It’s easily my favorite. The story is told from a tween’s POV, so when I read it, I get what he’s trying to say or like how he feels. It’s kinda like when one of my friends is telling a story, this book is kinda like that. A friend or kid about my age telling a story.” — Sophia, age 12
Summary: Charlie loves the stories of his heritage — but then he starts to experience weird things. They remind him of his grandma’s stories. Before he knows it, he’s in a world that can only be described as mythical, from the pages of Hispanic folklore.
The War That Saved My Life, by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
“Another highly recommended book. It gave me perspective on life. It’s also told by a kid. But she’s a bit younger. I may not get everything she says, but it’s still good. Like you know how like when your grandparents tell you a story about when they were a kid? It’s like that kinda.” — Sophia, age 12
Summary: Set in London during World War II, Ada is struggling to survive the cruelty of her mother, who is ashamed of her because of her disability (Ada was born with a clubfoot). When Ada’s brother escapes, Ada follows him, and she meets a kind adult. But will she be able to trust her?
Kids
One Substack that I love is
’s “Can we read?” I appreciate her focus on cultivating a literary life for parents and kids together, and how she strives to find books that represent many different facets of the human experience. I’ve learned a lot from her newsletter, and as a bookworm who fell in love with reading very early in my life, I know the practice pays dividends.Sarah has a fantastic gift guide for kids books, and I feature some of her picks below. If you’re a parent or an adult with kids in your life — consider signing up for her Substack! She’s got a wealth of information and resources about reading and literacy, and you’re bound to find some gems that the kids in your life will enjoy.
A book gift guide for readers 10 and under (selections for newborns through 10 years old). Below are selections and excerpts from Sarah’s guide.
Global Babies by The Global Fund for Children (3-12 months)
There is nothing babies like more than looking at other babies, and this international collection of adorable little faces — complete with celebratory text that states wherever they are, babies are “beautiful, special, and loved” — will fascinate your own sweet little one. Extra points for being a book grownups can read again and again with pleasure. (Link to purchase)
Bee-Bim Bop! by Linda Sue Park (2-3 years old)
It doesn't get much more fun than the rollicking rhyme of this super playful, fast-paced tale about a little girl and her mother who together shop for, prepare, and serve the traditional Korean dish of bee-bim bop to their loving, multigenerational family. The energy of this one is infectious and it's wildly fun to read aloud. (Link to purchase)
The Circus Ship by Chris Van Dusen (4-5 years old)
If you're looking for a wildly fun crowd-pleaser — and one you can stand to read on repeat — look no further than this perilous, riotous tale of a ship full of circus animals (overseen by a jerk of a circus boss) who undergo a wreck, arrive in an unsuspecting town in Maine, and then must figure out how survive. What the animals do (and how they blend in — or not), how the townspeople react, and of course, what happens to the villain is a story full of pure pleasure, and not to be missed. (Link to purchase)
Mean Margaret by Tor Seidler (6-7 years old)
What would happen if a horrible toddler escaped her horrible family only to go live in a burrow with two woodchucks, one of whom loves her and wants to adopt her, and the other of whom barely tolerates her, though he tries? This hilarious story — full of one unbelievable happening after another and a supporting cast of various woodland creatures with big personalities (and opinions) of their own — is that tale, not to be missed by any young reader who loves nature and laughing a lot. (Link to purchase)
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin (8-9 years old)
This rollicking adventure story begins when a girl named Minli sets out on a quest to find the Old Man on the Moon and change her family’s fortune. What happens along the way as she encounters many obstacles — told as stories-within-the-story — is a wild tale of magic, friendship, bravery, and smarts that will leave any child on the edge of their seats. Hand this one to your independent readers, but only if you want to miss out on this truly unique and excellent tale (if not, read it aloud and enjoy every minute — and when you're done, seek out the next two titles in the trilogy). (Link to purchase)
This is truly the best gift guide I've read this year (even though I don't fully agree with every pick -- I read The Rabbit Hutch this past spring and I'm still not over it; I really hated it, in retrospect). Thank you so much for featuring my work and for your incredibly kind endorsement -- it means so much from someone I respect to the moon and back.