The Best Books I Read in 2023
2023 was a great year for my consumption of books. I found engaging mysteries, humorous tales, and family sagas. So many books, so little time! Below are my favorites in four categories. Enjoy and happy reading!
Grown-up books
All the Beauty in the World by Patrick Bringley (2022)
Bringley’s memoir is set in the years following his brother’s death. Shaken and grieving, he seeks out a purposely straightforward job: a security guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The book is the story of Bringley’s grief, but it is also about the benefits of immersing oneself in art.
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese (2023)
This stunning family saga follows multiple generations in India from 1900–1977. In each generation, a family member dies of drowning. The fear of water and the grief over these deaths hangs over all even as they try to find a reason behind this malady. Religion plays an important role here, as the family is part of the Christian minority in India.
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarrow (2023)
Violet believed she would grow up to be a scribe, like her beloved late father. But when she comes of age, her mother (the commanding general of the military) demands that she enter training to become a dragon rider. The training to be a rider leaves many dead even before graduation, and Violet must use her cunning, instincts, and alliances to survive. Book 2 of the series is already out!
Graphic novels
5 Worlds by Mark Siegel, Alexis Siegel, Xanthe Bouma, Matt Rockefeller, and Boya Sun (started 2017)
This five-book graphic novel series is immersive, exciting, and beautiful. The eponymous worlds are Mon Domani and its four moons. Each of the books focuses on a different location, giving the artists a chance to depict varied environments — from deserts to moss-covered seas. At the center of the story is the heroine Oona. She begins unsure of herself and her skills as a sand dancer, still in the shadow of her sister. Sand dancers are essential in the 5 Worlds as a means to light the beacons on each world and stop the overheating of the environment. Check out my post on this series.
Magical Boy, Vol. 2 by The Kao (2022)
Max is a trans boy who comes from a long line of magical girls. So he has to forge his own magical path as he battles the demons blasting their way into our world. Fun, empowering, and magical read.
A First Time for Everything by Dan Santat (2023)
A fantastic graphic novel memoir, A First Time for Everything recounts Santat’s middle-school trip all over Europe. Given remarkable freedom (it was the 80s!) and with the support of friends, he starts to come into his own. He takes risks, tries new things, and falls in love. A joyous and exuberant tribute to the benefit of travel.
Middle grade books
Larklight by Philip Reeve and David Wyatt (2006)
A fantastic romp! Art and his sister live in a spaceship-house past the moon. When giant spiders attack the house and take their father, the two are launched on an escape pod and begin their adventure to survive and save their family. They meet up with space pirates, evil bureaucrats, and more.
The Swifts by Beth Lincoln and Claire Powell (2023)
The Swifts name all their babies randomly from the dictionary and believe that the name creates one’s destiny. When the matriarch is attacked at a reunion, the family must find the culprit. Excellent word play and suspense.
Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow (2023)
Bow slowly reveals information about the school shooting that Simon survived. It’s not until about the halfway point of the book that you get all the details. Since that event, Simon and his parents have moved to Grin and Bear It, Nebraska, a place where no one can have internet because it would interfere with scientists looking for signs of alien life. Simon is thrilled that no one at his new school will be able to Google him. He can start over. When that doesn’t work out, he leans on the support of his parents and new friends to accept his past.
Young adult books
The Killing Code by Ellie Marney (2022)
Kit is a codebreaker in Virginia during World War II when she stumbles into a murder scene. She and her fellow workers team up to solve the murder and protect their team. Kit is determined to find the truth, even as it may expose secrets she never wanted to come to light.
When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb (2022)
I loved this book from the first word to the last. The book’s main characters are an angel and a demon who live in a shtetl so small it is only called Shtetl. Their journey to America is spurred by a goal of retribution for immigrants who have been swindled. But they learn just as much about the human experience and each other as they travel. The book was wonderfully familiar in its Jewish-ness while being surprising and unique. Go read it now!
Rust in the Root by Justina Ireland (2022)
This historical fantasy is set in 1937. Laura is queer, non-white, female, and a mage — four strikes against her in a world that is convinced mechomancy (the magic of machines) will fix everything. She takes a job with the Bureau of the Arcane’s Conservation Corps, a branch of the U.S. government tasked with fighting the evil force that is wiping out whole towns.