I had so much fun revisiting my year in books! There were delicious romances, thought-provoking historical novels, vulnerable memoirs, and heart-pounding thrillers... it was near impossible to pick favorites. But, in the spirit of reflection, here are my top ten books of the year—the books that I found most memorable, most compelling, and most delightful.
Note: Not all books were necessarily published in 2023, these are just books that I read in 2023
10. The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff
It’s 1610, and a servant girl flees her British colony for the wilderness of the Americas. Her (fictional) survival story is a brutal one and a beautiful one, made all the more poignant by Groff’s intensive attention to detail. Poetic and surprising, this novel expanded my ideas about self-reliance, self-worth, and the interconnectedness of our world.
9. The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont
A rollicking mystery that dives into Agatha Christie’s famous eleven-day disappearance, The Christie Affair combines history, mystery, and romance to great effect. Nan O’Dea, the mistress of Christie’s husband, narrates the novel, leading the reader through a maze of clues and characters as all of England searches for the beloved mystery novelist. I loved every twist and turn, and went down countless rabbit holes googling the real-life events that inspired the novel.
8. The Measure by Nikki Erlick
Would we live differently if we knew how long our lives would be? The Measure asks this question with its inventive premise—one night, across the globe, every adult inexplicably receives a wooden box containing a single piece of string that signifies their predicted lifespan. Multiple narrators, all from different walks of life, grapple with this new knowledge in heartbreaking, life-affirming ways, resulting in a novel that is beautifully human.
7. Late Migrations by Margaret Renkl
Part memoir and part nature writing, Late Migrations is an eye-opening exploration into Renkl's two homes—the rural Alabama of her childhood, and her beloved Nashville, Tennessee. I lost myself in the enchanting language, savoring Renkl’s descriptions of the birds that take up residence in her backyard and the epic storms she remembers watching with her father. The book is written in little patchwork vignettes that, together, illustrate a life of gratitude and wonder.
6. Stay True by Hua Hsu
A stunning memoir about friendship, loss, art, and identity, Stay True tells the story of Hsu’s friendship with Ken, a promising young man who was killed in a carjacking during his senior year at Berkeley. Hsu writes about their bond with deep care and vulnerability, and infuses humor and hope into a narrative that sits bravely in the center of grief. I loved this moving tribute.
5. A Lady's Guide to Scandal by Sophie Irwin
The recently widowed Lady Eliza Somerset is finally free of her cold, disapproving husband and is left with an inheritance that allows her to live a life of ease. The only caveat: her late husband's nephew (who also happens to be her former paramour) controls her inheritance and can rescind her allowance if she exhibits any impropriety. Eliza must tread carefully, especially when the cheeky newcomer to Bath society, Lord Melville, inspires scandal wherever he goes... and loves bumping into her at every opportunity. I absolutely adored this charming, empowering Regency romance.
4. The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn
Bursting with imagination, The Whalebone Theatre follows the lives of Cristabel, Flossie, and Digby, three siblings who grow up on the English Channel coastline and enter adulthood at the start of WWII. The first half of the novel depicts their eclectic childhood filled with theater and books and exploration, while the second half takes us into the more serious territory of the siblings' war efforts. I loved this ambitious yet comforting coming-of-age story that celebrates art and literature at every turn.
3. Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
A sweet respite of optimism, Tom Lake introduces us to a family—mother, father, and three adult daughters—who have reconvened at home during the 2020 pandemic. To pass the time as they work on their cherry farm, Lara tells her daughters about when she dated famous actor Peter Duke back in the day. The narrative alternates between present day and Lara's memories of the summer she played Emily in Our Town with Peter Duke, and Patchett poses questions about nostalgia and the choices that make up a life. I loved this warm, thoughtful (and surprising!) novel.
2. In Memoriam by Alice Winn
A gorgeous love story set against the devastation of WWI, In Memoriam follows two young men who fall in love at boarding school and remain steadfast as life takes them to the battlefields. Winn infuses her language with poetry and somehow makes a book about war feel tender and hopeful. The protagonists Gaunt and Ellwood stole my heart, and I never wanted this breathtaking book to end.
1. Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano
Inspired by Louisa May Alcott's Little Women and set in colorful 1980s Chicago, Hello Beautiful tells the story of four sisters with an unbreakable bond. The novel introduces us the to the tight-knit Padavano sisters on the cusp of adulthood—the eldest, Julia, has just fallen in love with a young man named William Waters, and her younger sisters Sylvie, Cecelia, and Emmeline happily welcome him into the fold. The novel follows as the family grows and changes, but everything comes to a halt when William is forced to reckon with past trauma and makes a decision that alters the sisters' relationship forever. Napolitano's writing is compelling and deeply insightful, and the evolution of the characters moved me to tears on so many counts. An instant classic, Hello Beautiful was undoubtedly my favorite read of the year.
