Wrapping up 2023: 10 books I loved in 2023

Beyond Book Reviews by Mackenzie

This wrap up post was very easy to write, which is unusual. I read so many great titles this year and some stuck out more than others to me. Let’s dive into it!

There are horror titles on this list that have a laundry list of trigger warnings. Please read horror at your own risk.

1. The Poppy Wars series by r.F. Kuang

Half way through The Poppy Wars, book one of the series, I knew the series was going to be one of my favorites. The Poppy Wars is easily one of the best historical-military-fantasy books/series I have ever read. Ever.

The main character is easily one of my favorite characters.

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2. Sister, Maiden, Mother by Lucy A. Snyder

What a trip Sister, Maiden, Mother was. This cosmic horror has haunted me for months. I cannot begin to describe the bizarre apocalyptic horror that is Sister, Maiden, Mother.

I have never read a book like Sister, Maiden, Mother, and likely will never encounter another like it. Somewhere in the first part of the book I was hook, terrified, but thrilled by the unhinged story unfolding.

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3. Tell Me I’m Worthless by Alison Rumfitt

A stream of consciousness horror that gave me nightmares. If you pick up Tell Me I’m Worthless, be ready for something like you have never experienced before. Like Sister, Maiden, Mother, Tell Me I’m Worthless challenged me as a reader. It is graphic and timely in ways that you have to read to understand.

Tell Me I’m Worthless is a haunted house story, but so so much more lies within these disturbing pages.

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4. Babel by R.F. Kuang

Another masterpiece by Kuang, who has easily become one of my favorite authors. Babel broke my heart and was crafted with a depressing whimsy of magic that kept me longing for more. So much can be said for this novel, I will never find the right words.

I read Babel before The Poppy Wars, which is the way I think you should read Kuang’s fantasy.

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5. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Discovery of Witches has been on my TBR for YEARS. I finally read it and the books to follow. It was a wonderful weekend of vampire romance. I cannot wait to watch the TV show to continue my love of these characters.

What I loved about this series is that it read like a matured Twilight Saga.

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6. Slewfoot: A tale of Bewitchery by Brom

Slewfoot was a delicious book embodying of rage. It wasn’t nearly as disturbing to me as the other horror books on this list, but was just as good. The plot was well developed with the right amount of spookiness.

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7. What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

2023 brought me many gifts, one of which was T. Kingfisher. What Moves the Dead is creative take on Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher.” I cannot wait for book two, I am already on the hold list with the library.

There is one scene towards the end, when the horror is really unfolding to peak crazy when the haunt is explained and it was in those pages I knew that T. Kingfisher had made my favorites list.

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8. Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

I did not know cozy books existed in genres I enjoyed reading. I thought cozy reads were only for romance readers, that is until Long Way to a Small Angry Planet. I have struggled with science fiction in the past, but Chambers presents it in a way my brain can understand and enjoy.

I went on read the series. I will like read all of Chamber’s work.

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9. Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

A cozy and sweet fantasy title. I loved Legends & Lattes and did not hesitate to pre-order Bookshops & Bonedust (still need to read). Baldree, like Chambers, is creating a pocket of cozy reads in my favorite genre.

While reading Legends & Lattes I could almost taste the yummy treats. If you pick this one up, be sure to have a warm up of tea and muffin near by!

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10. The Bone Shard War by Andrea Stewart

Stewart broke my heart and stitched it back together again. This is the perfectly bittersweet ending to The Drowning Empire series.

I paused this audiobook sooo many times and wondered if Stewart was going to really destroy me. I gasped at the ending and had to watch the audiobook time count down as the last chapters played. Pure bittersweet gold.

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Did any almost make the list?

Nope. This year it was very clear as I finished each one of these books that they were they ones that struck me in some way. Overall, I enjoyed almost every book I read this year. It is shocking to me. My only guess is that instead of reading off a list I created, I let myself run free and read whatever I wanted.

What were your favorite reads from 2023?

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