{"id":12519,"date":"2024-01-02T14:59:13","date_gmt":"2024-01-02T22:59:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lesliedinaberg.com\/wordpress\/?p=12519"},"modified":"2024-01-04T16:23:19","modified_gmt":"2024-01-05T00:23:19","slug":"the-books-of-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lesliedinaberg.com\/wordpress\/?p=12519","title":{"rendered":"The Books of 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"

So many books, so little time\u2014part 17.<\/p>\n

My son started keeping a reading list in third grade, so I did too. This is the 17th year we\u2019ve done this.<\/p>\n

Work and well, life in general kept me pretty busy, but I still managed to read a LOT, and listened to a number of audiobooks as well.<\/p>\n

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This is How it Always is by Laurie Frankel<\/p><\/div>\n

My favorite books this year were Tom Lake<\/em><\/a>, by Ann Patchett (a beautiful story about a mother telling her daughters the story of a long ago summer romance), Klara and the Sun<\/em> <\/a>by Kazuo Ishiguro (a futuristic novel that brings in elements of AI and its possible role in our futures), Hello Beautiful<\/em> <\/a>by Ann Napolitano (a moving story about the bonds of family), Remarkably Bright Creatures<\/em><\/a> by Shelby Van Pelt (a book club pick about a widow and an octopus that I was sure I’d hate, but ended up loving), Foreverland: On the Divine Tedium of Marriage<\/em><\/a> by Heather Havilresky (the only nonfiction pick on my list of favorites, this is a series of essays about, you guessed, marriage),<\/p>\n

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Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson<\/p><\/div>\n

Yellowface<\/em><\/a>. by R.F. Kuang (a really compelling novel about the world of literature and who gets to tell what stories in the age of cultural appropriation), The Golden Couple<\/em><\/a> by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen (a page turner till the bitter end), Nothing to See Here<\/em><\/a> by Kevin Wilson ( a very original story full of weirdly compelling characters, including a pair of twins who light on fire when they get angry), and This is How it Always<\/em><\/a> is by Laurie Frankel ( a really well done and eye opening story about a family with a transgender child).<\/p>\n

I’d love to hear what everyone else enjoyed. Here’s my 2023 list:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<\/colgroup>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Love on the Brain<\/td>\nAli<\/td>\nHazelwood<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Less<\/td>\nAndrew Sean<\/td>\nGreer<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Vibrant Years<\/td>\nSonali<\/td>\nDev<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Lincoln Highway<\/td>\nAmor<\/td>\nTowles<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Rules of Civility<\/td>\nAmor<\/td>\nTowles<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Half Known Life<\/td>\nPico<\/td>\nIyer<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Amanda Wakes Up<\/td>\nAlisyn<\/td>\nCamerota<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
When in Rome<\/td>\nSarah<\/td>\nAdams<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Like a Rolling Stone<\/td>\nJann S.<\/td>\nWenner<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Incense and Sensibility<\/td>\nSonali<\/td>\nDev<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Perfect Tunes<\/td>\nEmily<\/td>\nGould<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Second Season<\/td>\nEmily<\/td>\nAdrian<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Matzah Ball<\/td>\nJean<\/td>\nMeltzer<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
When Sparks Fly<\/td>\nHelena<\/td>\nHunting<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
A Holly Jolly Diwali<\/td>\nSonya<\/td>\nLalli<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Black Girls Must BE Magic<\/td>\nJayne<\/td>\nAllen<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Remarkably Bright Creatures<\/td>\nShelby<\/td>\nVan Pelt<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Sound of Gravel<\/td>\nRuth<\/td>\nWariner<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Look Alive Out There<\/td>\nSloane<\/td>\nCrosley<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Unspeakable<\/td>\nMeghan<\/td>\nDaum<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Have I Told You This Already?<\/td>\nLauren<\/td>\nGraham<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Keya Das’s Second Act<\/td>\nSopan<\/td>\nDeb<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Pride, Prejudice and Other Flavors<\/td>\nSonali<\/td>\nDev<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Yours Cheerfully<\/td>\nA.J.<\/td>\nPearce<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Invitation<\/td>\nLucy<\/td>\nFoley<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Candid Life of Meena Dave<\/td>\nNamrata<\/td>\nPatel<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Power<\/td>\nNaomi<\/td>\nAlderman<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Dear Mrs. Bird<\/td>\nAJ<\/td>\nPearce<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Flatshare<\/td>\nBeth<\/td>\nO’Leary<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Klara and the Sun<\/td>\nKazuo<\/td>\nIshiguro<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The People We Keep<\/td>\nAlison<\/td>\nLarkin<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
This is How it Always Is<\/td>\nLaurie<\/td>\nFrankel<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
What’s the Matter with Mary Jane?<\/td>\nCandas Jane<\/td>\nDorsey<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cult Classic<\/td>\nSloane<\/td>\nCrosley<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Crying in H Mart<\/td>\nMichelle<\/td>\nZaunder<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Something She’s Not Telling Us<\/td>\nDarcey<\/td>\nBell<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Spare<\/td>\nPrince Harry<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Forget Me Not<\/td>\nEllie<\/td>\nTerry<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nothing to See Here<\/td>\nKevin<\/td>\nWilson<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Big Magic<\/td>\nElizabeth<\/td>\nGilbert<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Unmarriageable<\/td>\nSoniah<\/td>\nKamal<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Four Winds<\/td>\nKristin<\/td>\nHannah<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Serena Singh Flips the Script<\/td>\nSonya<\/td>\nLalli<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Last Bookshop in London<\/td>\nMadeline<\/td>\nMartin<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mika in Real Life<\/td>\nEmiko<\/td>\nJean<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Ex Hex<\/td>\nErin<\/td>\nSterling<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Little Lovely Things<\/td>\nMaureen Joyce<\/td>\nConnolly<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Younger Wife<\/td>\nSally<\/td>\nHepworth<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Good Girl Complex<\/td>\nElle<\/td>\nKennedy<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tokyo Ever After<\/td>\nEmiko<\/td>\nJean<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Commitment<\/td>\nMona<\/td>\nSimpson<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Suite Spot<\/td>\nTrish<\/td>\nDoller<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Dear Edward<\/td>\nAnn<\/td>\nNapolitano<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
I’ll Be You<\/td>\nJanelle<\/td>\nBrown<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Romantic Comedy<\/td>\nCurtis<\/td>\nSittenfeld<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Book of the Most Precious Substance<\/td>\nSara<\/td>\nGran<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Really Good, Actually<\/td>\nMonica<\/td>\nHeisey<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Golden Couple<\/td>\nGreer Hendricks and Sarah<\/td>\nPekkanen<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cassandra in Reverse<\/td>\nHolly<\/td>\nSmale<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Storyteller<\/td>\nDave<\/td>\nGrohl<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Yellowface<\/td>\nR.F.<\/td>\nKuang<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Fathers and Sons<\/td>\nIvan<\/td>\nTurgenev<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Where you See Yourself<\/td>\nClaire<\/td>\nForrest<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Off Limits Rule<\/td>\nSarah<\/td>\nAdams<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
For Her Consideration<\/td>\nAmy<\/td>\nSpalding<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
If He Had Been With Me<\/td>\nLaura<\/td>\nNowlin<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle<\/td>\nMatt<\/td>\nCain<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
This Story Will Change<\/td>\nElizabeth<\/td>\nCrane<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Birthday Girls<\/td>\nPauline<\/td>\nLawless<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hot to Trot<\/td>\nM.C.<\/td>\nBeaton<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
After I Do<\/td>\nTaylor<\/td>\nJenkins Reid<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bookish People<\/td>\nSusan<\/td>\nColl<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
On the Rooftop<\/td>\nMargaret<\/td>\nWilkerson Sexton<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Swimmers<\/td>\nJulie<\/td>\nOtsuka<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Wahala<\/td>\nNikki<\/td>\nMay<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Foreverland: On the Divine Tedium of Marriage<\/td>\nHeather<\/td>\nHavilresky<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
More Than You’ll Ever Know<\/td>\nKatie<\/td>\nGutierrez<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Unfortunately Yours<\/td>\nTessa<\/td>\nBailey<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
For Girls Who Walk Through Fire<\/td>\nKim<\/td>\nDeRose<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Diamond Eye<\/td>\nKate<\/td>\nQuinn<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Early Morning Riser<\/td>\nKatherine<\/td>\nHeiny<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tom Lake<\/td>\nAnn<\/td>\nPatchett<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Princess Trap<\/td>\nTalia<\/td>\nHibbert<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Incendiaries<\/td>\nR.O.<\/td>\nKwon<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hello Beautiful<\/td>\nAnn<\/td>\nNapolitano<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Year of the Monkey<\/td>\nPatti<\/td>\nSmith<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
I Have Lost My Way<\/td>\nGayle<\/td>\nForman<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The It Girl<\/td>\nRuth<\/td>\nWare<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lucy by the Sea<\/td>\nElizabeth<\/td>\nStrout<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Death of Mrs. Westaway<\/td>\nRuth<\/td>\nWare<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
A Killer App<\/td>\nLinda<\/td>\nLovely<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Littlest Library<\/td>\nPoppy<\/td>\nAlexander<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Someone Else’s Shoes<\/td>\nJoJo<\/td>\nMoyes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Any Other Family<\/td>\nEleanor<\/td>\nBrown<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
High Strung: A Humorous Cozy Mystery (Glass Bead Mystery Series Book 1)<\/td>\nJanice<\/td>\nPeacock<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Pest<\/td>\nElizabeth<\/td>\nFoscue<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Wedding Setup<\/td>\nSonali<\/td>\nDev<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Rachel Incident<\/td>\nCaroline<\/td>\nO’Donoghue<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Woman in Cabin 10<\/td>\nRuth<\/td>\nWare<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
I Could Live Here Forever<\/td>\nHanna<\/td>\nHalperin<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Arc<\/td>\nTory<\/td>\nHenwood Hoen<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
One by One<\/td>\nRuth<\/td>\nWare<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sadie on a Plate<\/td>\nAmanda<\/td>\nEllliot<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Maybe Next Time<\/td>\nCesca<\/td>\nMajor<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
A Very Inconvenient Scandal<\/td>\nJacquelyn<\/td>\nMitchard<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Previous Book Lists<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Books of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n

The Books of 2021<\/a><\/p>\n

The Books of 2020<\/a><\/p>\n

The Books of 2019<\/a><\/p>\n

The Books of 2018<\/a><\/p>\n

The Books of 2017<\/a><\/p>\n

The Books of 2016<\/a><\/p>\n

The Books of 2015<\/a><\/p>\n

The Books of 2014<\/a><\/p>\n

The Books of 2013<\/a><\/p>\n

The Books of 2012<\/a><\/p>\n

The Books of 2011<\/a><\/p>\n

The Books of 2010<\/a><\/p>\n

The Books of 2009<\/a><\/p>\n

The Books of 2008<\/a><\/p>\n

The Books of 2007<\/a><\/p>\n

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