Woman Reading—Henri Matisse 1929
Typically, this Type A reader meticulously keeps track of the number of books read in a year with the goal of increasing the total every year. Inevitably, I am disappointed if I find I have read fewer books than in previous years. Every year I also check out other readers’ lists and am chagrined to discover that I have read considerably fewer than they. I can’t compete—nor should I—with those out there who read faster and can juggle reading multiple books at a time. I also am a regular participant in the Seattle Public Library’s annual Summer Book Bingo game, with dual goals of reading something in every category square and, of course, winning a prize. I have yet to win a prize, and I have found that I often read books I didn’t care for just to be able to mark out that square with my imaginary dauber. Hmm. Perhaps it’s time to rethink and expand on my goals.
I decided to do some research on how others structure their reading time, how they select books, and their overall reading goals. The Friends of the Seattle Public Library recently sent out a newsletter in which FSPL board members described their 2024 reading resolutions. One person said she was going to read paper books versus e-books, read chapter books to her child, and attend author readings. Another individual said he was going to focus on reading really long books—I’m talking 1,200–1,300 pagers! Yet another said she was planning to reread books in her personal library collection. All this sounds way more fun than arbitrarily racking up numbers.
So, I’ve decided my goals this year will be:
- Gather and read the books sitting unread around my house
- Educate myself by reading books on editing
- Tackle a couple of big books—yes, even if doing so lowers the overall number of books read in the year
- Stop reading a book if it doesn’t engage me (per Nancy Pearl’s Rule of 50: If you’re 50 or younger, give every book about 50 pages before you decide to commit to reading it or giving up; under 50, subtract your age from 100 and use that as your guide.)
- Create a cozy reading nook
But back to the books that enchanted me in 2023.
Many of the books listed below can be categorized in more than one genre. I chose the genre that spoke to me the most. For those interested in award winners, this year’s batch included: The Postcard (American Choix Goncourt prize, among others); In Dubious Battle (California Commonwealth Club Gold Medal); The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store (Kirkus Prize); The Seed Keeper (Minnesota Book Award in Fiction); Foster (David Byrnes Irish Writing Award); Walk the Blue Fields (Edge Hill Prize for Short Stories); Small Things Like These (Kerry Prize for Irish Novel of the Year); and The Appeal (CWA Debut Dagger).
Fiction: Classics
Galapagos, Kurt Vonnegut (a vacation cruise becomes an evolutionary journey, science fiction)
In Dubious Battle, John Steinbeck (migratory fruit workers in 1930s California attempt to organize a labor union, historical fiction)
Fiction: Historical
The Postcard, Anne Berest, translation by Tina Kover (Jewish family’s investigation into family secrets upon receiving an anonymous postcard)
Midnight Blue, Simone van der Vlugt, translation by Jenny Watson (a young woman’s rise as a painter during Amsterdam’s Golden Age)
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, James McBride (follows the community of Black/Jewish families in the 1920s–1930s)
Lessons in Chemistry, Bonnie Garmus (brilliant woman chemist battles sexism in 1950s/1960s, humor)
Fiction: Family Relationships/Friendships
What You Are Looking for Is in the Library, Michiko Aoyama, translation by Alison Watts (mysterious librarian’s unique book recommendations help lost people find their way, short stories)
Book Lovers, Emily Henry (steely literary agent butts heads with book editor, contemporary romance, humor)
The Seed Keeper, Diane Wilson (generational saga that traces Dakhóta family’s attempt to preserve seeds integral to their way of life, historical fiction)
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, Gabrielle Zevin (follows the relationship between three friends who create a video game company)
Fiction: Western Adventure
Chenneville, Paulette Giles (murder, loss and revenge post-Civil War, historical fiction)
The Vaster Wilds, Lauren Groff (servant in Jamestown colony flees for her life into the wilderness, historical fiction)
Fiction: Irish (aka anything written by Claire Keegan)
Foster, Claire Keegan (girl sent to live with relatives in rural Ireland finds true affection, novella)
Walk the Blue Fields, Claire Keegan (tales of despair and desire in modern-day Ireland, short stories)
Small Things Like These, Claire Keegan (man uncovers a scandal that was a result of the complicit silence of the local community controlled by the Catholic Church, historical fiction)
Fiction: Suspense/Thriller/Mystery
The Appeal, Janice Hallett (epistolary novel about two young lawyers tasked with determining who out of fifteen characters is the murderer)
Portrait of an Unknown Woman, Daniel Silva (legendary spy and art restorer hunts down art forger in a tale of deception in the international world of fine art)
Fiction: Magical Realism/Fantasy
The Miniscule Mansion of Myra Malone, Audrey Burges (reclusive woman avoids the outside world by focusing on a magical miniature house until she meets a reader of her blog who knows all about the mysterious house, contemporary romance)
The Cat Who Saved Books, Sosuke Matsukawa, translation by Louise Heal Kawai (young Japanese bookseller sets out to rescue books in peril with the help of an unusual feline)
Fiction: Graphic Novel
Paris 2119, Zep author; Dominique Bertail illustrator (cyberpunk love story, science fiction)
Fiction: Children’s
First to Ride (The First Horseman), Pers Crowell (young Native American cave dweller lives with and cares for a wild horse)
The Inquisitor’s Tale, Adam Gidwitz author; Hatem Aly illuminator (three magical children in medieval France meet and become outlaws)
Secrets of the Manor, Adele Whitby (secrets lurk within the walls of Chatswood Manor, historical fiction)
The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels, Beth Lincoln author; Claire Power illustrator (whodunit involving family whose children’s personalities match the meaning of their given names)
Nonfiction
How to Sleep, Rafel Pelayo (self-explanatory)
Tallinn: Graphic Views of the Old Town, Jaan Saar (art book with watercolor paintings)
What’s Up Next?
North Woods, Daniel Mason
Romantic Comedy, Curtis Sittenfeld
Making a Point: The Persnickety Story of English Punctuation, David Crystal
The Expendable Man, Dorothy B. Hughes
Homecoming, Kate Morton
So, what books made it on to your best of 2023 reading list? What are you looking forward to reading in 2024? What personal reading goals do you have? Do share!