Now that we are in 2024, this is a great time to look at the previous year and see which books I enjoyed the most. Keep reading to find out my picks for the 20 best books I read in 2023!
Reaching my Reading Goal
I always like setting a difficult reading goal just to encourage myself to read more to potentially reach it. But ultimately, reaching my reading goal depends on the quality of the books I am reading. I dropped a bunch of books last year because I was not enjoying them.
With that said, I did enjoy a lot of the books that I read. My goal for last year was 50 and I was able to reach it. If you are having trouble finding books to read, I recommend browsing lists as well as following new books that are released.
Last year was the first year I read so many new books. Before that, I always tried to read heralded classics. Mixing it up kept me interested in wanting to read more. You can see the full list below!
The 20 Best Books I Read in 2023
- Deacon King Kong by James McBride
- Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
- Interview with the Vampire (The Vampire Chronicles, #1) by Anne Rice
- Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
- The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
- Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons
- The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
- The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
- A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
- Crooked Manifesto by Colson Whitehead
- Elantris (Elantris, #1) by Brandon Sanderson
- Lady Joker, Volume 1 & 2 by Kaoru Takamura
- Rhythm of War (The Stormlight Archive, #4) by Brandon Sanderson
- The Talented Mr. Ripley (Ripley, #1) by Patricia Highsmith
- I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
- Death at La Fenice (Commissario Brunetti, #1) by Donna Leon
- The Big Sleep (Philip Marlowe, #1) by Raymond Chandler
- The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carré
- Mickey7 (Mickey7, #1) by Edward Ashton
- Among Thieves (Thieves, #1) by M. J. Kuhn
Reading Vampire Novels
Two of novels on the list are vampire novels and that was intentional. I love zombie and vampire novels and sought them out when looking for new books to read. Carrion Comfort and Interview with the Vampire were both amazing books that I couldn’t put down. Reading Interview with the Vampire while flying to New Orleans was fitting as it takes place there.
New Books
Reading newer books helped me reach my reading goal because I knew I wanted to read these novels as soon as possible. Deacon King Kong by James McBride sounded interesting and when I finally read it, it was easily my favorite book of the year. Words won’t do justice to this novel which is why I recommend everyone to read it.
Other new novels that I read that I loved are Silver Nitrate, Sea of Tranquility, The House in the Cerulean Sea, I’m Glad My Mom Died. And yes, Jennette McCurdy’s autobiography is as good as everyone says it is.
The Silent Patient
As someone that loves thriller, I have to share my pick as the best thriller I read in 2023. The Silent Patient is a novel that is on many lists as one of the best thrillers ever written. And after reading it, I agreed wholeheartedly. The plot is original and the twists are so good that you have to read this novel twice to make sense of it all.
A Wizard of Earthsea
Another title that is often seen on many lists is a A Wizard of Earthsea. Ursula K. Le Guin’s fantasy novel goes against all the fantasy norms that you are accustomed to and shows that there are many ways to write an amazing fantasy novel. Before this novel, wizards in books were always old and wise. And when a novel is credited as inspiring Harry Potter, then you know it must be great.
Lady Joker
In 2023, I decided to go out of my comfort and read books published in other countries. And one country that I read a bunch of novels from is Japan. Lady Joker by Kaoru Takamura is a two-volume series that was published decades ago but recently translated into English. It is about a kidnapping of a CEO of a beer company and what happens after they release him without getting a ransom.
Conclusion
These are 20 of the best books I read in 2023. When I started reading in the beginning of last year, I had no idea what I was going to read. And I have to say, I am pretty happy with the books I read. Happy reading!
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