Favorite Reads of 2023

Although I have not yet summarized my December reading, it is the time of year when it is fun to contemplate the entire year and my top ten. Unusually for me, many were recent pubs and four were audiobooks. I think the latter is just a coincidence – sometimes I put both the hardcover and audiobook on reserve at the same time so read whichever is available first and sometimes I will opt for an available audiobook that I expect to enjoy. Seven of these ten were historical fiction, which is definitely one of my preferred genres but my favorites are generally more evenly distributed. I read a lot of books in 2023 but a number of these were rereads or children’s books, which obviously take less time to read.

Heart and Soul by Maeve Binchy (2008), Contemporary Fiction (audio).  This was a warm and delightful book about the staff of a heart clinic in Dublin, led by Dr. Clara Casey, who usually knows how to handle her staff and cardiac patients (not to mention annoying hospital administrators) but cannot always cope with her adult daughters and ex-husband. My review.

Horse by Geraldine Brooks (2022), Historical Fiction.  It is hard to pick one of these books as the best but Horse would be my choice. Brooks has created a compelling narrative about a famous racehorse (most of us had never heard of) and the young male slave who helps raise him, following their story from the 18th century to the present. My review.

The Close by Jane Casey (2023), Suspense.  In the tenth book about London detective Maeve Kerrigan, Maeve and her superior officer, the infuriating Derwent, go undercover on a suburban street to investigate mysterious disappearances. While this was extremely entertaining, it was very different from their usual investigations and I recommend you go back and start with book 1, The Burning. Also, remind me not to lend out my extra copy because I clearly haven’t learned my lesson. My review.

The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell (2022), Historical Fiction.  This is a compelling reimagining of Lucrezia de’ Medici’s marriage to the Duke of Ferrara, previously engaged to her older sister who died. Although he is charming to Lucrezia at first, she becomes aware of his cruelty early in their marriage and begins to think he will dispose of her if she cannot produce an heir. My review.

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett (2023), Historical Fiction.  One magical summer Lara played Emily from Our Town at a summer theater in Michigan, where she inevitably fell in love with her leading man, Peter Duke, who went on to become a big star. Years later, she and her daughters are trying to harvest the cherries in the family orchard and they beg her to tell them about her long-ago romance. This is my favorite of all of Patchett’s books. I was very curious about Our Town after reading Tom Lake and suggested my book group read it in preparation for reading Tom Lake in February.  My review.

The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn (2022), Historical Fiction (audio).  One blustery night in 1928, a whale washes up on the shores of the English Channel. By law, it belongs to the King, but twelve-year-old orphan Cristabel Seagrave has other plans. She and the rest of the household—her sister, Flossie; her brother, Digby turn it into an outdoor theatre where they put on wildly creative plays until WWII forces them to grow up quickly. My review.

Beyond That, the Sea by Laura Spence-Ash (2023), Historical Fiction (audio).  As you must know, I love evacuation fiction and I particularly enjoyed this story about Bea, sent away from London during the Blitz to spend the war years in Boston. Soon she feels more at home with the family that gave her a home and the two sons who are close to her in age. When Bea returns to Britain after the war, she has a hard time adjusting and feels suspended between two worlds. My review.

The White Lady by Jacqueline Winspear (2023), Historical Fiction (audio).  This is a rare standalone novel by Winspear with a heroine as intrepid as Maisie Dobbs but who has lost so much that she is close to very few people. Elinor grows up in Belgium during WWI and is recruited to do resistance work after her father is taken by the Germans. The book deftly moves back and forth from the present – several years after WWII – to Elinor and her family’s experience during WWI, in England between the wars, and WWII when, due to her language skills and experience, she is recruited to do more war work during WWII. I found this suspenseful and fascinating; I especially appreciated that I could not tell what would happen next. Sam at Book Chase really captured the book in his review.

A Single Thread of Moonlight by Laura Wood (2021), YA Historical Fiction.  When Iris Grey’s father presents her with the proverbial evil stepmother and cruel stepsisters, her world falls apart. Even worse, her father dies in mysterious circumstances, and her best option is to run away to make her fortune in London. When she finds someone willing to help her get revenge, it is time to return to her childhood home. I love a good revenge story and this is beautifully told. It is also full of lyrical descriptions of clothing and I can’t wait to coax Moira from Clothes in Books to read it.

The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman (2022), Mystery.  I think this series gets better with each book and I can’t help laughing out loud as I read. In this third installment, the foursome are investigating a cold case involving a murder with no body. Simultaneously, Elizabeth is being blackmailed to kill a former KGB agent or her friend Joyce will be murdered. My review.

Honorable Mention

Mrs. Porter Calling by A.J. Pearce (2023), Historical Fiction.  I really enjoyed this third installment about Emmy, who is still writing an advice column but is now married and worried about her overseas husband. When the magazine is purchased by someone with her own (bad) ideas about how to run it, it is up to Emmy to save the day – and staff jobs! While I think the first book in the series is by far the best, it is fun to see the characters developing and continuing to cope with WWII.  My review.

Our Castle by the Sea by Lucy Strange (2019). Juvenile Historical Fiction.  Petra and her sister Magda grew up in a lighthouse on the English coast with a German mother and an English father. As WWII breaks out, their happy family is suddenly regarded with suspicion by people who have known them for years. Their mother is accused of being a spy and arrested. Petra has to grow up fast and figure out who her real friends are in this suspenseful and emotional story.  My review.


My Goodreads Year in Books for 2023

For previous years' lists, click here.