My Best Books of 2023

It’s been an excellent year, and my “best” list contains 6 nonfiction books and 8 novels. I could have added a few more, but you must stop somewhere.  These aren’t all newly released titles; I just read what I like. My total count for the year was 72 books. These were my favorites (in no particular order):

1. Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. A gorgeously written, literary account of the mythological hero you thought you knew.
2. Half American: The Epic Story of African Americans Fighting WW2 at Home and Abroad by Matthew F. Delmont. An excellent history of the fight for civil rights in the US by our own soldiers, who came home to a country that didn’t recognize the freedoms they were fighting for overseas.
3. Titan by Ron Chernow. A complete biography of John D Rockefeller that captured his complicated legacy.
4. Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris by Paul Gallico. Just a lovely, sweet novel with characters so charming, you just root for them wholeheartedly. A book you can recommend to your mom.
5. Lessons in Chemisty by Bonnie Garmus. Definitely not a best-kept secret, especially since there’s now a miniseries based on it (AppleTV). I couldn’t put it down and read it in one day.
6. The Private Lives of the Tudors by Tracy Borman. I can’t resist a good Tudor history and have read MANY so can highly recommend this.
7. Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity by Peter Attia, MD. The author is crazy intense but makes some excellent points. If you want to feel good and move well for as many years as possible, read this book (then follow his advice).
8. Five Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand. The perfect escape as always; I don’t know how she does it.
9. Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane. He just gets the South Boston vibe so well, and this is a page-turner that takes you back to the busing era.
10. A Fever in the Heartland: The KKK’s Plot to Take Over America and the Woman Who Stopped Them by Timothy Egan. The subtitle is a bit misleading but there is a lot of history in this book that was new to me (the KKK’s influence in Indiana and its deep reach into politics generally).
11. The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann. One of those well-researched nonfiction books that reads like a novel. And I love nautical disaster stories.
12. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. I wasn’t alone in loving this novel (it may still be on the best-seller list), but that doesn’t make it any less awesome.
13. The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride. It’s one of those novels you keep thinking about when you’re not reading it – rich language and characters and a perfectly crafted story.
14. All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby. It’s violent and ruthless, but you can just see the movie in your head while you read it. Thrilling and suspenseful from start to finish.

Many thanks to my local public library for supplying the above books. I have a great pile already waiting for me in 2024. Happy reading, everyone!

A Last-Minute Literary Gift Guide

If I could do any job in the world, I would be a full time Book Concierge. I’d spend 8 hours a day reading anything and everything, and upon request I would suggest the perfect book for any occasion. Because a few friends have already asked me for Christmas present ideas, here is a list of last-minute gift ideas. Welcome to this judgment-free zone for procrastinating shoppers.

For your mom:

Moms need a good book that isn’t too racy or filled with profanity and features a strong intelligent woman character (who reminds you of your mom, obviously!). Give her “The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek” by Kim Michele Richardson, or Alice Hoffman’s “Magic Lessons.” Bonus points if you can find them in large print.

For your dad:

If he’s a WW2 buff but he’s read all the usual suspects, give him “Unsinkable” by James Sullivan or “Facing the Mountain” by Daniel James Brown. If he really likes those naval battles, you can’t beat “Pacific Crucible” by Ian Toll.

For that hypochondriac cousin you want to mess with:

Two excellent memoirs about dealing with challenging medical conditions are “A Mind Unraveled” by Kurt Eichenwald about his journey with epilepsy, and Frank Bruni’s “The Beauty of Dusk” in which he grapples with losing his vision. You wouldn’t think these topics would make for good reading, but oh do they ever!         

For that friend who thinks they had a rough childhood:

Not so fast! These memoirists will have you thanking your lucky stars you didn’t grow up in their households. ”North of Normal” by Cea Sunrise Person, “Educated” by Tara Westover,  “Finding Me” by Viola Davis, and “I’m Possible” by Richard Antoine Wright. Read them sitting down and never complain again.

For your white colleague who thinks “woke” is a bad word:

“The 1619 Project” by Nikole Hannah-Jones. The book, not the NYT Magazine piece. Honestly, just buy this book for everyone. It is THAT GOOD.

For a college student studying political science who wants a job in Washington:

“From the Corner of the Oval” by Beck Dorey-Stein. It’s an honest and funny account of working as a very low-level employee in the White House, where everyone is young and having sex with each other while enjoying a front row seat to how the sausage gets made in DC.

For your uncle who loved “Jaws:”

“Close to Shore” by Michael Capuzzo, a true story about a series of shark attacks off the Jersey Shore. I promise you they will stay in the shallows after reading this book.

For anyone with a LONG flight ahead of them:

These novels take time but are well worth it: “The Love Songs of WEB DuBois” by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers, “Great Circle” by Maggie Shipstead, and “The Weight of Ink” by Rachel Kadish. They are spectacular epic stories that reward a reader’s attention.

For a literary snob who lives in a city and drinks soy lattes:

This person needs “Lonesome Dove” by Larry McMurtry. Why this book isn’t part of the required American literary canon, I’ll never know (actually, I know – the Ivy League elites don’t believe literature like this can come out of Texas, but here it is).

For that dear friend who has HAD IT with this year and needs some fun escapist fiction:

This is the category I get asked about the most. Here is a list of excellent “FUN” books that I would describe as guilty pleasures except that you should NEVER feel guilty for reading a book:

1. “Squeeze Me” by Carl Hiaason
2. Richard Osman’s “The Thursday Murder Club” trilogy
3. Elin Hilderbrand’s Paradise series (start with “Winter in Paradise”)
4. “City of Girls” by Elizabeth Gilbert
5. “The All Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion” by Fannie Flagg
6. “Standard Deviation” by Katherine Heiny
7. “The Soul of an Octopus” by Sy Montgomery (not a novel but reading it made me smile)
8. “The Gifted School” by Bruce Holsinger
9. “Elinor Oliphant is Completely Fine” by Gail Honeyman
10.  “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Happy reading everyone! Let me know what you think of these books, and share your own suggestions!