I feel very happy about my year of reading. I am currently trying to finish reading my 2023 To Be Read List, I have 3 books left on it. In terms of ratings, Storygraph puts my year at a 4 stars, which I think is great. I really feel back in love with reading this year with books that gave me so many different emotions. So here is a list of my favourite reads of 2023!
This list is in chronological order (from first read in the year to most recent).
Galatea - Madeline Miller : This short story put me back in the mood to learn more about Greek Mythology and read some retellings. Madeline Miller is a very talented writer. Galatea is only a few pages long but I really felt immerse in the story. I also have read The Song Of Achilles by Madeline Miller and it is one of my favourite book. Now the only book left for me to read by this author is Circe and (spoiler alert) it might be on my 2024 TBR.................
After reading this I started watching a documentary about the Illiad and the Odyssey. I haven't finish yet but I really enjoyed watching it. I think Greek Mythology is the most amazing thing on Earth, so interesting. I have a tattoo which represents some Greek Gods and when I was a child I made a small shrine to Athena.................. quirky?
If We Were Villains - M.L RIO : This book called me "stupid" multiple times. I am not a huge connoisseur of Shakespeare plays, I have seen a few but honestly I did not remember anything when I started reading this book. However, it did not prevent me from liking this book. I rated it 5 stars on Goodreads. The ending really got me and I could not stop thinking about it days and months after reading it. There will be a collective review coming in 2024 if you want to know more about my impressions of the book and the story. I think the characters are so well written and I'm excited for M. L. Rio to write another masterpiece someday. I know she has written a short story so I might pick it up next.
Daisy Jones & The Six - Taylor Jenkins Reid : I buddy read this book with my friend Léonie and it has become one of my favourite read of the year. I had read The Seven Husband of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid and I really enjoyed it and after reading Daisy Jones & the Six I thought that I had prefer Evelyn Hugo but thinking back now, I think my favourite TJR book is Daisy Jones & The Six. This book follows a FICTIONAL band (I checked because I thought it was a real band) from the start until their breakup, and what lead to that breakup. I would highly recommend you to read this book instead of watching the TV show that came out on Prime Video but.... the SONGS are amazing. I had the album on repeat this year.
The Inheritance Games - Jennifer Lynn Barnes : We read this book with Solene for our Collective Review blog series and while Solene thought it was mid (check the review later on in 2024!), I became obsess with the book series. This year, the fourth book came out and I dropped everything to read it. I also read the first book in The Naturals series by the same author and I really enjoyed it. Jennifer Lynn Barnes has become one of my favourite author and I cannot wait to continue Avery and the boys' story. My favourite character is obviously Xander and I hope to see more of him in the next books. The Inheritance Games was supposed to be just a trilogy but it got so popular that the author decided to continue the story with other books. Cannot wait for the rest!
Imogen Obviously - Becky Albertalli : I think this book should be mandatory because it really deals with important topics. I really love Becky Albertalli's books and their often get a 4 or 5 stars ratings on Goodreads. This book is around "coming out" and coming into terms with your sexuality, which is fluid and can change over time. It is also about the concept of "queerbating" with real people. It is a cute love story and I really enjoyed the characters. Also there is a character with the exact sexuality as me and I felt so seen.
The romance in this book was so cute, I was eating it up! And look at that cover, it's gorgeous. I dropped everything that I was reading to read this book instead.
Before the Coffee Gets Cold - Toshikazu Kawaguchi : This book was gifted to me by Solene, as always she has great taste. It took me a long time to finish this book because I read the story one at a time and I really enjoyed it. I never read Japanese translated literature and I hope one day I can read it fully in Japanese (a girl can dream). This story is about a coffee shop where if you follow a set of rules, you can go back to the past (and the future maybe??). This book is not for the faint of heart. You will definitely feel something (except if you don't have a heart).
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow - Gabrielle Zevin : I also read this book with my friend Léonie. And we got EMOTIONAL together haha. There is a part in this book, towards the end where I was losing my mind and Leonie had not read it yet so I had to wait with my sorrows and then we finally went crazy together. I feel like this book could be Number 1 in my heart for this year but I'm not 100% sure because I read it most recently so I don't know if that's playing a part or not in my liking. It is also the recommendation for this month on the blog for obvious reasons. I was a little bit disappointed with the end, I wanted more from those characters. I also gifted this book twice already and I'm ready to do it many more times again. I want to read more from this author!
I am currently reading Darius the Great is not Okay by Adib Khorram which was on my 2023 TBR. I am loving it so far and it probably could be on this list once I finish it. Maybe it will be a recommendation for the blog, who knows? I also have King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo and The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan to read before 2023 ends, after that I'll have finish my 2023 TBR which would be a pretty great accomplishment. Next article on the blog will be my 2024 To Be Read List, so keep an eye out for that.
And you, what was your favourite read(s) of 2023?
Comments