My Favorite Reads of 2023
I’m a day late but I’ve finally been able to sit down with my diary to have a good think through my reading year. It’s been an absolute cracker. Lots of travel time to read in transit, a brilliant reading project -working my way chronologically through the complete works of Toni Morrison and Kurt Vonnegut- and the ongoing brilliance of Mexico and Below Book group, (which meets monthly in No Alibis to read translated literature from countries below Mexico- you can follow us on Instagram), have all combined to make it the best reading year I can remember.
I’ve done a quick tally and it looks like I’ve read 315 books in total this year. As I’ve said many times before, you don’t need to read as many books. A book a month is great going if you’re enjoying yourself. It’s my job to read in order to prep for interviews, write articles, judge competitions etc. I literally get paid to do it and give around 4 hours a day to reading. Nobody needs to read this much, (but I’m kind of glad I get to). Of my 315 books, 235 were fiction, 31 poetry, 47 non-fiction and 3 plays. (I think that adds up to 315). I’d hope to read more work in translation this year but only came in at a slightly disappointing 35 books. That’s something I intend to rectify next year.
Now, the fun part. Here are my favourite reads of the year. You’ll notice that many of these books weren’t published in 2023 and that’s because a great book’s still a great book regardless of when you get around to reading it. I’m trying to be less panicky about reading books as soon as they hit the shelves, (also hoping to save a fortune on hardbacks). However, just to be fair to everyone, I’m not going to recommend anything I’ve read in proof which hasn’t been published yet. My lists are split into categories. Book of the year’s a standout. The others are in no particular order.
Fiction Read of the Year: Catherine Lacey - Biography of X
Top Twenty Fiction Reads:
Victoria Mackenzie - For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy on My Little Pain
K Patrick - Mrs S
Elizabeth Taylor - Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont
Tom Crewe - The New Life
Noel O’Regan - Though the Bodies Fall
Chetna Maroo - Western Lane
Ainslie Hogarth - Motherthing
Ellen van Neeren - Heat and Light
Jo Ann Beard - Cheri
Barbara Comyns - Sisters by a River
Bonnie Nadzam - Lamb
Toni Morrison - Recitatif
Barbara Kingsolver - Demon Copperhead
Deirdre Madden - Molly Fox’s Birthday
Cherie Jones - How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House.
Nicole Flattery - Nothing Special
Alyssa Songsiridej - Little Rabbit.
Kathryn Scanlan - Kick the Latch.
Noor Naga - If an Egyptian Cannot Speak English.
Jamaica Kincaid - Lucy
Non-fiction Read of the Year: Mark O’Connell - A Thread of Violence
Top Five Non-Fiction Reads:
Katherine Rundell - Super-Infinite
Milan Kundera - The Art of the Novel
Peter Falk - Just One More Thing
Toni Morrison - The Last Interview
Casey Plett - On Community
Best Poetry Collection: Nick Laird - Up Late
Top Five Poetry Collections:
Anthony Joseph - Sonnets for Albert
Emma Must - The Ballad of Yellow Wednesday
Ada Limón - The Carrying
Damian Smyth - Irish Street
Michael McKimm - Because We Could Not Dance at the Wedding
Best Work in Translation: Viola di Grado - Blue Hunger (translated by Jamie Richards)
Top Ten Works in Translation:
Georgi Gaspodinov - Time Shelter. (translated by Angela Rodel). This one was a very close second to Blue Hunger.
Aurora Venturini - Cousins. (translated by Kit Maude).
Gauz - Standing Heavy. (translated by Frank Wynne).
Annie Ernaux - The Years. (translated by Alison L. Strayer).
Ivana Sajko - Love Novel. (translated by Mina Simić).
Andrea Aubrey - Dogs of Summer. (translated by Julia Sanches).
Lana Bastašić - Catch the Rabbit. (translated by the author).
Jente Posthuma - What I’d Rather Not Think About. (translated by Sarah Timmer Harvey).
Laurent Mauvignier - The Birthday Party. (translated by Daniel Levin Becker).
Margarita García Robayo - Holiday Heart. (translated by Charlotte Coombe).