Best Books of 2023

In no particular order, with no particular number, here are some of the more enjoyable and most memorable books I read this year.

Cozy Vibes

I usually avoid magic-of-books stories, but Days at the Morisaki Bookshop and What You Are Looking For Is In The Library worked so well. I think because the theme is not about books as magical physical objects, or readers as inherently better people, but all about people reading the right book at the right time. No raptures of paperback-sniffing in either one.

I also loved Legends & Lattes, the adorable high-fantasy coffeeshop AU. It’s D&D after the adventurers settle down, and if you’ve read any fantasy, ever, you’ll love it.

The Totally True Adventures of Gracie Byrne was a surprise cozy story. The 80s retro vibes made this one feel like I was a teenager again reading a YA, with a timeless coming-of-age storyline and magical elements.

OMG WTF

I’m Not Done With You Yet was an absolute twisty thrill, all about dark friendship, manipulation and creative writing dramas. You know I love messed-up friendship stories, and this is one of the best.

I enjoyed Gone Tonight, too, for another twisty thriller. In this one, I loved the twists, of course, but I really loved a thriller protag who made careful, clever escape plans. No dummies decide to split up and investigate the strange noises in this one, instead we have such smart characters that it greatly increases the tension.

Yellowface was another WTF thriller, with a literary theft in the vein of Who is Maud Dixon? and The Plot.  In this one, we’re led from June’s very relatable jealousy of Athena’s talent and success to her wilder, unrelatable, ok, completely insane choices in a novel that’s both a tense thriller and a comment on racial relations.

Retro Game Design Adventure

Jason Rekulak’s The Impossible Fortress is full of fun ’80s game-programming nostalgia. The world of mix tapes, floppy disks and early game programming definitely unlocks retro memories, but the overall story is fresh and original, with YA vibes. It did make me want to reread Ready Player One, but seriously, The Impossible Fortress is its own category.