As I mentioned in my December reading round-up last week, 2023 was an odd year for me. I feel more in need of the arbitrary fresh start of a new year than I can remember for a very long time.

However, “odd” doesn’t mean all bad, and among my highlights were some truly great books. According to Storygraph I read 81 books and gave 5 of them the maximum rating of 5 (though the ratings are a gut reaction when I finish the book and don’t always match which books I’m still enthusing about months later). My most-read genres were literary, contemporary, LGBTQIA+ and classics – so no surprises there. My average book size was 240 pages and the mood of the books got darker over the course of the year (the mood is based on aggregate “light” or “dark” ratings from readers so isn’t necessarily an accurate reflection of what I thought of a book’s mood).

But I know what you’re here for is my favourite reads of 2023. So with the usual caveat that these are chosen from books I read in 2023, not necessarily published last year, here goes…

Top 6 reads of 2023

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Morrison’s prose is amazing. In 1940s Ohio, Pecola is a young Black girl living in the direst circumstances – poverty, abuse, bullying, you name it. Yet this isn’t a tough read because Morrison uses a touch of humour and exquisite language to tell Pecola’s story, introducing us to all the people around her.

The Patriarchs by Angela Saini
Angela Saini is such a good non-fiction writer. Here, she brings a scientist’s eye to history, attempting to unpick when and how human society became predominantly patriarchal. The answer isn’t straightforward and Saini is unafraid to say when there is nuance and uncertainty.

Neon Roses by Rachel Dawson
A queer coming-of-age novel set in a small South Wales coal mining town during the miners’ strike of 1984, this manages to be joyous without shying away from the harsh realities of being working class, poor and/or queer in the 1980s. The main character has to contend with supporting her family financially and turning up to the picket lines as often as she can; a younger sister who’s dating a policeman and has started spouting Maggie Thatcher at her; and the realisation that she is more attracted to a visiting butch lesbian than her long-term boyfriend.

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Twin girls run away from their small Louisiana town in the 1950s and end up living very different lives, a gap that is compounded for the next generation. This novel explores nuances of race and racism, as well as the price of following dreams and what it means to live authentically. A book with heavy themes that manages to be an enjoyable read.

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
In 1960s California, Elizabeth Zott is a professional chemist, or at least she is trying to be, but the world – and her employer in particular – is throwing every possible obstacle in her career path. She is unconventional, brilliant, and refuses to bow down and accept the status quo. I loved everything about this book, even the sad and maddening bits, but possibly especially the dog.

Truth & Dare by So Mayer
This is a collection of short stories dealing with gender, trauma, queerness, science (especially physics), history and religion. Some of the stories are essay-like, often with a personal memoir slant that may or may not reflect the author’s own history, while others are sci-fi – and some blend both of those things. All the stories are playful with language and packed with references to everything from classical philosophy to recent TV shows.

Reading goals for 2024

First up, how did I fare against my 2023 goals? I aimed to read 80 books, which I achieved, but that was really an arbitrary number that I would totally have changed in the Storygraph reading challenge if I was particularly under or over it.

I read books from and set all over the world, but not so many in translation as previous years, so I’d like to try to address that in 2024. And I completely failed in my goal to read more SF so that’s back on the to-do list. I did try to push myself to read more fantasy, which is a genre I have not historically loved, and that had mixed results but I’m willing to give it another chance.

I didn’t re-read anything from previous years in 2023. Which makes it harder to justify my beautiful big library of already-read books. So maybe this year I should finally do some of the series re-reads I’ve been thinking about.

Finally, I think I need to start being more ruthless about giving up on books I’m just not into. In 2023 I persevered through quite a few meh reads, which tended to take me ages to finish because I wasn’t enjoying the process. I only gave up on two books, according to Storygraph. There are so many books out there that I will love, I don’t think I see the point any more of pushing myself to finish those I don’t love.

If I manage that, it’s possible I will end up finishing slightly fewer books, but hopefully I’ll have a higher rate of truly, enthusiastically loving the book I just finished.

I wish you the very best 2024 – in books and in life.