Favorite Books of 2023 #TopTenTuesday
This week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic at That Artsy Reader Girl is favorite books of 2023. Here is my Top Ten list. These are in no particular order, but I’ll start with three nonfiction books, end with six novels, and put a humor book in the middle that doesn’t fit neatly in either category.
A Fever in the Heartland by Timothy Egan. Besides the review post, I also wrote a post that explored the KKK in my mother’s hometown of Tipton, Indiana, where her father joined the organization in the 1920s.
Ultra-Processed People by Chris Van Tulleken. I already mostly avoided highly processed foods before I read this book, but it helped me step up my game even more.
Atomic Habits by James Clear. I hope to establish some habits in 2024 that support work on my novel while allowing time and space for other activities.
Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint English Village by Maureen Johnson, illustrated by Jay Cooper. This fun slim volume will amuse anyone who loves British cozy mystery novels.
Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner. This was my perfect visit to London, in the form of a novel.
Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake by Alexis Hall. I loved the behind-the-scenes look at a fictional version of The Great British Baking Show. This was the first of seven books that I read by Alexis Hall, all reviewed during Pride Month 2023.
The Affair of the Mysterious Letter by Alexis Hall. I liked all seven books that I read, so I’ll include a second one that is very different from the first. The Affair of the Mysterious Letter is a kind of fantasy, scifi, steampunk, mystery novel with terrific world-building and an homage to Sherlock Holmes.
Jane and the Year Without a Summer by Stephanie Barron. This book was a terrific addition to my October preoccupation with The Year Without a Summer (1816) and Mary Shelley‘s Frankenstein.
Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier. This has been on my TBR forever. I was glad to finally read it in honor of the 200th anniversary of Mary Anning’s discovery of a fossilized plesiosaurus.
Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers. Whose Body? is Dorothy L. Sayers first novel and the novel that begins Lord Peter Wimsey’s adventures.