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With a few weeks left of the year, I have more than surpassed my 2023 reading goal. To be quite honest, I passed the goal back in June. It was a low bar for me to clear, and I made it that way on purpose. I do not set my reading goals with numbers that will be hard for me to hit. I make myself anxious enough on the daily as it is. Adding stress inducing reading pressure is the last thing my nervous system needs.
So pro-tip here, if you plan on setting a 2024 reading goal, set one you can feasibly achieve without pushing yourself to the point of having to listen to audiobooks on 2.5x speed or prioritizing “easy” reads just to hit an arbitrary number. Quantity is not greater than quality, my friends.
With that said — as of today, Dec 6th, — I read 63 books in 2023. *Jeb Bush voice* Please clap. Speaking of arbitrary numbers, I have pulled 15 of my favorites for the below list. This list is a mix of literary fiction, romance, and thrillers. Most of which came out over the last year or two. I read many books this year that were older — for example, as a self proclaimed Nora Ephron movie girlie, I’m embarrassed it took me until this past spring to read three of her books — but for the sake of this list, I’m prioritizing more contemporary reads.
They are in no particular order, though I have placed an asterisk beside three that, if you can only pick a few, I would encourage you to prioritize.
My Top 15 Reads of 2023 (in no particular order)
*Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
Maame by Jessica George
*Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano
The Only One Left by Riley Sager
Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfield
*Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren
Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune
The Guest by Emma Cline
The Family Game by Catherine Steadman
The Plus One by Mazey Eddings
None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell
Will They or Won’t They by Ava Wilder
And a bonus entry for Annabel Monaghan’s Summer Romance which I read this year, but doesn’t come out officially until June of next year.
Cheers to the books of 2024; may they be some of our favorites yet! Let me know which books you loved this past year that I need to add to my ever growing TBR pile.
*me nodding along to this list like i didn't already know we shared impeccable taste*
I added so many books to my To Be Read list! Thank you!