Hello my dear friends! I had an amazing reading year in 2023 and it was very difficult to choose ten (I ended up with twelve) favourite books. This best books of 2023 list comes late, but I hope these fantastic titles make up for the wait.
In this reading list you will find an elderly woman who investigates crimes by luring her suspects with big food spreads, dragons and riders, a queer nun who teaches in a private school and more.
Best Books of 2023
1. Teen couple have fun outdoors by Aravind Jayan
Hands down, Teen Couple have Fun Outdoors is one of the best books published recently by an Indian author. A middle-class family in Kerala, India, goes through an unexpected domestic crisis when an intimate video of their son and his girlfriend gets uploaded on a porn site. I loved every bit of this book, be it the dark humour, slice of life moments, or the brother’s narration as he tries to find love (I thought it was clever to have the brother narrate the story because he isn’t central to the crisis but is affected indirectly). This novel is about the young vs the old, mental illness, societal expectations and judgmental uncles and aunties who meddle in other people’s lives. I’ll be waiting to read what Aravind Jayan writes next. A brilliant read!
2. Shubeik Lubeik by Deena Mohamed
Originally written in Arabic, Shubeik Lubeik is a graphic novel set in Cairo where “magic and the socio-political realities of contemporary Egypt” merge. I found the world (many bureaucratic rules surrounding wish-selling and buying, classes of wishes, rulebooks) fascinating. This story features a kiosk where wishes are for sale—I loved following the three people who wanted to make their best wish.
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3. Death of a bookseller by Alice Slater
I often long for an absolutely fun ride of a book and Death of a Bookseller was that book of 2023 for me. Set in a struggling bookshopin London, Death of a Bookseller follows long-time employee and true crime junkie Roach and her obsession with the newly appointed, bubbly children’s bookseller Laura. It is obsessive, toxic, nasty and simply unputdownable. More of my thoughts on the novel at Edition #47 of Satchel Notes.
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Also Read : Best novels on scams and obsession
4. Hakim’s Odyssey by Fabien Toulmé, translated by Hannah Chute
I sobbed reading Hakim’s Odyssey about a successful Syrian man who had to leave his country and look for a new home. The story feels very intimate since the book begins with the author visiting the protagonist at his home and asking him to narrate his story over a series of interviews. The trials and tribulations of the dispossessed and displaced break your heart. The protagonist falls in love, gets married and starts a family but is constantly looking for a home where his family can be together. What makes this trilogy of graphic novels even more heartbreaking is the fact that this is based on a true story—you can read about how the characters fared in real life. This book should be essential reading in schools.
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5. Maame by Jessica George
I listened to Maame by Jessica George, narrated by Heather Agyepong and immediately thought to myself that I found my favourite book of 2023. Maame is the story of twenty something Maddie who is struggling with an ill father, absent mother, unfulfilling career, and no companion or love. I found the voice unique and vulnerable whether Maddie, our protagonist, was sharing her first-time sex experience, or a professional update. My longer review of Maame is here.
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6. Brotherless Night by V. V. Ganeshananthan
Here’s a book where every scene is written with much deliberation and thought. In V. V. Ganeshananthan’s Brotherless Night, we follow Sashi who loses her brothers to political causes. Set amidst the several decades of civil war between the Sinhalese and Tamil people, this novel tells the stories of mothers and sisters, family, relationships, duty towards one’s country vs duty towards one’s family the rebels and war. It isn’t often that unputdownable historical fiction gets published and Brotherless Night with its harrowing storyline, bold characters and brilliant writing is one. I highly recommend this novel.
7. Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q Sutanto
It cannot get more fun and cozier than an elderly teashop owner finding a dead body and deciding investigate the murder because she thinks the police aren’t doing a good enough job. She has got a notebook and a brilliant plan of bringing the suspects together over food (with a side of matchmaking). This book was so much fun! If you have a thing for pushy but loving elderly Asians, endless cups of tea, and found family, pick up this cozy crime.
8. Scorched Grace by Margot Douaihy
Honestly who can resist a chain smoking, heavily tattooed queer nun who turns detective to uncover the mystery of arson in a private school. As I read, I was more interested in the protagonist’s relationship with her mother than actually solving the crime. This book is close to my heart because it kept jumping onto my radar from the different bookshops that I visited. Almost all the stores had a personalized recommendation note from an in-store bookseller recommending this book. I am glad I took the advice. Cheers to fantastic book sellers.
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Also Read : Summer Reading List 2023
9. Happiness falls by Angie Kim
Happiness Falls single handedly got me out of a reading slump with its slow burn mystery and impeccable writing. I simply could not turn away from this happy (?) Korean-American family consisting of a father, mother, twins and an autistic son with a rare genetic disorder called Angelman syndrome. The story begins with the father gone missing after he took an evening walk with his autistic son, and unfolds through memories, speculations, police guesswork, and witness records; slowly, unreliably, jaggedly. Kim tastefully brings together the Covid lockdown, legal drama, strained marriage and linguistics in this marvel of a novel. Happiness Falls made me think about happiness, truth and above all, family. More about the book here—We don’t talk about Happiness.
10. Wednesday’s child by Yiyun Li
I don’t think I’ve ever read anything by Yiyun Li and been disappointed. It is slow, meditative and explores familiar themes of contemporary life—alienation, relationship, grief, aging. I was thoroughly invested in all the different characters Yiyun Li introduces through this collection—a woman who keeps receiving unsolicited emails from an older man, a mother who keeps a spreadsheet of the people she lost, a nanny who tries to work with a depressed mother. The short story collection Wednesday’s Child is a treat on a day where nothing other than a good book can save the day, but the catch here is that most of the stories have a quiet, gentle foreboding sadness about them, and yet they manage to make your day better.
11. Fourth wing by Rebecca Yarros
This enemies-to -lovers fantasy novel, set in an elite military school is absolutely addictive in spite of its formulaic and predictable tropes. Most of all I loved the dragons, and yes, I devoured it quickly enough, buying into the #Booktok hype that took over when this book was published. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros is definitely one of the most bingeable books of 2023.
12.Family Game by Catherine Steadman
I love a good thriller that makes me gasp and keeps me on the edge of my seat. Family Game by Catherine Steadman follows a novelist, Harriet Reed, newly engaged to the son of the powerful Holbeck family. At a family dinner, her father-in-law hands her a secret tape that is supposed to be the plot of a new book he is writing. But Reed is suspicious it is a murder confession, and she has secrets of her own to hide.
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Also Read : 70+ Asian books to read in 2023
Honorable mentions for best books of 2023
I loved the trippy world of Rouge by Mona Awad, but I admit it might not be everyone’s cup of tea. I was deeply invested in the millennial marriage showing cracks in Soft Animal by Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan. For a cozy day’s read that makes you miss warm food, read The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai, translated by Jesse Kirkwood is perfect.
I also enjoyed some older books like The Death of Mrs Westaway by Ruth Ware, which was atmospheric narration at its best, We were Sisters by Dorothy Whipple about three sisters and their marriages, and The Cruel Prince series by Holly Black which was absolutely bingeable (be warned of romanticized abuse).The YA thriller mystery, Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley set in an indigenous community was perhaps one of the most enlightening reads of the year for me.
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I hope you had a great reading year in 2023. Which of the above books are you most excited about?
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Interesting selections. I’ve only read Maame