The best books I read in 2023

all of which I gave 5 stars on GoodReads

People always ask how I squeeze in reading, but I truly believe it’s the same as anything else - if it’s something you enjoy doing and it makes you feel good, you have to prioritise it and make time for it. Reading is also a good hobby if you’re a new mother (like me), because you have to stay in for nap times and the evenings when the baby is asleep in bed. Perhaps it would be tricker if my hobby was going to the gym or something outside of the house that he couldn’t accompany me to!

I always read every evening before bed, my boyfriend and I tend to go up at about 8:30pm and read until 9:30pm (yes, we like to be asleep by 10pm latest - it’s the only way to get through life with a little one), and then on days where I’m not working and am on my own with our son, I read when he naps. In terms of getting things done around the house like tidying up, doing the dishwasher etc. - my best piece of advice is do it when the baby is awake! He either crawls around the kitchen floor whilst I clean up, (he loves to play with a saucepan and a wooden spoon), or I do it with him on my hip. That way, when he goes down for a nap, I can chill out too.

Last year, I read some incredible books and thought I would share them with you. I read 24 books in total, 6 of which blew me away and were pretty much perfect books in my eyes. I use Good Reads to track my books, you can follow me there if you’re interested and want real time updates of what I’m reading, but I just use it as a reading log book for myself. The star rating on Good Reads is 1-5 and these books were my 5 stars of the year.

devastated I couldn’t find Tom Lake when taking this photo

My 5 star reads - in the order that I read them, not in order of preference.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

This was my first book of 2023, so I felt very lucky to have picked something that I loved so much. It always feels like a good to start the year on a reading high! Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow was a really different read for me, as it’s about video games which is something I know nothing about (nor do I have an interest in). I can’t remember what made me pick it up, probably the hype at the time, but I’m so glad I did as it was a really easy read, but also very good. It’s a story of two friends and their love of video games and their complicated relationship with each other. I think Zevin touches on jealousy and misunderstanding in a unique and thoughtful way and she also developed the characters so well that I found myself thinking about them whilst brushing my teeth days after finishing the book.

Darling by India Knight

Darling was just a complete joy to read. It’s a modern re-telling of The Pursuit of Love, which you absolutely don’t need to have read, but if you have, you’ll know the story. I don’t think it spoils it at all though, as Knight reimagines the characters with such charm and wit, you’ll just fall in love with reading their story regardless of knowing the general plot. A teenage girl (Linda) lives in the middle of nowhere (Norfolk - where I am from - to be exact!) with her rock-star father, boho mother, lots of siblings and her cousin. The story is narrated by the cousin (Frances) and we follow Linda through her life and specifically on her quest for love. This book was such a comfort read for me, I kept stopping if I was reading next to my boyfriend on the sofa just to to tell him how brilliant and funny and heartwarming it was. I would recommend this to everyone.

Betty by Tiffany McDaniel

If I *had* to choose a favourite out of all my top reads of last year, this would be it. Betty well and truly stole my heart. It’s a coming of age story set in a fictional Ohio town of Breathed in the 1960’s. This story is not for the faint-hearted. It’s heart-wrenchingly tragic and quite disturbing with themes of racism, violence, poverty and depression, but it’s also one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. I am a sucker for a father/daughter dynamic and Betty’s father, Landon, is one of my favourite fictional fathers of all time. The exquisite writing, Landon’s stories and McDaniel capturing the strength of a family bond so perfectly are the light within this dark story.

Circe by Madeline Miller

Oooooo I just adored Circe!! It was brilliant and fierce and powerful. Circe is the tale of a complex nymph-turned-witch heroine and her journey to freedom. I was captivated from start to finish thanks to Miller’s extraordinary and beautiful writing, lots of adventure and a mother/son relationship that left me with a lump in my throat unable to move from the garden chair for about 30 minutes after finishing this one. Whether you’re a fan of Greek Mythology, fantasy or even just READING - you will love Circe, I promise you. It’s so intelligent and there are so many quotes I wished I highlighted whilst reading (do you guys highlight quotes? I often take photos of pages on my phone, but I feel sad as I never really return to them). I will 100% be re-reading all of these top books of 2023 at some point and cannot wait to dive back into the world of Circe, until then, it has a very special place in my heart.

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

If you want to read something that will be comforting and cosy with the most satisfying ending, read Tom Lake. It's a story within a story and sometimes I find this set up difficult to get into, but the writing is perfect, moving seamlessly back and forth between past and present - a joy to read. It's about three daughters (all grown up) who return to their parent's cherry farm during the pandemic (very important note here that the pandemic is barely mentioned at all which I was thankful for - I’ve had enough Covid chat for a good ten years!), and since they are just hanging out all day picking cherries, the daughters demand their mother tells them a story from her past they have always wanted to know about. It's a quiet, cosy, yet emotionally impactful novel that you just never want to end with a beautiful exploration of what it means to be happy, love and the lives mothers lived before their children. I just loved it so much.

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

Like Betty, this book is not for the faint-hearted, but if you can bear it, it’s an important story about real issues that will open your heart like no other. It's a modern adaptation of Dicken's David Copperfield, but set in Virginia highlighting the opioid crisis (same with Darling, you don’t need to have read David Copperfield to read this - I did when I was in school, but don’t remember the whole story). Demon Copperhead is such a special book, it's deep and emotional and raw and the writing is perhaps some of the most beautiful I've ever read, especially against the backdrop of some of the darkest storylines. It's not an easy or comfortable read that's for sure, but Kingsolver finds a way to add light and wit to almost every page. It's so rare to come across a book where you know the characters will stay with you forever and so I will really treasure this one. I feel like I watched Demon grow up in these pages and I promise you, he is a character you will completely fall in love with and care for deeply, well I certainly did.

What were your favourite books of last year? Let me know in the comments, I love a good recommendation.