My Favorite Fiction Books of 2023

Hi friends!!

I’m excited to be sharing my Top 10 Fiction Books of the year. As an avid reader I am always looking for my next good book to wander into and get lost in. Some of these are new releases & a few are older books I’d never read. Hopefully, you’ll put some of these 5 star worthy books on your TBR list. (5 stars is the highest rating on goodreads, so that’s the rating system I use.) I’m including my review from each book. I read about 60 books a year. Some are quick, light reads, some are thrillers, some are serious historical fiction and some are memoirs. I’m on goodreads, you can see everything I’ve read there.

Photo by Shunya Koide on UnsplashTom Lake

FICTION

Tom Lake

by Ann Patchett

My Review:

5 ⭐️!!!

1. Listen to this book. It’s narrated by Meryl Streep.

2. Meryl Streep has a very soothing voice (she could have a future in acting 😂😂😂)

3. How does Ann Patchett get these famous people to narrate her books?

The book itself unfolds in Ann’s typical rich & beautiful way. Her stories are slow & her character development is excellent. This is the story of Lara who is in her mid 50’s. She’s at home with her grown daughters, due to the pandemic, and finally has time to answer their questions about her relationship with movie star Peter Duke before she met and married their Dad. I really liked it. Ann weaves her tale through past and present. She explores young love, lasting lifetime love, family dynamics, and children viewing their parents differently as they themselves age. I adore that it features a middle aged main character. It’s the first book I’ve read that has handled the Covid 19 Pandemic setting in a great way. 👍🏻👍🏻

All the Broken Places: The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas #2

by John Boyne

My Review:

5 Stars! This book was such a surprise to me! I had no idea that their was a sequel in the works to The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. (Also, as an American, I adore the European spelling of pajamas. It makes me feel very British to spell it this way. :) What a treat to stumble upon it on goodreads because a friend read and liked it. This sequel centers around Gretel (the sister in the first book.) It’s a dual timeline starting at age 15 as she and her mother begin again and try to shed their connection to their horrific past. The second timeline is present day Gretel, who at 91 is finally ready to come to terms with all that was.

The Secret History

by Donna Tartt

My Review:

5 ⭐️ This is an incredibly intelligent & interesting book. I can’t believe I’d never heard of it. 🤷🏼‍♀️ It begins with the murder of a friend by his friends 😳. I can’t convey how compelling this book was, considering we already knew the main plot point, I couldn’t stop reading it. Also, I keep wondering are there people like these college kids in real life who are this intellectual? Reading classics in their spare time & studying Ancient Greek as their major? Wow! I’m making it sound boring and it’s not, so I’ll end my review here. I’m pretty sure I’ll re-read this one.

Note: I read this book rather than listen & it felt extremely appropriate to do so 📚👀

Demon Copperhead

by Barbara Kingsolver

My Review:

5 ⭐️ I forgot how masterful a writer Barbara Kingsolver is!

I LOVED this book. I particularly enjoyed listening to it. The narrator was perfect. His voice brought Demon to life. It could’ve been shorter. It was a long, winding, sad tale…but in many ways so is life. Great job BK!!

The Nightengale

by Kristin Hannah

My Review:

10 ⭐️ out of 5! (Lol) This was a RE-READ for me. I read this book in 2015 when it first came out & remember I loved it. I forgot HOW MUCH I loved it!! I think this is Kristin Hannah’s BEST book she’s written. The characters were so real. The plot kept me glued to the book (even though I remembered generally what was going to happen.) It is beautifully written. I’m glad Reese picked this book. She made me want to re-read it.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

My Review:

5 ⭐️!!

I can’t believe I waited so long to read this book. It’s a book I’ve often seen mentioned as many reader’s favorite book. I listened to it, & highly recommend the audio version. Betty Smith captures life in Brooklyn NY in the early 1900’s through our young narrator’s (Francie) eyes.

I loved the way Betty writes. Currently hopping off to google what else she’s written.

The Book of Lost Names

My Review:

5 ⭐️ I surprised myself by liking this book. Only because I’ve read a lot of historical fiction about WW2 & even the holocaust. This book grabbed my attention & made me want to keep reading. I re-read Kristin Hannah’s The Nightengale earlier this year, & think this book makes an excellent companion to it.

All the Light We Cannot See

FIVE STARS!! This book is beautifully written. It’s another book that I often see mentioned as people’s favorite book. I did something I never do which is to watch the 4 episode series on Netflix first. It is sooooo good. It made me want to read the book. The book is a little different from the series, but in a lot of ways very similar. It gives a lot more details and back story, especially of Werner before meeting Marie. If you haven’t read the book, I highly recommend it!!

The Villa

My Review:

5⭐️ What a captivating thriller. Present & past were both well done. Lots of twists. I didn’t want to stop listening.

**Warning: There is 1 sex scene in this book. Made me say hmm? 😳

** Related: Why aren’t books rated?

The Celebrants

My Review:

5 ⭐️ I love this author. Just like his previous book The Guncle, Steven Rowley injects humor into his characters & I’m here for it. I love the way he develops his characters in his novels. They all seem real. It made me long for friends like those group. This book is an updated take on The Big Chill, which makes me love it even more. This group of friends gathers over several decades to celebrate each member’s funeral while they are still alive. What a beautiful concept to let us here our loved ones thoughts about us. Steven is an excellent writer. This is a quick, fun read (or listen!)

Here are my favorite Memoirs from 2023.

Happy reading!

Xo,

Kathi

P.S. If you’ve enjoyed reading, send some hearts (click the ❤️), comment 💬 or restack🔁 on Substack or share on social media. Thanks so much! Xo