Sarah’s Top 10 Books of 2023
Perhaps I say this every year, but 2023 was really an exceptional year for reading. Several of the books on this list felt like a flower delicately blooming out of the mud of life, and it was truly almost impossible to pick out 10 of the 104 (and counting!) books I read this year. I received so much comfort and joy from these books in the moments when I needed it most, and I hope they might provide the same for anyone who stumbles across this list. As always, these are not necessarily books published in 2023, as you will see quite clearly — they’re just the ones I read and loved within this year.
10. In Pain: A Bioethicist’s Personal Struggle with Opioids by Travis Rieder
This is one of those rare books that is incredibly informative, but also compulsively readable. Rieder’s writing style is super approachable, and it’s genuinely incredible how candid and vulnerable he is able to be about some of the most horrific experiences in his life. Through his story, I was able to learn so much about how we view and treat pain and the inherent flaws in that system. If you are even a smidge curious about opioids or pain management, pick this one up. The audiobook is narrated by the author as well, which I always find to be a nice touch.
9. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
I was a bit reluctant to pick this one up because my dystopian era ended when I was 15 or so, but I was intrigued by one of the author’s more recent books and some internet person mentioned that they were all connected. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised. Station Eleven is not some sweeping dystopian epic, but rather a narrow window into the lives of a very few characters living the best they can. It’s what The Road by Cormac McCarthy wishes it could be. The book follows several characters who are loosely acquainted with the actor Arthur Leander, who has a heart attack on stage right before the outbreak of a deadly flu. It toggles back and forth between pre- and post-flu, showing us Arthur’s first wife, whose life’s work is a comic called, of course, Station Eleven, and Kirsten Raymonde, an actress who joins the Traveling Symphony after the pandemic, along with several other characters.
Though this novel certainly has a gripping plot, it has even more atmosphere. My favorite were the quiet moments when the characters would stop to appreciate the artistry of the world, whether that be a field of wildflowers or the slanting angles of an office building. Though the whole pandemic aspect might be a bit too relatable for some, don’t write this book off just because of that. For me, it provided a helpful reminder that life changes, and we change with it, but there will always be peaceful and joyful moments to savor.
8. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
As you will see, I’m in my classics era, and Their Eyes Were Watching God is still in circulation for a reason. Zora Neale Hurston is probably one of the most talented writers to ever live, and the beauty of the language in this book is just unmatched. Not to mention the plot, which sucks you in and won’t let go. Yes, you could easily do a deep literary analysis of this book, but you could just as easily read it for pure pleasure.
This book is essentially the life story of Janie Crawford, who evolves from a naïve girl dreaming of blossoming like a tree into an independent woman who drinks fully from the cup of life and refuses to be tied down by convention. Is the writing style a bit intimidating at first? Absolutely, but you will fall into its rhythm easily, and the characters are so endearing that you will be pleased to spend time with them.
7. The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
Is this a red flag book? Yes. Is it also an absolute banger? You know it. Salinger writes from the point of view of the infamously whiny Holden Caulfield, a rich brat who drops out of boarding school and traipses around New York City. I’m aware that I’m not exactly selling it, but trust me on this one. Caulfield is an angsty teen, but he is also an incredibly interesting and entertaining narrator. The book, as I read it, is about attempting to cope with a sadness so large that you don’t know what to do with it. It makes the rest of the world appear ridiculous, and sometimes it makes you feel pretty ridiculous too. I think we’ve probably all been there, and if you haven’t, don’t worry — you’ll get there eventually.
In short, I love this book, and you can’t judge me for that until you read it too. If you read it in school, that doesn’t count. Give it another try.
6. The Magician’s Daughter by H. G. Parry
A brief break from your regularly scheduled classics to talk about a fantasy book, which is a genre that rarely makes it onto my list. That should tell you just how good this one is. The Magician’s Daughter follows Biddy, a non-magical girl who lives on a magical island with the magician Rowan and his familiar, the rabbit Hutch. Though Biddy is not allowed to leave the island, one night, when Rowan fails to return, she must venture into his dreams to save him. Naturally, she becomes entangled in his various magical exploits and learns the secrets he had hoped to keep from her.
This book is a perfect mixture of cozy and enthralling, with a meticulous plot and loveable characters. It’s just about the perfect book for the start of fall, when you can finally start enjoying a hot cup of tea while you watch the leaves turn.
5. Stoner by John Williams
I have to give a shout-out to a certain someone for heavily recommending this book to me. When I read the introduction, I thought it was just going to be another one of those literary novels that was written by a male author for a male audience, with women sketched out briefly in the background as wives and mothers. I was wrong, and I’m grateful that I didn’t completely write off this book despite my misgivings.
Stoner is the life story of the eponymous William Stoner, a rural nobody in Missouri who falls in love with English literature and devotes his life to it. The writing is very straight-forward and the content is very slice-of-life, but Williams somehow still managed to distill life down to its essence AND to write one of the most banging paragraphs I’ve ever read. I will share it here in hopes that it will convince you to pick up this book.
“Then he smiled fondly, as if at a memory; it occurred to him that he was nearly sixty years old and that he ought to be beyond the force of such passion, of such love.
“But he was not beyond it, he knew, and would never be. Beneath the numbness, the indifference, the removal, it was there, intense and steady; it had always been there. In his youth he had given it freely, without thought; he had given it to the knowledge that had been revealed to him — how many years ago? — by Archer Sloane; he had given it to Edith, in those first blind foolish days of his courtship and marriage; and he had given it to Katherine, as if it had never been given before. He had, in odd ways, given it to every moment of his life, and had perhaps given it most fully when he was unaware of his giving. It was a passion neither of the mind nor of the flesh; rather it was a force that comprehended them both, as if they were but the matter of love, its specific substance. To a woman or to a poem, it said simply: Look! I am alive.”
4. What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma by Stephanie Foo
I did not just enjoy this book; I admire and respect this book, and by extension, its author. Stephanie Foo truly bared her soul in this book, sharing not only the traumatic events of her childhood but also her process of healing and her real therapy sessions, which is pretty much the most vulnerable it gets. Though I cannot relate to many of Foo’s life experiences, her story still gave me so much optimism for my own journey through life, and hope that those around me can also heal from whatever ails them.
Foo is simply a master storyteller, and somehow, even though this book is such a tough read, it’s also impossible to put down. Of course, be sure to look up trigger warnings and take care when deciding to pick this one up. I found it to be profoundly hopeful in the end, and I hope that others can also power through the earlier scenes to receive Foo’s wisdom. I highly recommend the audiobook, which is narrated by Foo and also contains actual recordings of her therapy sessions.
3. We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman
Once again, get ready to cry! Our leading lady Ashley has a best friend, Edi, who has just entered hospice care for cancer, and the story involves Ash coping with her friend’s eventual and inevitable death. Though that sounds extraordinarily depressing, this book is somehow extremely funny and sweet and full of hope and love. Rather than exploration of death, it’s a celebration and appreciation of the ugly and messy parts of life. The book teems with a cast of quirky characters, all surrounding Ash and Edi’s steadfast friendship. This book made me so grateful for all the wonderful people in my own life. Pick it up, and you’ll probably finish it within three days. It’s that good.
2. Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout
Elizabeth Strout is now a repeat offender — she was also on last year’s list for My Name is Lucy Barton. I read several more of her books this year, but I just find myself so drawn to Lucy as a narrator. Oh William! is the third book in a loose series surrounding Lucy and her hometown of Amgash, Illinois. This one contains her reflections on her first husband, William, and the dialogue is just…wow. Strout does subtly like no one else and captures the minute feelings of her characters so acutely. I can’t say that I relate to Lucy Barton, but I certainly love her. She is so afraid of life, and yet manages to dive into it with her whole heart. This book feels like the best kind of heartache. Special shoutout to Kimberly Farr for her extraordinary narration of all the Amgash audiobooks. Her voice is the voice of Lucy Barton in my head.
1. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
With how much praise I’ve been heaping on the books in this list, you might think you can imagine how good Demon Copperhead is. Guess what — it’s even better than that. Inspired by David Copperfield, this book is narrated by a boy nicknamed Demon who grows up in Appalachia with a drug-addict mother and not many prospects. The book follows him through foster care, football stardom, addiction, and all that American poverty has to throw at him.
The writing is really propelled along by Demon’s insatiable charm. Kingsolver must have some sort of magical powers because I really cannot imagine how she managed to create such a loveable character. Whenever he made a stupid decision, I found myself resisting the urge to yell at the book. The real triumph of this book is that Kingsolver has managed to humanize the opioid crisis, along with other uniquely American ills, like the foster care system. She portrays how personable individuals who are full of life and joy can fall into suffering, just by virtue of being born in the wrong circumstances, while also telling an absorbing and emotionally wrenching tale. Though this is a chunky one, you will be hooked by the first page, and it’s an effortless read after that. And don’t worry — you don’t have to read David Copperfield first, but you could read it alongside In Pain if you’d like a really comprehensive look at the opioid crisis.
That just about wraps up this year. I hope everyone out there had a wonderful 2023, and that you will pick up at least one of these books to make your new year even better.
