The Best Books I Read in 2023

plus my personal ten commandments of reading

Photo by Daniel Williams

As someone who reviewed advance copies for publishers like Bethany House, Berkley, and William Morrow for a few years, I’m tempted to be a smidge disgruntled about the books I read in 2023. I read a lot of so-so books this year, and I also read less this year, if my Goodreads record is to be trusted.

So, I’m gonna take my own advice. Ready?

1. Measuring your reading life in numbers is no way to live, Caroline.

2. It’s okay to read what brings you joy and lights your fire even if it’s not buzzy on BookTok.

3. It’s not a sin to put books down. Even if it’s forever. Gasp.

4. There are amazing benefits in A) reading alone, B) reading/discussing chapter by chapter with one friend, and C) reading/discussing an entire book with a book club, so be open to all of the above.

5. Audiobooks are real books. (You’d think this would be duh to everyone, but no.)

6. Don’t be afraid to try new. Reading fiction is not a cop-out, and nonfiction doesn’t have to be dry.

7. The book police aren’t going to knock on your door if you dogear, underline, or highlight. Just don’t drop copies in the bath, ‘mkay? Moving on.

8. Romance isn’t unrealistic and being a decent human shouldn’t be considered fantasy. (One day, I’m gonna write a whole gosh-darn essay on this, but until then, click and scroll for our convo about James Alexander Malcolm Mackenzie Fraser.)

9. Borrowing books from the library opens worlds just as much as two-story shelves with gilded spines and a rolling ladder and flickering candles and antique window seats and a fireplace and stacks of stationery… and no, I definitely don’t dream about my own Beauty and the Beast library, why—why—would you ever ask that? But to my point: I love my local library.

10. If you have kiddos in your life, be a person who READS ALOUD TO THEM. A LOT. Fan that story-lovin’ spark early.

said local library

*sips latte, checks notes*

Let’s dive into my favorite books of 2023. These aren’t all critically acclaimed and I might not have given them all five stars. But they all stood out and stayed with me!

The Next Right Thing by Emily P. Freeman

What a gentle book. I’m using her guided journal too, and both have been so helpful as she explores soul care and how to make decisions. It’s comforting to realize that I can do the next right thing and not live stuck in the future or the past. Emily is a bright spot of hope and discipleship on the internet and her work is kind, wise, and bold.

Anything by Anthony Horowitz, especially the Hawthorne series.

If you like Agatha Christie, BBC mysteries, or, specifically, Foyle’s War (written by Horowitz himself), these whodunnits will thrill you. Anthony’s wit is superb, the writing is smooth and whip-smart, the settings make my Anglophile heart happy, and the creativity makes me laugh out loud. The audiobooks narrated by Rory Kinnear are excellent.

Happy Place and Beach Read by Emily Henry

Both are billed as lighthearted romances but they pack a gut punch between the repartee and warm (spicy) fuzzies. I read each on a separate trip, and they are perfect—I repeat, PERFECT—spring or summer vacation reads. However, if you relate at all to the characters, you’ll probably laugh and cry, so be prepared for odd looks at the beach.

Why We Create edited by Jane Clark Scharl and Brian Brown

This was my FAVORITE book this year, as I told Ekstasis magazine. This collaborative effort, headed up by the Anselm Society, explains what it means to have a Christian imagination— to be a subcreator made in the image of a Creator. Each chapter is by a different author and the result is full-bodied and thought-provoking. “The world God has made is neither spiritually irrelevant nor spiritually ultimate. He made us for more than we have yet seen in this world—and yet He placed us in it.”

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

This was not a book I would have chosen myself, which is the beauty of book clubs! It’s a 500-page whopper of a sci-fi novel but I tell you, I was ENGROSSED. I can’t say everything I loved about it without spoilers, but Andy Weir is a freaking genius who turned complicated science into a page-turner, tender in its humanity and hope.

Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy

Expect an over-the-top ending and a load of trigger warnings, but ooof this one made my jaw drop. Inti is a biologist who works with wolves, reintroducing them into the wild Scottish Highlands. She also has a neurological condition called mirror-touch synesthesia that causes her to physically feel any sensations she witnesses with her eyes. If those aren’t a recipe for a perfect literary thriller, there’s also a murder mystery and the stakes are HIGH.

Atomic Habits by James Clear

I listened to the audiobook read by the author, and yep, it lives up to the hype. It actually doesn’t beat you over the head and is doable and practical on the atomic level of tiny habits and choices. It’s a great companion to Emily Freeman’s book above, and I’ll be rereading it in 2024.

Good Boundaries and Goodbyes by Lysa TerKeurst

The subtitle is Loving Others Without Losing the Best of Who You Are and it’s for us people-pleasers. She explores a balanced view of what it means to love others by doing what’s best for them, based on her own story.

“I had the wrong notion that to be a Christian requires that we believe the best, no matter what. That it’s unkind to draw boundaries; that it’s noble and commendable to stay in a relationship no matter what. I no longer believe any of that. I now believe we must honor what honors God.”

Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear by Jinger Duggar

I have mixed feelings about this one, and the editing errors were unfortunate. But I believe that her message is important, and it was a confirming read. I’m glad she spoke out and used her platform in a wise and graceful way. I personally recommend this before diving into the Shiny Happy People docuseries or Counting the Cost, which are, respectively, a deconstructed perspective and an exposé.

And there you have it, the roundup of my most notable books this year! I’d love to hear what you’ve been reading.