Happy New Year to me! Behold, a fresh stack to start 2024.
Is there a better gift than a book? Santa & Friends were good to me, and I’m starting the new year with a fresh mix of literary delights.
But first, I’m looking back. It was a good year in books.
I don’t track the number of books read, though I typically complete at least one book a week, and two to three when I’m zipping along. Let’s say I read 100 books in 2023. Of those, here are my top picks (these are books read, not necessarily published, in 2023):
FICTION
They’re Going to Love You by Meg Howrey
Beautiful! Every page, in every way. Best book of 2023!
Trust by Hernan Diaz
With inventive storytelling and tricky maneuvers, this 2022 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel is both unexpected and engaging.
No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister
A fresh take on my favorite topic: books! How does one action affect another? This weaving of lifelines is touching, tender, true. A feel-good book!
The Index of Self-Destructive Acts by Christopher Beha
An absorbing sprawl of a novel. This complex family tale enthralled me.
Mouth to Mouth by Antoine Wilson
A sly, suspenseful novel in which a man slowly unwinds his tale of his success. Intimate and engaging, this book is a slow burn.
NONFICTION
That Good Night: Life and Medicine in the Eleventh Hour by Sunati Puri
Best nonfiction of 2023! A compassionate and profound book that blends personal story with loving suggestions for end-of-life preparation.
The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel
The true story of a young couple who stole over $2 billion dollars worth of artwork in less than 10 years. This astounding story is meticulously researched and written so smoothly that the true-crime tale reads like riveting fiction.
The People’s Hospital: Hope and Peril in American Medicine by Ricardo Nuila
With great empathy, Dr. Nuila reveals the roots of our broken healthcare system and introduces a working model that values people over payment.
Violation: Collected Essays by Sallie Tisdale
Oregon writer Sallie Tisdale is endlessly curious and has trained her insight on everything from nursing homes to elephants to reality television.
POETRY
Love and Other Poems by Alex Dimitrov
Dimitrov’s third book of poetry feels fresh and unfettered with language that is conversational and of-the-moment.
The Lord and the General Din of the World by Jane Mead
A beautiful, complicated, treasure of a book!
Concerning That Prayer I Cannot Make (an excerpt)
I am not equal to my longing.
Somewhere there should be a place
the exact shape of my emptiness—
there should be a place
responsible for taking one back.
The river, of course, has no mercy—
it just lifts the dead fish
toward the sea.
Listen—
all you bare trees
burrs
brambles
piles of twigs
red and green lights flashing
muddy bottle shards
shoe half buried—listen
listen, I am holy.
— Jane Mead
Tell me: What are your best books of 2023? And what’s next on your list?
I always enjoy hearing from you. Send light, write to me.