You thought 2022 was a rough year for reading?  Welcome to my 2023 reading list! It’s a total cluster, scrabbled together over the past few weeks from memory and completely out of order. One of my audiobook libraries erased my history – too bad for me – and I vaguely remember reading actual hardcopy books but not a clue which ones. I started and put down as many books as I actually finished. Look – YOU move across country with four kids and see how tracking your books goes. This year was once again heavy on the audiobooks, light on substance. But there were a few gems!

Loved: Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, Nora Goes Off Script, Lessons in Chemistry, The Dead Romantics, The Dutch House

Hated: No hate reads! Just a lot of mediocrity.

1) Thank You For Listening by Julia Whelan (audiobook): I like Julia Whelan as a writer and an audiobook narrator. This was entertaining but nothing too deep.

2) Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson: I read this early in 2023 and I remember I liked but didn’t love it. Well-written and layered with some suspense, but it wasn’t as impactful as other multi-generational family sagas. (Pachinko or Homegoing, for example.)

3) The Measure by Nikki Erlick (audiobook): Intriguing premise, but the story dragged on and felt tedious.

4) Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin: Phenomenal. I know next to nothing about gaming yet this was one of my favorite books of the year. Beautiful and thoughtful and unique; I didn’t want it to end.

5) I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy (audiobook): Eh, this made me uncomfortable – I didn’t know who this actress was but had read some positive reviews of the book. I suppose a few parts were funny, but most of her story is pretty disturbing.

6) Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey (audiobook): This started off strong – the protagonist was funny and self-deprecating – but her narration grew tiresome and obnoxious.

7) The Cloisters by Katy Hays (audiobook): Murder and intrigue in the NY art world should have been interesting. It wasn’t.

8) Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid: I was hoping for another Daisy Jones and the Six and this wasn’t it – but Jenkins Reid’s books are always good if not great. A solid, entertaining story.

9) Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan: LOVED this. Rom-com is not usually my genre, but I adored this. Smart and witty, endearing characters. I flew through it.

10) Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus: Another excellent book. I laughed, I cried. A lot.

11) The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont (audiobook): A fictive story of Agatha Christie’s disappearance – mildly intriguing, but not super memorable.

12) Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey (audiobook): My takeaway from this is:  Matthew McConaughey is a weird dude but can get away with it because he’s extremely attractive. On one hand, I enjoyed listening to him, but on the other hand, there were a lot of parts in this book that didn’t translate well into audio (his “Bumper Stickers,” or motivational quotes, for example – they were disruptive to the narrative, and I would have skimmed them had I read a hardcopy.) There were plenty of amusing anecdotes and some surprisingly sage advice, but a little heavy on self-help for me. Also sorely lacking in Hollywood gossip, which is obviously why I listened to this book in the first place.

13) Now is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson: Good, but not as good as Nothing to See Here. Still worth a read; Wilson is great at quirky – good quirky, not cringey quirky.

14) The Villa by Rachel Hawkins: Mediocre thriller. I think I’ve said before that I’ll read almost anything that takes place in Italy. Enjoyed the setting, but everything else – including the suspense – was meh.

15) Northern Spy by Flynn Berry (audiobook): Non-mediocre thriller! Tense and fast-paced.

16) The French Gift by Kirsty Manning (audiobook): WWII historical fiction/murder mystery that I wouldn’t have read if it hadn’t been a book club selection. The big plot twist was obvious early on. There’s much better female-driven WWII historical fiction to choose from.

17) Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan: Ugh, what a disappointment! After Nora Goes Off Script I couldn’t wait to read this but it was such a dud. As a friend said, the first half read like YA. Not to hate on YA, but that’s not what I was looking for! I have a lot of gripes with this book. One being that the female protagonist was totally pathetic. Another being that she and her mom wanted to put SAND in her wedding invitations! No! That is a terrible idea! Team Hot Dermatologist (read it and you’ll know what I mean.)

18) The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston: I loved this. Delightfully quirky and unexpected. Good banter. Gallows humor. Sweet but not sentimental. Recommend.

19) Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel: If I researched the plots of books before I read them, I would’ve skipped this. Too soon for pandemic/time-travel/dystopian novels for me.

20) Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt (audiobook): I listened to this reluctantly, as I don’t usually enjoy books about animals. (In this case, an octopus.) And I was pleasantly surprised! It was heartwarming! Even the parts with the octopus!

21) The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton: Ughhhh. Grim and depressing.

22) The Bodyguard by Katherine Center (audiobook): The Bodyguard began my Katherine Center audiobook journey. Her books were all perfectly nice escapism. And all exactly the same. Two unlikely love interests, some flirty banter, some sad backstory and a seemingly insurmountable obstacle, and boom – happily ever after. Sorry if I spoiled anything. But these were also just what I needed as I settled in and unpacked after our move – some easy, low-stakes entertainment.

23) Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center (audiobook): See above.

24) How to Walk Away by Katherine Center (audiobook): See above.

25) The Change by Kirsten Miller (audiobook): Yeah I really should research the books I read before I read them – I was not expecting a book about a lot of dead and missing girls and a trio of older women with supernatural abilities trying to solve their murders/avenge them. Reminded me of The Power but with women of a certain age.

26) In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren (audiobook): I hated the one Christina Lauren book I’ve ever read (The Unhoneymooners), but I am committed to listening to holiday romances while I wrap Christmas presents and was running low on options. And this was fine! It involved time-travel, which was unexpected! Not the worst holiday book I’ve read, but not the best either.

27) Bad Vibes Only (And Other Things I Bring to the Table) by Nora McInerny (audiobook): This is a memoir but had a similar vibe as Really Good, Actually. Humorous, self-deprecating with some touches of sadness. I didn’t love it but there were moments that shined. One story that stuck with me is how the author forgot her son in a hot car for several hours. (Her son was fine.) It was gut-wrenching but humanizing. The other story that stuck with me – her connection to the sociopath psychiatrist from The Shrink Next Door podcast. Wild! What an unexpected journey this book was!

28) The Dutch House by Ann Patchett: Sigh. I love Ann Patchett. Does that make me basic? I don’t care. She is such a wonderful writer. Just a lovely book.

29) The Woman in Me by Britney Spears (audiobook): Obviously I listened to this immediately after it was released. Michelle Williams did an excellent job with the narration. Props to her. Now – onto Britney. Oof. The writing is… exactly what I would have expected, but it sure did make me feel sad for her. Particularly when she wrote about her kids. Heartbreaking. If you’re a child of the 90s you’ll probably appreciate this book.

And for fun, here are some books I started but didn’t finish – all nonfiction, and all by exceptional authors. I plan to tackle them this year, and highly recommend adding any or all to your lists.

1) Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe

2) Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

3) Facing the Mountain by Daniel James Brown

4) River of the Gods by Candice Millard

Your turn! I’d love to know your faves from last year! What did you hate? What are you looking forward to this year? Happy Reading!