I read 46 books in 2023 – 9 less than I wanted to, but life happened and I just couldn’t make the time to finish. As you can tell, life continued to happen because I’m barely getting to writing a 2023 post and it’s about to be April 2024 😅
Started the year off with Fredrik Backman’s Anxious People. Like a lot of Backman’s other books, this was a great read that kept me engaged throughout. I especially enjoyed the plot twist at the end and how wholesome the story turned out to be.
Joy: Poems of Love, Life, and Fate was a quick reminder that poetry isn’t always a hit with me.
Orgullo Prieto was a solid read and I would’ve liked it even more if the sexual harassment charges hadn’t been brought up shortly after I finished reading the book.
Spare was painful to get through. It’s hard to empathize with someone whose biggest woe is that they’re always 2nd to the heir.
The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School was a wholesome YA book about a young Latina getting to learn more about her queerness – 30/10 recommend!
Before I Do sounded like a better book than it turned out to be, but still a solid read.
Maame was another great read. It was emotional and hits home – especially if you are a young woman who is stepping up and taking on roles you may or may not be too young to be filling.
The Tyranny of Desire was an absolutely terrible book. If I could pretend like I didn’t read it and erase it from my memory I would.
Take the Lead & Off the Map were 2 easy romance books that had enough lighthearted content to erase the previously mentioned book.
Us Against You – another Fredrik Backman banger – is meant to be the 2nd part of Beartown (which I realized after I finished Us Against You).
I thoroughly enjoyed part i + ii of Beartown (and have been meaning to read part iii so maybe that’ll get done in 2024).
Hotel of Secrets + Rocky Mountain High-Jinx were good romance novels.
The Wellness Blueprint was a free audiobook I received and it had solid advice (but nothing gr8).
For Colored Girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf was an interesting read – and one of the few books I didn’t actually rate because I feel like this one could be subjective in a way that I can’t really decide for everyone.
The Haunting of Alejandra was an almost-DNF’d book but I’m glad I kept pushing through because it turned out to be a good read.
Promises of Gold is a collection of poems by a Mex-Am man. I wish I could say I loved it, but to be honest there was something ~different~ about reading a book by a man.
Quietly Hostile is a collection of essays; some were relatable, others were hot-mess-express-yikes essays, but overall a solid and entertaining read.
Planes, Trains and all the Feels was a quick read. Some chunks were super unrealistic, but was still entertaining that I could recommend.
Crying in HMart was a lowkey depressing memoir. Highkey recommend it though!
The Rachel Incident and Happy Place were medium-paced novels that relied heavily on character development.
I really wanted to like Play to Win & Get a Life, Chloe Brown because I love to read romance novels not written for the white gaze, but these weren’t good. 🙁
I tend to stay away from horror / mystery books because the occult stresses me out, but Silver Nitrate‘s plot kept pulling me back in. Moreno-Garcia does a good job of explaining film concepts, while also telling her story and developing her characters.
Some Kind of Blunderful was a great romance novel and I 20/10 recommend
Our Wives, Under the Sea was a bit hard for me to understand and get through. I don’t know if I missed the metaphor or what, but it was as clear as the face on the cover.
Thank You for Sharing was solid. I liked that Liyah was a complex queer character and that Daniel was so accepting. That being said, there were chunks that were annoying af.
Mexican Gothic (!!!) was wild. Parts were disturbing af and I prob can’t re-read because of the implied incest and weird ending, but def think you should read at least once.
The Woman in Me was ok. I know I gave it 5 stars, but to be honest, if it would’ve been somebody else, I probably would have given it 3. I just love Britney and think she’s been through so much so I’m glad she was able to tell her story in her own words.
Deliver Us from Evil was a recounting of the Sodi sisters’ kidnapping 😮💨 I had no idea that this happened when I was growing up and listening to her story was so sad.
Love Interest, Icebreaker, Plot Twist, and Friends Don’t Fall in Love were all just-ok romance novels. Icebreaker was ridiculously long so that’s the only one I’d probably say isn’t worth starting haha
Kiss Her Once for Me – charming lesbian romance novel 10/10 recommend.
A Year of Last Things – a collection of poems that I just quite couldn’t get into.
Codename Charming is a presh novel. 20/10 recommend.
The World Record Book of Racist Stories is eye-opening.
To Have & To Hoax – could-skip romance novel.
I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki was another one I didn’t rate. Not for me, but might be for you!
Lovelight Farms is a presh romance novel that takes place on a Christmas Tree farm.
VIOLA DAVIS can I just say – AMAZING (!!!) Finding Me was probably one of the best (if not the best of) 2023 books. Literally obsessed and if you read this and send me a message I will buy you a copy (jk but maybe not 👀).
The Collected Regrets of Clover had me cryING – a great read that I highly recommend.
The Art of Gathering is a non-fiction book about making gatherings more effective. It has definitely helped shape my future gatherings and gave me a lot of insight I appreciated.
If you made it this far, you’re the MVP fr fr. Let me know if you decide to read any of the books I recommended above. and if you’ve read any of the ones I hated on, I’d also love to hear your take on those. Happy Reading, y’all! ✨