I recommitted to reading consistently last year and am proud to say I read 36 books in 2023. I love to read, always have. But in the past few years, I found I wasn’t reaching for a book very often. It just wasn’t a priority for me, nor a habit. To rectify this, I intentionally set a goal around reading. My goal in committing to reading more was to:

1. Stop spending so much time online - both social media and TV

2. Spend my time doing something that makes me think

3. Engage my creativity more - I find the more I read, the better my imagination and creativity.

I accomplished all of these goals and as I look back over what I read in 2023, there were a few that left a lasting impression. Narrowing down my top five wasn’t easy, but the ones I’ve chosen stuck with me for one reason or another. Read on as I recap my top five books. Want to see all the books read in 2023? You can check them out on my bookshelf page.

. ** Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org where your purchases support local bookstores. I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase on any of the links below. **

The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese

If I were to rank the books of 2023, this would be my number 1 pick. I don’t know if it’s because I loved the epic story that spanned 100 years of a family, the fact that it’s set in Kerala (where my husband’s family is from), or the suspense over what would happen, how the characters are interconnected, and how the family will survive. From the opening pages, I was invested. I felt for Big Ammachi and all that she experienced in her life. Her triumphs and tragedies. She is a true matriarch looking after her family and people, making sacrifices for the whole. The book is long, but so well written that you are pulled in and feel as though you are living through the lives of each character. Masterfully pieced together and beautifully written, I highly recommend reading this book.

Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro

All the books I loved the most this year seem to be around families and relationships. Signal Fires was another book that moved me and sat in my head for weeks after I finished it. Secrets, loss, love and how we navigate them and how they shape who we become. The book expertly tells the story of two families, intertwining their timelines over 50 years. Each character tells their story and I love how they see what has happened differently. Really showing how each of us have our own realities. We’re impacted by events differently, and that shapes who we become. It’s a book about life that is relatable and beautiful.

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

I thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful and entertaining book. It was a quick and easy read told from the perspectives of Marcellus, a giant Pacific Octopus, and Tova, a retiree who has experienced so much loss in her life. It’s a book about friendships, family, and loneliness. I fell in love the Marcelleus. His antics escaping his tank, his connection to Tova, and his intellect. While light hearted, this book shows how grief and loneliness can overtake us, but how we can also be kept afloat by a single relationship. This was definitely a feel good book for me and I will be reading it again.

The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

I love historical fiction and The Personal Librarian was a story I was not familiar with. Imagine being a black woman in the 1920’s passing for white and landing the job of a lifetime. Knowing that you need to keep your secret or all will be lost. And yet that secret is also who you are, do you lose yourself while doing so? Belle de Costa Greene’s accomplishments are incredible and to look back and realize she had to do it all while covering up the fact that she was black makes it all the more compelling. None of this would have been available to her otherwise. She overcame all the limitations society put on both women and, more importantly, black women at that time (and TBH right now as well). As she navigated the world of high society, challenging norms, I thought could I forsake who I am to have a chance at my dreams? I’ve lived a privileged life where I haven’t had to find out.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

I connected with the characters of this book unlike I have in most books. The story of Sam and Sadie from teens up through adulthood was so well written. Capturing their ups and downs, loves and losses, egos and insecurities, at times I felt like Sam and others Sadie. Being able to put yourself into the character and feel what they are going through is powerful. I was hooked from the first few pages and couldn’t put it down, If you haven’t read this one, at it to your list now!