Top Five Books of 2023

knerd.knitter: This book was so much fun to read. The kind of book that you simultaneously want to read as fast as possible and read slowly so it never ends!

traceylkb: Listened to the recorded book. Enjoyed it very much, but want to "re-read" the physical book, so it is still on my wish list.

AnaraGuard: All the books in the Thursday Murder Club series are a delight to read, but this one takes the characters to deeper places, and brings the reader along. Some serious topics of dementia and death are handled gracefully and generously. A good one to tide us over for a few years until he writes another one.

knerd.knitter: So many things in this book were familiar to me, having grown up in the 80s/90s and enjoying video games and online role-playing games. It’s always fun to read a book where you can relate to the experiences of the characters.

FerneMysteryReader: An author's debut that is stunning in storytelling and beautifully written, atmospheric, and immersive. I loved the strength of the women, the determination, reaching deep within themselves, confident that the natural world empowers them and that their legacy from the past is greater than the men who wish to control them. I found the women resilient and inspiring. They are women to remember not as characters but as the women who came before us and why their strength can become ours.

Storeetllr: Murderbot. What else needs to be said? Oh, right. ART. Murderbot and ART. And Three. And 2.0!!! Well, sort of. The saga continues.

Storeetllr: As advertised, this is high fantasy with low stakes, though the stakes are worth fighting for, just not in the way you might imagine, what with an orc involved. So much fun!

sundancer: A delightful read- beautiful imagery, amazing storytelling, and excellent word building.

Boand: Simply my favourite book of the year! A completely new way of looking at this period of history from a woman’s point of view. Excellent and intriguing stuff

oceancat: the imperial radch trilogy should be read first but this is an amazing story about personhood set in the same universe

CarltonC: Harrowing subject matter, but beautiful and clear storytelling.

ReluctantTechie: A vivid, detailed true story from a child's point of view of a illegal immigrant's journey to the USA, without any politics mentioned. Powerful.

CarltonC: Pure entertainment, on a par with Wodehouse, although there is more characterisation; a delightful confection.

Boand: Another wonderful novel by Kate Atkinson which really set the tone of the 1920’s in London. Based on true stories but woven into a completely captivating tale.

Boand: A many layered Irish novel which gradually peels back the years to reveal several shocking underlying truths. Very sad and beautifully written story of the Irish Republic’s history through the protagonist’s eyes.

elahrairah: Fantastic and heartbreaking story; a novel the same age as me that forsaw where capitalism was taking us at a time when most people couldn't even predict Reagan or Thatcher. A novel that showed us very clearly that our parents had a choice between utopia and dystopia, and they chose dystopia.

birder4106: A book that has influenced my view of nature and the world almost as lastingly as [The Origin of Species] by [Charles Darwin] and [The Origin of Continents and Oceans] [Alfred Wegener].

oceancat: the best fairytale retelling (reimagining?) i have ever read, and my favorite book this year

nx74defiant: Favorite Trollope so far. The focus on greed is still relevant. I really enjoyed Paul Montague growth from a push over to standing up for himself and what he believed was right.

Aquila: I've waited nine years for the second book about Hild of Whitby and it's even better than the first. 7th Century Britain.

Macbeth: A brilliant conclusion to the Jane Harper's trilogy with a twist I didn't see coming.

Boand: This is the first book I have read by Rushdie and I found it an amazing an inspiring read. I adored the way he wove ancient myths and legends and history into this deeply engrossing tale.