#54// best books of 2023
the best books of 2023 for you
Dear Reader,
How are you? I have two different introductions written to this letter—one wishing you a new year, and another about Feb being the season of love, and today I don’t think I want to rewrite a March intro. Today is alright; there’s internet, which was in short supply for a while, the sky is cloudy (which I like best). Probably my first takeaway of 2024 is how we are dependent on the internet. What do we do when the connection is patchy or worse, if there is no internet available? (gulp).
Edit: The internet’s not in its best self on the day I am sending this letter. Sigh!
The best book awards 2023
Last year I wrote two book lists for the end of the year, one listing new releases on The Book Satchel and one list (like the one below) giving book awards to books that made me feel a certain way. The books in this list might not be new releases but are fantastic reads to add to your reading pile.
The book that made me feel trippy
Rouge by Mona Awad about mothers, daughters, mirrors, jellyfish, Tom Cruise (not kidding) and beauty. Think Snow White in the skincare routine era. It is gothic, bizarre (like all Mona Awad books); perhaps not everyone’s cup of tea.
The book I binged
I am very late to reading Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (oh my god, the adrenaline rush!) and The Cruel Prince series by Holly Black (absolutely unputdownable). If you are on the fence about these hyped books, give in to the hype.
The book with K-drama vibes
This time it’s real by Ann Liang gave me all the Kdrama vibes, perhaps a little more than what I would’ve wanted. It is set in an elite private school where a budding writer has to fake date her rich actor classmate.
A book that surprised me
Djinn City by Saad Z Hossain. I once owned this book but did not pick it up because I disliked the cover. A friend of mine adored the book. Years later the book (in another cover design) and I crossed paths—I found it to be a fantastic, wildly imaginative novel that deserves a wider audience.
The book that made me google
The Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angelline Bouley was an enlightening read of the year for me. I read it as. Book club read with The Satchel Book Club and spent hours on google reading about indigenous communities in America, blanket parties, legal loopholes, money, tradition vs modernity, and folklore. An excellent YA mystery that offers a lot more and guarantees a satisfying read.
A book that had me constantly trying to telepathy my way into the heroine’s mind
Soft Animal by Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan was brilliant in the way it channelled my telepathic vibes. I would shout in my head to the unhappy heroine (friendly with neighbors, suffocating in her marriage, monologue queen, pandemic lockdown life) ‘what are you doing’ and my mind would automatically go towards my own life (‘what am I doing?’). I just loved the way it made me feel that the heroine is doing her best (sometimes not) but also we are allowed to have absolutely no idea on what’s the right thing for ourselves. And that’s okay; life will go on. Read this if you love eavesdropping on conversations, too-many-thoughts-in-head, life in pandemic vibes (without being overly sad).
The book that was a lot of fun
The Tattoo Murder by Akimitsu Takagi takes the crown for the pulpy crime fiction where tattooed women get murdered.
The book that made me feel cozy and hungry
The Kamagowa food detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai was the perfect cosy read about recreating food associated with a memory in the past. Keep a bowl of delicious something next to you as you read.
The book that scared me
Scared in a good way! I LOVED Deep dark fears by Fran Kruse who writes about the weirdest fears you might have—like papercuts in eyes and whether you are actually dead if everybody ignores you.
The rich people book
I really enjoyed Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson about a middle-class New England girl marrying into a rich Brooklyn family. It is quirky, indulgent and addictive.
The book I thought was overhyped (but wasn’t)
I didn’t think I would enjoy Fresh water for flowers by Valérie Perrin, translated by Hildegarde Serle so much. I took it along to roam the city and found myself yearning to skip sightseeing all together and cuddle up in a café with the book and a cup of hot coffee. It broke me.
The book that was really sad
Ann Napolitano’s take on the Little Women titled Hello Beautiful was beautiful, moving but with sad vibes on steroids. If you love indulging in a chunky family saga, this is the book for you. It follows four sisters, but I lost my heart to the eldest sister. (I wanted Napolitano to do so much more for her as a character but life and fiction are unfair, aren’t they?)
Watch
If you haven’t gotten onto to Premalu (Malayalam, also dubbed into Telugu, Tamil) wave, what are you waiting for. It is a breezy romcom set in Hyderabad that promises many laughs. Mamitha Baiju as Reenu, a fresher who moved to Hyderabad to work for an IT firm, and Naslen as Sachin, a typical boy-next-door who joined GATE coaching classes simply to evade his neighbors’ relentless questions on his career plans, make a cute pair. Premalu is a simple story with memorable performances (even the side characters steal your heart with comic moments). The songs are catchy, and I can’t stop repeating the dialogues at every opportune moment.
Support me
If you use my affiliate link to buy yourself a treat, I earn a teeny tiny) commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you! You could also buy these books at your local bookstore. Shop my store here—Amazon US or Amazon IN. Or you could share this post with someone to mess with their TBR piles.
Best books of 2023
That’s not all, my friend. I’ve got a list of new releases that made it to my best books of 2023. Enjoy!
Amazing links
- I love a juicy story that makes my eyes go wider with every paragraph. This story about a New York City man who managed to live rent-free in a landmark Manhattan hotel by exploiting an obscure local housing law, and then decided to claim the building.
-Your cat can help you with library fines
-Gig alert: Reader in residence!
If you enjoy these books or gift them to a friend, write to me. I’d love to know.
It is March but it is still cool to wear sunscreen. Wishing you cloudy days with speedy internet. Love you daisies.
Until next time,
Resh x