The 39 Books of 2023

Seeing as every title now is boringly formulated as 'The [number] [nouns] of [name]' I thought I'd have a go. Saves actually having to be creative…

Anyway, it's time for this year's round up of the books I've read and what I thought of them. This year I tried to make it a target to read a few more longer books and classics - which I think I did manage… sort of. Looking back it’s quite a crazy and varied collection of books but that's no bad thing! There were some books I spent ages on and others that a I flew through but this weirdly often didn't correlate with how much I enjoyed them. Here they are, more or less in the order that I read them:

Great Expectations - Charles Dickens

I was very pleasantly surprised - had never read any Dickens before, and loved the way he wrote characters and made points. Obviously a bit slower paced than more recent novels but worth spending the time on. I love his advocacy for social issues through his writing.

Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale - Russell T Davies and Benjamin Cook

As a Doctor Who fan, with Russell T coming back after writing such masterpieces as 'It's a Sin' I was pretty excited and wanted to read this, which is an account of when he was previously in charge of the show. Very interesting as a fan, very long. Maybe not everyone's cup of tea perhaps.

The Thursday Murder Club - Richard Osman

I really enjoyed this. What I thought would be a bit of a 'TV personality writes formulaic novel moderately well' situation was in fact more like 'TV personality is actually a genuinely good writer'. I can see why he seems to now prioritise writing to being on TV. Full of heart and cleverness and another very pleasant surprise.

The Day of the Doctor - Steven Moffat

OK - I promise there isn't going to be much of a Doctor Who theme after this. It's just that it was the show's 60th anniversary this year, so it felt like a good time to read the novelisation (with lots of added bits) of the 50th anniversary special. Lots of fun as a fan again, very 'Moffat' though so probably complete nonsense if it's not your cup of tea. He even writes continuity errors into the book on purpose, which is brave…

Moving Pictures - Terry Pratchett

My first discworld novel! And I really enjoyed it. From what I'd heard I'd expected it to be primarily just silly, but there was a really good plot too - and very well written. For some reason I didn't read any more in 2023 but I will definitely put that to rights in 2024!

Malibu Rising - Taylor Jenkins Reid

TJR's books are always really good, readable and gripping. This perhaps wasn't quite as good as her others that I've read, but still enjoyable with a sort of reflective emotional depth that she does really well. Lots of characters here, which helps create/build a world that some of her other novels have started - but perhaps this means less depth overall.

Burnt: Fighting for Climate Justice - Chris Saltmarsh

Some good points made, well outlined. But I can't help wondering who it's for - it's too radically outspoken to be used to change someone's mind, so seems to be written for people who would already agree with it. Also, there are some inconsistencies and editing issues which I would say seems to be a common theme in the 'outspoken' series - which is a shame, because otherwise there are things of worth in this.

A Little Life - Hanya Yanagihara

A truly dark and devastatingly cruel book, but that's also sort of the point. It is exceptionally well written and moving, completely unforgettable, and pretty traumatic. I spent ages on this, but it was very good. But check the trigger warnings, of which there are many.

Nemesis - Agatha Christie

A slightly muddled mystery which does have some nice moments. Sort of an interesting premise and plot, but I think rather confusingly and oddly written in the end. Not my favourite but there are some good Marple moments to enjoy.

Radical Acceptance - Tara Brach

So, hear me out, I've been finding meditation really useful this year. While this books is a bit overly flowery in terms of what I can only describe as spiritual metaphor, I think there's a lot of genuinely helpful and wise stuff in this book. Always useful to learn from different perspectives, I think.

Counterpoint - Walter Piston 

I bought this (very thin but expensive) book to help me gain some tips and tricks with my composition, and it was very useful. Very old fashioned in lots of ways though and definitely not something to read for enjoyment. But very concisely written in an incredibly useful and informative way.

Murder in Mesopotamia - Agatha Christie

A very tightly written and fun murder mystery. Unfortunately lots of old-fashioned, racist and colonialist themes and language here though. The actual plot itself is pretty classic and well realised.

Old Babes in the Wood - Margaret Atwood

Atwood is always a genius writer. This seems to be somewhere between a meditation on grief after losing her partner and a collection of short stories - some of which are connected using the same characters/themes. But weirdly, some aren't. It actually makes it quite a disconnected book in the end, with some of the stories being longer meditations on a broader themes and then the random occasional speculative fiction idea that doesn't really seem to belong. A bit of an odd one as it's hard to both take each story in isolation or as part of a wider whole.

Middlemarch - George Eliot

When I started this, I thought I'd never get through it. But it was beautifully written from the start with engaging characters - and by the time I had finished it I thought it was possibly one of the best books I've ever read. So worth the massive time and patience and investment it requires initially. A proper masterpiece.

The Sentence - Louise Erdrich

I really didn't know what to expect from this, but came away infinitely more educated on the experience of Native American people having enjoyed a book with a fantastically unique narrative voice and a slow-burning but interesting fantasy element which flips stereotypes on its head. I really loved this!

Cibola Burn - James S. A. Corey

I seem to be very slowly working my way through the 'Expanse' series, and really enjoying the books. They are remarkably well written with lots of depth, and often the plots take unexpected turns. In this book, until about half-way through I thought 'ah yes, this is the book about…' and then it went in another direction which kept it pacy and interesting. Lots of intrigue and surprise - I need to pick up the pace at working through these!

Foster - Claire Keegan

Basically more of a short story, but really beautiful both in terms of plot and writing. In not very many pages at all you really get a sense of place, time and character with a genuinely moving and authentic feeling story. Really good.

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida - Shehan Karunatilaka

Sorry - I didn't like this at all really. I thought it was trying to be funny and quirky while also making a serious point and not succeeding at either. It was chaotically written, confusing, overstuffed and too full of itself. It’s a shame, because the nub of it could have been really good - there were some good ideas here, but perhaps too many. And not well executed. I came away both confused and frustrated.

The Man Who Died Twice - Richard Osman

I loved this one even more than the first in the series - it has a bigger scope and a more ambitious plot that's pulled off excellently. A great mix of fun, mystery and a serious emotional side too. The characters are written fantastically and I think this might have ended up being one of my favourite books of the year!

Different for Boys - Patrick Ness

I love Patrick Ness, and this book is a great idea with great illustrations. But it's way too short to properly appreciate - the same ground has been covered in his other books and this had a couple of extra elements that promised to take things in a slightly different direction, but it never really amounted to much.

Dead Man's Folly - Agatha Christie

As you may have noticed, I am trying to read lots of Agatha Christie books, and they do very well at fitting in between longer, heavier reads. This is again classic Christie in that it has a unique premise but also somehow manages to follow a tried and tested formula. There are a few questionable moments but otherwise good fun. And I really enjoy the camp humour that comes along when Ariadne Oliver features.

Shuggie Bain - Douglas Stuart

I wasn't much of a fan of this after I finished it - I felt that the first chapter set Shuggie's experience up to be something that was glossed over for something else. But it's stayed with me after a good few months. It was very well written - but perhaps quite repetitive around what turned out to be its central theme. It was pretty moving though and what it does end up being was done with great authenticity and sensitivity.

The Moving Finger - Agatha Christie

This was actually my favourite Christie of the year I think, and one of the rare occasions where a Miss Marple book is improved by allowing us to settle into a story without Marple for a while - I thought the characters were really interesting, it was again really tightly written, and actually the plot here was especially unique and fell outside of the expected formula.

The Hollow - Agatha Christie

Yep - another one. It was one of those I'd heard very good things about but I'd say the TV adaptation is actually better and plays on the emotional side of things - however the book does this to some extent too - it's perhaps more emotional than your standard Poirot.

Pod - Laline Paull

Paull's creativity is astounding and this is a very unique book. It's really *quite* strange because it literally is from the point of view of sea creatures that haven't been anthropomorphised and perhaps doesn't flow particularly well, but there are loads of great moments and points made, and it's pretty mesmerising in its own way.

Medusa - Jessie Burton

Concise, but I thought really powerful and moving. I have since seen another novel by a different author published with almost exactly the same concept. Sigh. But I thought that this was a really creative, thought-provoking and moving take on a well known story, written with incredible craft.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow - Gabrielle Zevin

Possibly my favourite book of the year, recommended to me by a friend. Just *so* well written with an unusual plot centring around the creation of video games - but it somehow just works so well. There are genuine shocks and some lovely moments with incredibly vivid characters and writing, creating a world you just don't want to leave.

The Rest is Noise - Alex Ross

An incredibly ambitious, lengthy and expansive overview of music in the 20th century which really brings certain aspects to life. It's very very long and at times very detailed but has suitably expanded my horizons in terms of what I listen to and my thoughts as a composer. A big shame though that more women were not featured in detail.

Girl, Woman, Other - Bernadine Evaristo

Excellently written, fantastically varied - yet weirdly prejudiced against young people. Disparate stories exist on their own and also are slightly woven together, but sometimes things do feel a little bit 'bitty'. The writing style is unique and works really well though, and a lot of this book has really stayed with me.

Misery - Stephen King

Some of the ideas in this book are perhaps slightly outdated, but it's an incredibly written book that's very tense. I'm not sure how he managed to spin 400+ pages out of just two characters but it was expertly done. Again, this was my first Stephen King novel and I'm already excited about reading others!

The Shadow Cabinet - Juno Dawson

I seem to have got very lucky with sequels this year, because this is the second time where the second instalment in a series has been better than the first. Dawson continues her 'modern day witchcraft' series in a book which successfully ups the ante, and I absolutely loved how many plot threads that I had expected to be drawn out throughout the entire series were unexpectedly resolved here. Really good and exciting fun with a great point to make.

Dracula - Bram Stoker

A book of two halves - the first had excellent building of tension and atmosphere with some interesting characters and various elements drawing together. The second was incredibly boring with drawn out conversations that added absolutely nothing to what became not just a predictable plot, but one in which what would happen was discussed at length before it actually then did, to nobody's surprise.

An Artist of the Floating World - Kazuo Ishiguro

An typically beautiful Ishiguro novel - seemingly simple narrative voice holding a wealth of depth and ambiguity within it. Perhaps a bit like a slightly less developed 'Remains of the Day' but still as impressive to read, and a great use of setting here too.

Sleeping Murder - Agatha Christie

This one turned out to be a fairly average Marple, which is to say it was still a good book. It's perhaps a bit darker than you might expect which adds to a great atmosphere. Perhaps a bit slow in places but overall pretty good.

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms - N. K. Jemisin

Honestly I am awe-struck by Jemisin's writing. This is her first novel and it is so incredibly constructed, powerful, vivid, amazing characters and full of jaw-dropping moments. Quite small scale in terms of its actual setting, but not in terms of its implications as the first of a trilogy which I can't wait to read more of.

Heartstopper Vol. 5 - Alice Oseman

Another fantastic volume dealing incredibly well with topics that might be quite difficult or perhaps misjudged in the wrong hands. And wonderfully drawn as well. Really lovely and affirming without shying away from difficult topics (in fact, making them central to the plot most of the time). Oseman is an incredible writer and a great judge of content and representation.

The 22 Murders of Madison May - Max Barry

A really great concept with some impressive logic, let down perhaps by some weird choices in terms of what we focus on in the narrative. I didn't read it that long ago and I've already forgotten several key points, but I remember I was confused by some apparent plot holes in an otherwise ambitious and impressive multiverse-based idea. So I think it was sort of middling in the end for me.

Evil Under the Sun - Agatha Christie

While impressively and cleverly written, its intricacies are perhaps let down by the fact that this one was over-ambitious. So much complexity not only makes it hard to theorise as you go, but also fairly hard to fully take in and care about the resolution. Great sense of setting though again, as ever.

Lonely Castle in the Mirror - Mizuki Tsujimura

Another very late entry into the 'best book I read this year' category. Just wow. Incredible premise, amazing twists, but all in the service of a theme which is done with so much heart and sensitivity. A slow start but completely worth it, and an ending which manages to be beautiful, heart-breaking, shocking and impressive all at the same time.