Books I Read in 2023

I’m back with another book list! I hope these inspire you to pick up some backlist titles that you might have missed. My son was born at the very end of 2022, so it was fun to look back at these 2023 reads and remember his first year. I read a lot of these via the Kindle app on my phone while nursing! As usual, I’ve starred my favorites—let me know in the comments if you loved any of these too!

Fiction Books I Read in 2023

The Ink Black Heart, Robert Galbraith

Upgrade, Blake Crouch

The Penderwicks in Spring, Jeanne Birdsall

Sea of Tranquility, Emily St. John Mandel

Gaudy Night, Dorothy Sayers

Project Hail Mary, Andy Weir

The Other Black Girl, Zakiya Dalila Harris

The Penderwicks at Last, Jeanne Birdsall

Everyone Brave Is Forgiven, Chris Cleave

The Lions of Fifth Avenue, Fiona Davis

One Two Three, Laurie Frankel

The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCullough

Today Tonight Tomorrow, Rachel Lynn Solon

Portrait of a Thief, Grace D. Li

Abandon, Blake Crouch

Olympus, Texas, Stacey Swann

Malibu Rising, Taylor Jenkins Reid

Portrait of an Unknown Woman, Daniel Silva

The Anthropocene Reviewed, John Green

Matrix, Lauren Groff

Along the Shore: Tales by the Sea, L.M. Montgomery

The Time in Between, Maria Duenas

The Man Who Died Twice, Richard Osman

Bleak House, Charles Dickens

A Letter of Mary, Laurie King

The Bullet That Missed, Richard Osman

The Slow Regard of Silent Things, Patrick Rothfuss

The Resemblance, Lauren Nossett

A Tangled Web, L.M. Montgomery

Lexicon, Max Barry

Book Club Books I Read in 2023

The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, Lisa See

The Reading List, Sara Nisha Adams

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, Gabrielle Zevin

The Thursday Murder Club, Richard Osman

Book Lovers, Emily Henry

Remarkably Bright Creatures, Shelby Van Pelt

Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer

Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

The Housemaid, Freida McFadden

Nonfiction Books I Read in 2023

Waiting on the Word: A Poem a Day for Advent, Christmas and Epiphany, Malcolm Guite

You’ll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey, Amber Ruffin

Fully Alive, Larry Crabb

Creative Renewal: An Invitation to Make Stuff and to Stop Clicking Stuff, Ed Cyzewski

Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise, Ruth Reichl

Surprised by Oxford, Carolyn Weber

This Beautiful Truth: How God’s Goodness Breaks into Our Darkness, Sarah Clarkson

Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business, Neil Postman

Taste: My Life Through Food, Stanley Tucci

Searching for Certainty: Finding God in the Disruptions of Life, Shelly Miller

This Is Not a Book About Benedict Cumberbatch: The Joy of Loving Something—Anything—Like Your Life Depends On It, Tabitha Carvan

Lessons from Madame Chic: 20 Stylish Secrets I Learned While Living in Paris, Jennifer Scott

Chasing Wisdom: The Lifelong Pursuit of Living Well, Daniel Grothe

All Shall Be Well: Awakening to God’s Presence in His Messy, Abundant World, Catherine McNiel

Die with Zero: Getting All You Can from Your Money and Your Life, Bill Perkins

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, Stephen King

Get Your Life Back: Everyday Practices for a World Gone Mad, John Eldredge

All My Knotted-Up Life: A Memoir, Beth Moore

Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen, Mary Norris

A Girl from Yamhill, Beverly Cleary

Rhythms of Renewal: Trading Stress and Anxiety for a Life of Peace and Purpose, Rebekah Lyons

Are My Kids on Track? The 12 Emotional, Social, and Spiritual Milestones Your Child Needs to Reach, Sissy Goff

The Mission of Motherhood: Touching Your Child’s Heart for Eternity, Sally Clarkson

Time to Parent, Julie Morgenstern

Busy Toddler’s Guide to Actual Parenting: From Their First “No” to Their First Day of School, Susie Allison

Books I Read to My Big Kids in 2023

The House at Pooh Corner, A. A. Milne

On the Other Side of the Hill, Roger Lea MacBride

Little Town in the Ozarks, Roger Lea MacBride

The Borrowers, Mary Norton

Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, Roald Dahl

The Tale of Despereaux, Kate DiCamillo

Pippi Longstocking, Astrid Lindgren

Pippi Goes on Board, Astrid Lindgren

Favorite Books I Read to My Baby in 2023

Horns to Toes, Sandra Boynton

The Stars Will Still Shine, Cynthia Rylant

Only You Can Be You, Nathan Clarkson and Sally Clarkson

Bunny Slopes, Claudia Rueda

Dragons Love Tacos, Adam Rubin

Construction Site: Farming Strong All Year Long, Sherri Duskey Rinker

Who Is Coming to Our House?, Joseph Slate

Little Golden Book

I read my little guy his first book at some point this year, so Baby’s First Book seemed like the perfect fit. Also, I was fascinated by these “repeating pictures” when I was a kid. (And kind of still am, to be honest.)

Will you be adding any of these to your TBR? Is it surprising that I barely remember some of these? That first year with a baby is survival mode for sure, but I did find some winners! Let me know your thoughts in the comments—I love hearing from you!

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