I’m not a book snob. Okay, maybe I am a book snob. But I think most readers are. Or at least most readers should be. The more we read, the more refined our tastes become, the more opinions we have on what our favorite books are. We’re more likely to toss a book we don’t like into the DNF (did not finish) pile. And to make better choices about what we read in the first place.

I switched to a Kindle a few years ago, despite many years of swearing that you could pry an actual book, with its hefty feel and earthy smell out of my cold, dead hands.

The prospect of switching to an e-reader became far more appealing after I pulled a paperback from my purse inside the walls of the Superior Court of Fulton County while waiting to see if I’d be selected for jury duty only to realize that I’d read it before. So it turns out that my hands, while often cold, were very much alive when I made the switch.

Because I read a lot of books, my Kindle is connected to my public library, so I read mostly for free, albeit later than everyone else. But until authors are clamoring to send me their pre-reads, it’s simply not in our budget.

I keep track of my reading on Goodreads. But I’m looking into StoryGraph because Goodreads sometimes makes me crazy.

Some stats about my reading in 2023:

I read 68 books.

This feels about right. I usually read between 60-70 books per year.

62 were fiction and 6 were nonfiction.

(Note to self: read more nonfiction.)

40 were on my Kindle or paper books and 28 were audiobooks.

Yes, listening to a book counts as a book, and don’t let anyone tell you differently. When I’m cleaning the house, taking a walk, or making dinner, I’m probably listening to a book or a podcast. Check out my post on my favorite books on audio here.

Here are my favorite books of the year.

They are a mix of fiction and nonfiction, books I read with my eyes, and books I listened to with my ears, in no particular order.

I’m Glad My Mom Died

By Jennette McCurdy

My daughters both devoured this book and then told me that I needed to read it. And I’m so glad they did. This memoir pulls you into the heartbreaking childhood of Jennette McCurdy, a former Disney star who had a deeply complicated and toxic relationship with her mother.

Her raw honesty and humor will break, tug, and squeeze your heart in equal measure. It’s beautifully written with the candor and innocence of youth that is at once tender and tragic.

Mad Honey

by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan

This gut punch of a novel was a standout for me this year. I’ve read plenty by Picoult over the years and this is at the top of my list.

It follows two, intersecting narratives in the same small town: Olivia, mom of Asher, and Lily, Asher’s girlfriend. It’s a powerful story about true love, secrets, and what we risk to be our true selves. It’s a page-turner for sure, but the characters are fully developed and understood. So come for the plot but stay for the people.

good morning, monster

by Catherine Gildiner

This one reminded me of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb, another one of my favorite books. This was an audiobook for me, and it was an excellent listening experience.

In this nonfiction book, author and therapist Catherine Gildiner explores five of her most memorable patients. Beautifully written, each patient’s story is a heart-wrenching portrait of their lives, a look into the deepest parts of themselves, and the ever-present insights from Gildiner.

As someone who is endlessly fascinated by the idea of human behavior and why people do what they do, this was a sweet spot for me.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

by Gabrielle Zevin

This sweeping and stunning novel was a real departure for me. A book recommended by my daughter, Kate, it encompasses a deep, complex, and intimate friendship between Sam and Sadie within the world of video game design. It’s brilliant and beautifully written, it’s also mind-bendy and mind-opening. It took me out of my comfort zone in the best possible way.

Every so often a book comes along that’s the perfect balance of plot and character; it keeps you reading while slowly falling in love with the characters. Or if not falling in love, knowing them deeply. This is one of those books.

Lessons in Chemistry

by Bonnie Garmus

I can’t think about this book without wanting to hug it. I want to sob on its shoulder, rub its back, and kiss it on the cheek.

This novel came alive for me immediately. I dove into this book and found that I was living in the 1960s. I could smell it, taste it, hear it, feel it. At its core, this story is about the deepest, truest love, of both self and another, of who you are and what you can become, about believing in yourself and, of course, chemistry.

I still think about Elizabeth Zott and, really, I hope she’s doing well.

The Marriage Portrait

by Maggie O’Farrell

Maggie O’Farrell is a season pass author for me. My mom read The Vanishing Act of Esme Lenox when it came out nearly 20 years ago and immediately passed it on to me. We’ve been devoted fans ever since. I’ve read almost every book she’s written and will do so for eternity.

This novel is a deep dive into a fascinating relationship set in Renaissance Italy. It’s all the richness and grandeur of the 16th century without the clunkiness of some historical fiction. At its core, it’s the story of a young girl coming of age and trying to survive. Gorgeously written and full of suspense, it’s one of those books that drags you in and keeps you racing to the end.

The Alice Network

by Kate Quinn

This backlist novel had been in my queue for ages and I’m so glad that I finally read it. I listened to this one and it was beautiful on audio. I’m fascinated by the role women spies and codebreakers had in the World Wars (I just finished The Rose Code and it was fantastic), so I was riveted from the start.

It’s a spellbinding story about two women from two different points in history and a glimpse into their unbelievable courage, desperate need for the truth, and redemption.

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents

by Isabel Wilkerson

This was another backlist and another audiobook for me. It’s read by the author and it was a profound experience. I still need to read her other novel, The Warmth of Other Suns.

Caste was an awakening for me. Similar to the nonfiction masterpiece, The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander and the epic fiction novel, The Cutting Season by Attica Locke, this book opened my eyes and changed me in a way that few things have.

It’s incredible when you find a novel that you can’t put down, whose characters you love… and I live for those. But every once in a while, you find a book that shifts your worldview, flips a different lens into place, and you’ll never be the same because of it. Those books… they are sacred.

The Lincoln Highway

by Amor Towles

I bought this book for my mom because of her affinity for the author. She finished it when she was visiting us and left it here for me to read. I wasn’t as big of a Towles fan as she, but when mom says that I’ll love a book, she’s always right. And this was no exception.

Set in the 1950s and only spanning a few days, it’s an epic journey that feels as full and wide as a lifetime. It’s a story told from multiple points of view, with characters you’ll have deep feelings about (some you’ll want to adopt and some you’ll want to strangle)… a propulsive book that’s impossible to put down.

Demon Copperhead

I have to take a deep breath before I can even begin this last entry. This will undoubtedly be one of my favorite books of all time. Much like Caste, this book crawled inside of me, took root, and has changed how I feel about so many things I thought I already knew. This book moved me to my core. It was hard and complicated, agonizing and hopeful, it made me think deeply and cry and created a vast well of empathy for an entire area of the country that is so often forgotten.

A nod to Dickens’ David Copperfield, this novel is set in southern Appalachia and is as fierce and gritty as it is tender and poignant. The genius of this book is its ability to grip you from page one with a riveting story while also telling you something important. Plus, it won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction… so there’s that.

It’s been a while since I’ve read a piece of fiction that has had this impact on me. Although it’s become cliché to say, I feel like this should be required reading for all the people, everywhere.

This was a great year of reading, but I’m even more excited about the year ahead. I always love this time of year, with fresh starts, new reading goals, and a bright year ahead. Happy 2024 and Happy Reading! May you find lots of new favorite books throughout the year!