Your favorite books this yr...2023

birukitty
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Posts: 9,012

Location: Annapolis, MD.

Your favorite books this yr...2023 Nov 29, 2023 22:14:40 GMT gottapeanow, katlaw, and 3 more like this

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Post by birukitty on Nov 29, 2023 22:14:40 GMT

As of right now I've read 95 books so far this year so I'm going to list my 5 star books. There have been quite a few

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
Today We Go Home by Kelli Estes
Fairy Tale by Stephen King
Marmee by Sarah Miller
Caroline: Little House Revisited by Sarah Miller
Bluebird by Sharon Cameron
One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow by Olivia Hawker
Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult
Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution by Michelle Moran
The Ragged Edge of Night by Olivia Hawker
Where the Lost Wander by Amy Harmon
A More Perfect Union by Tammye Huf
The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan
The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton
Lost Souls of Leningrad by Suzanne Parry
Weyward by Emilia Hart
The Watchmaker's Daughter by Larry Loftis (NF)
To Die Beautiful by Buzzy Jackson
The Last Lifeboat by Hazel Gaynor
Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See
The Golden Doves by Martha Hall Kelly
The King's Pleasure by Alison Weir
The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier
The Thread Collectors by Shaunna J. Edwards
The Wind Knows my Name by Isabel Allende
The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman
The Memory Keeper of Kyiv by Erin Litteken

Whew! That's a long list. Of all of those I think my favorites that really stand out are:

The Last Lifeboat
Weyward
Lady Tan's Circle of Women but then I love all Lisa See's books.

Debbie in MD.

scrapcat
UnstopPeable

Posts: 1,890

Your favorite books this yr...2023 Nov 30, 2023 2:54:20 GMT via mobile mimima and mnmloveli like this

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Post by scrapcat on Nov 30, 2023 2:54:20 GMT

I’ve been attempting a reading challenge I stumbled on by insta handle @overeducatedwomenwithcats, which kinda shook me out of my normal selections.

Just a couple favs:

Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angelline Boully
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
Finding Me by Viola Davis (memoir, really good!)
Hello Molly by Molly Shannon - a funny memoir

Someone asked for nonfiction…
Empire of Pain by Patrick Keefe about the Sackler family was complex and I read it before the last season of Succession. I sorta love corporate scandals and stories about corrupt wealthy ppl.

Almost done with Trust by Hernan Diaz, which is a bit strange but I like it. Kind of reminds me of citizen Kane.

Same pea, new name

ihaveonly1l
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Posts: 1,794

Location: Wisconsin

Your favorite books this yr...2023 Nov 30, 2023 13:18:51 GMT

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Post by ihaveonly1l on Nov 30, 2023 13:18:51 GMT

Nov 28, 2023 3:04:33 GMT pjaye said:

Jun 26, 2014 3:09:25 GMT ihaveonly1l said:

Although I just started The Lost Girls of Willowbrook by Ellen Marie Wiseman and it is quickly climbing the list.

I gave this one star! That main character isn't very bright and walks into every predictable disaster!

While I would give it 2.5 stars...you were right that it ended up being very predictable. I would not put it on my favorite list.

Pea #81,645
Refugee #741

jeremysgirl
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Posts: 28,507

Your favorite books this yr...2023 Nov 30, 2023 14:58:52 GMT mimima and ~summer~ like this

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Post by jeremysgirl on Nov 30, 2023 14:58:52 GMT

I only read non-fiction. Here are my 2023 books with 5 star ratings:

They Called Us Exceptional: And Other Lies That Raised Us - Prachi Gupta
Ultra-Processed People: The Science Behind Food That Isn't Food - Chris van Tulleken
Conspirituality: How New Age Conspiracy Theories Became a Public Health Threat - Beres, Remski, et al.
Poverty, by America - Matthew Desmond
On Our Best Behavior: The Seven Deadly Sins and the Price Women Pay to Be Good - Elise Loehnen
The Ugly History of Beautiful Things: Essays on Desire and Consumption - Katy Kelleher
Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers and Silents - Jean Twenge
Unraveling: What I Learned About Life While Shearing Sheep, Dyeing Wool, and Making the World's Ugliest Sweater - Peggy Orenstein
Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story - Bono (must listen on audiobook)

Just T
Drama Llama

Posts: 5,883

Your favorite books this yr...2023 Nov 30, 2023 15:46:57 GMT gottapeanow and mnmloveli like this

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Post by Just T on Nov 30, 2023 15:46:57 GMT

I've read 39 books this year, and these are my favorites:

The Secret Life of Sunflowers (It's based on the life of Van Gogh's sister in law who fought to make his paintings known after his death. It's interwoven with a story in modern times. Fantastic book. This was probably my favorite book of the year.

Lady Tan's Circle of Women. I love everything I've ever read by Lisa See.

An American Beauty

The Dollhouse

Black Cake

flanz VIPea Posts: 11,747 Jul 4, 2014 4:50:23 GMT	Your favorite books this yr...2023 Nov 30, 2023 17:27:44 GMT mnmloveli likes this Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by flanz on Nov 30, 2023 17:27:44 GMT Thank you so much to all of you who have shared your favorite reads here! I am finding lots of titles to check out!

Anita Drama Llama Posts: 5,727 Location: Kansas City -ish Jun 27, 2014 2:38:58 GMT	Your favorite books this yr...2023 Nov 30, 2023 17:40:14 GMT mnmloveli likes this Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by Anita on Nov 30, 2023 17:40:14 GMT I just expanded my Christmas wish list thanks to this list.
	PeaNut 381,935 July 2008 Posts: 2,005 Peaname: No1UKnow

fotos4u2
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Posts: 458

Your favorite books this yr...2023 Nov 30, 2023 19:06:51 GMT mimima and mnmloveli like this

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Post by fotos4u2 on Nov 30, 2023 19:06:51 GMT

Glad to see this list. Added quite a few books to my "to be read" list. I've been in reading waves this year, some months reading a bunch and some reading nothing. Up to 47 (will be 48 later today probably).

My 5 stars (obviously in a romantic comedy phase):
The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren
Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
Hello Stranger by Katherine Center

4 stars:
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi
Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting by Claire Pooley
Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood
A Place Called Home by David Ambroz
Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult
Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano
The Stand-In by Lily Chu
The Spectacular by Fiona Davis
Beyond That The Sea by Laura Spence-Ash
Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez
Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monoghan
The Sweetness of Forgetting by Kristin Harmel

I'm currently reading "Looking for Jane" by Heather Marshall and unless the next 70 pages make the book take a turn it's likely to also be a 4 star read (had to come back here and say with anther 20 pages down I'm shocked that I might bump it to a 5 star afterall).

SPOILER: Click to show

The Evelyn/Margaret plot twist really does change the story and my original views that I struggled with in not understanding why Evelyn would go all in on abortion being something she would've chose if she'd had the choice. That said, I also had some issues with them implying that having an abortion is less traumatic than putting the child up for adoption (both involve trauma and IMO it's okay to acknowledge that abortion can result in trauma while also being pro-choice).

Last Edit: Nov 30, 2023 19:54:11 GMT by fotos4u2

Mystie
Pearl Clutcher

Posts: 4,300

Your favorite books this yr...2023 Dec 2, 2023 5:07:34 GMT via mobile mimima, cindyupnorth, and 1 more like this

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Post by Mystie on Dec 2, 2023 5:07:34 GMT

Coming in very late but oh well, maybe someone will see it!

My five-star reads on GoodReads this year were:

Let Me Be Frank: A Book About Women Who Dressed Like Men To Do Shit They Weren't Supposed To Do by Tracy Dawson (non-fiction)

Exiles by Jane Harper

A Billion Years: My Escape From the Highest Ranks of Scientology by Mike Rinder (non-fiction)

Five Came Back: A Story of Hollywood and the Second World War by Mark Harris (non-fiction)

Member of the Family: My Story of Charles Manson by Dianne Lake (non-fiction)

Fatherland: A Memoir of War, Conscience and Family Secrets by Burkhard Bilger (non-fiction)

King: A Life by Jonathan Eig (non-fiction)

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

October in the Earth by Olivia Harker

The Scent of Water by Elizabeth Goudge

I read so much mediocre stuff in the second half of this year! I can't wait to get some good recommendations from you all.

Last Edit: Dec 2, 2023 5:58:06 GMT by Mystie

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Your favorite books this yr...2023

Post by birukitty on Nov 29, 2023 22:14:40 GMT

Post by scrapcat on Nov 30, 2023 2:54:20 GMT

Post by ihaveonly1l on Nov 30, 2023 13:18:51 GMT

Post by jeremysgirl on Nov 30, 2023 14:58:52 GMT

Post by Just T on Nov 30, 2023 15:46:57 GMT

Post by flanz on Nov 30, 2023 17:27:44 GMT

Post by Anita on Nov 30, 2023 17:40:14 GMT

Post by fotos4u2 on Nov 30, 2023 19:06:51 GMT

Post by Mystie on Dec 2, 2023 5:07:34 GMT