Best Books of 2023

It’s such a pleasure to end each year with a look back at what I’ve read, and particularly to see how many FIVE star ratings I’ve awarded. Plus, there are always a few books where I’m surprised, looking back, that I didn’t give them five stars. Those are my honorable mentions at the end – the 4+ books.

Click on any book title below to access my full review.

Best Books of the Year

KATHERINE by Anya Seton: Considered by many to be one of the best historical novels EVER, here is the story of Katherine de Roet Swynford, sister-in-law of Geoffrey Chaucer, mistress (and later wife) of John of Gaunt, whose descendants formed the House of Tudor. Seton is a historical fiction master.

FINDING MARGARET FULLER by Allison Pataki: Scheduled for publication on March 19, 2024. this is the fascinating story of brilliant Transcendentalist thinker Margaret Fuller, believed by many to be the original American feminist. A woman so ahead of her time, her life story is full of drama and emotion. And the people she hung out with were some of the most prominent talents of the 19th Century.

DINNERS WITH RUTH: A MEMOIR ON THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIPS by Nina Totenberg: The RUTH in the title is Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the late Supreme Court Justice. She and the author were friends over decades. It’s also about the importance of other women friends in Totenberg’s life.

THE WOMEN by Kristin Hannah: Scheduled for publication on February 6, 2024, this is a intensely rich novel exploring the complex Vietnam War. With all its aspects — the reality of guerrilla warfare, life-altering injuries suffered by young men, political divisiveness, waning trust in government, shabby treatment of returning veterans, and the lingering effects of PTSD. All from the perspective of women who participated.

SO YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT RACE by Ijeoma Oluo: The author’s frank revelations about what it’s like to actually live as a Black American and face racism every day of your life. It’s honest, powerful, and brave. And not easy for a white person to read. So much to learn.

THE POSTCARD by Anne Berest: The story of a family mystery related to World War II that begins when an unsigned postcard arrives in a Paris home, 60+ years after the end of the war. And all the emotional baggage that surfaces as the family tries to unravel the mystery. I felt like a witness to the war.

THE KING’S JEWEL by Elizabeth Chadwick: A book that totally immersed me in Wales in the Middle Ages as I came to know Nesta fetch Rhys, an 11th century Welsh princess caught up in the Norman conquest of her country by King Henry I. Human nature never seems to change.

QUIET: THE POWER OF INTROVERTS IN A WORLD THAT CAN’T STOP TALKING by Susan Cain: Though not generally a fan of non-fiction, I had to read this book because I am an introvert in a world that favors extroverts. I gave it five stars NOT because it made for compelling reading. But because it validated and explained so many of the experiences I’ve had in school, with work and among friends.

Honorable Mentions Below

DEMON COPPERHEAD by Barbara Kingsolver: The sad and modern retelling of the novel DAVID COPPERFIELD (by Charles Dickens) that humanizes the problem of addiction in the United States, by following one boy’s story. Amid poverty, abuse, and a series of foster homes — it’s quite a sad story but one that will touch you deeply. Kingsolver is a genius at storytelling.

ONCE THERE WERE WOLVES by Charlotte McConaghy: A suspenseful, sensitive novel about efforts by a group of scientists to re-introduce wolves to rural Scotland, despite objections from the area’s livestock farmers. No good guys, no bad guys. A wonderful cautionary tale about the complexities involved in trying to address any environmental concern.

ILLUMINATIONS: A NOVEL OF HILDEGARD VON BINGEN by Mary Sharratt: You might think the life of a German nun in the 12th century isn’t interesting enough to warrant a novel. But Hildegard Von Bingen is no ordinary nun. Composer, herbalist, theological genius, and more — she possesses one of the great minds of the Middle Ages.

HER LOST WORDS by Stephanie Marie Thornton: The tragic story of feminist philosopher Mary Wollstonecraft and her even more famous daughter, Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin Shelley, the author of the novel FRANKENSTEIN. If these two women had been born men, we would all know all about them.

Looking forward to more wonderful books in 2024!