Bookishly Delightful’s Best Books of 2023

Here is a list of my favorite 2023-published books that I have read so far.

The kinds of books on this list

I tried a fairly broad sampling of 2023 books this year, however there are a number of books that are on other people’s “Best Books of 2023” lists that I am still eagerly awaiting from the library.

While I appreciate and look for great writing, I need to have at least one character who I like and for whom I am rooting in order to enjoy a story. I generally prefer books with lots of well-planned plot and that are told in the first person. And I like layered, complicated characters and stories with positive messages. In graphic stories, I care a lot about the ratio of illustration to text, and I want to be delighted or moved by both the illustrations and written storytelling.

I enjoy trying a wide range of types of books across many genres, but usually only add books to my To Be Read (TBR) list if they have above a 3.8/5 average rating on Goodreads (or above a 4/5 average rating for children’s books). I occasionally will add books with lower average ratings to my TBR list if they were recommended by someone whose recommendations I often enjoy, or if they contain tropes I particularly like, or if they are written by an author I love. I have lots of literary pet peeves (I am a picky reader). I drop the vast majority of books I try (which is part of the reason why I prefer to get books from the library). Being willing to try books broadly and drop books that don’t work well for me quickly has helped me discover some under-the-radar, hidden gems.

Recently, I had a particularly high success ratio of finding extremely remarkable books when I tried picture books recommended by other people’s “Best Books of 2023” lists. And I enjoyed how quick and easy it was (usually taking no more than a handful or two of minutes) to check them out as ebooks, read them for free on library apps, and then return them. Adult lovers of the visual arts who are not already regularly reading picture books may want to give the best-reviewed picture books of the year a try. The artwork and storytelling are often quite delightful and/or moving.

Other than one fantasy novella (which I read as an ebook on Kindle Unlimited) and a middle grade novel in verse (which visually plays with font size and verse shape to complement the storytelling), I “read” all of the non-graphic stories listed below by listening to the audiobook editions. The narration for all of them is excellent.

That all being said, below are my favorite 2023 titles so far. Links on book titles are to Goodreads’ more in-depth book summaries (and also include cover images and other people’s reviews). And the “children’s books” recommendations are ones intended for the enjoyment of adult readers.

Informative video clips of various sorts in which authors, publishers, and booksellers are promoting the below listed books, have been included for some of the titles. The clips range from author interviews to an audiobook narration sample to partial book animations.

Best Historical Fiction

• Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See. This very well-written story about female relationships is inspired by the true story of a 15th century Chinese female physician.

• Wandering Souls by Cecile Pin. This is a captivating and moving debut novel about a Vietnamese refugee who (along with two of her siblings) eventually makes her way (after fleeing Vietnam by boat and then spending time in a refugee camp) to England. It is a bit of a genre mash-up, with occasional narration by a ghost, and wall-breaking footnotes.

Best Literary Fiction

• Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson. This well-written book is on a number of “Best Books of 2023” lists. It is about a complicated, wealthy, real-estate focused New York family.

• The Chinese Groove by Kathryn Ma. This title may be particularly appealing to fans of the classic Voltaire work Candide, as well as to readers who are interested in China and/or the experience of immigrating to the U.S.

• Tom Lake by Ann Patchett. This gentle, mother and daughters, reminiscences and revelations filled story, deservedly is on many best of 2023 lists. The writing is as smooth as butter. Meryl Streep’s narration of the audiobook edition is a treat in and of itself, however only (at least for me) if listened to at a faster than normal speed. It took me a little while to figure out why I love the narration so much while some other people dislike it. I was very surprised when someone described it to me as “flat.” Then I tried listening to the audiobook at regular speed and was shocked by how much worse it became (my audiobook listening default is 1.5x speed). I recommend listening to the audiobook edition at somewhere between 1.4x to 1.8x speed for a wonderful listening experience.

Best Translated Literary Fiction

• What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Machiko Aoyama. If you tend to enjoy reading books about books, this lovely Japanese title is worth checking out.

Best Romantic Literary Fiction

• Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld. This is a well-written, enjoyable, thought-provoking love story about a female comedy writer and a male pop star.

Best Rom Com

• Ten Things That Never Happened by Alexis Hall. If you enjoy well-written, trope-filled rom coms; this British, fake-amnesia plot, male-male romance (with emotionally complicated characters) is a treat.

Best Mystery

• The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman. This is the most recent addition to the charming, clever, layered, British, The Thursday Night Murder Club cozy mystery series featuring a wonderfully colorful group of senior citizen sleuths.

Best Science Fiction/Fantasy

• Starter Villain by John Scalzi. This is a very fun, clever, well-written book about a down-on-his luck, cat-loving guy who gets enmeshed in the world of (James Bond-type) super-villainry after his uncle dies. Wil Wheaton’s narration of the audiobook (which is only available on Audible) is wonderful.

• Tano by Rachel Neumeier. This special novella is the 6th story in a little-known fantasy series (which is available on Kindle Unlimited). I was blown away by how emotionally complicated Tano, a side-character in the main series and the narrator of this novella, is. It is a pleasure to root for him to overcome his internal emotional challenges and external obstacles as he tries his best to act honorably and courageously during this adventure. This is not a stand-alone novella, however the other earlier side-character-focused novellas in the series can be skipped before reading this one.

Best Non-Fiction

• Hidden Potential by Adam Grant. In this book, Wharton business school professor and organizational psychologist

  Adam Grant
  (who also writes a Substack newsletter) shares interesting research (illustrated by real world stories) about how to “improve at improving” and more effectively cultivate both one’s own potential and the potential of others.

• Magic Words by Jonah Berger. This very interesting (and accessible) book is about how making certain (often small) changes in the language you use can make a significant impact on how others react to what you are trying to express. It is written by another Wharton business school professor, this time one who teaches marketing. Readers and writers may particularly appreciate the research he mentions about what makes some stories more satisfying than others.

Best Autobiographical Essays

• Congratulation, the Best is Over! by R. Eric Thomas. I particularly appreciate the essays Thomas wrote during the peak of the Covid pandemic about his experiences (as a gay, African American man) moving out of a city into a less diverse area.

A Notable 2023 Non-Graphic Autobiography

• My Friend Anne Frank: The Inspiring and Heartbreaking True Story of Best Friends Torn Apart and Reunited Against All the Odds by Hannah Pick-Goslar and primary contributor Dina Kraft. This is not a stand-alone autobiography. It is a very well written and captivating complement to Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl. It is most likely to be appreciated by those who were significantly moved by reading Anne’s World War II diary and would like to learn more about Anne (including a few anecdotes—which took place after her diary ended—about Anne’s time in a concentration camp when she crossed paths again with Hannah). I hungered for more nuanced insights into Hannah’s interesting father than Hannah provided; but overall, it is a memorable and significant book.

Best Graphic Novels

• Family Style: Memories of an American from Vietnam by Thien Pham. This is a captivating and moving autobiography about the experience of immigrating to the U.S. from Vietnam (via a boat out of Vietnam, and then through a refugee camp) as a child.

• Run and Hide: How Jewish Youth Escaped the Holocaust by Don Brown. This gorgeously illustrated non-fiction graphic novel briefly tells a number of true stories about Jewish children who escaped the Nazis, and about the brave and compassionate people who aided them. It is well-written, well-researched, and very moving. The images help the real-life quotations they illustrate come to life. This book is a great example of how a graphic novel can successfully be used to tell true historical stories powerfully.

• We Are Not Strangers by Josh Tuininga. This moving, biographical story is about a Jewish man who secretly did his best to protect the assets of his Japanese American friends after they were sent to an internment camp during World War II, so that they would have something left to return to after the war was over. It is a lovely story (at a moment of historical ugliness) about cross-cultural friendship, compassion, and family. It is extremely well-illustrated and touching. It hasn’t gotten nearly as much attention as it deserves.

Best Non-Graphic Middle Grade Fiction

• Call Me Adnan by Reem Faruqi. This tear-jerking middle grade novel in verse blew me away. It is wonderfully written, captivating, and layered. It is about an endearing, table-tennis and popcorn loving, Muslim American boy whose beloved younger sibling dies. It may be particularly moving for readers who are grieving the loss of a loved one.

• Will on the Inside by Andrew Eliopulos. This is a very well-written, layered, middle grade story about a boy grappling with a new Crohn’s disease diagnosis and new feelings for another boy. It is written with a sophistication that will appeal to many adult readers.

Best Beginning Chapter Book

• Henry, Like Always by Jenn Bailey, illustrated by Mika Song. Henry is on the autism spectrum and initially isn’t happy about this week’s upcoming, uncomfortably noisy change to his classroom’s schedule; until he finds his own way to enjoy it (which he does via a cooperative, win-win, Getting to Yes style negotiation). This is a thoughtful, sweet, and gently triumphant story about a likable, layered character. And the illustrations are very nice.

Best Fiction Picture Books

• Books Make Good Friends by Jane Mount. This charming picture book may be a particular delight for readers who enjoy reading books about books, and who are interested in getting great children’s book recommendations.

• The Skull by Jon Klassen. Although I don’t normally read horror stories, I decided to give this one a try since it is a children’s picture book and is on many “Best Books of 2023” lists. I am glad I read it. It deserves all of the accolades it has been getting.

• Cape by Kevin Johnson, illustrated by Kitt Thomas. This tear-jerking picture book completely wowed me. I highly recommend it for both children and adults grieving the loss of a loved one (and who are ready to read about grief). I also recommend it to fans of the superhero genre.

• Evergreen by Matthew Cordell. A very timid squirrel overcomes her fears and goes on an epic adventure in order to help an ill loved one in this absolutely lovely picture book by a Caldecott medal winner.

• Fish and Crab by Marianna Coppo. This adorably clever, humorous, imaginative, and wall-breaking picture book is about two roommates in an aquarium who are having trouble falling sleep.

• Night Owl Night by Susan Edwards Richmond, illustrated by Maribel Lechuga. This beautifully illustrated science and nature-oriented picture book is about a little girl who finally gets to join her mother on a nighttime owl research project in the woods.

• One More Jar of Jam by Michelle Sumovich, illustrated by Gracey Zhang. This book is about the joys and tribulations of tree-to-table eating. And the illustrations are absolutely lovely.

• Something, Someday by Amanda Gorman, illustrated by Christian Robinson. This inspirational and hopeful story by presidential inaugural poet Amanda Gorman and Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator Christian Robinson is quite moving.

• The World’s Best Class Plant by Liz Garton Scanlon and Audrey Vernick, illustrated by Lynnor Bontigao. This absolutely delightful book is about a classroom full of kids who stop feeling envious of other classrooms that have exciting class pets and learn to embrace the joys of having a class plant instead. Plant-lovers prepare to be enchanted.

Best Nonfiction Picture Books

• Eclipse by Andy Rash. This sweet story about a scientific father-son adventure provides a captivatingly illustrated explanation of how to watch a solar eclipse.

• Fungi Grow by Maria Gianferrari, illustrated by Diana Sudyaka. The fungi in this non-fiction book about fungi are gorgeously illustrated. It is a visual delight. And the writing about the fungi is scientific and not-juvenile.

• Last Flight by Kristen Mai Giang, illustrated by Dow Phumiruk. This is the third book about Vietnamese refugees in this post. This time it is a non-fiction, autobiographical story about a Vietnamese family on the last civilian flight out of Saigon as the Vietnam War is ending. The story is well-illustrated and captivating.

• Stars of the Night: The Courageous Children of the Czech Kindertransport by Caren Stelson, illustrated by Selina Alko. This very moving, true story is told from the perspective of Jewish survivors who escaped the holocaust as children on the eve of World War II by boarding specially organized refugee train cars that took them towards safety in England. It is also about the heroic man who organized the endeavor and saved their lives.

• The Snow Man: A True Story by Jonah Winter, illustrated by Jeanette Winter. This is a very captivating (and gentle) book about nature, solitude, climate change, and science.

• To Go Boldly: How Nichelle Nichols and Star Trek Helped Advance Civil Rights by Angela Dalton, illustrated by Lauren Semmer. If you are a Star Trek fan, interested in Martin Luther King Jr. and civil rights history, and/or are interested in television history; you may enjoy this captivating biography of Star Trek actress Nichelle Nichols. The illustrator’s modern spin on a 60’s style is very pleasing.

• When Moon Became the Moon by Rob Hodgson. This introduction to moon-related astronomy for young readers is both adorable and quite informative. The moon and earth are anthropomorphized, and their expressions and reactions are charming.

Best Post-Apocalyptic Book

• The Tree and the River by Aaron Becker. This is a powerful work of art that just happens to be in the form of a wordless picture book. It contains a warning about the potential for human-caused environmental catastrophe and a seed of hope about the resilience of nature.

Enjoy your reading!

The next Bookishly Delightful post will be a list of lots of “Best Books of 2023” lists from a variety of sources.