Books I've Read: Q4 2023
And to wrap up the 2023 reading year, a list of books I read in the fourth quarter (with my stand-out wow reads in bold, as always);
Small Mercies, by Dennis Lehane
The Navigating Fox, by Christopher Rowe
Black River Orchard, by Chuck Wendig
Death Valley, by Melissa Broder
Family Meal, by Bryan Washington
Lies and Sorcery, by Elsa Morante
The Sanctuary, by Gustavo Eduardo Abrevaya
Numamushi: A Fairy Tale, by Mina Ikemoto Ghosh
Jackal, Jackal: Tales of the Dark and Fantastic, by Tobi Ogundiran
The Beast You Are, by Paul Tremblay
Jump Cut, by Helen Grant
Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror, edited by Jordan Peele and John Joseph Adams
The Caretaker, by Ron Rash
Loved and Missed, by Susie Boyt
Tandem, by Andy Mozina
Love & Bullets: Megabomb Edition, by Nick Kolakowski
Full Throttle, by Joe Hill
The Power, by Naomi Alderman
The Last Songbird, by Daniel Weizmann
The Four Realms of Existence: A New Theory of Being Human, by Joseph E. LeDoux
The Liberators, by E. J. Koh
The Vulnerables, by Sigrid Nunez
The New Naturals, by Gabriel Bump
The Favorites, by Rosemary Hennigan
Day, by Michael Cunningham
Happy, by Celina Baljeet Basra
Molly Molloy & the Angel of Death, by Maria Vale
Hot Springs Drive, by Lindsay Hunter
Starter Villain, by John Scalzi
Straw Dogs: Thoughts on Humans and Other Animals, by John Gray
La Soustraction des Possibles, by Joseph Incardona (French language edition)
The Codger and the Sparrow, by Scott Semegran
Blueprint Your Bestseller, by Stuart Horwitz
On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, by Timothy Snyder
Already Gone: 40 Stories of Running Away, anthology edited by Hannah Grieco
Chanson Douce, by Leïla Slimani (French language edition)
Her Side of the Story, by Alba de Céspedes
Blaze Me a Sun, by Cristoffer Carlsson
The Christmas Guest, by Peter Swanson
Pedro Páramo, by Juan Rulfo
Magus: The Art of Magic from Faustus to Agrippa, by Anthony Grafton
At the end of each quarter, I review my list of books read and bold the ones that wowed me in the moment, sure—but that have really stuck with me since I turned the last page. The books I read that really stuck in my head for whatever reason, whether because they gave me something to ponder or tickled my need for engagement, entertainment, and great story.
If you’d like to see what I read earlier this year, three quick links:
Since this went live I posted my list of all-2023 favorites. You can take a look at my 2022 book favorites as well and can click from there into lists from previous years, too.
The 2024 reading year has already commenced—and I have so many books I am overflowing with excitement to read!