Best Reads of 2023

Introduction:

Last week I released a blog post discussing the worst books I read in 2023. Now, it’s time to explore the opposite side to that dramatic portrayal of my angry opinions on horrible novels. It’s time to display the best, the superior, the utmost perfect books I deem worthy of a five star rating. For those who don’t know my rating system, I categorize novels by the following:

• 5 Stars Amazing! A new favorite.

• 4 Stars Will be a go-to recommendation.

• 3 Stars Good enough.

• 2 Stars Bad enough to be upsetting.

• 1 Star Don’t mention this book in my presence unless you’re ready to sit through a 20-minute tangent.

On a typical book, my default rating is 3 stars. So, it can sometimes take a lot to raise the rating above this. However, I always come out at the end of the year with a solid list of reads I’m ready to gush about. Despite me not reading as much as I wanted in 2023, the year was no exception. The following books are ones that raised an intense feeling of inspiration. They contain stories I believe everyone should experience in their lifetime. These are books that had me itching to write.

Now. Let’s get onto it, fellas.

Reviews:

1. FUN HOME: A FAMILY TRAGICOMIC by Alison Bechdel

-   My Rating: 5 Stars

This was a book assigned to me in my Queer Lit course at Ball State my final semester. Despite this being one of the first books I read last year, it stands as the best of 2023. The author of this tragicomic explores her relationship with her closeted father and their parallel worlds after his passing. She depicts their strained dynamic, how he needed everything to be pristine and perfect—the precise expression of heterosexuality—to hide his own sexual identity, and how it came to impact them all. I wish I could go into further details on how this book impacted me and the layers it contains, but I wholeheartedly believe it’s better to be blind when reading. And this is a book most people should read at least once in their life, especially if you’re a member of the LGBTQ+ community.

2. SUPERGIRL: WOMAN OF TOMORROW by Tom King

-  My Rating: 5 Stars

You will soon find there lies a pattern for my best reads of 2023. A pattern in that the majority are comics. To my defense, I read some stellar comics last year, mostly to the fault of Tom King himself. I typically lean towards indie graphics with the exception of some select Batman issues that stand as personal favorites. However, I never would have imagined I would be left starstruck by Supergirl. Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow was utterly breathtaking from art to writing style and story arch. It is a story of loss, vengeance, and female friendships. Even then, while those topics are at the forefront of the volume, there lies so much more within the pages.

I never really thought twice about the crutch of Supergirl’s powers. I had no need to. But the way Tom King dives into the sheer implications of her abilities, of the impact they have on her, it gave me chills. There is this one scene (sort of spoiler) where it depicts how just moving slowly like a human, the act of not breathing with ice or seeing with lasers is actually painful for her. And yet, she does it. She takes on that burden. That scene was one of my favorites in the comic and I still think about it from time to time. It’s the method Tom King used to tell her story that makes Supergirl so much more genuine. I want more, more of this lyrical type of writing that doesn’t read as pompous but real and honest. I could write an entire thesis on this comic, its layers and depth, if I had the time. But I’ll leave it here. If you enjoy comics, I recommend this one with a full chest.

3. MISTER MIRACLE by Tom King

-  My Rating: 5 Stars

Tom King is two for two today. I think I found myself a personal favorite comic book writer. Mister Miracle is one of the heavier comics I’ve read. It covers topics surrounding depression, self-harm, and torture, so do keep that in mind. Tom King has a way of writing characters that feel, or rather read, real. I fell in love with Scott Free and Big Barda. They are officially my fictional parents, as I made sure to state in my Goodreads review. I could go on and on about my love of Big Barda for breaking female stereotypes in books—how she was designed as truly big and wildly strong and Scott Free did not have a care in the world. I loved it. I loved their journey. However, more than anything, I was captivated by the method of storytelling using Scott Free as an unreliable narrator. Because, with his mental state, the reader truly does not know if his reality is true. There lies that strong line of uncertainty. It makes for a unique reading experience that I recommend to all superhero fans.

4. SISTER, MAIDEN, MONSTER by Lucy A. Snyder

-  My Rating: 4 Stars

Now…now this is a book. I don’t even know where to begin with this one. I’m not sure I even want to. Lucy Snyder has managed to both amaze and scare me in less than 400 pages. And don’t misunderstand what I mean by scared. I wasn’t afraid in a “Oh my goodness, that scene was a real heart pounder. Consider me timbers shivered.”

Oh no. No. My fear was more so in terms of “What the actually heck did I just read?”

I almost don’t want to tell you anything about this book. I think if you enjoy reading novels about the world ending in the most horrendous, shroom-tripping type of way, you need to go into this thing with as little details as you can manage. But…at the same time, be cautious. I beg of you. And don’t blame me if you come out of it absolutely tripped out of your mind.

Also, as a sidenote, the reason Sister, Maiden, Monster received the rating it did was because I found the ending purely underwhelming. So do with that information what you will.

5. THE LATHE OF HEAVEN by Ursula K. Le Guin

-  My Rating: 4 Stars

I understand this novel, as well as the author, has won some awards and is known to be lifechanging for a large group of readers. I’m here to say, despite my high rating, I don’t believe Ursula Le Guin’s work is for me. I can respect the importance, however, and when reading I saw how it could make in impact on others. So, it remains a novel I use as a recommendation at my bookstore job. With this in mind, I have to admit, I was not completely impressed or captivated by the book. I thought the reader was kept too far away from the main character and I found the author’s writing style too dense for me. I wanted more and was kept starved from the story. As a result, I was underwhelmed by the end. However, again, I recognize the impact this novel had, and I will recommend it, which is why it made it to my best books of 2023 list.

Final Thoughts:

I read a fair amount of good books in 2023, but I think I can do better in 2024. For starters, I’ve decided to change the way I set reading goals for myself. For years I have said I’ll read 20 or 30 books in the year and never end up making it. Instead, I’m keeping a short list of books I need to get to at some point in the next twelve months, and the rest are up to me based on my mood. I also plan to sprinkle in some rereads as well. I am currently rereading The Host by Stephanie Meyer (the far superior book of hers in my opinion), and we’ll see if I end up writing a review on it for “The Empty Pen”.  Ultimately, I just want to find the fun in reading again in a way that inspires me to write. I hope you all are doing well and are finding amazing reads of your own. Remember to stay sexy.