I read 250 books in 2023, these are my top 25 books. I decided to use a 4 tier system to rank what I read.
A – outstanding, would re-read, recommend, made me feel something or was such a neat idea – 60 books
B – pretty solid, would recommend, maybe re-read – 96 books
C – not bad, not memorable, probably wouldn’t recommend or re-read – 41 books
D – I wasn’t in the right place when I read it, it’s not one of my genres, I didn’t like it, I had strong negative feelings or it just rubbed me the wrong way – 13 books
I’ve trimmed the A tier to my top 25 books. I’ve linked to my reviews, but since I started this blog in late August 2023, I don’t have reviews written for all of them. Sounds like a 2024 goal!
Romance
Historical
Waking up with a Rake by Mia Marlowe and Connie Mason – m/f, regency, rakes, forced proximity, his scheme backfires
Dangerous by Minerva Spencer – m/f, regency, bad reputations, arranged marriage
Contemporary
The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams – m/f, sports romance, his POV, second chance romance, he reads regency
Rookie Mistake by L.A. Witt and Anna Zabo – m/m, hockey/sports romance, angsty but not too much, healthy supports and healing, power imbalance (rookie & team co-captain)
The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata – m/f, sports romance, she’s not a pushover, he’s emotionally stunted but not awful
Fast Connection by Megan Erickson – m/m, military, intsa-love, book #2 in Cyberlove series. Family is important
Dating Dr. Dil by Nisha Sharma – m/f, hilarious, steamy, smart and independent lead characters. Family drama
Fantasy/Paranormal
A Rake of His Own by A.J. Lancaster – Stariel book #5, this book was the reason I started the series. m/m, Edwardian fantasy, fae realms, royal politics.
When I first Met My King by Harper Fox – m/m, Camelot retelling, Young Arthur and Lancelot, short story
Edin by Lily Mayne – MONSTERS, m/m, dystopian, I don’t get how there is still food available
Hot and Badgered by Shelly Laurenston – m/f, honey badger shifters, bear shifters, light, sparkling and hilarious
American Queen by Sierra Simone – m/m/f thruple, contemporary Camelot retelling
SciFi – Fantasy
The Lost Metal by Brandon Sanderson – Mistborn #7, flintlock fantasy, Wax and Wayne, very much another great story in an epic fantasy
A Rip Through Time by Kelley Armstrong – time travel, Victorian Scotland, police procedural, crime
Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse – gods, the most amazing world building, a brilliant epic with outstanding characters. I can’t sum it up with pithy tropes.
House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas – yes yes, a very hyped book, complex urban fantasy with tons of steamy romance. fast paced, winged angels, brooding heros
Fall; Or, Dodge in Hell by Neal Stephenson – dense, heavy, spans a really long time period, but oh gosh so many cool concepts. Neal Stephenson has foreshadowed so many cool technologies and ethical dilemmas in his writing since the beginning, and this is another entry in his ledger we’ll look back on one day
Literature
An Old Captivity by Nevil Shute – published in 1940, long time favourite author, time travel, romance, but is it a hallucination? Young airman takes aged archaeologist and his daughter on an expedition to the arctic, fraught with all the technology limitations of the 1940s. LOVED IT SO MUCH
The Golden Mean by Annabel Lyon – Ancient Greece, Aristotle mentoring young Alexander, precarious balance. Alexander has a feral wildness that Aristotle tries to mitigate, the tension in the young man’s ferocity vs Aristotle’s deliberate nature is mesmerizing.
Crime – Mystery – Suspense
Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier – tense, dark, good people can do bad things, but what a way to reconnect and find love.
Rules of Prey by John Sandford – Lucas Davenport #1, police procedural beginning in 1989, suspense, thriller, no tech at first, ethically flexible lead detective
Storm Front by John Sandford – Virgil Flowers #7, police procedural, who can be trusted, competing goals
Rough Country by John Sandford – Virgil Flowers #3, most intense contemporary chase scene I’ve ever read, very tense, police procedural
Fadeout by Joseph Hansen – Dave Brandsetter #1, published in 1970, gay lead detective, classic, cozy but still full of suspense
To review my complete 2023 list, please check out the links below:
goodreads profile
thestorygraph profile
