Staying In 20th December 2023 by Aoife CodyKane

All Of The Books We Loved In 2023

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The year has almost come to an end, and it’s been a lovely one.

We’re taking a look back at all of the incredible books we’ve enjoyed during the year, from sprawling epics to relatable page flickers and heartwarming dramas.

Here’s all of the books we loved in 2023!

The Idiot

 

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“The year is 1995, and email is new. Selin, the daughter of Turkish immigrants, arrives for her freshman year at Harvard…A portrait of the artist as a young woman. A novel about not just discovering but inventing oneself.”

A feast of a book, Elif Batuman’s The Idiot is heartwarming, honest, and extremely relatable; we devoured it.

Western Lane

 

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“Eleven-year-old Gopi has been playing squash since she was old enough to hold a racket. When her mother dies, her father enlists her in a quietly brutal training regimen, and the game becomes her world…”

A beautiful, quietly powerful story about grief, sisterhood and coming of age – Western Lane by Chetna Maroo will steal your heart!

Penance

 

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“Do you know what happened already? Did you know her? Did you see it on the internet?  Did you listen to a podcast? Did the hosts make jokes?

Did you see the pictures of the body?”

Eliza Clark’s dark and compelling mystery intertwines internet culture, the late 2000’s, a tragic murder, and an unreliable narrator…you won’t be able to put it down.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

 

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“On a bitter-cold day, in the December of his junior year at Harvard, Sam Masur exits a subway car and sees, amid the hordes of people waiting on the platform, Sadie Green. He calls her name. For a moment, she pretends she hasn’t heard him, but then, she turns, and a game begins: a legendary collaboration that will launch them to stardom.”

Our hearts! This incredible debut by Gabriella Zevin explores love, creativity, success and identity, all through the surprising world of gaming. You won’t be disappointed.

Leonard And Hungry Paul

 

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Leonard and Hungry Paul are “two thirty-something men who take care of their parents and play board games together. Who like to read. Who take satisfaction in their work. Who are resolutely kind.”

One of our all time favourites, Rónán Hession’s brilliant and unique book will remind you about what really matters in life. It’s charming, profound, and incredibly wholesome!

Eileen

 

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“I was twenty-four years old then, and had a job  as a kind of secretary at a private juvenile correctional facility for teenage boys. I think of it now as what it really was for all intents and purposes—a prison for boys. I will call it Moorehead.

This is the story of how I disappeared.”

Graphic, disturbing, and incredibly bold, Eileen by Otessa Moshfegh looks deep into the mind of a perverse young woman – it’s bound to give you chills!

Prophet Song

“A fearless portrait of a society on the brink as a mother faces a terrible choice…”

Our pride was bursting when another Irish author nabbed the Booker Prize, and it is absolutely deserved! A devastating imagination of a different Ireland, you’ll undoubtedly be blown away by this extraordinary novel.

The Creative Act: A Way Of Being

 

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“I set out to write a book about what to do to make a great work of art. Instead, it revealed itself to be a book on how to be.”

A little non-fiction for a change! This stunning book is all about getting in touch with your surroundings to enhance your creative vision – and there’s something in it for everyone.

Yellowface

 

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“When Athena dies in a freak accident, June steals her unpublished manuscript and publishes it as her own under the ambiguous name Juniper Song. But as evidence threatens June’s stolen success, she will discover exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves.

What happens next is entirely everyone else’s fault.”

R. F. Kuang grapples with questions of culture appropriation, morality, and the ethics surrounding social media in this intriguing, satirical read. You’ll fly through it!

The Beekeeper of Aleppo

 

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“The unforgettable love story of a mother blinded by loss and her husband who insists on their survival as they undertake the Syrian refugee trail to Europe.”

If you want a read that reflects reality and will break your heart into pieces – The Beekeeper Of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri is the one. Devastating, masterful storytelling, with a powerful message at it’s core.

The Guest

 

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“Summer is coming to a close on the East End of Long Island, and Alex is no longer welcome. A misstep at a dinner party, and the older man she’s been staying with dismisses her…[she] drifts like a ghost through the hedged lanes, gated driveways, and sun-blasted dunes of a rarified world that is, at first, closed to her.”

Emma Cline, you’ve done it again! Unconventional and vague, yet utterly, utterly captivating.

Everything I Know About Love

 

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“A wildly funny, occasionally heartbreaking internationally bestselling memoir about growing up, growing older, and learning to navigate friendships, jobs, loss, and love along the ride.”

Girls, you know the suss. Dolly Alderton smashes it with this

The Hundred Years War On Palestine

 

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“A landmark history of one hundred years of war waged against the Palestinians from the foremost US historian of the Middle East, told through pivotal events and family history.”

A topical non fiction that looks back at Palestine’s devastating history. This illuminating, heart breaking book by Rashid Khalidi details a difficult truth with incredible care.

Big Swiss

 

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“Greta transcribes for a sex therapist, and becomes infatuated by one of his clients. One day, she recognises the client’s voice at the dog park, and in a panic, she introduces herself with a fake name. They quickly become enmeshed…”

Quirky, twisty and provocative – we devoured this book by Jen Beagin. It’s bizarre in the best way!

Babel

 

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“A historical fantasy epic that grapples with student revolutions, colonial resistance, and the use of language and translation as the dominating tool of the British Empire.”

Another R. F. Kuang! This mysterious, intellectual epic is spectacular – and also quite nerdy. But we adored it!

Nightbitch

 

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“One day, the mother was a mother but then, one night, she was quite suddenly something else…”

Rachel Yoder is not afraid to go there! This wild, surreal, freaky book is a very raw portrayal of a woman struggling with motherhood; we found it exceptional.

Victory City

 

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“In the fourteenth century of the Common Era, in the South of what we now call India, nine-year-old Pampa Kampana, orphaned by war, starts hearing the voice of a goddess…”

This mythical, fantastical meets historical story is an adventure of great proportions. You’ll be swept away!

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