Happy New Year’s Eve everyone! While I have been slaving away in my home to get it cleaned prior to 2024, I figured it was time to take a gander at the top 10 books I read this year.

In 2023, I really challenged myself on the reading front to read 40 books, a bigger commitment than any year previously. I am proud to say that I cleared the bar! It’s also very funny that the book that got me to my goal was the worst book I read this year. Life is such a delight isn’t its it?
In 2024, I am setting a goal for 50 books and I think the key is to mix up your mediums: do some real books, some ebooks, some manga, and audio book or two, etc. Have fun with it!

I’ve listed my faves here with a little sentence tease to potentially entice you into reading a few of these.

Top 10 Books I Read in 2023

10. Vladamir by Julia May Jonas
A female professor whose husband is under investigation wants to have an affair with a new professor. Mess!

9. Him by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy
Two hockey bros realize they want to be more than just bros.

8. We Are a Haunting by Tyriek White
Part sociological New York study and part family history of folks who can see ghosts.

7. Minor Detail by Adania Shibli
A harrowing but ultimately intimate look at Palestine and memory.

6. Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
A trans boy wants to become a brujo. Chaos ensues.

5. My Dear Henry by Kalynn Bayron
A gay Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde retelling. Note: Definitely do the audiobook of this one. It’s such a juicy story you’ll be screaming.

4. The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer
What I thought was just going to be a cute YA in space turned into an incredible look at humanity.

3. Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen
Black mermaids and African folklore in a thrilling adventure and coming of age tale.

2. Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco
I will pitch this to you like it was pitched to me: If you watched Castlevania and wanted the three main characters to bang, this is the book for you!

1. The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez
Pound for pound, one of the best books I’ve ever read. Don’t even read a synopsis, just pick up a copy and let it take you away.

If you’re looking for additional recs, I think the NPR Book List is a great place to start. That reactive site design and categorization is **chef’s kiss**.