Reading List 2023
We’re back for another year’s reading summary! I was a bit shy of my 70-book goal and ended the year reading 67 books, 24,225 pages. After two years of critically reviewing and rating my reads, I will say that my ratings may have gotten more strict this year. I didn’t find quite as many 10/10 reads, but some brilliant stories nonetheless.
Again, I have to shout out my momma, Kristin, and my friend, Evelyn, for a lot of the books I ended up reading this year. I discovered a some great reads and 45 new (to me) authors!
Give me all of the recommendations! Make sure you add a comment below with your all-time favorite book or author. As you scroll through, check out some of my favorite reads from 2023.
Favorite Book of 2023
And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman
“Fredrik Backman continues to rip my heart out of my chest with his eloquent and beautiful writing style. This short story about the bond between a grandpa and his grandson filled me with love and heartache as the grandpa feels his memories slipping away. I absolutely loved David Morse as the narrator. The perfect voice for this story. I might have to make this a yearly read.”
– Meghen Murphy
Most Beautiful Writing Style
They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraquib
“There’s no denying the author, Hanif, is a poet. This book has beautiful prose and makes flowing from memoir to musical analysis to society and history feel like floating down a river. I absolutely loved his essays about various musicians and songs and their effect on him and the music scene. It makes me appreciate how much thought and energy truly goes into a song. Though he’s also a punk-loving Ohio native with only a 9-year age difference, we had VERY different experiences growing up that are so necessary to hear about. ”
– Meghen Murphy
Recommended by Evelyn Ritzi
Best Love Story
Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano
“Uhg, I love an excellent expansive love story. This book makes me wish I had sisters growing up. The author has a way of portraying each character as complicated, emotional, well-rounded, and deeply emotional people. It’s hard to pick a favorite character because they’re all unique. It makes me want to strive to be as welcoming and loving in my own life. This story shows that by living your truth with no bullshit, you open yourself up to being your purely authentic self. ” – Meghen Murphy
Recommended by Kristin Welly
Most Eye Opening
Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley
“Leila Mottley is a powerful writer and is at the beginning of her writing career! I was captivated by this story and couldn’t stop listening to it. It’s tragic, beautiful, and heartbreaking all at once. This story provides a glimpse into the desperate situations too many people find themselves in. It illustrates how the system continually exploits black and brown people with little to no support. If you struggle to understand how anyone could distrust or hate the police, read this book. ” – Meghen Murphy
Most Surprising
The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition by Anne Frank
“I was not expecting Anne to be so snarky and well-spoken. I was hooked when she started describing her classmates 😂 I can’t believe I hadn’t read this sooner. What an incredible first-hand telling of an unimaginably tragic time. As a reader, you ride the highs and lows of her emotional teenage turmoil. She was a natural storyteller who captivated readers by pouring her heart into her diary. I felt an emptiness after finishing this story, knowing how her life ended too soon. I am in awe that her father was able to collect her diaries and get her story out into the world.” – Meghen Murphy
Best Trilogy
Crank by Ellen Hopkins
“I love the poetic prose of this book. It feels like the perfect portrayal of what it’s like to be on drugs—broken thoughts, beautiful feelings, scattered thought processes, yet incredibly focused. So much happened in Kristina’s life in a very short amount of time. As a teenager growing up, I always rolled my eyes at adults telling me, “Don’t do drugs.” In my naivety, I was not thinking of anything close to this caliber. This book captures the complicated feelings of growing up and how developing brains can easily be talked into choices that have long-lasting effects.”
– Meghen Murphy
*Note: I listened to the audiobooks for Crank and Glass. I wouldn’t recommend the audiobook for Fallout.
2023 Honorable Mentions
Wish You Were Here by Jody Picoult
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto by Mitch Albom
Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult & Jennifer Finney Boylan
The Troop by Nick Cutter
Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Libby Library App
Every book I read or listened to was on Libby. Libby is an award-winning, much-loved app for libraries. All you need to do is connect your library card(s) to Libby to borrow ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines. The more library cards, the better! Libby automatically shows you which library has your book available or who will have one available as soon as possible. This year I added The Dayton Library and it has a fantastic selection.
The StoryGraph
One of my favorite things I did was log all of my books on The StoryGraph. This app is an all-in-one platform for your bookish needs. Create reading challenges and goals, preview content warnings, get book recommendations based on your reading preferences, and so much more! If you’re looking to distance yourself from Amazon, you can transfer over your Goodreads book list. I’m a data nerd and love seeing charts and graphs that highlight fun facts about my reading habits. Check out some highlights below.
If you’re a book and stat-loving nerd like me, make sure you add me as a friend! @DesignsByMeghen
Full Reading List
My favorite thing about The StoryGraph was the Reading Wrap-Up they put together. On top of some fun statistics and reading trends, they included a full image gallery of the covers of each book I read in 2023. I love how they look all together in one spot 🥹
If you have a question or want to know more about any of the books listed below, shoot me a message or leave a comment below.
