Favorite Books of 2023 - Fiction Edition

I read a lot of great books this year, including a few Pulitzer Prize winners.  Thanks again to my reading friends that make regular recommendations – you know who you are!

If you saw my post on non-fiction books, you know there were some challenging reads last year.  The list below is pretty much full on enjoyment of good stories, well told, with likeable characters.

Migrations:  A Novel by Charlotte McConaghy.  It’s the story of a bird lover, determined to follow the migratory journey of the Arctic tern from Greenland to Antarctica. It is intimate, suspenseful, and breathtaking. There’s more to this story than you might think. Beautiful book. 

The Mountains Sing by Nguyen Phan Que Mai. This beautiful book shares the multigenerational story of the Tran family against the backdrop of the Viet Nam War. The author is a Pulitzer prize winning poet. I loved learning about the war from a Vietnamese perspective. 

Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano. You will find this book on many best book lists from last year, and with good reason. It is tender and emotional, and sometimes, just what you need.

 The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese. The book is set in south India and follows three generations of a family with a strange secret.  It starts with the arranged marriage of a terrified twelve-year-old girl who grows up to become the unforgettable matriarch, Big Ammachi. It is a wonderful insight into a bygone era.  

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. From the author of The Kite Runner. The story takes place over thirty years in Afghanistan. It has been called “haunting, heartbreaking, and compelling,” – and it is all of that, and more. 

Paradiso: Utterly Gripping and Emotional Historical Fiction, Return to Paradiso, and The Daughter of Paradiso by Francesca Scanacapra. I was so glad my friend told me about this series – I loved it!  The story of Graziella Ponti, from a tiny village in Lombardy, Italy (where my ancestors come from) with the backdrop of World War II and its aftermath, is based on the author’s family history. 

River Sing Me Home by Eleanor Shearer. This is the story of a woman, escaped from slavery in Barbados, as she desperately searches for the children that were taken from her. It is a “celebration of motherhood and female resilience.” I found it both heartbreaking and full of hope. 

No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister. This is a book about books. And readers. Nine readers, each with a story, who are drawn into a stunning debut novel, and discover something different that alters them.  This story underlines how books can affect us and connect us. 

By Her Own Design: A Novel of Ann Lowe, Fashion Designer to the Social Register by Piper Huguley. The incredible story of Ann Lowe, a Black woman and granddaughter of slaves, who overcame racial prejudice and personal challenges to design and create one of the most famous wedding dresses of all time -- for Jackie Kennedy. It’s an unforgettable story. 

I’m thinking that list may keep you busy for awhile.

As for 2024, I’m off and running with one excellent audio book, one inspirational leadership book and one fun novel.

Let me know what your favorites are from the past year, and anything you are currently reading that you recommend. I’ll add it the pile I've already started!