My Top 5 Books/Series to Read in 2023 (or January, if you get hooked easily like me)
Hi everyone and happy Sunday (by central time, at least). When I’m not blogging or daydreaming, I’m usually reading- so I figured that this week, I would share my favorite 2022 reads with you to start your year off with. These books have truly left an imprint on me, or at the very least provided me with some great entertainment. If you find yourself bored, I highly recommend you check them out, especially if you’re in the mood for a romance, mystery, or realistic fiction angle. These tend to be my favorite genres, but I have dabbled in almost every kind of book (I never met a book I didn’t like), so without further ado, here they are:
1.) It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
If this was a competition to find THE book of 2023, I could stop this list right here. I don’t ever write “fanmail” to authors, but this book is the only exception. Colleen Hoover deserves every ounce of fame she’s gotten since this book went booktok viral at the beginning of last year, and I am only too proud to say that I read the book about two months before it blew up. I guess you could call me a real fan, because she just released the sequel and I read it in one day, not counting the last chapter, which I couldn’t bring myself to read due to the hardcore emotional attachment I have to her writing. AND if none of this convinces you it’s great, Hoover just revealed that in the movie adaptation of this book, the main character will be played by none other than queen Blake Lively. Insane.
Quick Summary: Lily Bloom has just moved to Boston when she meets Ryle Kincaid, a residential doctor looking for a casual fling. As hard as she tries to stay away from him, she and Ryle soon realize the chemistry between them is undeniable, and they begin an enthralling, turbulent relationship. As she and Ryle’s connection continues to deepen, however, the book traces her past growing up in an abusive home and aligns it with her present, as she struggles to break the cycles she grew up in.
2.) The Women’s Murder Club by James Patterson
My favorite series of all time continues to expand, thanks to James Patterson, who I am convinced can “write like he’s running out of time”, since he publishes so many books a year. The Women’s Murder Club is set in San Francisco, and it follows four best friends who have unique roles within the city’s society: a homicide detective, a medical examiner, a district attorney, and a newspaper reporter. Each with a unique angle into the city’s atrocities and injustices, the four decide to work together to solve and handle the complex and mysterious cases they must each face.
My favorite thing about this series (aside from a new book coming out each year to fuel the suspense) is that it is told from the perspective of each of the four characters, alternating each chapter, and even from the perspective of the murderer/perpetrator. If you are a fan of Criminal Minds, this series will be your kind of book crack.
3.) The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
If you are feeling in a book “block”, or finding it hard to get into any specific genre, I think The Midnight Library may be just the read you need in your life. The book follows Nora, who finds herself in the “midnight library”, a state in between life and death. In this place, as long as it stays midnight, she gets to try out an infinitude of options, in the form of all the lives she might have lived had she made decisions differently in life. This book is perfect for when you are in a strut because it really makes you ponder: “If you could do things differently, would you? What if “no regrets” was more than a saying?”
4.) One of the Girls by Lucy Clarke
Lucy Clarke is one of my favorite 2022 discoveries, and for good reason. As an avid mystery reader (see #2), I am constantly on the hunt for books that make you involved in a good mystery, almost as if you are one of the characters and you get to figure it out too. If you have the same issues, PLEASE do yourself a favor and read One of The Girls.
Quick summary: When six very different, yet interconnected, women travel to Greece for a perfect bachelorette party, things seem they’re headed for a beautiful weekend away. But as each of them tells their story and secrets are unveiled, a weekend away turns into a much more sinister, terrifying death trap. One person won’t leave the island alive, and nothing is quite as it seems. Eerie, right?
5.) Drive by Daniel Pink
Finally, if you’re more into nonfiction or direction-driven (aka self help) books, I have you covered with Drive. Pink discusses the various theories around motivation, discussing the differences between innate and incentivized motivation and how they drive us towards our goals in different ways. When I tell you guys that this book changed my life, I do not exaggerate. From the cool psychological studies Pink shares to his descriptions of motivation during school years, in the workplace, and beyond- this book will chill you and make you look at life a whole lot differently as you ponder to yourself: what drives you?
I absolutely love reading and sharing recommendations, so I’ll be sure to keep this blog updated with all my 2023 favorites. Feel free to reach out for more specific suggestions, and I’ll talk to you next week!