You're my favorite discovery of 2023. I've enjoyed reading your posts more than anything else online. Thank you for the time and effort you put into every essay.
I’ve enjoyed your reviews so much-you’ve introduced me to a lot of books I would never have found on my own, while dipping into beloved novels as well. A great mix! Some of my top 2023 books: Thought provoking: Omeros by Derek Wolcott, Favorite new author: Wendell Berry, Most harrowing: Quicksand by Nella Larsen, Possible overall favorite: Piranesi by Susanne Clarke (I cannot emphasize enough how unique and wonderful a book this is), Favorite theology: On the Theology of Death by Karl Rahner, favorite reread: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn-hadn’t read it since middle school and it was a really unique experience to compare what my initial impressions were with my reading as an adult/wife/Mom
Thanks for this. I'm particularly interested in hearing about Williams. I've been reading Descent Into Hell this year, returning to him after many years.
I listened to Cry, the Beloved Country for the first time this year. What an extraordinary book. Loved it. It felt old and classic but also timely. But maybe that’s true of all the great books.
Thank you for the thoughtful and inspiring reviews. I have read many new books after reading your reviews and also taken a few off my TBR list, knowing that I wouldn’t want to read them after your great review. Wishing you happy holidays
A reread of a 5 star favorite: The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, Gabrielle Zevin
A couple 5 stars that fall in the religion/theology category: When the Stars Disappear, Mark Talbot; All Who Are Weary, Sarah J. Hauser
So many 5 star children's reads (homeschooling FTW): The Lost Tales of Sir Galahad, Ned Bustard (ed.); Little House in the Big Woods, Laura Ingalls Wilder; The Velveteen Rabbit, Margery Williams; Winnie the Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner, A.A. Milne; Little Bear, Else Holmelund Minarik
And a 5 star essay collection to boot: Bomb Shelter, Mary Laura Philpott
Still reading A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, though I don't think I'll get it done before the year is out like I'd hoped to.
Re Tree Grows in Brooklyn: the good thing is you’ll have finished it whenever you finish. There’s nothing inherently better about December than January.
Joel, I have enjoyed your newsletter since I discovered it a couple of months ago. It has been a slow reading year for me—26 books finished and another dozen or so started but not finished. Here are the top three.
Nothing shabby with 26 books! I really enjoyed Will! I grew up on Smith’s music and watched plenty of his movies. I found his personal story fascinating, especially the dynamic with his father.
For the last ten years, I have averaged about 45 a year. What caught my attention in Will was his feeling like a coward because he did not protect his mother from his father.
Thank you for putting this post together, Joel! My favorite 2023 reads: The Uses of Enchantment by Bruno Bettelheim and A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. Looking forward to reading your 2024 reviews and reflections.
I love the Empire State Building photo to go along with the encouragement. "Brick by Brick".
I started reading comic books this year (memoir, non-fiction, YA) and that was my most surprising takeaway - a genre I thought I'd *never* have an interest in - I finished so many and really enjoyed them.
It was also a great year for environmental/ecology-related reads; a genre I love and is adjacent to my love of travel books (the world is SO FASCINATING!). Some of my favorites from this genre, and 2023 favorites, were "Braiding Sweetgrass" by Robin Wall Kimmerer, and Aldo Leopold's "Sand County Almanac". Apparently Leopold informed Wendell Berry's writing. The writing is *perfection*.
I read both of these aloud to my daughter, who in gr 9 (and a homeschooler) loves environmental science, and we both were just starry-eyed at the writing in these two books...with the added benefit of learning so much from both writers about the natural world.
Thanks for the recommendation - it's at my local library! I've saved it for later (currently buried under 8 books for my Christmas break... we'll see what happens!)
I was just writing a list of books I read for the first time in 2023, so I'm glad you asked. My favorites (in no particular order of preference):
Three Memoirs:
1. 'A Daughter of the Samauri' by Etsu Inagaki Sugimoto - judging by your reviews, this might make a good non-fiction companion piece to 'Silence' and 'The Samauri'
2. 'Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, written by herself' by Harriet Evans (originally published under the pseudonym of Linda Brent) - when I read this, I wondered why in the world it wasn't talked of alongside Douglass' and Northrop's memoirs.
3. Time to be in Earnest: A Fragment of Autobiography' by P. D. James
I don't know why I ended up reading several books on the art of writing, but I did:
1. 'Talking about Detective Fiction' by P. D. James - just enjoyed reading an expert's witty and down-to-earth views on their field of expertise
2. 'A Moveable Feast' by Ernest Hemingway and 'A Room of One's Own' by Virginia Woolf - I accidentally paired these male and female modernist perspectives on the art of writing, and (whispers) I liked these better than their novels.
Fiction - I read a lot of modernist/realist novels this year, but none made it to personal liking, as only the descriptive chapters of 'The Grapes of Wrath' seemed really worth the trouble. So my favorite list is short:
'The Children of Men' by P. D. James - destined to be a dystopian classic. I also read '1984' this year, and James' book has the more disturbing, because far more grounded in human reality, vision.
'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy' by John le Carré - still lingering over the last chapters of this book. I know the story from the BBC's excellent 1979 miniseries adaptation with Alec Guinness and Ian Richardson, and the book, like the miniseries, is worth the slow burn.
What a great list! I’m think of reading James’s The Children of Men this year. I’ve always loved the movie and have heard the book is better. I love a good dystopian story.
Thanks! I found that a very helpful book. Thanks for sharing about Thunderclap! Looking at your list, I noticed Super-Infinite from last year. I’ve been thinking of reading that one ever since it came out.
Libra-Don Delillo. You always know that your favorite authors don’t just appear as a whole but you always feel James Ellory is a man that broke the mold. He did but Libra is Delio's book that inspired Ellroy’s American Trilogy. It’s a hot read. Sometimes books you want to keep reading for the ride, for the story, and sometimes the use of language, the words, the magic that’s happening with the vibes. This book is both.
The Enchanters-James Ellroy. Libra aside, the Big Dog James stands on his own. I enjoyed this more than any book I read this year. It’s the murder of Marilyn Monroe, it’s LA in the 60s before the hippies take hold. It’s Ellroy’s new antihero, based on real life shake down artist Freddie Otash. It’s beautiful stuff. Is Ellroy getting better at writing at 75? This book and its predecessor WideSpread Panic are the two most enjoyable, readable, books Ellroy has. I don’t know what James is vibing on but it’s agreeing with him.
Lament from Epirus–Christopher C. King This book reminded me of a lot of things I enjoy. Bourdain elements of adventure with travel, food, and drinking with people in strange places. It also felt like Nick Tosches digging into the past of some mysterious music like when he wrote about Emmet Miller.
Burning Angel -Lawrence Osborne’s collection of short stories is the best writing for me in 23.
Great list. I’ve heard you talking up Osborne and Ellroy for a while now. And I’ve recently read several people praising Libra; I’m going to need to head to that end of the tributary at some point.
So, Ellroy is rough stuff. You might not like him. Violent, profane, decidedly writing in the 50's-not politically current in his language. But his USE of language, his dance, and his boxing, his poetry, and his energy is why I ride. That and he's the inheritor of all things LA Crime. Hammet, Chandler, MacDonald=It culminates in James. All that said, Ellroy has a strong grasp of right and wrong. Osborne is writing some of the best suspense, crime and how they work as moral choices in a world that is out of touch with reality. I think you might like Lawrence, James-maybe not.
You're my favorite discovery of 2023. I've enjoyed reading your posts more than anything else online. Thank you for the time and effort you put into every essay.
Thaddeus, thank you! That comment is a gift!
I’ve enjoyed your reviews so much-you’ve introduced me to a lot of books I would never have found on my own, while dipping into beloved novels as well. A great mix! Some of my top 2023 books: Thought provoking: Omeros by Derek Wolcott, Favorite new author: Wendell Berry, Most harrowing: Quicksand by Nella Larsen, Possible overall favorite: Piranesi by Susanne Clarke (I cannot emphasize enough how unique and wonderful a book this is), Favorite theology: On the Theology of Death by Karl Rahner, favorite reread: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn-hadn’t read it since middle school and it was a really unique experience to compare what my initial impressions were with my reading as an adult/wife/Mom
I’ve heard wonderful things of Piranesi! And I thought about reading Larsen’s Passing this year.
My first time through A Tree Grows in Brooklyn came this year. I loved it.
Thanks for this. I'm particularly interested in hearing about Williams. I've been reading Descent Into Hell this year, returning to him after many years.
Yes, I first read him in college. He’s a wild trip—every bit as strange to me now as he was then.
I listened to Cry, the Beloved Country for the first time this year. What an extraordinary book. Loved it. It felt old and classic but also timely. But maybe that’s true of all the great books.
Yes, what a special book that is. Given our fraught national conversation on race, I thought it had (has) a lot to offer.
Very much so. The poetry and kinship with Old Testament prophecy took my breath away more than once.
Thank you for the thoughtful and inspiring reviews. I have read many new books after reading your reviews and also taken a few off my TBR list, knowing that I wouldn’t want to read them after your great review. Wishing you happy holidays
Thanks, Susan! That’s pretty much what a review is for. I’m grateful you’re along for the adventure.
A reread of a 5 star favorite: The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, Gabrielle Zevin
A couple 5 stars that fall in the religion/theology category: When the Stars Disappear, Mark Talbot; All Who Are Weary, Sarah J. Hauser
So many 5 star children's reads (homeschooling FTW): The Lost Tales of Sir Galahad, Ned Bustard (ed.); Little House in the Big Woods, Laura Ingalls Wilder; The Velveteen Rabbit, Margery Williams; Winnie the Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner, A.A. Milne; Little Bear, Else Holmelund Minarik
And a 5 star essay collection to boot: Bomb Shelter, Mary Laura Philpott
Still reading A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, though I don't think I'll get it done before the year is out like I'd hoped to.
A lot of winners there.
Re Tree Grows in Brooklyn: the good thing is you’ll have finished it whenever you finish. There’s nothing inherently better about December than January.
Joel, I have enjoyed your newsletter since I discovered it a couple of months ago. It has been a slow reading year for me—26 books finished and another dozen or so started but not finished. Here are the top three.
3. Will by Will Smith
2. Depth of Winter by Craig Johnson
1. The Nightmare Years by William Shirer
Nothing shabby with 26 books! I really enjoyed Will! I grew up on Smith’s music and watched plenty of his movies. I found his personal story fascinating, especially the dynamic with his father.
For the last ten years, I have averaged about 45 a year. What caught my attention in Will was his feeling like a coward because he did not protect his mother from his father.
How do I get a book reviewed?
davidmatthie@outlook.com
Your book has to interest me enough for me to read it and review it :)
Thank you for putting this post together, Joel! My favorite 2023 reads: The Uses of Enchantment by Bruno Bettelheim and A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. Looking forward to reading your 2024 reviews and reflections.
Thanks, Susie! Several people have recommended I read Towles, especially Gentleman in Moscow.
Maybe this one might be Bookish Immersions?
I love that!
Congratulations on being a featured Substack publication! You're one of my favorites :)
Thanks, Phoebe!
I love the Empire State Building photo to go along with the encouragement. "Brick by Brick".
I started reading comic books this year (memoir, non-fiction, YA) and that was my most surprising takeaway - a genre I thought I'd *never* have an interest in - I finished so many and really enjoyed them.
It was also a great year for environmental/ecology-related reads; a genre I love and is adjacent to my love of travel books (the world is SO FASCINATING!). Some of my favorites from this genre, and 2023 favorites, were "Braiding Sweetgrass" by Robin Wall Kimmerer, and Aldo Leopold's "Sand County Almanac". Apparently Leopold informed Wendell Berry's writing. The writing is *perfection*.
I read both of these aloud to my daughter, who in gr 9 (and a homeschooler) loves environmental science, and we both were just starry-eyed at the writing in these two books...with the added benefit of learning so much from both writers about the natural world.
It’s amazing how a good book like that (Braiding Sweetgrass) can open up a part of the world and make it feel so immediate and essential.
I’m reading a graphic memoir right now: Worm by Edel Rodriguez. It’s fantastic. Hoping to review early in new year. https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250753977/worm
Thanks for the recommendation - it's at my local library! I've saved it for later (currently buried under 8 books for my Christmas break... we'll see what happens!)
I was just writing a list of books I read for the first time in 2023, so I'm glad you asked. My favorites (in no particular order of preference):
Three Memoirs:
1. 'A Daughter of the Samauri' by Etsu Inagaki Sugimoto - judging by your reviews, this might make a good non-fiction companion piece to 'Silence' and 'The Samauri'
2. 'Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, written by herself' by Harriet Evans (originally published under the pseudonym of Linda Brent) - when I read this, I wondered why in the world it wasn't talked of alongside Douglass' and Northrop's memoirs.
3. Time to be in Earnest: A Fragment of Autobiography' by P. D. James
I don't know why I ended up reading several books on the art of writing, but I did:
1. 'Talking about Detective Fiction' by P. D. James - just enjoyed reading an expert's witty and down-to-earth views on their field of expertise
2. 'A Moveable Feast' by Ernest Hemingway and 'A Room of One's Own' by Virginia Woolf - I accidentally paired these male and female modernist perspectives on the art of writing, and (whispers) I liked these better than their novels.
Fiction - I read a lot of modernist/realist novels this year, but none made it to personal liking, as only the descriptive chapters of 'The Grapes of Wrath' seemed really worth the trouble. So my favorite list is short:
'The Children of Men' by P. D. James - destined to be a dystopian classic. I also read '1984' this year, and James' book has the more disturbing, because far more grounded in human reality, vision.
'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy' by John le Carré - still lingering over the last chapters of this book. I know the story from the BBC's excellent 1979 miniseries adaptation with Alec Guinness and Ian Richardson, and the book, like the miniseries, is worth the slow burn.
I just remembered that this year I also read Somerset Maugham's 'The Painted Veil', and it was worth the read.
What a great list! I’m think of reading James’s The Children of Men this year. I’ve always loved the movie and have heard the book is better. I love a good dystopian story.
I particularly enjoyed your piece on 'Drawing the Line'.
My own book of the year is Laura Cumming's 'Thunderclap', about the Dutch Golden Age painter Carel Fabritius (and a lot more): https://www.juliangirdham.com/blog/books-of-the-year-2023
Thanks! I found that a very helpful book. Thanks for sharing about Thunderclap! Looking at your list, I noticed Super-Infinite from last year. I’ve been thinking of reading that one ever since it came out.
'Super-Infinite' is extremely good. Katherine Rundell is some writer, across very different genres.
Libra-Don Delillo. You always know that your favorite authors don’t just appear as a whole but you always feel James Ellory is a man that broke the mold. He did but Libra is Delio's book that inspired Ellroy’s American Trilogy. It’s a hot read. Sometimes books you want to keep reading for the ride, for the story, and sometimes the use of language, the words, the magic that’s happening with the vibes. This book is both.
The Enchanters-James Ellroy. Libra aside, the Big Dog James stands on his own. I enjoyed this more than any book I read this year. It’s the murder of Marilyn Monroe, it’s LA in the 60s before the hippies take hold. It’s Ellroy’s new antihero, based on real life shake down artist Freddie Otash. It’s beautiful stuff. Is Ellroy getting better at writing at 75? This book and its predecessor WideSpread Panic are the two most enjoyable, readable, books Ellroy has. I don’t know what James is vibing on but it’s agreeing with him.
Lament from Epirus–Christopher C. King This book reminded me of a lot of things I enjoy. Bourdain elements of adventure with travel, food, and drinking with people in strange places. It also felt like Nick Tosches digging into the past of some mysterious music like when he wrote about Emmet Miller.
Burning Angel -Lawrence Osborne’s collection of short stories is the best writing for me in 23.
Great list. I’ve heard you talking up Osborne and Ellroy for a while now. And I’ve recently read several people praising Libra; I’m going to need to head to that end of the tributary at some point.
So, Ellroy is rough stuff. You might not like him. Violent, profane, decidedly writing in the 50's-not politically current in his language. But his USE of language, his dance, and his boxing, his poetry, and his energy is why I ride. That and he's the inheritor of all things LA Crime. Hammet, Chandler, MacDonald=It culminates in James. All that said, Ellroy has a strong grasp of right and wrong. Osborne is writing some of the best suspense, crime and how they work as moral choices in a world that is out of touch with reality. I think you might like Lawrence, James-maybe not.
How many hours do you read in a week?
I’ve never really tracked, but I probably read about 2 hours a day, some days more, some less.