2023 Favorite Reads: Fiction

Another year gone, another glut of good and bad and meh books consumed. Here are my top 10 fiction reads from 2023. (NOTE: For this list, I only included books I’ve never read before. It was a big year for rereads.)

#10. Billy Bud, Sailor by Herman Melville
This novella about the life of a simple sailor left me thinking about submission to authority long after I finished it. I even went back and read the ending twice just so I could try and grasp to the full what Melville was trying to say.

#9. Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson
This novel was so beautifully and lyrically written it almost read like poetry. It was full of Biblical imagery and centered around the story of two sisters who find themselves living in a remote town with their grandmother.

#8. The Innocence of Father Brown by G. K. Chesterton
I love a good cozy mystery, and this was my first encounter with Father Brown. He’s so gentle and clever and the way he potters about quietly solving crime is so entertaining.

#7. Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
This classic was not entirely what I expected it to be, in that it was extremely religious in tone. Much of the story read like a conversion testimony: a lost, rebellious soul coming to salvation during his time of lonely trial on a deserted island.

#6. The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie
I’ve loved Agatha Christie since my Grandmother first read them aloud to me as a child, and Poirot remains my favorite arrogant, egg shaped hero. Of the many Christie books I read this year, this one particularly stood out because it was about a serial killer and Poirot set up a group of the victim’s family members to assist him in stopping the killer.

#5. All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot
This book about the early years of a country veterinarian was such a pleasant read; light, funny, and heartwarming. I know it’s based on real events from the author’s life, but after reading some articles about the truth and fiction behind it, I opted to count it as fiction instead of memoir.

#4. Hallowe’en Party by Agatha Christie
Another fascinating Poirot mystery! This one revolves around the death of a young girl found drowned in the apple bobbing bucket at a Hallowe’en party. The ultimate solution and teeth gritting ending were just perfect. Thank you, Mrs. Christie.

#3. The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy
Odd’s Fish! this book was so much funnier than I expected. This classic adventure tale of rescuing French prisoners from the guillotine had all the thrill of Alexandre Dumas but the hero reminded me of a suave and clever Danny Kaye. (Sorry for those of you who don’t know who Danny Kaye is, but I don’t know a modern equivalent for such a dashing and goofy fellow.)

#2. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
This sweet book was a perfect pallet cleanser for me after one of my darker reads this year. So often with WWII historical fiction, I find the endings more to the bitter side of bittersweet. This makes sense for the trials of the time, but this book had a gentle and hopeful outlook that lifted me up. I will never forget this book.

#1. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
This book was so poignant and beautifully written. Usually I don’t enjoy post-apocalyptic novels, though I do read them occasionally. What made this book stand out was how true it rang after all we went through during 2020 and Covid lockdown. And what made it my favorite read this year, was how hopeful it was despite the horror and loss of the characters, who all felt so real to me. This is my second read by Mandel, and I am hooked.

Have you read any of these books? Leave your thoughts in the comments. And let me know if I’ve piqued your interest and you think you’ll add any to your own TBR pile.

Happy reading!