What I read in 2023

Reading is my absolute favourite thing to do. It is how I unwind. I would happily read all day, every day, with just the occasional run or walk to break it up. If I don’t get some reading time every day, I feel out of sorts. But sadly life does get in the way and I don’t always get to read as much as I like.

Sometimes it feels like reading is some sort of competitive sport on social media. I know some people like to set themselves challenges, like reading books from different countries or continents or in unfamiliar genres, and that’s fine. But it’s not for me!

I don’t set myself a target for the year and I don’t make myself read books or genres I don’t want to read. It is purely something I do for relaxation. Over time, I will naturally read books from different countries and cultures and different parts of history. But if every book I (or anyone else) reads is about a middle aged woman in London in the 21st century, then that is fine too.

I like to keep track of what books I’ve read, but if I’ve read more than you, don’t feel bad! I certainly don’t feel bad if someone has read 200 books in a year. Because reading is a very personal thing and everyone should enjoy it in their own way.

I started the year off by reading six books in January, which is definitely more than average for me. But then I only read two and a half books in February because Katherine of Aragon is long and a challenging read. I was back on track in March – reading five books and starting a sixth.

My reading seemed to slow down again in May and June, due to life getting in the way. Somehow I always seemed to be chasing my tail and behind with chores, when I just wanted to sit down and read. It sped up again in August and September – I read six books in September. My reading tailed off again in November and December because work and lie took over. I read literally a few pages over Christmas, which is very disappointing.

I read a lot of Ian Rankin books in 2023, which meant I read a much higher proportion of books by male authors than usual. Normally I read far more female authors than male. But this year I read 26 books by male authors compared to 27 books by female authors (that is counting Robert Galbraith as female).

So what did I read in 2023?

• The People Next Door by Tony Parsons
• All About Evie by Matson Taylor
• Standing in Another Man’s Grave by Ian Rankin
• Bournville by Jonathan Coe
• Saints of the Shadow Bible by Ian Rankin
• The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell
• The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett
• Out of Human Sight by Sophie Parkes
• A Terrible Kindness by Jo Browning Wroe
• Katherine of Aragon by Alison Weir
• The Satsuman Complex by Bob Mortimer
• Even Dogs in the Wild by Ian Rankin
• The Moose Paradox by Antti Tuomainen
• What July Knew by Emily Koch
• Exit Music by Ian Rankin
• The Gold by Neil Forsyth and Thomas Turner
• Exiles by Jane Harper
• Trespasses by Louise Kennedy
• Rather Be the Devil by Ian Rankin
• Do No Harm by Jack Jordan
• In a House of Lies by Ian Rankin
• Elizabeth of York The Last White Rose by Alison Weir
• Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
• The Complaints by Ian Rankin
• Yellowface by Rebecca F Kuang
• Murder Before Evensong by The Reverend Richard Coles
• The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece by Tom Hanks
• A Death in the Parish by The Reverend Richard Coles
• The Impossible Dead by Ian Rankin
• The Museum of Ordinary People by Mike Gayle
• The Square of Sevens by Laura Shepherd-Robinson
• None of This is True by Lisa Jewell
• Let It Bleed by Ian Rankin
• Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
• The Maid by Nita Prose
• The Night Ship by Jess Kidd
• Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
• Witch Hunt by Ian Rankin
• Those People Next Door by Kia Abdullah
• The Love of My Life by Rosie Walsh
• The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman
• We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman
• The Hanging Garden by Ian Rankin
• The Running Grave by Robert Galbraith
• Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey
• The Underbrothers by Simon Hacker
• Dead Souls by Ian Rankin
• The Cove by LJ Ross
• Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
• The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett
• Set in Darkness by Ian Rankin
• What It Takes by Sarina Wiegman
• The Skeleton Key by Erin Kelly

That is a total of 53 books for the year, which is five more than in 2021 and 2022 and considerably more than previous years.

I usually aim for a top five (or maybe six) favourite books. But this year I couldn’t get it below seven. My favourite books of 2023 were:

• A Terrible Kindness
• What July Knew
• The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece
• The Square of Sevens
• The Last Devil to Die
• The Running Grave
• Demon Copperhead

You can see which other books were my favourites on my Pinterest board.

I should also give a big shout out to the Ian Rankin Rebus series – definitely my favourite series of the year!

What were your favourite books of the year? Do you have any recommendations for me for 2024?