As the year wrapped up, I realized just how much reading I managed to fit into life with a baby and three young kids. I set a very modest goal of 30 books — and ended the year around 72.
To close out 2023, here are 23 standout reads, spanning fiction, thrillers, romance, and nonfiction. These are not ranked — just books I truly loved.
Fiction & Literary Favorites
- A Visit from the Goon Squad — Jennifer Egan
- The Candy House — Jennifer Egan
- Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow — Gabrielle Zevin
- The Marriage Portrait — Maggie O’Farrell
- Black Cake — Charmaine Wilkerson
- Pineapple Street — Jenny Jackson
- Yellowface — R.F. Kuang
- Remarkably Bright Creatures — Shelby Van Pelt
- The Collected Regrets of Clover — Mikki Brammer
- Fahrenheit 451 — Ray Bradbury
Romance
- Nora Goes Off Script — Annabel Monaghan
- Part of Your World — Abby Jimenez
- Happy Place — Emily Henry
- Thank You for Listening — Julia Whelan
- The Dead Romantics — Ashley Poston
Thrillers & Mystery
- Little Secrets — Jennifer Hillier
- Hidden Pictures — Jason Rekulak
- Good Neighbors — Sarah Langan
- The Dry — Jane Harper
- Small Mercies — Dennis Lehane
- Who Is Maud Dixon? — Alexandra Andrews
Nonfiction
- You’re Not Listening — Kate Murphy
- The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry — John Mark Comer
Many of these books have full episodes on the podcast if you want deeper discussion, but this list is a great place to pull inspiration for your own reading year. Happy reading — and Happy New Year.