Exactly this time last year I shared my 2022 reads. I’ve been sharing a roundup of the books I’ve read since 2020 and I thought I’d also share what I read in 2023.

2023 was a huge and busy year for me. I did a mid-year recap/update but the second half of last year was even bigger. More on that later because I went on two overseas trips and have way too many photos to go through before I’m ready to draft blog posts about them. I do plan on doing them though because I would love to look back on our trip over here on my blog.

Back to books, according to Goodreads I read 78/79 books in 2023. I don’t know which one is right because my Goodreads changed. I had a screenshot of 78 and when I checked now,it says 79 books. It’s a bit less than 2022 when I read a whopping 115 books!

As per my other blog posts, I’ll share my top books and will have the full list at the end too.

In 2023, I rated 3 books with 5 stars and here they are:

Better the Blood – Michael Bennet

This was my #1 read in 2023. It’s a NZ based book and is within the mystery, thriller, crime genre. I devoured it and what made me love it even more is that I learned from it too. It follows a Māori detective in Auckland as her and her team solve this crime that they thought is a NZ’s first serial killer.

This grapples with colonial experiences of Māori. It also features cultural beliefs and practices. It is fiction but some experiences in this book would’ve been real. I learned from this as some of the cultural practices he mentioned was true and was quite handy for me at this specific meeting at my work. This book was captivating and I could see this adapted into a movie or a TV series.

The Bookseller at the end of the world – Ruth Shaw

Another NZ book and I thought I rated this 5/5 on GR but I initially didn’t. I’ve changed it to 5 stars because I remember loving this book and the stories she mentioned. It is a memoir of Ruth, who runs this tiny bookshop in remote village in Manapouri in Fiordland. She has met some amazing and interesting people and I would love to visit her bookshop one day.

Finding Me – Viola Davis

I enjoy reading memoirs and Viola’s one was not an easy read. This requires many trigger warnings but I enjoyed learning about her life and what an incredible almost unbelievable childhood/upbringing she’s had. She’s been through so much. I was in awe of her story.

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My other honourable mentions are:

Easy Reads:

• Mia P. Manansala’s books – Blackmail and Bibingka is her 3rd and Murder and Mamon is the 4th book in her Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery / cosy mystery series. Her 2nd book appeared in my 2022 list and I truly enjoy reading her books. It’s nostalgic to me as it’s full of Filipino mannerisms, sayings and food. They’re easy, predictable but highly enjoyable for me. I look forward to the next one.

• The Fashion Orphans – I enjoyed reading about these two sisters who had to deal with their fashionista mother’s closet after her passing. Her closet was full of Chanel and little notes that will help guide them through life.
• Dear Dolly – Dolly Alderton’s dear dolly books are always a nice easy read. It’s funny and full of wisdom.
• Counterfeit – The last book I read in 2023 and it was a good one to end on.
• The House that made us – Alice Cavanagh – I loved this as I read it during a time when I was in the process of moving house, Max and I moving into a house together and it really touched me.
• She and Her Cat – Makoto Shinkai – This is a short book and it’s quite heartwarming. I love cats so I knew I would enjoy this.
• The vintage shop of second chances – Libby Page – I love a story involving fashion and this is a secondhand store. It was heartwarming to read.

Non-Fiction:

• Taste: My life through food – I enjoyed his memoir as it’s centred around food. I got so hungry while reading his book and he has recipes in it too.
• I wish I knew this earlier – I enjoyed the reminders about love. It’s quite relatable and easy to digest too.
• A Canoe in the wind – This was quite an interesting memoir. He’s been through so much and it was fascinating for me to read about what it entails to be a SAS army and being in the police actually experiencing solving big crimes like NZ’s serial killers.

Emotional Reads:

• Honor – this was not an easy read as it’s about honor killings in India. It’s historical fiction but I knew they happen in real life. Some parts were heartbreaking
• Lola in the mirror – The twist towards the end got me and it was so sad what the main character went through.
• Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow – This has been a hyped up book and it is an easy read but I did get emotional towards the end. I’m not into gaming either but I enjoyed it.

NZ Books:

I’ve featured some NZ books above already but this year, I read so much NZ based books because of the library’s Bestie Collection. It’s been the best thing since they launched it. I got to discover so many amazing books through the Bestie Collection. Here are some I recommend:

• Tangi -Witi Ihimera. It’s a quite a poetic drama and it’s full of Māori values.
• The Doctor’s Wife – Fiona Sussman. A crime/thriller book based in Auckland’s North Shore. I find it more enjoyable when I actually know the places in a book.
• There’s a cure for this: a memoir – Emma Espiner. This was an interesting memoir filled with personal, cultural and professional stories as she navigated through her medical career.
• Pet – Cathering Chidgey. Another mystery/thriller book and this was slightly predictable but still captivating .
• Everything is beautiful and everything hurts – Josie Shapiro. Another brilliant Auckland-based book.
• The Bone Tree – Airana Ngarewa. Really sad at times but I did enjoy this book.

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As for a snapshot of all the books I read in 2023, here’s the full list:

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Based on my StoryGraph stats, my reading/book mood was similar to last year:

Emotional and reflective were top two in 2023.

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That’s all for my 2023 reads! It’s been another good reading year although I didn’t read for the entirety of June (we were traveling around in Europe), I still met my reading goal and surpassed it. I love reading and it’s not a competitive thing, I just read fast and can churn through books in one sitting. I love escaping into a good story and I’m so glad I’m able to read to much. Most of my books were borrowed from the library besides a few smut books I read when I was in the Philippines as they were in my Kindle.

I set my reading goal for 2024 at 75. I’ll have to see you next year to see which ones come up on top!