best books of 2023

Look on my works ye might and despair! Here lies a list of my favourite books I read in 2023.

This is absolutely not comprehensive and I’ve probably forgotten something. Nevertheless, here it is.

my best books of 2023

The Shards by Bret Easton Ellis

An amazing return to form from a modern great, Bret Easton Ellis’s metafictional coming of age murder mystery was probably my favourites of the year. amazon / independents

Foster & Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

Keegan is having a huge year with her short stories new and old making waves and finding mainstream success. They’re all brilliant and while my favourite was Foster (amazon / independents), Small Things Like These (amazon / independents) is also quietly profound.

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

One of those books that’s everywhere so feels too obvious to pick up and read but you certainly should. It’s absolutely wonderful. amazon / independents

Open Throat by Henry Hoke

For an adventurous reade,r Henry Hoke’s hilarious debut is the one. It’s narrated by a LA-based mountain lion who wants to be human. That’s that. amazon / independents

Kick The Latch by Kathryn Scanlan

It didn’t win Sports Book of the Year, perhaps because it’s much more than a book about sport. Based on transcribed interviews with horse trainer Sonia, it’s a portrait of a full life lived at a racetrack and it’s remarkable. This book snuck up on me and I can’t speak highly enough of it. amazon / independents

The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe

I’ve been meaning to read this for years and having finally got around to it, it didn’t disappoint. Funny, informative and far reaching, it asks why we lionise the people we do. Set against the backdrop of the space race, you’ll long to meet Chuck Yeager. amazon / independents