My goal for 2023 was to read 30 books, I managed to read 72 books. Of
those books, 42 were physical, 30 were audio books. My most read genre was
thriller, followed by mystery and horror, and I read most books by Grady Hendrix and Peter Swanson. Of all the
books, my average rating was 3,9, which is pretty good.
Here is my top 10 favorite books, that I read in 2023.
I never expected to have love this book as much as I did. It’s a crime thriller, where we meet Shea Collings, a receptionist who runs a true crime website at night. When she sees Beth Greer, she believes she knows her. She was the woman that was the suspect in the Lady Killer Murders in 1977, but she was never convicted. Beth agrees to being interviewed by Shea and she tries to unravel what really happened in 1977. We follow multiple timelines, with a supernatural. I especially love that first part and never expected to also enjoy that supernatural element as much as I did. The book did something unique, because the major reveal came at the midway point. And somehow I still couldn’t put it down. A very good crime thriller. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.
The Fairway Players, a local theater group, is in the midst of rehearsals when tragedy strikes the family of director Martin Hayward and his wife Helen. Their young granddaughter has been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, and with an experimental treatment costing a tremendous sum, their castmates rally to raise the money to give her a chance of survival. But not everybody is convinced of the experimental treatment’s efficacy, or the good intentions of those involved. This is definitely one of the most unique books I have ever read. At least the format is. This story is fully told in e-mails, text messages, letters, and other media forms. With all the information you’re getting, you need to put the pieces of the puzzle together and investigate the murder. It’s especially fun to see certain situation happen from different perspectives, where each character interprets it different. And you know how it really plays out. I can’t wait to read the other books written by Janice Hallett, because this is right up my alley. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.
Millie has hid rock-bottom, losing yet another job and living from her car. Somehow she lands a job as a housemaid for the wealthy Winchester family. Her last chance of a fresh start. But there is something about this family that she can’t quite put her finger on. I thought this was going to be one of those forgettable, throw-away thrillers, something that was readable but average. Boy was I wrong. This book was amazing. It had a plot twist midway through and it had me sitting speechless with my jaw dropped to the floor. This is the perfect book to get you out of a reading slump. I finally know what the hype is about and it’s worthed. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.
Coraline and her family have moved and the day after they did, Coraline decides to do some exploring. She finds a door that is locked and on the other side is only a brick wall. Until the day Coraline unlocks the door to find a passage to another flat in another house just like her own. Only it’s different. At first, things seem marvelous there. But there’s another mother and another father, and they want Coraline to stay with them. They want to exchange her and never let her go. “Coraline” is a spooky middle-grade, a genre that I discovered loving. “Coraline” is such an amazing story, pretty scary at times and I had an illustrated edition. The illustrations were super creepy and totally fit the style of the book. I absolutely ate this book up, I can see myself re-reading this multiple times in the future. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.
We follow four young girls, who are roommates in Idlewild hall, a place for girls whom no one wants, the troublemakers, the illegitimate, the too smart for their own good, in 1950s Vermont. One of them mysteriously disappears. In present day, journalist Fiona Sheridan cannot stop revisiting the events surrounding her older sister’s death. Twenty years ago her body was found lying in the overgrown fields near the ruing of Idlewild Hall. And though her sister’s boyfriend was convicted of murder, Fiona can’t shake the suspicion that something was never right about the case. When she discovers Idlewild Hall is being restored by an anonymous benefactor, she decides to write a story about it. But shocking discovery during the renovation will link the loss of her sister to secrets that were meant to stay hidden in the past. The second book written by Simone St. James on this list. I discover her this year and I really want to read her full backlist. The set-up of the book is similar to “The Book of Cold Cases”: multiple timelines, one in the past, the other in the present, and somehow they are linked. I was hooked from start to finish, this was such a good story. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.
Daisy is a girl coming of age in L.A. in the late sixties, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whiskey a Go Go. The sex and drugs are thrilling, but it’s the rock ‘n roll she loves the most. By the time she’s twenty, her voice is getting noticed, and she has the kind of needless beauty that makes people do crazy things. Also getting noticed is The Six, a band led by the brooding Billy Dunne. On the eve of their first tour, his girlfriend Camila finds out she’s pregnant, and with the pressure of impending fatherhood and fame, Billy goes a little wild on the road. Daisy and Billy cross paths when a producer realizes that they key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next will become the stuff of legend. The book is told through interviews, where we follow the rise and fall of a band from the 60s. I knew beforehand that I was going to love this book and I was absolutely right about it. It did not disappoint and I really enjoyed reading about the music industry in that time period. I especially loved the way they used the women’s voices. Karen is my favorite character. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.
Pip is not a detective anymore. With the help of Ravi, she released a true-crime podcast abot the murder case they solved together last year. The podcast has gone viral, yet Pip insists her investigating days are behind her. But she will have to break that promise when someone she knows goes missing. Jamie Reynolds has disappeared, on the very same night the town hosted a memorial for the sixth-year anniversary of the deaths of Andie bell and Sal Singh. The police won’t do anything about it. And if they won’t look for Jamie then Pip will, uncovering more of her town’s dark secrets along the way. And this time everyone is listening. The second book in the “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder” series. I finished the series this year and even read the prequel. I absolutely loved the first book, I rated this one 5-stars. It’s just as good, had a new mystery and again many twists and surprises. Pip Fitz-Amobi is one of my all-time favorite female book characters. And this is officially one of the all-time favorite booke series. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.
Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an indemand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one fo London’s most desirable areas. One evening her husband Garbiel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word. Alicia’s refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations. “The Silent Patient” is Alex Michaeledis’ debut novel. Last year I read his second book, “The Maidens”, which also made my top 10 that yeat. But this book is far superior. Of all the books on this list, this book had the best twist. A twist I never saw coming and I still think about. It’s one of the best twists I have ever read too. This is such a strong start of his writing career. I really enjoy his writing. And in 2024 he’s coming out with a new novel, that I will most definitely pick up. READ MY FULLREVIEW HERE.
On a night flight from London to Boston, Ted Severson meets the stunning and mysterious Lily Kinter. Sharing one too many martinis, the strangers begin to play a game of truth, revealing intimate details about themselves. Ted talks about his marriage that’s going stale and his wife Miranda, who he’s sure is cheating on him. But their games turns a little darker when Td jokes that he could kill Miranda for what she’s done. Lily, without missing a beat, says calmly, “I’d like to help”. After all, some people are the kinf worth killing, like a lying, stinking, cheating spouse… My introduction to Peter Swanson. This is a twisty book, filled with plot twists and reveals that you never see coming. A devious tale of psychological suspense involving sex, deception, and an accidental encounter that leads to murder. These characters are all so messed up and misleading, just when you think you have it all figured out, it takes another turn. Such a good book. This was my favorite of the year for a very long time. And I would recommend this to every thriller fan. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.
Kit McDeere is assigned to be the caregiver of Lenora Hope, a paralyzed, mute woman who can only use her left arm. Lenora is also the daughter of the family that was murdered in 1929. A murder people believed was committed by her. They never caught the killer, there was no proof that Lenora did it. But everyone is certain she murdered her parents and sister. So does Kit. But she is professional about it takes good care of Lenora. When then only way of communicating is a typewriter, one day Lenora types to Kit that she wants to tell her everything. And Kit wants nothing more then to find out what really went down that faithful night in 1929. Can you believe that the last book I read this year, eventually became my favorite? I’m a big Riley Sager fan. I only have to read one more and I have read all of his books. And I have loved all but one. This has the same vibes as “Lock Every Door” and Home Before Dark”, which happen to be my favorites of his, so when I started reading “The Only One Left”, I knew this was right up my alley. I could not stop reading, I was engaged the entire time and every time I had to put it down, I was looking forward to the moment I could pick it up again. Some really great, unpredictable twists in here, and what a crazy ending. A great on for all the Riley Sager fans! READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.
