Every Book I Read in 2023, Not Ranked
This is the time of year when I write about every book I read in the previous year. Unlike a lot of such lists, I do not release my list in time for Christmas shopping (which, I think, is the main reason for all those “best books of 20xx” lists.) Note that I typically start writing this list in December and, once again, I’m finishing it in late January.
A look at my handwritten list.
Each year I take a slightly different approach. Last year was my most exhaustive and exhausting approach, when I not only ranked every book I read but also divided the list into the categories of:
Books I Didn’t Like, Wouldn’t Read Again, and Don’t Recommend
Books I Didn’t Like, Wouldn’t Read Again, but Would Still Recommend to Some People
Books I Mostly Liked But Wouldn’t Recommend to Most People and Wouldn’t Read Again
Books I Mostly Liked and Would Not Read Again and Would Probably Recommend to People
Books I Mostly Liked, Wouldn’t Read Again, Would Recommend to People, and Liked Enough That I Intend to Read the Sequel or at Least More by the Author But Also Haven’t Prioritized That Yet
Books I Liked and Will Recommend to People and Could See Myself Reading Again
This year, I made a new rule for my reading. I made the rule in February, after reading Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. It’s a simple rule, inspired by Kendall Roy’s demands for his birthday playlist: all bangers, all the time.
For my purposes, a banger is a page turner that entertains me and doesn’t feel like a waste of time and, preferably, has some kind of literary value. A banger is also a book that follows my two rules of what a great book is: it’s a book I would read again and it’s a book I recommend to other people.
Granted, not every book on this list is a banger. But that was my intention. The thing is, I finished every book on this list, and I was quick to abandon any books that were certifiably not bangers (i.e. that awful new Michael Lewis book about the crypto boy.)
Also, unlike previous years, I did not attempt any kind of ranking system. This is in chronological order of when I read them.
And if you only want to see my opinion of the best books of 2023, scroll all the way to the bottom.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
I referenced this book in my previous blog post about bangers. As I described it then: “my ideal type of book: a page turner with literary value and a lasting cultural impact.”
Banger? 100%
The Institute by Stephen King
Stranger Things fan fiction by the guy who inspired Stranger Things. Only read this one if you are a King completionist or if you want to see him get a lot of stuff wrong about Minnesota.
Banger? Nah.
Sleep Donation by Karen Russell
This is the other reason I made my only bangers rule, because this book was so not a banger.
Banger? No.
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Everyone should read this book.
Banger? Yes.
The Match by Harlan Coben
Pretty fun and well written for a pulpy page turner.
Banger? In terms of entertainment, sure.
The Trees by Percival Everett
I feel weird calling this one a banger. It was masterful and disturbing. I think everyone should read it. First Percival Everett book I’ve read. Also, it’s relevant timing, as American Fiction, the movie based on his novel Erasure, is out right now.
Banger? Kinda.
The Passage by Justin Cronin
A literary pre- and post-apocalyptic vampire and sorta zombie intergenerational novel. Second time reading it.
Banger? Yeah, although it varies from beautiful writing to somewhat blah genre action scenes.
The Twelve by Justin Cronin
The sequel to The Passage.
Banger? Sure.
Thus Bad Begins by Javier Marias
Second book I’ve read by Javier Marias. It was an absolute page turner, although I haven’t retained much of it. Made me want to read a lot more by him.
Banger? Yes.
Spies, Lies, and Algorithms: The History and Future of American Intelligence by Amy B. Zegart
A history of spying up until the present, or something like that. Entertaining and well written.
Banger? Kinda. Could’ve been more focused.
The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War by Ben Macintyre
Yeah, I read a lot of books about spies this in 2023. They say dads read a lot of books about spies. I guess that’s true.
Banger? As far as non-fiction books about espionage, sure.
Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene
I had no idea this was a comedy until I was about halfway through. I think it was a comedy at least. Good book. First book by this guy I’ve read before too. I read a lot of it out loud to our baby when he was in the hospital. It helped him sleep, I think.
Banger? Yes.
The Quiet American by Graham Greene
Not as funny as Our Man in Havana. (That’s a joke. It’s not funny at all.) I’d seen the movie years ago. Michael Caine and Brendan Fraser. Beautiful book.
Banger? Absolutely.
CIA Rogues and the Killing of the Kennedys: How and Why US Agents Conspired to Assassinate JFK and RFK by Patrick Nolan
You should read this if you want to read a lot of questionable evidence about various assassinations, including JFK and RFK, mixed with a pretty interesting history of the CIA. Unfortunately, it’s one of those books where you realize that some pieces of evidence are being taken out of context or presented inaccurately, and it makes the whole book and anything you might’ve learned from it questionable. If the author hadn’t taken such a hard stance on it, I’d be much more comfortable recommending it to people. I’d first read Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties and then maybe never both getting to this one.
Banger? Meh. I do recommend it to a lot of people, albeit with a good helping of salt.
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
Part of my espionage streak. Unlike most of the others, this one has won awards and it isn’t by a white guy or about white guy spies (unlike the majority of that genre and most of what I’ve read.)
Banger? 100%
The Shards by Bret Easton Ellis
One of my favorite books of the year. The way I felt after this book is how Super Hans feels after the New Year’s Eve party in Peep Show. It has been far too long since Ellis released a new novel and I didn’t realize how much I wanted one. His best work in my opinion.
Banger: The Shards is the definition of a banger.
Dolores Clairborne by Stephen King
A minor Stephen King work. It’s a good story. Not his best book but one I think I’d recommend even to someone who isn’t a King completionist (which I may be.)
Banger: Surprisingly, I think so.
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
As crazy as this sounds, I don’t think I’d ever read The Grapes of Wrath. I know we were assigned it in high school. I know I attempted it but it didn’t hook me at the time. I’m not sure why people think teenagers can handle this book. Is it because they know teenagers can handle the Steinbeck novellas and this is a very important novel and everyone knows teenagers certainly can’t handle East of Eden?
Anyway, I have a lot of notes I took on The Grapes of Wrath as I read it, including how I think it’s responsible for a lot of horror tropes. I still have to write about that separately.
Banger? Of course. But not before you’re ready. Teenagers aren’t ready.
Pronto by Elmore Leonard
I read this because it was free. Not that I didn’t like it, but that was its main selling point. The main character, Raylan Givens, is the protagonist of the FX show Justified, although I’ve never watched Justified. I get why people like Raylan so much after reading this and I think I will watch that show. Also, the only Elmore Leonard book I’d ever read before this was Get Shorty which didn’t make much of an impression on me.
Banger? I don’t know. If you’re a Justified fan, probably. But it’s a fun read even if you’re not already a Raylan fan.
Dear Life by Alice Munro
I needed some well-written short stories and I found it in Dear Life. Sad, yes. Worth reading, yes.
Banger? Yes, although short stories have a hard time (at least for me) fitting into the page turner category. A page turner is like a great steak while a book of short stories is like an excellent appetizer spread. Both are good, but they’re different experiences.
Death in Kitchawank by T. C. Boyle
I wanted more short stories after Dear Life so I found them in T. C. Boyle. I also rediscovered my love of T. C. Boyle in 2023. (See more below.)
Banger? Yes. Boyle is one hell of a short story writer.
The Terranauts by T. C. Boyle
Another good novel by T. C Boyle. Not his best, but worth reading. As are all his books.
Banger? Yes.
Blue Skies by T. C. Boyle
Oh goodness, I read three Boyle books in a row. Yes, this one is good too. (I have to check my notes, as I think I read a fourth Boyle book that I forgot to write down the name of.)
Banger? Yes.
Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
I don’t recall what inspired me to read Blood Meridian again. Was it the way he uses words? The setting? The nightmare that is the Judge? Whatever motivated me, I’m glad.
Banger? It’s one of the best American novels of all time.
The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich
A friend gave me a hard time for never having read a Louise Erdrich book. She told me that if I didn’t read one soon, I was racist and sexist. She was semi-kidding but also shocked that I hadn’t read Erdrich. And I’m glad I did.
Banger? Yes.
No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
I wanted more Cormac after Blood Meridian. The thing about this novel is I saw the movie first and the move is such a faithful adaptation that I don’t know how to judge the book.
Banger? Yes.
The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton
I don’t remember why I read this book. I think it might be simply that I have never read it before and that I wanted to revisit some books I’d missed in childhood. Next up: The Giver (another book I never read.)
Banger? Yes, especially if you’re a kid.
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
Oof. This is one of the books I read in 2023 that I just didn’t like. I was reminded of an important lesson: never read a book about writing by someone if you haven’t first confirmed that you like their writing.
I had to trudge through Bird by Bird. It had some good ideas in it. It also had some extremely sad anecdotes. There seemed to be a lot of dead children mentioned in this book. I do like the central anecdote, that the way to write a report about birds is by going bird by bird, and that the same can be said of writing, but you don’t need a whole book to tell you that.
Banger? No. Unless you’re already a big fan of the author.
The Wager by David Grann
Here we go. Back to the bangers. Probably the best exploration of moral ambiguity and leadership I’ve read. Plus, cannibalism and shipwrecks and murders and all the other fun stuff that happened when ships full of lost men went to the ocean.
Banger: Another one of my favorite books of 2023.
Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
The Wager sent me straight into this one, as I needed more David Grann. I don’t have much to say about Killers of the Flower Moon that someone else hasn’t already said. Go read something someone else said about it. Why would you need me to add to that?
Banger? Yes.
The Terror by Dan Simmons
Apparently I read The Wager and said “yeah, that was good, but I need another shipwreck book and this time it should be more horrifying.” If you have found yourself saying that, The Terror is your next novel.
Banger? Yes. It’s long and gruesome and it immerses you in a horrifying reality, but yes, banger.
I Hated, Hated, Hated This Movie by Roger Ebert
Is Ebert the best film critic to have ever lived? I don’t know. I don’t know enough to answer that question. This is some good light reading. Hilarious too.
Banger? Yes.
Ghost Story by Peter Straub
This is the first Peter Straub book I’ve read and it might be the last. We read it for book club. There were things I liked about it but, meh.
Banger? Nah.
History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund
This probably should’ve remained a short story. The first chapter is great. This book also does something that I’ve been trying to understand, in that it tells you the ending early on. The kid dies. She tells you the kid is going to die and then, weirdly, keeps reminding you of it. And the thing is, it’s okay to tell someone a piece of the ending if there is enough “and then what happened” to keep you interested. But there wasn’t enough and then what happened for me. I still finished it, so it’s not like it’s terrible. Just not quite there. But reading reviews of it afterward did lead me to The Girls, below.
Banger? Not really.
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
I read this during the night, out loud, to my baby when neither of us could sleep. I read parts of it in a silly English butler voice, which seems wildly disrespectful to Ishiguro and I do sorta apologize but look, this book has some very funny parts and it becomes even funnier when you’re reading it out loud in a funny voice. It also has some very sad parts, which I didn’t read out loud or do a voice for.
For clarity: I had read this twice before and find it to be a perfect book if you’re ever in a rut or trying to find something to read to a baby in the night.
Banger: One of my favorite books, so yes.
The Girls by Emma Cline
As mentioned above, I read this because I kept coming across reviews that compared History of Wolves to The Girls. All the reviews preferred The Girls. I also preferred The Girls.
Banger? Yes.
A Thread of Violence by Mark O’Connell
The best true crime book I’ve read. And you should value my opinion, because I hate true crime for the most part.
Banger? Yes.
A Spy Among Friends by Ben Macintyre
I started this during my espionage streak and finally finished it later in 2023. It’s a good one.
Banger? Yes.
The Book of Ruth by Jane Hamilton
Molly recommended this one to me and I dragged my feet because she told me it was sad and scary. It is those things, but also very good.
Banger? Yes.
The Honourable Schoolboy by John le Carre
Part of the espionage streak and the re-reading streak.
Banger? The only reason people don’t recommend starting with this le Carre is because it’s smack dab in the middle of the Smiley novels. But it has so much standalone merit. One of the great sequels in literature.
Elevation by Stephen King
Oof. Don’t bother. One of King’s most blah.
Banger? No.
Riding the Rap by Elmore Leonard
A sequel to Pronto. I guess I’m a blossoming Elmore Leonard fanboy.
Banger? Kinda. Same thoughts as the other book in this series, mentioned above.
The Pelican Brief by John Grisham
I hadn’t read a book by John Grisham since The Firm in grade school. I think I would’ve been more impressed by this book had I read it as a kid. It’s good if you’re on vacation (where I read it.)
Banger? Not in my opinion.
I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makai
I learned about this book by browsing other people’s best books of 2023 lists. And I’m glad I did. One hell of a book.
Banger? Oh yeah. On my best-of-2023 list.
The Fraud by Zadie Smith
Zadie Smith is back! I hadn’t read a book by her since her third novel, which didn’t do much for me. But damn, this book is so good it made me want to read everything by her (which I proceeded to do. See below.)
Banger? Yes. Another best book of 2023.
A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
Egan wrote a sequel to this which inspired me to finally read this one. I had only read one book by her before, The Keep, which I hated. This book is great though. Except for the weird picture parts.
Banger? Yes.
NW by Zadie Smith
I wanted more Zadie Smith so I found it. Good stuff.
Banger? Yes.
Search History by Amy Taylor
I only read this because of the title and the premise. Because it involves search engines and social media. Overall, it didn’t do much for me. But I am fascinated by the courage to name a book this and try to rank it in Google.
Banger? No.
The Final Girls Support Group by Grady Hendrix
I read this because it was free and because of a dream I had about the seventh Scream movie. I did not like this book. I did not like the other book I’d read by this author, so I don’t know why I thought this one would be any better.
Banger? No. I’m not reading anything else by this author. Just not my taste.
Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell
I think I need to read this one again, even though I just read it. There’s a lot to it. At times I think the author strayed pretty far from her thesis in telling stories about cults, but it’s worth reading. It does seem like one of those books by someone who spends a lot of time along looking at the internet. But I’m glad I read it, I’ll read it again, and you should read it too.
Banger? Yes.
The Club by Ellery Lloyd
One of those books that entertains you and then, weeks later, you can barely remember it. Reese Witherspoon book.
Banger? No, but it’s a fun read.
Swing Time by Zadie Smith
More Zadie Smith. Good novel.
Banger? Yes.
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
What could I possibly say about this that someone hasn’t already said? I somehow had never read this and knew very little going into it. Lots of surprises for me as it went, as I knew so little.
Banger? Of course. But you don’t need me to tell you that.
The Largesse of the Sea Maiden by Denis Johnson
There’s a Christmas story in this book of short stories and I think that’s part of why I’ve found myself returning to this book toward the end of the last few years. I’ve read it four times now I think. It might be Denis Johnson’s best book.
Banger: Absolutely.
The Guest by Emma Cline
Sad, harrowing, tragic. I couldn’t put it down.
Banger: Yes.
All The Sinners Bleed by S. A. Cosby
Part of the social justice thriller genre. Cosby knows what he’s doing. Not as good as Razorblade Tears but still, a page turner that I read in a day or two.
Banger? Yes. But not as good as Razorblade Tears.
The MANIAC by Benjamin Labatut
This guy’s first book is one of my favorite books ever written. This couldn’t live up to the level of hype I created in my own mind for it. It also took me a long time to get through. I finished it the morning of New Year’s Day, so technically I read it in 2024 but I want to include it on this list. I think everyone should read this book.
Banger: Yes. But go read When We Cease to Understand the World if you haven’t yet.
Okay, but seriously, this list was too long. What were your favorite books of 2023?
Thanks for asking. Here’s my list, alphabetically by title:
All the Sinners Bleed by S. A. Cosby
A Thread of Violence by Mark O’Connell
I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai
The Fraud by Zadie Smith
The Guest by Emma Cline
The MANIAC by Benjamin Labatut
The Shards by Bret Easton Ellis
The Wager by David Grann
Oh, and the worst book of 2023? I didn’t finish it, but that book by Michael Lewis about the crypto criminal. Going Infinite. It’s so bad it makes me think that maybe ever Lewis book is bad (even though, yes, I still love Moneyball and The Big Short). I have to write more about that at a later date.
What should I have read in 2023 that I didn’t? Let me know in the comments or tell me in some other way.