Last year I made the decision to change up my Top Five lists because a few of the books I was simply adoring hadn’t actually breached the five star mark. Which in itself is a fascinating discovering since I am the one scoring these books. These books stuck with me, I found myself thinking about them all the time but somehow they never got a top score. My new plan was to include books that I thought were amazing reads even if I didn’t give them five stars (again, my own logic makes no sense, don’t look at it too closely).
I think realising I had a lot of rereads last year so not having anything to really shout about was weird. Not that rereads are bad, but it’s always nice to have new books to shout about. Having said that, new plan in tow as I went through my reads of 2023, this time I actually have five new reads of top scoring books I want to shout about. Go figure.
I had one book in my Top Five early on, the rest I had to look through my list a few times but I think I’m quite happy with my choice. Picture books I was substantially short on reading last year, but the ones I read were pretty great, just not as amazing as I have experienced in the past. Having said that, a couple snuck is as top reads of the year.
These are my top reads of 2023.
Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli
This was a must read when I read the blurb and I am so glad it held up. There is a wonderful mix of queer rep in this story as well as a wonderful example of the dangers of being too defensive of labels, communities, and not allowing people to feel safe enough to explore who they might be. I love Albertalli exploring new environments to show it isn’t only high schoolers discovering who they are and taking chances. This university story follows Imogen as she takes scary steps to make new friends and adapt to changes in her world. The emotional and societal observations hit all the right notes and the characters bring this story to life making it feel universal despite the US setting.
Dracula Daily by Matt Kirkland
I have been talking about Dracula Daily for a couple years now and finally Kirkland released his book that brought together the amazing online community our year long read produced in 2022. This is the same classic story that has been around for a century but is told chronologically the way Dracula Daily produced via email. Instead of emails it’s now in one convenient place but it also includes the commentary from around the world. It also includes the jokes, the typos, the artwork, not to mention the in-depth analysis that made you realise the level of detail and depth in this classic that is often overlooked in film adaptations and what people assume the book is about. I loved both my reads of Dracula this way, and I love this book even more seeing how it brought people together to create something unique like this.
Royals by Tegan Bennett Daylight
I adored this book. Bennett Daylight balances the satisfaction of providing answers with keeping some mystery alive and it works phenomenally. There is an easy enough premise but I loved how this story is told and how things are revealed. The story of a group of teenagers trapped in a shopping centre has the potential to be so many things and Bennett Daylight hits them all. The characters are diverse and unique and they bring as much to the story as the environment does. I know I will be rereading this story a lot because I truly could never tire of this amazing story.
The Eleventh Hour by Clint McElroy
It’s a given these books are going to end up in my Top Five each year they are published. The team does a fantastic job translating this story from podcast to visual medium and they’ve smashed it once again. This a continuation of The Adventure Zone series and takes our trio of heroes onto their next adventure. For all the goofs, jokes, and magical D&D content, this a powerful story about consequence and how decisions we make impact our lives.
Maybe Next Time
A very clever take on the time loop trope and I loved how Major builds on what you expect from the trope to making it her own. There is heart and humour, but what I loved was how Emma deals with the world around her and how it would be easy to see fault in her but at the same time you understand the situation she is in. This didn’t go where I expected which was great and I loved going on the journey and seeing the characters evolve around the story.
Honourable mentions
If I See You Again Tomorrow by Robbie Couch
The First to Die at the End by Adam Silvera
PICTURE BOOKS
My Own Way by Joana Estrela
Piranhas Don’t Eat Bananas by Aaron Blabey
Including these books because they were so close to a 5 star it feels wrong not to include them, especially since I’m short.
I Saw Pete and Pete Saw Me by Maggie Hutchings
What Happened to You by James Catchpole
This is the experience of one-legged Joe, a child who just wants to have fun in the playground. Constantly seen first for his disability, Joe is fed up of only ever being asked about his leg. All he wants to do is play Pirates.
