Thread by @Moonalice

2023 was a great reading year for me, as measured by quality, if not by quantity. I read 38 novels, 6 non-fiction books, and 2 screenplays. This thread covers the 16 novels that I would strongly recommend. The books are not exactly in order.

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“Lessons In Chemistry”, by @BonnieGarmus. This strikingly original novel is as good as everyone tells you. Maybe better. In a super competitive year, this was my favorite. 2/

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“The Shell Seekers” by Rosamunde Pilcher. A classic that I only discovered in 2023. Wow. Brilliant. 3/

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“The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store” by James McBride. McBride tells an incredible story that centers on the interaction of Black and Jewish residents in an industrial town in Pennsylvania. Wonderful. I also loved his previous book, “Deacon King Kong.” 4/

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“The Invention of Wings” by Sue Monk Kidd. Kidd fictionalizes the life story of the Grimke sisters, who grew up in Charleston and went on to play key roles in the abolitionist movement before the Civil War. 5/

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“Lessons” by Ian McEwan. I love the way McEwan writes. This story takes a collection of unappealing characters on a very satisfying journey. 6/

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“The Oceans and The Stars” by Mark Helperin. I am huge fan of Helprin. If you do not know him, start with “Soldier of the Great War” or “Paris in the Present Tense,” but this novel is excellent. 7/

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“Home Front” by Kristin Hannah. My favorite Hannah novels are “The Four Winds” and “The Nightingale,” but this one is also great. 8/

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“Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow” by Gabrielle Zevin. A wonderful novel about people who develop video games. 9/

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“All the Broken Places” by John Boyne. A compelling novel about an old woman in London whose past is a mystery. 10/

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“Klara and the Sun” by Kazuo Ishiguro. Last year I read and loved “Remains of the Day,” so I tried this novel. Totally different and completely amazing. 11/

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“The Dictionary of Lost Words” by Pip Williams. Critics often describe novels as “delightful,” a term that genuinely applies to this story about the daughter of one of the editors of the original Oxford England Dictionary. 12/

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“River Sing Me Home” by Elizabeth Shearer. A brilliant novel about an escaped slave in Barbados who sets out to find her children, who were shipped off to other islands. 13/

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“Birnam Wood” by Eleanor Catton. Part allegory, part satire, this novel explores the conflict between oligarchic capitalism and the environmental movement. 14/

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“Trust” by Hernan Diaz. Many people, including the Pulitzer Prize committee, think this was the best novel of the year. I really liked it, but Trust is not in my top ten. 15/

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“Crook Manifesto” by @colsonwhitehead. The sequel to “Harlem Shuffle” is wonderful. I have read nearly every novel this man has written and loved them all. 16/

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“How to Stop Time” by Matt Haig. I like novels that play with time. “The Secret Life of Addie LaRue” was my favorite in the category until this book. Fantastic! 17/

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