My annual reading recap is finally here. We’re about five months late this time, but hey, better now than never. Right?
In 2022, I read 55 books, and the book count is at 57 for 2023.
I know I’ve been doing 9 books in my lists for the last two years, but thought I’d round it up to an even ten this time around. Here they are!
Top 10 Best Books I Read in 2023
As usual, these books are in no particular order. But if I had to choose the top three, they’d be: Jade Legacy, Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone, and Misery.
1. Jade Legacy (The Green Bone Saga)
The epic conclusion to an epic fantasy trilogy. Generational clan wars, family legacies, and magic.
What’s it about? Jade Legacy is the third and final installment in the Green Bone Saga. This urban fantasy is set in a modern world where jade is a source of magic. You get both criminal kingpins and movie stars; warrior academies and traditional universities. This book in particular features multiple POVs, family drama, politics, epic fight scenes, and the perfect balance of thrill and feels.
I don’t want to start gushing about The Green Bone Saga because I know I won’t be able to stop. And Jade Legacy was the perfect conclusion to what is now an all-time favorite fantasy series. Nothing short of a masterpiece! Not to mention that Fonda Lee doesn’t play around when it comes to characterization, because every single character feels real. Kaul Hilo? He’s now one of my favorite characters ever. Period.
Memorable Quote: “The way to defeat a chess master was not with greater genius, but by forcing her to play a different game.”
2. The Kind Worth Killing
Two strangers meet on a flight… and plot a murder together. A page-turning mystery with crazy twists and turns, and outrageous characters you can’t help but love.
What’s it about? The Kind Worth Killing tells the story of strangers-turned-partners-in-crime, in the most literal sense of the word. When Ted meets the beautiful but mysterious Lily and tells her about his possibly cheating wife, they begin to plan her demise. But secrets hide beneath even more secrets in this tale.
What a fun and entertaining read! I really didn’t expect to love this book as much as I did. The characters are outrageous, but believably so, somehow. For me, this is the definition of a page-turning mystery and I’m almost glad I couldn’t sleep that one random night, which gave me an excuse to finish the book.
Memorable Quote: “Truthfully, I don’t think murder is necessarily as bad as people make it out to be. Everyone dies. What difference does it make if a few bad apples get pushed along a little sooner than God intended? And your wife, for example, seems like the kind worth killing.”
3. Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone
A humorous parody of popular mystery thriller tropes and the metafiction genre, executed quite masterfully.
What’s it about? Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone is, at its core, an homage to the mystery thriller genre. There’s a central murder that our protagonist is trying to solve, but what’s unique is that the story is told through the book’s premise: how each member of Ernest’s family has killed someone.
The humor, the narrative style, the characters, the title… I adored this little book! It’s deranged in the best way possible and like nothing I’ve read before. My favorite part is how Ernest, the narrator, takes it upon himself to use Robert Knox’s Ten Commandments as the framing narrative, which is so interesting! Some would say that the breaking-the-fourth-wall trope comes off too much and off-putting, but it works for me. It was just good, good fun.
Memorable Quote: “Owe, owe, owe. You use that word so much. A family is not a credit card.”
4. Misery
A psychotic fan kidnaps a novelist. What follows is gore, horror, and, interestingly, some reflection on the art of writing.
What’s it about? Misery is a (gruesome) study in obsession, delusion, and violence, and King has truly taken ‘disturbing’ to a whole new level in this piece. The premise is simple: a die-hard fan rescues a famous author from a car accident and nurses him, but things take a turn for the worse when her real intention is revealed. King is a master of painting vivid scenes that make your heart race.
I really enjoyed how he dissects the writer’s mind both through moments when Paul Sheldon is struggling to write the manuscript, as well as when the words flow out of him. The result is lots of reflective questions related to writing and authorship, which I found interesting.
Memorable Quote: “Writers remember everything… especially the hurts. Strip a writer to the buff, point to the scars, and he’ll tell you the story of each small one. From the big ones you get novels. A little talent is a nice thing to have if you want to be a writer, but the only real requirement is the ability to remember the story of every scar.”
5. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
Contemporary fiction about childhood friends-never-turned-lovers that takes place mainly within the video game industry.
What’s it about? Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a hauntingly beautiful story of friendship and missed romance that spans decades. It follows two friends who met as kids in the hospital and went on to create video games together, both becoming well-known in the industry.
I’ve never read a book about video games before and didn’t realize how much fun it could be. Especially because I’ve worked in a game company for a couple of years! Here, the world of games takes center stage and the characters’ lives unfold around the different games they play and make, from old arcades to modern video games.
Memorable Quote: “If you’re always aiming for perfection, you won’t make anything at all.”
6. Your House Will Pay
A powerful exploration of racial tension through the lens of two families in L.A., crossing two generations and two shocking crimes.
What’s it about? Your House Will Pay is a poignant mystery that explores racial tension, grief, and forgiveness through the experiences of two families bound forever by a decades-old crime. The story was inspired by the real incident in 1991, when 15-years old African American Latasha Harlins was shot by Soon Ja Du, the owner of a Korean convenience store.
This book completely took me by surprise and is hands-down the best underrated title I read this year. I didn’t expect it to be so heartfelt and harrowing. The topic here isn’t an easy one to write about, but I believe that Steph Cha tackled it with care and respect, resulting in what I think is a haunting yet beautiful tale.
Memorable Quote: “Grace had never seen her mother look so scared, and she felt pity for her for a moment, and a cruel, ecstatic thrill of power.”
7. Dear Edward
What’s it about? Dear Edward follows the eponymous character, a 12-year-old who is the sole survivor of a tragic plane crash that took the lives of 183 passengers, along with his older brother and parents. Switching between two timelines—the flight itself and the present day, the story reveals how a pre-teen would handle such a traumatic event.
Ah, this book. So heartbreaking. So beautiful. So well written! The fact that the author was prompted by a real-life incident to write Dear Edward makes it even more tear-jerking. This is more of a slower-paced and quiet novel that may put you in a reflective mood.
Memorable Quote: “There was no reason for what happened to you, Eddie. You could have died; you just didn’t. It was dumb luck. Nobody chose you for anything. Which means, truly, that you can do anything.”
8. Yellowface
How far will you go to protect what you think you deserve? A satirical novel on racial diversity in the publishing industry.
What’s it about? Yellowface begins when June Hayward steals her recently deceased (and more successful) author friend’s unfinished manuscript, edits it, and publishes it as her own. Except, unlike Athena Liu, June is not Asian American. So she takes up an ambiguously ethnic pen name and author photo. What follows is a whirlwind of media attention, internet trolling, June getting caught deeper in her web of lies, and a hint of the supernatural.
Kuang does it again. After The Poppy War series and Babel, consider me a huge fan. Anything she writes, I’ll read. This novel is a satire that calls out the publishing industry and capitalism, which is really fascinating. June is an anti-heroine, though it becomes clear quickly that no one in this story is as innocent as they seem. It feels like a realistic portrayal of the situation.
Memorable Quote: “What more can we want as writers than such immortality? Don’t ghosts just want to be remembered?”
9. This is Marketing: You Can’t Be Seen Until You Learn To See
An insightful book on the psychology and philosophy of marketing with timeless advice, relevant examples, and observations.
What’s it about? This is Marketing dives into the fundamentals and philosophy of marketing. It’s a relevant read whether you’re a business owner, startup founder, a social media specialist, or part of a brand’s marketing team. Through a combination of insights, observation, and examples, it breaks down various components of what makes “great marketing”.
What’s this random business book doing here, you ask? While I read mostly novels and memoirs, and despite picking this up quite randomly, I ended up loving it. So, into the list it is! I’ve been interested in marketing and branding, and enjoyed how Godin looks into the psychology of marketing. It’s not jam-packed with the most practical or technical tips, but I think each book should be allowed to explore topics from its chosen angle.
Memorable Quote: “The most important lesson I can share about brand marketing is this: you definitely, certainly, and surely don’t have enough time and money to build a brand for everyone. You can’t. Don’t try. Be specific. Be very specific.”
10. In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl’s Journey to Freedom
A powerful memoir that reveals the harrowing reality of fleeing North Korea, and the mental struggle that continues even once you have physically escaped.
What’s it about? In Order to Live is the autobiography of Yeonmi Park, a North Korean defector who fled as a 13-year-old and reached South Korea two years later. This is the story of the struggles and pain she endured during that journey, and the feeling of shame she continued to harbor even many years later.
I know that quite a few memoirs and books have been written about escapes from North Korea, but this is definitely one of the biggest titles out there. It’s also my first time reading about what life is like inside DPRK and how unbelievably dangerous it is to escape. No one should ever experience what Yeonmi went through just to achieve freedom. But the fact remains that countless others did, and still do. I think this is an important book everyone should read at least once.
Memorable Quote: “There were so many desperate people on the streets crying for help that you had to shut off your heart or the pain would be too much. After a while you don’t care anymore. And that is what hell is like.”
To another year of reading!
That wraps up my list of the best books I read in 2023. Here’s to a new year and a whole lot more books!
What was the best book you read last year?
