2023: Year in Books

While I could procrastinate all the pressing things I have to do by lying on the sofa and eating a selection box, I figured I may as well use the time productively. So without further ado, here are the 41 books:

There were lots of five stars in January which is interesting because almost one year later, only two have really stuck with me. The first being Everything I Know About Love, which I’ve read at least once a year since 2020, and the other being One Day .

“Write beautifully. Cherish your friends, stay true to your principles, live passionately and fully and well. Experience new things. Love and be loved if at all possible. Eat sensibly”. Words to live by.

Merrily Ever After by Cath Bramley - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Hopeless Romantic by Dolly Alderton - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

One Day by David Nicholls - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Cosy Cottage in Ireland by Julie Caplin - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I didn’t read as much in February. Swapping long train journeys and airport waits for deadlines and drunkenly interviewing people meant there wasn’t much time for reading. I do remember enjoying the three books I managed to read, particularly My Name is Lucy Barton.

Early Morning Riser by Katherine Heiny - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

My Name Is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Anything Is Possible by Elizabeth Strout - ⭐⭐⭐

Looming deadlines and final exams meant the pressure was on in March, but I still managed to read four books in an effort to feel like myself. I’m Sorry You Feel That Way left a particular impression on me as it explored the complexity of family relations and mental illness.

The Wednesday Morning Wild Swim by Jules Wake - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Nora Ephron: The Last Interview and Other Conversations - ⭐⭐⭐

The Little Paris Patisserie by Julie Caplin - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I’m Sorry You Feel That Way by Rebecca Wait - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Deadlines were no longer looming, but imminent which meant I spent most days chained to my desk.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin - ⭐⭐⭐

The Secret Cove in Croatia by Julie Caplin - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Paradise City by Elizabeth Day - ⭐⭐⭐

Female friendship was a running theme in May, and the end of Uni meant I had time to read again (yay!). I particularly enjoyed Friendaholic as it really made me think about my own friendships and the people I was giving my energy to.

Friendaholic: Confessions of a Friendship Addict by Elizabeth Day - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Girl Friends by Holly Bourne - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Place by Emily Henry - ⭐⭐⭐

Dear Dolly: On Love, Life and Friendship by Dolly Alderton - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls - ⭐⭐⭐

With no exams to keep me occupied, and the big move to London less than three months away, I desperately needed to earn a few pounds. Unfortunately, 52-hour weeks in a car garage left little room or energy to read, and when I wasn’t working I was exploring Devon.

The Little Café in Copenhagen by Julie Caplin - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Saturday Morning Park Run by Jules Wake - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

It was the same story for most of July. I was either working or graduating, and it wasn’t until I was eventually holidaying that I got out of my reading rut.

The French Chateau Dream by Julie Caplin: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A Vintage Affair by Isabel Wolff: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This meant the pace picked up in August, and I don’t think a book has ever affected me in the same way that My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh did  - I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Nothing I Wouldn’t Do by Sara-Ella Ozbek: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Little Brooklyn Bakery by Julie Caplin: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Little Tea Shop in Tokyo by Julie Caplin: ⭐⭐⭐

Sorry I Missed You by Lorraine Brown: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Wild Things by Laura Kay: ⭐⭐⭐

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

September marked the start of a new challenge - London life (and it’s really no joke). It’s fair to say I was pretty overwhelmed. Getting into the swing of the NCTJ, making new friends and getting used to my new pace of life took it out of me. However, I particularly enjoyed Lessons in Chemistry and I’m looking forward to watching the screen adaptation soon.

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Back Up Man by Phoebe Luckhurst: ⭐⭐⭐

While it’s all slightly blurry now, even though it was only a couple of months ago, everything picked up in October. A lot of hard work was done and fun was had, and I couldn’t have picked a better book to read. I completely loved it: 

“We were better as live-in lovers than we ever were as daters. We were beans on toast people, two joints on a Saturday night people, keeping watch while the other person took a wild piss on a country walk people”.

The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

On 1st of November, I went to see Dolly Alderton at The Barbican, and spent most of November reading her latest novel Good Material. I really enjoyed it, particularly the male perspective and I’d love to read the last 100 pages with fresh eyes.

Good Material by Dolly Alderton: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Finally, there are no words for what a crazy month December was - there were deadlines, exams and an unfortunate incident in Staines train station. The fourth installment of The Thursday Murder Club hit the spot once again and one particular quote stuck with me:

“How young they all are, though many of them will feel old. How beautiful they are, though how ugly some of the feel. How young and beautiful she was, how old and ugly she felt. She feels young and beautiful now - Stephen made sure of that”.

The Northern Lights Lodge by Julie Caplin: ⭐⭐⭐

The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Christmas Castle in Scotland by Julie Caplin: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

And that wraps up my year in books! In the words of Julie Caplin: “There’s no just about it. People should read what they want to. I can’t bear all that literary snobbery”.

So, well done if you’ve gotten this far and have a very happy new year!