Do you have favorite reads in 2023 from different genres and do they have a throughline or theme in common? Here were some of my favorites:
Suspense/thriller: Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent (woman’s “strange” response to her father’s death brings her out into the world in both good and bad ways) and None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell (podcaster discovers ever more sinister things about an acquaintance-turned-subject)
Horror: Black River Orchard by Chuck Wendig (cults and demons), The Reformatory by Tananarive Due (ghosts), and Lone Women by Victor LaValle (western)
Memoir: Biting the Hand by Julia Lee (Asian American racial awakening), The Postcard by Anne Berest (French woman of Jewish descent explores family history), and I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy (dealing with parental abuse and mental illness)
Spy: Black Wolf by Kathleen Kent (a female CIA agent is sent to the USSR on a covert mission and catches the attention of a serial killer).
Fantasy: Shubeik Lubeik by Deena Mohamed (a thought-provoking contemporary fantasy graphic novel set in Egypt where wishes are real and can be purchased)
I noticed that my favorites often had female and/or PoC protagonists, a strong sense of place and history, dark subject matter, a sense of deep isolation, and the idea that reckoning with the past or challenging the present can invite danger.
by GapDry7986