2023: My Year in Fiction

I’m celebrating the New Year by sharing my list of all the fiction books I read in 2023! As you can see, I read quite a lot of books from other countries, which was wonderful. These were some of my most memorable reads of the year and I can highly recommend most of them. I also managed a few in German or French, as I continue to plug away at my language skills.

I also enjoyed some other fiction, both historical and contemporary, some children’s books, some rereads, and a couple of themed projects. A new project I’ve just begun is the Ozathon — it will continue throughout 2024 and beyond. Don’t forget to visit The Book Stop for an introduction to this month’s book, The Marvelous Land of Oz.

I have highlighted a pick from each category, but there were many others I could have chosen. With the exception of a few disappointments, each and every book was memorable and worthwhile in some way. Click on the links to my StoryGraph review or blog post for more about each book.

World Fiction Cloudstreet – AustraliaPortrait of an Unknown Lady – ArgentinaAll Quiet on the Western Front – GermanyBefore the Coffee Gets Cold – Japan Half of a Yellow Sun – Nigeria Haven – IrelandThe Count of Monte Cristo – FranceWhen We Were Birds – TrinidadThe Island of Missing Trees – CyprusSweet Bean Paste – Japan The Girl with the Louding Voi ce – Nigeria The Great Divide – Panama Three Apples Fell from the Sky – ArmeniaRead in other languages Kindergeschichten Krabat Voyage au centre de la terre Other new to me adult fiction The Half-Drowned Ki ng The Monsters We Defy Demon Copperhead Body and Soul The Fortnight in September Search Our Souls at Night The Violin Conspiracy The Warm Hands of Ghosts A Murder of Quality The Temple of Fortuna Far Afield Miss Mole Lighter fare The Baker’s Daughter Mrs Harris Goes to Paris Footsteps in the Dark Death in the Stocks Behold, Here’s Poison A Tangled Web Aunty Lee’s Deadly Specials The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels The Christmas Appeal Pyramids The Fair Miss Fortune New to me children’s and YA Thomasina Once There Was The Story Girl The Golden Road Rereads The Farthest Shore David Copperfield Unexpected Magic The Neverending Story Tehanu The Star of Kazan The Nonesuch Reading the TheatreRuddy Gore Ella of All-of-a-kind Family Death of a Hollow Man Death Ex Machina LoveHain readalong Rocannon’s World Planet of Exi le City of Illusions The Word for World Is Forest The Telling Five Ways to Forgiveness Ozathon The Wonderful Wizard of Oz The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus