It’s time to wrap my reads of 2023 in a bow, and crown my top three favorite reads of the year!

This year, I read 17 books. Every last one of them was “read” by listening them through Audible. And it’s time for me to narrow down what I’d recommend to a friend if she were to need a new book to pick up this new year.

-3- Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt :: I love a story the follows different characters that don’t seem inter-related only to find out that they do in fact have a connection. I loved this sweet Octopus. I loved Tova and her quirks, and the way that she grew to love Marcellus, the octopus. It was such a beautiful story, easy to follow, and just a fun little read.

-2- Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi :: I’m also a sucker for a book that let’s me flip back and forth between present day and the past. Trying to piece together what events made these characters act and behave in the ways they do in present day. What has shaped their thoughts, their lives. What has caused them trauma. I loved the way the main character had to grapple with the way her past came to meet her in her present. Great book!

-1- The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah :: Kristin Hannah does no wrong in my book. Her books captivate me. The writing, the characters, the way their stories interweave with each other. They break my heart and leave me endeared to them forever, and the Nightingale was no different. This book is set in World War II, and follows how women were able to assist in the war effort in Nazi held areas, risking their lives and flying under the radar because of their sex. It was simply fantastic and well deserved of my top spot for 2023!