In Episode 158, we wrap up the year with our Best Books of 2023 Genre Awards with Susie (@NovelVisits). We reveal our Overall Best Books (Fiction and Nonfiction), and we have a full breakdown by genre, including: Best Literary Fiction, Best Romance, Best Brain Candy, Best Genre Mash-Up, and more! Plus, we’re sharing the winners for these same genres as chosen by the Sarah’s Bookshelves Live Patreon community!
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Announcements
- My 2024 Reading Tracker is out! Once again, the Tracker is ONLY available to $7/month Superstars patrons (i.e., no longer available as a separate purchase for $14.99 here on my website). Become a Superstars Patron here!
Highlights
- Podcast reflections from 2023 — including top episodes based on download stats.
- Overview of Susie’s and Sarah’s 2023 year in reading — including trends and stats.
- Favorite books of the year: overall and by genre, including the SBL Patreon Community’s picks.
2023 Genre Awards [19:14]
Susie
- The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff | Amazon | Bookshop.org [19:19]
- Tom Lake
by Ann Patchett | Amazon
| Bookshop.org [22:41]
- No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister | Amazon | Bookshop.org [27:00]
- The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger | Amazon | Bookshop.org [32:22]
- In Memoriam by Alice Winn | Amazon | Bookshop.org [37:16]
- The Art Thief by Michael Finkel | Amazon | Bookshop.org [40:24]
- You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith | Amazon | Bookshop.org [44:32]
- The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane | Amazon | Bookshop.org [47:02]
- The Memory of Animals by Claire Fuller | Amazon | Bookshop.org [50:39]
- Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes | Amazon | Bookshop.org [54:59]
- Go As a River by Shelley Read | Amazon | Bookshop.org [57:30]
- Shark Heart by Emily Habeck | Amazon | Bookshop.org [59:58]
Sarah
- Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano | Amazon | Bookshop.org [20:51]
- Adelaide by Genevieve Wheeler | Amazon | Bookshop.org [25:27]
- Spare by Prince Harry | Amazon | Bookshop.org [29:00]
- All That Is Mine I Carry With Me by William Landay | Amazon | Bookshop.org [34:08]
- Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll | Amazon | Bookshop.org [38:06]
- Generations by Jean M. Twenge PhD | Amazon | Bookshop.org [42:04]
- The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin | Amazon | Bookshop.org [45:43]
- Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld | Amazon | Bookshop.org [48:21]
- My Murder by Katie Williams | Amazon | Bookshop.org [51:53]
- Yellowface by R. F. Kuang | Amazon | Bookshop.org [56:05]
- Happiness Falls
- Talking at Night by Claire Daverley | Amazon | Bookshop.org [1:00:38]
Patrons
- Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano | Amazon | Bookshop.org [21:45]
- Tom Lake
- Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson | Amazon | Bookshop.org [30:14]
- All That Is Mine I Carry With Me by William Landay | Amazon | Bookshop.org [35:58]
- All the Sinners Bleed by S. A. Cosby | Amazon | Bookshop.org [36:29]
- In Memoriam by Alice Winn | Amazon | Bookshop.org [39:41]
- We Were Once a Family
- The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin | Amazon | Bookshop.org [46:13]
- Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld | Amazon | Bookshop.org [49:50]
- Chain-Gang All-Stars
by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah | Amazon
- Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros | Amazon | Bookshop.org [53:45]
- Starling House by Alix E. Harrow | Amazon | Bookshop.org [54:30]
- Congratulations, the Best Is Over! by R. Eric Thomas | Amazon | Bookshop.org [57:18]
- I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai | Amazon
| Bookshop.org [58:59]
- Shark Heart by Emily Habeck | Amazon | Bookshop.org [59:02]
- Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley | Amazon | Bookshop.org [59:31]
Other Books Mentioned
- Reef Road by Deborah Goodrich Royce [4:19]
- Atomic Family by Ciera Horton McElroy [13:57]
- The Caretaker by Ron Rash [14:02]
- All You Have to Do Is Call by Kerri Maher [14:03]
- One Woman Show
- Big Swiss by Jen Beagin [14:19]
- Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano [21:00]
- The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne [21:26]
- The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue [22:16]
- Wellness by Nathan Hill [22:19]
- The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese [22:22]
- Ghost by Dolly Alderton [26:27]
- Tell Me Lies by Carola Lovering [26:29]
- Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutano [31:00]
- Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum [31:30]
- The Five-Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand [31:33]
- The Sweet Spot by Amy Poeppel [31:39]
- Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane [36:44]
- Drowning by T. J. Newman [36:48]
- Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent [37:00]
- Beyond That, the Sea by Laura Spence-Ash [39:54]
- The House Is on Fire by Rachel Beanland [40:05]
- The Postcard
- The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel [41:38]
- In Light of All Darkness by Kim Cross [42:18]
- A Fever in the Heartland by Timothy Egan [43:49]
- Poverty, by America by Matthew Desmond [44:00]
- The Woman in Me by Britney Spears [46:22]
- All My Knotted Up Life by Beth Moore [46:29]
- How to Stay Married by Harrison Scott Key [46:38]
- Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane [47:28]
- Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin [49:06]
- Happy Place by Emily Henry [49:45]
- Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez [50:00]
- The Great Transition by Nick Fuller Googins [52:43]
- Camp Zero by Michelle Min Sterling [52:45]
- The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton [53:06]
- Starter Villain by John Scalzi [53:21]
- Holly by Stephen King [54:20]
- Lone Women by Victor LaValle [54:48]
- How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix [54:52]
- Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley [59:34]
- Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross [59:44]
- Normal People by Sally Rooney [1:00:56]
- Maame by Jessica George [1:01:39]
Top Podcast Episodes for 2023 [8:42]
- Ep. 129: Best Books of 2022 Genre Awards with Susie (@NovelVisits)
- Ep. 150: Fall 2023 Book Preview with Catherine (@GilmoreGuide)
- Ep. 140: 2023 Summer Reading Special with Susie (@NovelVisits)
- Ep. 131: The Best Backlist Books We Read in 2022 with Catherine (@GilmoreGuide)
- Ep. 128: Best Books of 2022 Superlatives with Susie (@NovelVisits)
- Ep. 151: Angie Kim (Author of Happiness Falls)
- Ep. 133: Speculative Fiction / Fantasy 101 with Sarah Landis (Literary Agent)
- Ep. 143: Behind the Scenes of Book Coaching with Abigail K. Perry (of Lit Match Podcast)
- Ep. 138: Rebecca Makkai (Author of I Have Some Questions for You)
- Ep. 132: Katie Gutierrez (Author of More Than You’ll Ever Know)
- Ep. 156: 2023 State of the Industry with Sarah Landis (Literary Agent)
- Ep. 147: Lara Love Hardin (Author of The Many Lives of Mama Love)
- Ep. 144: John Marrs (Author of The One, The Passengers, and The Marriage Act)
- Ep. 152: Liz Nugent (Author of Strange Sally Diamond)
About Susie Boutry
Blog | Facebook | Instagram | X (formerly Twitter)
Susie has loved reading for as long as she can remember. Some of her fondest childhood memories involve long afternoons at the library and then reading late into the night. More than ten years ago, she began journaling about the books she read and turned that passion into writing about books. Her first forays were as a guest reviewer on a friend’s blog, but she soon realized she wanted to be reviewing and talking about books on a blog of her own. From there, Novel Visits was born. That was in 2016 and, though the learning curve was steep, she loves being a part of the book community. Novel Visits focuses on new novel reviews (print and audio), previews of upcoming releases, and musings on all things bookish.
Next Episode
After a holiday break, Catherine and I will be back with our Winter 2024 Book Preview on January 10.
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I wish you included which genre each book fell into in the show notes.