Best Books of 2023 || Reviews & Recommendations
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ก.ค. 2024
- Hey Booktube, time to share my best books of 2023! Here are the reviews and my recommendations out of all the books I've read this year.
Lipstick: Maybelline liquid lipstick in shot caller amzn.to/4awGJyM
Worst Books of 2023: • Worst Books of 2023 ||...
Most Surprising: • Most Surprising Books ...
Most Disappointing: • Most Disappointing Boo...
All My Book Recommendations: amzn.to/3IBX5It
____ BOOKS MENTIONED _____
Green Bone Saga by Fonda Lee amzn.to/4aruxiB
A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon amzn.to/41ykzIj
Blood over Bright Haven by M L Wang amzn.to/3RSgSZJ
The Wall by Marlen Haushofer amzn.to/3RrWnCK
Neapolitan series by Elena Ferrante amzn.to/3GTYVow
Bloodchild and Other Stories by Octavia E Butler amzn.to/3GPY4VR
Queen of the Tearling series by Erika Johansen amzn.to/48oDqYw
Moi qui n’est pas connu les hommes (I Who Have Never Known Men) by Jacqueline Harpman amzn.to/3NBYmTV
Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen amzn.to/47oXDN7
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What are the best books you've read in 2023? :D
Some of my faves this year in no order are, warbreaker, the last house on needless street, tender is the flesh, belladonna, the last unicorn, tea dragon society, transcendence, Emily wilde’s, and the whole chestnut springs series excluding book one
Best book I read this year is easily Demon Copperhead.
I also started Realm of the Elderlings this year by Robin Hobb, and now Hobb is my favorite fantasy author of all time. I read both Sword of Kaigen and Blood over Bright Haven this year as well, loved them both although for me Sword of Kaigen is a little better.
I Feed Her To The Beast and the Beast Is Me, Priory of the Orange Tree, The Library at Mount Char, and The Broken Earth Trilogy.
My guilty pleasure "best" book is Starbringer by Tracy Wolff and Nina Croft. It is pure dumb sci fi fun and has a sapphic romance.
hellbent (leigh bardugo), malice (keigo higashino), the story of a new name (elena ferrante)
I have a few from different genres but two of the best are again but better-christine Riccio. I think that's how you write her name then the one that supposed me this year was the Shadow Glass - Josh Winning I loved that one so much I read it twice this year
My best books of 2023🥇"Speaking Bones" - Ken Liu
🥈"Blood Over Bright Haven" - M. L. Wang
🥉"The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi" - Shannon Chakraborty
"The Book That Wouldn't Burn" - Mark Lawrence
"Spinning Silver" - Naomi Novik
"Perdido Street Station" - China Mieville
"Bloodchild and Other Stories" - Octavia E. Butler
"Lone Women" - Victor LaValle
"Talonsister" - Jen Williams
"Godkiller" - Hannah Kaner
Oh wow you have a great taste!
This is an exhaustive list. Surprisingly, I haven't read any of this books yet am a book lover
I followed your recommendation and read Kindred as my first Octavia Butler and I loved it!! One of the best books I read this year!!!
Yay!!
i also finished the Green Bone Saga this year and it was so good!!! i can’t wait to read more from Fonda Lee!!
I read What Doesn't Kill You based on your review and it was so impactful. I'm a chronic illness girlie, and I have never felt so seen. Thank you for putting it on my radar! ❤
I read I Who Have Never Known Men this year because of you and that's not usually what I read. Thank you for getting me out of my comfort zone and introducing me to something different. It was amazing. I hope to read Kindred this coming year.
My favorite read this year was either Babel or Tomorrow Tomorrow and Tomorrow. I think I can say both because one is fantasy and one is lit fic lol. Most surprising was In the Company of Witches or Carrie Soto is Back. Stay clear of American Mermaid - it was definitely my worst read of the year. So promising and yet it put me in a slump. Oh I read Priory and Day of Fallen Night this year and I wish I had read the prequel first! I really enjoyed both of them, though. I'm hoping for 2024 to be my fantasy year - soooo much I want to read! Hoping to try some Brandon Sanderson and NK Jemisen for the first time!
Embarrassingly, I only got to reading Jane Austen’s novels this year, and of course I loved them so so much, and they go straight to my favourite books of 2023 and of all time. I also really enjoyed North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell, which I read after you talked about it. But by far the biggest surprise was The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley. I think you and I, Emily, have somewhat different tastes, but this book is where I think they would overlap, and I really wanted to tell you about it because I think you might enjoy it. The plot was really appealing to me to begin with - haunted lighthouses, memory loss, time travel, battleships? Yes please! But also, the writing is just enthralling, and past about a quarter of the book, I couldn’t put it down, which is rare for me after reading tons of fantasy when I was younger. When you add morally grey (at the very least) characters to the mix you get a little gem. It’s not perfect, but it made me want to read everything by author, and I recommend it to anyone, even people who don’t like fantasy!
I loved the Queen of the Tearling series!! I also understand why people didn't like the ending, but I loved it. Haha :)
Loved this video! I can't wait to read all of these!! I think the only one I'm hesitant to read is The Wall, but I did buy it on ebook to give it a try anyway!
I think I'm most looking forward to Jade City and I Who Have Never Known Men. Thank you!! :)
I finished Blood over Bright Haven today and I loved it. I really felt this book. Thanks for the recommendation.. And happy new year!
Thank you so much for recommending “I who have never known men” and “Blood Over Bright Haven” I loved reading them!
I read Blood Over Bright Haven because of you and because I loved Sword of Kaigen a couple years ago! It was incredible!!! So different from Sword of Kaigen, but wow I now trust this author with anything. love love love your reviews ❤ i might start Jade City in 2024...
You make me feel like going to read the book.
Thank you for recommending Blood Over Bright Haven its my favourite book of the year!
I've added so many of these to my TBR because of you, if only there was more time for reading!
Thank you for hyping up Blood Over Bright Haven. It became my favorite of the year 😭 I'm hoping Wraithmarked does a special edition for it like they did Sword of Kaigen.
Same emoji here 😭
Hands down best book of the year.
Where do you guys get this books. The ones I've read and reviewed aren't so famous
I bought all 4 books of the Neapolitan Novels after watching you rave about it and I CANNOT wait to read them once it gets warmer and sunnier!
I read I Who Have Never Known Men based on your recommendation and I loved it so much! Thank you for bringing that story into my life, it's a story I'll be thinking about for a long time, amazing.
I loved I Who Have Never Known Men so much, I read it twice in under two weeks. I will, doubtlessly, read it more throughout my life.
I read Garden Spells last year because of you and loved it! Another couple books that reminded me of Practical Magic a bit were Wildwood Whispers (another favorite for me) and At the Coffee Shop of Curiosities (it’s magical realism, but Heather Webber’s writing reminds me of Sarah Addison Allen’s!).
My favorites of this year
1. Blood over bright haven
2. Sword of kaigen
3. Upgrade by Blake crouch
4. The toll by Neil shusterman
5. Atomic habits
I just got I Who Have Never Known Men! I had it on my wishlist ever since you recommended it and it just went on sale yesterday so I finally got it. Will be reading it in 2024
I love that you stack the books up behind you. Reminds me of older Emily videos. These simple things please me 😂
My faves of this year, in the order that I read them:
- Project Haily Mary by Andy Weir (my favorite book now, I even named my cat after one of the characters)
- N.P. by Banana Yoshimoto (it's quietly intense and I loved that)
- Chess Story by Stefan Zweig (I never thought I'd like a book placed during WWII but it was so good)
- The Long Way To A Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers (that was such fun and cozy sci-fi, very feel-good yet deep)
- They Both Die At The End by Adam Silvera (emotionally so intense, but I loved it to pieces)
- Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (why did I wait 8 years to read this omg)
- Stepping Off The Relationship Escalator: Uncommon Love And Life by Amy Gahran (great to explore some other forms of relationships that are out there other than monogamous romantic relationships, delightfully non-preachy and very informative, does not read like a self-help book at all even though it is marketed as such)
- Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of S*x by Angela Chen (amazing book to find out more about asexuality, and is useful to reflect on assumptions about relationships, does not read as self-help either. This one I literally finished yesterday.) (and sorry for censoring, I don't know how the algorithm acts around certain words)
I already read Blood Over Bright Haven after you mentioned it in another video and it was AMAZING.
Okay, first of all, i love that lippie shade on you!!!
Finally put away my laundry or watch Emily's new video uninterrupted for the first time in a long time? The laundry can wait. 😅
I would looove if you did a video on the “order” to read Octavia butler! I really enjoyed kindred and feel like I don’t know where to go next
I read Garden Spells because of you and it was one of my favorites I read! I read the second one and I bought Other Birds by the author. I think I also just found a new favorite author in general.
I can't wait to try more of her books!
My best two books ever, let alone this year, are Sword of Kaigen and Blood Over Bright Haven. Thank you so much for talking about them, I think I've found my soulmate author. 😭
I also started reading Xenogenesis, which I've loved so far, once again because of your recommendations. ❤
After watching this I've decided to set myself a challenge for 2024 to read all of your faves from this video!
I read Queen of the Tearling earlier this year and didn't really enjoy it, but your comments about another genre being introduced have me thinking maybe I should try book 2...
I cannot wait for her next book! Hope you’ll love OEB as much as I do!
The queen of the tearling series is really hard to recommend because any info would be a spoiler lol
I definitely need to read Garden Spells this year. Last year, I read Other Birds & really enjoyed it!
best books i read this year: if we were villains and yellowface, none of them are perfect but they made me feel lots of things sooooooo yeah
Thank you for sharing, Emily!
Stupidly question, are you from QC? I love the little accent.
Fate of the Tearling worked for me as well! Definitely the exception to my rule!
So with Blood Over Bright Haven: I totally agree with you about the lemgth and story time. I would have loved more detail and more fleshing out of the reasons behind why the original mages did what they did, and also how Sciona is so blind to certain things and her gradual awareness of the society she lives in. Just more detail surrounding the motivations of people, really.
It would probably have to be a duology, which I understand is tough to sell when it's a self-pub.
Anyway, my favourite of the year, it was a lightning fast read and I devoured it in a day, which is impressive. Also made me cryyyyyy, all the feelings.
Marlen Haushofer was an Austrian author! I love "The Wall" (Die Wand) a lot even though it is a really depressing read, but as you said, it is very different and I will never forget how it made me feel while reading, especially the ending. In Austria this is considered an important classic and is often read in schools
Binge read the whole Neapolitan saga this year. Sooooo good! Painful at times but I was so invested in the characters. I was sad that I had to leave Naples after the fourth book 😅
Je viens de regarder mes 5 étoiles de cette année et la plupart viennent de tes suggestions! Merci de m'avoir fait découvrir Octavia E Butler et Emily Henry cette année :)
Je dois dire que j'ai eu un plaisir à redécouvrir la série du Funeste destin des orphelins Beaudelaire qui pour moi demeure une série 5 étoiles.
Je suis aussi tombée sous le charme de The Ex Hex d'Erin Sterling et de The Woman in me de Britney Spears. J'avoue que je serais curieuse d'avoir ton opition sur ces deux livres.
I'm on team Fate o the Tearling! Her now book The Kingdom of Sweets was 4.5☆, and I finally bought the Tearling prequel Beneath the Keep
You'll be glad to know that Fun Fantasy Books and Merphy Napier/Books both have Blood over Bright Haven in their top ten lists. My top 3 are Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow...Project Hail Mary...and Legends and Latte.
This was the year of Manga for me. Some were ones I'd been reading since last year but a couple were new ones I started this year. One is a shorter series, a romance thriller called "Something's Wrong With Us by Natsumi Andō. It's really good.
But one of the main series I read this year that I loved was Legends of the First Empire by Michael J. Sullivan. I know you read the first book in his Riyria Revelations, but this series was written later even though it takes place 3000 years beforehand, but the women are written much better in that series. I think you would like it.
I liked the Tearling trilogy including the ending.
And I think years ago you recommended Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty and I love it.😊
That concept was so fun!
My top favorite was definitely the blood Trials by n.e. Davenport. It's somehow the book baby of Nevernight and red rising. I forgot how brutal and funny grimdark fantasy could be at the same time. Highly recommend !
I loved They Call Her Sofia by Doris Ladino. It’s a sweet fun and quick read! Enjoy!
I read so many good books this year, but my top ones would probably be:
The Hands of the Emperor and At the Feet of the Sun by Victoria Goddard
Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold
Doomsday Book by Connie Willlis
I would say my favorites are:
- The way of kings
- The three last books from Abby Jimenez 😙👌
- It from Stephen King
- The Odyssey (really snobby I know, but it was gooood)
- The Queen’s Cove series from Stephanie Archer, specifically the second one.
I had a really good reading year and I hope 2024 is even better 🤞🏽
IT is my comfort book (yeah yeah I know 😅), it’s definitely one of his best. The Shining is my other favorite by him.
YES! For so long I felt like the only one who was happy with the Fate of the Tearling ending!
I smashed through the Chorus of Dragons queer fantasy series by Jenn Lyons and adored them! That’s my massive reading achievement this year. 😂
I’ve added “I who have never known men” to my library holds. I guess future me will stare at a wall hahaha.
I just finished Blood Over Bright Haven because of you and it‘s definitely one of my favourite books this year.
I want to read The Wall so bad, but the German publisher just published a pretty hardcover and I didn’t want to buy an ugly cover just to read it quicker 😅 Still waiting for my pre-order though…
We have so many books in common, that‘s so exciting! ♥️
Have Blood over Bright on my TBR kindle unlimited…excited to read. Agree when loaning books, coworker-friend ruined my favorite book completely 😢 she loaned it to a roommate who does that with other peoples books! Never again. I really like Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen, think you should definitely read it. Have a safe and happy holiday season 😊
Happy Holidays! Hope you’ll enjoy it!
I loved the ending of Fate of the Tearling, but it took me a minute to get there. You definitely need to get comfortable with your expectations being thwarted.
My 5 stars this year:
Seatmate by Cara Bastone (Audible)
The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen
The Gubcle by Steven Rowley
The Whalebone Theater by Joanna Quinn
Old God's Time by Sebastian Barry
In Memoriam by Alice Winn
I loved Jade City, I had to put down Jade War tho, wasn't feeling it but im planning on picking it up in January. Favorite book this year was I who have never know men for sure, happy to inform you that as far as i know around 30ish people have picked that book because of you, unfortunately my mom hates me because of it LOL she now refuses to read any book i recommend to her
Haha why?? It’s the book I’ve been able to make the most people read “in real life” probably because it’s short and the title. Not everyone is happy with me after but everyone loved it 😂 it’s beautifully bleak but worth it!
@@BookswithEmilyFox my mom taste consist of classic books, romance novels, and poems. She loves her happily ever afters and enjoys breaking down every poem she read, so a book like I who have never know men just straight up haunts her, im pretty sure she has read it like 3 or 4 times already
I feel her! I’ll definitely be rereading it often!
Maybe not the best book I’ve read this year but definitely the most readable was Paradise-1. I read 500 pages in one day like it was nothing!
It’s a sci-fi thriller following three people who were sent to check on a colony that hasn’t been responding, there’s AI, a ton of action, and I’m pretty sure it was a serial that was written by 3 people. There’s not a ton of character development because there’s *so much action*, but I didn’t mind it. There’s no SA and while the main female character wasn’t my favorite, I still liked her and the others made up for it.
Tw: cannibalism, self mutilation. Not a ton, but it’s definitely there and I was surprised by it.
I got into your channel this year and not only did I read a now all time favorite bc of your recommendation (Priory of the Orange Tree), you also helped me realize that I dont NEED to put up with sexism in a book. Or read male authors! I have had a better reading experience this year because no matter how good the rest of the book may be, I dont need to read sexism. No more excuses.
Thank you Emily ❤
So happy to hear it ❤️
Because of tour videos i'm reading Into the drowning deep rn ( here its summer) & yesturday i foubd out there a novella? prequel? 0.5 of the series called Rolling in the deep.
I also just read sour candy & really liked it!
I never made up my mind for where to start The roots on chaos duology, does a day of fallen night not gloss over the world building of the priory?
İ am reading the Fate of the Tearling right now! İ hated book one, still continued because you raved about it and İ liked it a lot… Now İ am nervous to finish book 3 🤣
Let me know how it goes 🙈
Yes, The Green Bone Saga!
i’m currently reading blood over bright haven and so far it’s so good!!!
I'm reading Blood Over Bright Haven and I might never emotionally recover from this. 10 star book of the year.
I read the Elena Ferrante series a few years ago and they really spoke to my heart. Such brilliant, flawed characters.
best book I read this year hands down was "Cleopatra and Frankenstein" but I also really enjoyed "The Secret History" possibly even more "If We Were Villains" :)
I picked up I who have never known men and I can´t wait to read it, especially since I found out the author is a Belgian woman, just like me! Maybe I´ll read it in French too, but I still have highschool trauma from required french reading😂
As much as The Sword of Kaigen bored me (also DNF), I devoured Blood Over Bright Haven!!!! ❤
Oh no! I always say that you have to make it to the half way point in that point because the first half is slow. If you’re up to it, I’d give it a second shot!
@@BookswithEmilyFox I read at least half, just wasn’t jiving with me. But, like mentioned with Bright Haven, I was hooked almost immediately.
Have you considered reading Harlan Ellison I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream. It's a short story that I always got back to.
You look stunning in this video!
I just found out that The Wall was published in my country few years ago, but it's impossible to find one to buy😭 And there's no ebook version, so I guess I'll be reading it in English....
Top 5 of this year
The midnight village
The unmaking of June Farrow
Midnight is the darkest hour
Stone blind
10 dates
I am one of those that HATED Fate of the Tierling. My best book this yearwas Please Look After Mom. You would love it.
What did you think about the reveal of the father in the Fate of the Tearling?
My best are definitely these 5 books:
Jade Legacy
The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt
Son of a Liche
The Swarm: A Novel of the Deep
Why Didn't They Ask Evans?
This is my first year reading more seriously, after I got back into reading last year after a long break. My favourites of the year were definitely Ella Minnow Pea and Less (which I just finished, crying at 4am and it wasn't even a sad part). Both were dangerously relatable for me, and played really well into my other project of the year, tackling my dangerously declining mental health.
I will read any book you reccomended to see if we have the same taste. And I think we do.😁
I who have never known men just stayed with me - thanks for bringing it to my existence
Just finished Jade War a month ago. DEVASTATION.
I will be reading Jade Legacy in January :P
Well … get prepared for devastation of apocalyptic size and you would probably cry until March lol
2023 has been the worst reading year by far, I started many that I loved but seem to be struggling to finish them. The only “book” I finished was Galatea By Madeline Miller which is like 30 pages? 😂 2024 will be better
If your sister destroys your copy of garden spells, there is one with a much prettier cover available... 😉😜
why does blood of bright haven not have an audiobook?
Because it’s self published
@@BookswithEmilyFox but sword of kaigen was self published as well and it has an audiobook
Raybearer is the best magical school book i read, just dont read the second book :)
❤📚
tbh I'm still staring at the wall thinking of I who have never known men months after reading it haha
Fate of the tearling…😭
I need spoilers for the fate of the Tearling, PLEASE. Cringe scene included
I would need to find the vlog I talked about it to make sure but...
SPOILERS
The cringe scene was a sex scene. Her first time is standing up against a tree and I think she has 3 orgasms? Something like that XD
The trope is going back in time to change the future!
I don't like to suffer 😂
That's what all the cozy fantasy I've been reading are for! A little balance lol
I haven’t read any of these 🥹
Top 5 of this year
The midnight village
The unmaking of June Farrow
Midnight is the darkest hour
Stone blind
10 dates