Hello everyone! It's been quiet on my blog this year, but I have been reading some fantastic books. As we near the halfway point through the year, I thought I'd share my favourite reads of 2023 so far.
Lessons in Chemistry - Bonnie Garmus (Doubleday, April 2022)
I picked up Lessons in Chemistry right at the start of the year after seeing it on so many people's 'Best Books of 2022' lists. It didn't disappoint. Elizabeth Zott and Six Thirty the dog are two of the best characters I'd read in a long time and it was an enjoyable, engrossing read.
Women in STEM
1960s setting
A very clever dog
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow - Gabrielle Zevin (Chatto & Windus, July 2022)
Another book that caused me to shout 'believe the hype!' at people. I've recommended this book to so many people since reading it in February. I fell in love with the characters and started to feel passionate about video games despite knowing next to nothing about them.
Game designer characters
Success and ambitions
Long term platonic friendship
Our Wives Under the Sea - Julia Armfield (Picador, March 2022)
I read Julia Armfield's debut novel for Lauren and the Books' Patreon book club and it really blew me away. It follows Miri, whose wife Leah goes on a deep sea exploration research trip and comes back changed.
Haunting atmosphere
Deep sea exploration
Helplessness, loss and anticipatory grief
Romantic Comedy - Curtis Sittenfeld (Doubleday, April 2023)
Curtis Sittenfeld could pull me out of any reading slump. I pre-ordered Romantic Comedy and immediately put everything else aside to read it when it arrived. A warm, believable and addictive read from an author who seems completely in control of her craft.
Script writer for a late-night TV comedy show
Celebrity love interest
Epistolary chapter
The Marriage Portrait - Maggie O'Farrell (Tinder Press, August 2022)
Maggie O'Farrell's latest novel was never going to live up to Hamnet for me, but it is still very deserving of a spot on this list! It tells the story of Lucrezia de' Medici who married Alfonso, Duke of Ferrara, when she was just thirteen, and explores the circumstances of her suspicious young death.
Italian Renaissance
A plot to kill
A special connection to a locked-up tigress
Yellowface - R. F. Kuang (The Borough Press, May 2023)
Yellowface must be one of the most-talked about books of the year so far. I thought it was brilliant, and made even better by hearing R. F. Kuang talk in such an intelligent and nuanced way about the issues in the book during her book tour.
Who gets to tell a story?
Page-turner
Cultural appropriation and racism in the publishing industry
Let me know some of your favourite reads of the year so far in the comments below. I'd love to hear any recommendations you have.
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