My Recent Reads: May-December 2023

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Before we go too deep into the new year, I really wanted to get this long overdue compilation of books I read through the second half of the year out. Just shy of tallying at 20, this list of books gave me company through some personally challenging times as I navigated some health issues and their subsequent surgical resolution, reflecting my wildly oscillating moods in their topics and titles. Perhaps counter to what you’d expect, I have special fondness for the heavier books that sat with me in my heavier moments. What a gift it is to gain perspective over the course of a well-written book, as you, the reader, attempt to step outside of yourself to walk in the shoes of characters exploring more treacherous paths than your own.❤️

Speaking of gifts, if you were to offer me the gift of reading this blog post until the very end, I shared the list of my top 5 favorite books of 2023! As always, would love to hear from you about your favorites, of 2023 or otherwise.☺️

1. Four Treasures of the Sky by Jenny Tinghui Zhang

We're off to an intense start – this book is intriguing, but dark and difficult to read. Trigger warnings: sexual assault, depression. A coming of age tale spanning years and continents, winding its way through 1880s America when the Chinese Exclusion Act was alive and well. It's a harrowing journey, but I learned a lot and gained a new perspective that I appreciate.🙏🏽


2. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

Wow wow wow. If there's one book you take from this list, let it be this. A modern rendition of David Copperfield set in the Appalachian mountains, and what a masterfully written one at that. It filled up and crushed my heart in turns, but the ride is totally worth it for how endearing, inspiring, and authentic of a protagonist Demon Copperhead grows to be. I only cried buckets of tears of joy at the end.🥹❤️

3. Dating Dr. Dil by Nisha Sharma

Just the frivolous thing I needed after those few heavy reads, but maybe a tad too frivolous?! Is there even such a thing as too frivolous?? Admittedly, I haven't read Taming of the Shrew, but I couldn't resist when the series was described as “If Shakespeare was an Auntie.” 😆 Expect steamy NSFW scenes, a refreshingly unapologetic South Asian crew, and relatable LOL moments if you're South Asian too!

4. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett

A big half-way slow down had me questioning my book choice, but I knew to place my trust in Ann Patchett and boy, did the ending pay off! A medical breakthrough in the Amazon jungles and a suspenseful death merge to form a plotline that the former scientist in me and the current mystery lover in me both enjoyed very much. Her writing, as always, brings the words on the pages to life in my imagination, and I'm always glad and grateful to escape reality for a bit!

5. Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Total fluff read, which suited me just fine for the high-stress weeks I’d been having while reading this book. It was so interesting, reading an older book of an author, whose more recent, career-defining books I’ve loved. Her heroines are so much stronger and her talent for storytelling is so much better in Daisy Jones, Evelyn Hugo and Carrie Soto. Side note- If you haven’t read Daisy Jones yet, do it, and then watch the show too!

6. Meant to Be by Emily Giffin

Loosely based on the Kennedy family, and on the meatier side of the typical romance novel, this one's perfect for a vacation read! The first half of the book felt so good (very Idea of You, which btw, is a must read) and and then, it kind of cooled off to the point where I had to temper my expectations towards the end. Overall, I liked it and would recommend!


7. Happy Place by Emily Henry

Having read all of the books she's written so far, I guess I'm not only fully accustomed to the cheesiness in them, I actually support them being so.🫠 Also helps that I’m a sucker for witty banter in a destination romantic comedy- it's the perfect recipe for all of the warm, fuzzy feelings! Final verdict- I liked the book, don't come at me.🙈

8. The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell

I mention Hamnet by O'Farrell later again in this blog post, and that's how much I loved it.🫶🏽 With this book, it's becoming clear that Maggie O'Farrell can do no wrong! I ADORED Lucrezia’s POV and the prose throughout is nearly poetic. Fellow historical fiction lovers- you must read both of these books. I think often of them, and how transportive the reading of them has been. If words can build worlds in our minds, these books are evidence of it.🙏🏽

9. Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult & Jennifer Finney Boylan

As an education on the trans experience, I appreciated this book so much. Also, all of the descriptions about beekeeping were really cool! Where it struck short for me was the suspense within the plot, and the pace which which the resolution of said suspense happened. I love a good courtroom drama though, so that part of the story carried me through to the end.

10. Maame by Jessica George

This was a tough read in some parts, but that isn’t that honest writing most of the time? A poignant portrait of the Ghanaian-British experience, the growing-up experience, and the female experience. For me personally, the perspective on caregiving was one that stood out. Trigger warnings to be looked up before reading!

11. All my Rage by Sabaa Taahir

Another heavy read, another very well written heavy read. Pakistani-American YA romance, but as the title would indicate, it isn't as simple as it sounds. Intergenerational traumas and the immigrant experience act as the background to the coming of age of the central characters, and I found myself rooting for their independence from their angst and pain. Trigger warning: domestic abuse.

12. I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Maakkai

Trudged along with this one, and yet, the dark academia meets psych thriller vibe kept me hooked until the end. Be prepared that it's a slow burn, with some tedious detail to the characters and plot. Makkai’s last book I read, The Great Believers, was one of my favorite books that year, so the pace and storytelling being so different here felt like an adjustment.

13. The Maid by Nita Prose

Did I jump straight from chapter 10 to chapter 25 so my type A personality could not DNF? Yes, yes I did. This book too felt tedious to read, and I was confused as I thought it was well recommended by bookstagram?! Know that it got made into a movie or show, so it might have better luck in that format. If you, like me, bought into the hype and put it on your TBR list, take it off! Trust.

14. Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen

Cute, easy read with some nice plot twists along the way. I read the book over Halloween, and I will say, magical realism is a great fit for the mood in October!💫 It is winter still, so if you're picking an easy read soon, you can add it to the list. A cast of eccentric characters in a mystical, magical apartment building flock together despite their secrets and losses- like I said, cute!


15. Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano

When I first looked it up, I read that the author wrote it as an ode to Little Women – say less! Strong female characters, layered relationships, and story arcs that only the long arching timescales of historical fiction can allow. Some of my favorite books in the recent past have been within this genre (Great Circle, The Vanishing Half and Hamnet come to mind), so it makes sense that I loved this book as well!

16. Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

The second Ann Patchett in this list alone, so you know I had been eagerly awaiting her newest! This book took me a while to warm up to, probably because I'm not familiar with Our Town? Felt un-Patchett like at first, but then grew to familiar levels of depth and sensitivity, such that by the end, I really loved! It raised a nostalgic feeling to the pandemic years that I was beyond grateful to feel.

17. None of This is True by Lisa Jewell

Twisty, dark thriller, albeit a bit too twisty for my personal taste. I got the creeps by the time I was done! If psychopathic characters don't disturb you, you might find this a good winter read to tuck into. Or maybe read it in more sunshiny weather, so there's an escape for your mood if it’s needed!🫠

18. Tastes Like War by Grace M. Cho

Mostly a memoir, and and partly a study into Korean war brides, schizophrenia in women and the overall Asian immigrant experience. As an immigrant myself who’s personally familiar with the debilitating condition, it was simultaneously relatable and tough to read. Of note, since publication, the author’s account has been disputed by family members.

19. Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

A few different mindless romcoms on this list, there’s another to add to it. The witty banter got me again! I shook my head frequently though because of the apparent lack of communication between the lead protagonists- like, two people who supposedly are meant for each other should talk to each other better?!🙆🏽‍♀️ Other than that, it's fun and refreshingly not white-centric and fair warning- quite steamy too.😅

These are my top 5 favorites from the 27 books I read in 2023:

Wishing you a great year of books in 2024, and as always, thank you for reading!
XO Sushmitha :)