Best Books of 2023 (So Far)

City of Thieves by David Benioff

Wow, this was an excellent novel. The story follows two young Russians during WWII who are set on the task of finding a dozen eggs. While this might seem like a simple task, it is a life threatening mission during this time in Russia.

I feel in love with the characters, appreciated learning about a period of history and a place I don’t often think about, and the writing was superb. I was completely captured by this story and highly recommend for the equal parts tragedy and humor.

Tin Man by Sarah Winman

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel about a friendship between two young, artistic boys that nearly becomes something more. One of the things I love about reading is how it challenges you to put yourself in the shoes of other people and appreciate experiences that are so different than your own…and yet appreciate how similar we all are. That’s exactly what this book forced me to do.

It’s a short read that you can get through quickly, but that does not diminish how memorable and enjoyable it is. Pick this up if you want to enjoy a tender and heartbreaking read.

Artemisia by Alexandra Lapierre

I loved this book! It combines my interest in history and art, and was the perfect read ahead of a trip coming up to Florence and Rome. This historical novel tells the story of Artemisia, a female painter in Italy, and her father, a renowned artist, as they go through challenges to their dynamic and propriety.

I learned about how Italians viewed crime in the 1600s, how a woman made her way in a completely male field, and how artists were not valued only for their work but also for their ability to cross class and national divides.

The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell

This is the second Maggie O’Farrell book I’ve read (“Hamnet” was the other) and it was just as fantastic. “The Marriage Portrait” is set in Italy in the 1500s and tells the story of a young woman, the daughter of Cosimo de’Medici, who is married off at 15 and is dead by 16. It was suspenseful and entertaining and heartbreaking.

I was especially interested to read this book because of an upcoming trip to Florence, and it also was a good companion book to “Artemisia” by Alexandra Lapierre that I recently read.

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

This was the first book selection for a new book club I joined, so I read it with the intention of discussion and highlighted so many parts. I really enjoyed this book because I found it funny and thought provoking, and it dealt with topics that are relevant in my own life; specifically rowing and a woman pursuing a career and being a breadwinner.

I will say the author tried to fit so many themes into the novel, from religion, to gender roles, to child/parent relationships, to abuse, to wealth, to women/women relationships, it was a lot. It made it difficult to do any topic justice, but I still liked the story and really loved the narration of parts from the dog (any time a child or animal is narrating I find it exponentially more amusing).

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

Wow – this was an intense and thought provoking read. My friend Sheetal got it for me because she knows I love multigenerational family historical fiction. This book follows a family from Ghana and how different the experience is of each branch of the family depending on their circumstances (with a big focus on slavery).

I felt the novel provided a balanced perspective and it explored the dynamics of countrymen who sell one another into captivity. There is so much complexity around how any one person’s life can turn out, and one of the reasons I love to read is to expand my world view. This novel definitely achieved that.

The Far Field by Madhuri Vijay

This stories follows a young woman who is forced by emotion and circumstance to explore the North of India and it may as well be a completely different country from where she comes from in Bangalore. After her mother’s death, Shalini decides to travel to Kashmir to seek out an old friend of her mother’s and finds herself getting caught up in the lives and politics and fight for a better life of the people she encounters.

I thought the writing was compelling, the plot continued to become more layered with each passing chapter, and I looked forward to picking the book up each time. This is a good read if you’re interested in the dynamics of a large country like India and the various experiences that can make up the lives of countrymen.