Hidden book highlights of 2023
It’s been an interesting year of reading. I have managed to read 31 books (although 2023 isn’t over yet, so there is still time to squeeze a few more in!) I have mainly kept up to date on sharing what I have read on here, however I realise there has been a few book highlights that I haven’t mentioned yet.
So read on for a few little gems that I enjoyed this year….
The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne
“Long before we discovered that he had fathered two children by two different women, one in Drimoleague and one in Clonakilty, Father James Monroe stood on the altar of the Church of Our Lady, Star of the Sea, in the parish of Goleen, West Cork, and denounced my mother as a whore.”
Cyril is born out of wedlock to a teenage mother, who is subsequently cast out from her family and rural community. In Dublin, Cyril is adopted by Maude and Charles Avery, an eccentric couple with limited interest in children.
My heart! Probably the best book I read this year. So emotional but also really funny. Definitely an “Instagram made me read it” type of book, but I’m pleased I did.
If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio is a novel that centres around a group of fourth-year theatre students at a prestigious university program in Illinois. All is well until their typical casting gets flipped on its head, forever changing the power dynamics of the group.
I’ve always been interested in the Dark Academia sub-genre, but this was the first time I decided to fully immerse myself in it. I found this novel a page-turner, cleverly written and unsettling. The works of Shakespeare was used throughout this novel- a few people might have found this pretentious, but I thought it was well-done. Loved the multi-layered characters. Similar to The Secret History, but better.
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins-Reid
Daisy Jones & the Six follows a rock band in the 1970s from their rise in the LA music scene to becoming one of the most famous bands in the world.
I loved loved loved The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, to the point that it was my favourite book of 2022. I enjoyed this, but now as much as Seven Husbands. The book is written in a documentary-style which I didn’t like much as I felt that it didn’t give the characters chance to develop. However I thought the book was a fun insight into the music industry.
What books did you enjoy in 2023? Please share in the comments!
