Emma's Books of the Year 2023

It’s hard to believe I am sitting down once again to write a books of the year post. It feels like only yesterday that I did my post for 2022 but yet 2023 is drawing to a close and it certainly was another very quick year. I reached my goal for my Goodreads Reading Challenge and read over 100 books although I would have loved to have read more. The last month of the year was extremely busy and I couldn’t seem to concentrate for long periods of time. None the less I have read some brilliant books this year and I have picked ten of my favourites to share with you. Thanks again to Sharon for hosting my reviews on the blog and for her friendship and all the chats throughout the year. So without further ado and in no particular order here are my books of the year for 2023.

Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent was published in March of this year but I had an early copy and couldn’t resist sneaking it in at the tail end of 2022. I’m sure this book will be on my readers books of the year because it was simple phenomenal ad Liz is certainly at the top of her game. With the killer opening line that she is famous for this book sucks you in from the very first word and it is impossible to leave out of your hands. It’s dark and twisted and just what we have all come to expect and love from this author and Sally Diamond has most definitely been a talking point this year earning widespread acclaim and critical success. 

Sally becomes the centre of attention for an act that is abhorrent to many but beneath it all there is a painful past to share as she steps out into the world for the first time making new friends. She is not a conventional character by any means and the further the story develops the more your mind is blown.I can’t really say much about it except to say that is a disturbing read packed full of fear, trauma, manipulation, damage and mistreatment with a central character who will affect you in so many ways. Its an outstanding read which if you haven’t already discovered make sure you get a copy as soon as possible. You can read my full review here. 

I’ve been a fan of Emma Davies since I first read her novella Merry Mistletoe many years ago. She took a break from her usual women’s fiction to write in the cosy murder mystery genre but this year made a welcome return with the first in the Clearwater series - Secrets of Clearwater Castle. This is a feel-good romantic tale with lots of trials and tribulations along the way and I adored every minute of it. It follows Lowri who is widowed with a young daughter as she has inherited some land that her husband had kept secret from her. The setting is just gorgeous and the plot wonderfully written with a wide variety of characters that capture a piece of your heart. It’s a real page turner of a book which reminded me just how much I love reading. It was an absolute pleasure to accompany Lowri on her journey as she tries to heal but she also has to try and save Clearwater. My full review can be found here. I hope it won’t be too long until book two in the series is published as this is one that has stayed on long in my mind since I finished reading it.

I’ve been a fan of Kate Morton since she published her debut book The House at Riverton back in 2006. There has been a five year wait for her latest book Homecoming and given her previous book had slightly mixed reviews I hoped that this would live up to expectation. This wasn’t a book that I reviewed on the blog. Rather it was a case of buying one of my favourite authors books and reading it for pure pleasure without the added need to review. I bought this in hardback because I had to have it as soon as it was published and to say it was a weighty tome would be an understatement at 656 pages but trust me you will want to read on and on. I was gutted to reach the end having become completely swept up in the magnificent story that unfolded. 

Described as a sweeping intergenerational epic. It lived up to this description and every expectation that I had for it. It’s set in Australia and across decades. It centres around a true crime book discovered by Jess who is a journalist in London and in need of a story. Just like Jess the reader becomes consumed by the tale and yes there is a very slow start but my god does it pay off. There are also several parts where you think whilst reading oh god this has absolutely nothing to do with the story and why is it there but trust me it’s only as you reach the end you appreciate how epic this book is and brilliantly plotted it was. It’s certainly one I will go back and reread in the future and my only hope is that Kate Morton will not leave it as long to publish her next book.

How could I not have the final book from Lucinda Riley in my top books of the year list and let’s be honest even if it wasn’t any good it would have been a firm favourite. It’s not one I have reviewed on the blog as again its very long at 768 pages and I just wanted to enjoy and savour every moment of it. I could have read double the amount as it was that good. Thankfully Lucina’s son Harry Whittaker wrote the book with notes and guidelines left by his mother and he did an absolutely stunning job and you just know that Lucinda is smiling down on him from above. Even though I still can’t believe that she is gone and that this is the last of her work that I will read. Atlas the Story of Pa Salt is everything and more her millions of loyal readers around the world have wanted as the Seven Sisters reached its epic conclusion.

The plot was shrouded in secrecy and there was a lot of hype surrounding it’s publication but it was all worth it and just confirmed for me what an amazing storyteller Lucinda was. The story of Pa Salt is finally revealed and we are taken across several continents and back and forth in time as all the answers to the hundreds of questions we had are finally answered with no stone left unturned. This was a stunning and unforgettable read with endless twists and turns and the term saga certainly lived up to it’s name. I feel I need to leave the dust to settle with this series and in years to come I will go back and reread each book one after another and spot all the clues I missed out on the first time. What a spectacular read from an author who was taken from us way too soon and who had so much still left to give.

When I first signed up to the blog tour for The Storyteller of Auschwitz by Siobhan Curham I really didn’t think I would be featuring it as one of my books of the year. I read so much historical fiction each year that it has to be truly something special and riveting for a story to be memorable come the end of the year. Well this was a stunning read packed full of emotion and the author certainly outdid herself. It is a very powerful  story which highlights the importance of  words, imagery and storytelling. Every character, every word they speak and every action they take were all essential in having the plot move forward and as you journey with the characters you can’t help but forming a relationship of sorts with them. I know this is only fiction but that’s how the incredible writing from the author made me feel. Etty is an author who has enormous success with her children’s books but being Jewish she is captured and imprisoned in Auschwitz. What follows is an incredible story where you are granted an opportunity into the window of Etty’s soul and how she inspires others to try and survive the horrors of the camp. The Storyteller of Auschwitz was a highly impressive read and you can read my full review here. 

Cate Woods was a new author me this year and The Accidental Inheritance was a delightful read that left me wanting to read much more from the characters and the setting of Dithercott. This was an absolute delight from start to finish. It had a strong storyline throughout that had this reader rooting for a positive outcome for Cassidy and her young daughter Nora, following a spur of the moment life changing decision. The characters, the setting and the plot were all so perfect and cliched as it may sound this really was a warm hug of a book that would brighten anyone’s day. The cover alone would be enough to do that. Cassidy arrives to start her own restaurant, but the details of the inn as advertised for sale on line are certainly not the reality not to mention the question of an inheritance that rears its ugly head. The author kept the reader guessing throughout and I found this to be a charming read that gave me a lot more than I had bargained for. It could have been cliched and formulaic of the genre but it was the total opposite and I loved every minute of it.This is a fabulous little book that will provide several hours of reading pleasure. I’m looking more to reading more in this vein from Cate Woods in the future. My full review can be found here.

Again this is another book that I didn’t review on the blog and in fact I didn’t read it a such as I listened to it on audiobook from the brilliant resource that is Borrowbox. My sister lives an hour and a half away from me and I find listening to an audiobook in the car is a brilliant way of passing the time and in this manner I have discovered lots of new authors that I hadn’t come across before. I don’t usually read in the thriller genre but for some reason give me a thriller to listen to in the car and I am all for it. There has been a lot of hype surrounding Lisa Jewell books over the last several years and each book she publishes seems to do better than the last. There is always a wait list to listen to one of her books from Borrowbox but thankfully they somehow manage to get books to you way before the expected reservation date. Crazy dates like 2030 often appear yet you could be listening to the books in a few days. What a superb free resource we have at our fingertips. 

Anyway, I have listened to several Lisa Jewell books one after the other and some better than others it has to be said. One in particular a follow up to a book had me thinking just what was the point? But None of This is True published this year was brilliant. So dark and twisted and centred around podcasts which just seem to grow in popularity and go from strength to strength each year. Lisa Jewell has you believing one thing and then bang something happens and off you go again on a different tangent and I loved that in this case. Celebrating her 45th birthday at her local pub, popular podcaster Alix Summers crosses paths with an unassuming woman called Josie Fair and little does she realise that Josie has a terrifying and menacing tale to tell and it will have you hooked from beginning to end. It was that good I even did ironing in order to keep listening to it and that’s saying something considering how much I hate that task!

The Midnight House by Amanda Geard was book I received in the post and left it on the long finger to read and when I got round to reading it I was kicking myself that I hadn’t started it straight away. This was Amanda’s debut novel and showcased what a talented author she is. This has a multi timeline running throughout and I became completely swept away by the beguiling and riveting mystery that unfolded. There are mind blowing twists as the plot moves between the past and present as Ellie becomes consumed by the mystery of Lady Charlotte’s disappearance many years ago. The Midnight House was a fantastic read from start to finish with brilliantly drawn characters hiding a multitude of secrets. The slowly unravelling mystery that it contains had me on the edge of my seat right up until the satisfying ending although it was heart breaking and I had secretly hoped for a certain ending. It’s a real just one more chapter kind of book and before you know it much time has passed and you have read 100 pages or more. You know you should go to turn out the light and leave it for the next day but I just couldn’t bear to leave it out of my hands as I was so caught up in the enigma that surrounded Blackwater Hall and its residents. This year Amanda published The Moon Gate and I have it waiting to be read and seeing as it is the Christmas holidays perhaps it is the ideal time for me to curl up with it. If’s anything like the calibre of her debut I am in for a real treat. My full review can be read here.

Winter’s Wishfall by Ceri Houlbrook was a book that first grabbed my attention on NetGalley by pure chance and to be honest it was the cover that made me want to read it. But oh my what a gem of a book it turned out to be. Yes, there was mythical, magical realism element to it that I would usually scoff at and roll my eyes up to heaven but it worked brilliantly here. This is a Christmas story with such heart that will bring a smile to your face and the sentiment and meaning behind it is just fabulous. I would love for it to be made into a movie as I think it would be a gorgeous festive film. After losing her job, boyfriend and flat just a few weeks before Christmas, Ellie Lancaster makes some resolutions:

1. Exact revenge on ex. 2. Be unboring. 3. Find a job. 

After completing tasks one and two she starts upon number three which whisks her away to a very special island with very unique residents who carry out a very important job. It’s all top secret but I will say that it is centred around Christmas and that it is just glorious from beginning to end. This is a very special and unique book infused with such magic, warmth and human understanding. I was gutted to finish it and could have happily read on for several hours more but the ending was deeply satisfying and rewarding. Everything demonstrated that Ceri Houlbrook is a talented author with a strong and vivid sense of imagination and I adored the historical and myths, legends and traditions that were scattered throughout. Ceri, is definitely an author to watch. You can read my full review here. 

When I was looking back on Goodreads at the books that I had read in 2023 I had actually forgotten that I had read The Only Child by Kayte Nunn as I had read it so early in the year. Again this wouldn’t be my usual genre of choice and this was vastly different from The Botanist’s Daughter which I had read back in 2019. But something ignited in my memory which reminded how much I enjoyed this book when reading. Enough for me to include it on this list. Despite the historical elements throughout the book I did feel the blurb made it slightly misleading not in terms of the content for that was accurate but more so that I would market this as more of a crime/ thriller. For a murder is at the heart of the story which in turn opens up a whole plethora of secrets that someone didn’t want coming to the fore whilst at the same time perhaps revenge and seeking retribution or misdemeanours and suffering are at the heart and mind of someone’s motivations and actions.

Frankie has several weeks before she begins her new job as police deputy on a small island where her mother lives. Little does Frankie realise that upon visiting her grandmother at the local nursing home that her summer plans may not be that peaceful after all. An elderly nun is found dead in her room which in turn opens up a whole can of worms and an investigation into the past is launched and a part of history that many would rather forget is brought to light. This was a very good read which reminded how much I had previously enjoyed Kayte Nunn’s writing and that I should definitely look out for more of her books in the future. ou can read my full review here.