willoyd Posted December 31, 2023 Share Posted December 31, 2023 Well, we've reached the end of the year, and as is traditional this thread is an opportunity for you to highlight your favourite reads of the year. Listed below are just the 'standard' awards, copied almost exactly from those posted by Ravenous in previous years (which I 'shamelessly copied' last year, and do again this year!). Please feel free to add any others that you want (I have a few of my own), and equally feel free to ignore any that aren't relevant to you So - Members of the Forum - without further ado, please tell us: Yes, I did buy it for the cover, but I stayed for the reading! Your favourite book cover of 2023. They print the words I like to read! Your favourite publisher of 2023. They sell me the words I like to read! Your favourite book shop/retailer of 2023. It was like when I was little, and Mummy used to read to me! Your audiobook recommendation of 2023. I even found one of their shopping lists! Your most read author of 2023. Stop me if you've heard this one before! Your recommended re-read of 2023. I'd rather be on I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here! Your book that wasn't worth bothering with in 2023. I don't know where this year has gone! The book you most wanted to read in 2023, but didn't get too award. I'm sorry it wasn't a unicorn! Your biggest literary let-down of 2023. Think: Spot the Dog, BUT BETTER! Your favourite illustrated book of 2023. It's like living in Never-never Land! Your children's book recommendation of 2023. Most people pretend they have read this, but I actually did! Your recommended classic of 2023. Compact and bijou, Mostyn! Compact and bijou! Your favourite short story (or collection of short stories) of 2023. He made Mr Darcy look like Kermit the Frog! Your favourite literary character of 2023. Me talk pretty one day! Your poetry recommendation of 2023. I like things to be in boxes, nicely ordered boxes! Your favourite genre of 2023. I laughed so much, people moved away from me on the train! The funniest book you read in 203. After three years of COVID I have no life of my own anymore, so I just read about others! Your favourite biography/memoir of 2023. No, this really happened, yes it really did, I'm not making it up! Your non-fiction recommendation of 203.! Sounds like stuff someone made up! Your fiction book of the year, 2023. They've taken out a restraining order! Your author of the year, 2023. I'll read it again, I'll tell ya! Your overall book of the year, 2023. The small print (some repetition here!): Don't just make this a list, please explain your choices. Tell us what you really think about the books you have read. If there is a section you don't have a reply for, just skip it. Books don't have to have been published in 2023 to make it onto your list, you just have to have read them this year. Feel free to add your own categories, if you feel something has been missed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted December 31, 2023 Author Share Posted December 31, 2023 (edited) So, my awards are: Your favourite book cover of 2023: Tokyo Express by Seicho Matsumoto (see photo below) Cover based on a railway advertising poster. Penguin Modern Classics have produced a series of really interesting, attractive covers in recent years, and I could have nominated any number of these but this one definitely had an edge. Loved it! Your favourite publisher of 2023: Penguin Modern Classics A repeat award, as they were my winners in 2022 as well! Mostly as books for my Reading the World project, I've read a fair number of these this year. There are an increasing number of others publishing great books in translation, in attractive bindings, and I came close to nominating one of them, but these are the ones I've read and enjoyed most this year. Titles this year have included Tokyo Express, Potiki, Season of Migration to the North, The Year of the Hare, The Ice Palace, The Book of Chameleons, Who Among Us?, Chess Story. Your favourite book shop/retailer of 2023: Bookshop on the Square, Otley West Yorkshire Third year on the trot for my local indie bookshop. It's going to take a lot to displace them - maybe I should make the award for any other shop I've visited during the year! In which case, I'd probably go this year for The London Review of Books - one of my favourites in London which I was able to visit earlier this year. Your audiobook recommendation of 2023: none listened to this year Your most read author of 2023: Ann Morgan Another repeat award from last year: I've not read more than one book from any author this year, but I do keep referring to her website (one of the best online reading resources I know), her book on the subject, and her reviews of books in translation. Her new novel is on my shortlist to read this year. Your recommended re-read of 2023: none For the first time in years I've not reread a book this year. Your book that wasn't worth bothering with in 2023: Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff An easy choice this year, my only 1-star book. A book group read that was pretty universally panned. She's such a good writer too.... (I have both Matrix and Vaster Wilds to read on my shelves this year, so hopefully this is a one-off!). The book you most wanted to read in 2023, but didn't get to award: Ulysses by James Joyce I really thought I was going to get to this in 2023! It's my intended book for Ireland in my Reading the World tour, and as I didn't manage it last year, 2023 was going to be THE year. I'm hopeful that a couple of changes in circumstances will mean that I do finally get to it in 2024. Ther's a fistful of other biggies that have long been on the backburner too, so if I get any of them read this year I'll be chuffed! Your biggest literary let-down of 2023: jointly to Less by Andrew Sean Greer, and Demon Copperfield by Barbara Kingsolver Two Pulitzer Prize winners, and both books which completely underwhelmed me. The first was just poor and shallow to my mind - a series of silly episodes based on an unlikely premise. The second was more complex: I could see why people liked it, but for me it was just too derivative, and as a result one pretty much knew what was going to happen to characters before things happened. David Copperfield is one of my favourite reads, and this was just a shadow of it. Kingsolver is very much a marmite writer for me, and this was, of all her books that I've tried, my biggest let-down (whereas Poisonwood Bible was IMO superb). Your favourite illustrated book of 2023: none None read, other than history books with photos! Your children's book recommendation of 2023: none I'm not a great reader of children's books, and this was a year where I read none. Your recommended classic of 2023: La Curee (The Kill) by Emile Zola I'm reading Zola's Rougon-Macquart sequence in the order he recommended, and this was as good as any so far: I love the vividness of his writing and the depth of image he creates. His writing just brings that period to life. Your favourite short story (or collection of short stories) of 2023: The Garden Party and other stories by Katherine Mansfield Unusually, I read several collections this year, all excellent (I'm usually not a great short story reader), but this set showed why Mansfield is regarded as one of the great writers in the genre. I did rate Jonathan Escoffier's If I Survive You too, and in another year it might well have won this award. Your favourite literary character of 2023: Esme Nicoll in The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams. Unusually, my favourite character comes from my favourite novel of the year, but the character developmenbt was part of the reason why I so enjoyed Dictionary - I could have probably chosen a couple of others from the book as well. Your poetry recommendation of 2023: none Another award for which I read no books this year, again rather unusual. Your favourite genre of 2023: Historical fiction I could have just repeated last year's award, for African literature, and there were also 3 excellent Nordic novels I read this year, but I'm going for the broad category of historical fiction, which produced a string of cracking reads this year for me, including my top 2 novels, both added to my 'favourites' list. The funniest book you read in 2023: Standing Heavy by GauZ I generally don't find books funny, and this was certainly not a comedy! However, there were some wonderfully wry moments, with GauZ taking a very sceptical look at Western consumerism. Funny is probably the wrong word, but there was certainly some great humour there! Your favourite biography of 2023: Jeremy Hutchinson's Case Histories by Thomas Grant. I've not read many biographical books this year, but this isn't a 'default' winner, it is a genuinely great read, covering some of the most important legal cases of the 20th century. That sounds dry, but it's anything but. My only possible issue was that this did tend to the hagiographic, but one can understand why! Your non-fiction recommendation of 2023. Stolen Focus by Johann Hari. I've excluded books I've nominated for other non-fiction awards, not least because I've read a string of excellent non-fiction books this year, and want to spread the awards around a bit! This is probably the book I learned the most from (although it was pushed by Chris van Tulleken's Ultra-Processed People) - a fascinating, in-depth examination of the important issues surrounding the increasing problems of attention loss as a social problem. Actually, it partly led into the van Tulleken book. One I want to reread in 2024, there was so much to absorb. Your fiction book of the year, 2023: The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams Aside from the historical context, which already had me on side, I loved the character and plot development: these were people who I really cared about. I picked this up in my local bookshop on the spur of the moment, attracted by the theme(s) and knowing nothing else about it other than what I'd gleaned from a quick browse, and was wonderfully rewarded. It had to be good to beat my runner-up, the third volume in the excellent Chocolate House trilogy by David Fairer, Captain Hazard's Game. Both go on to my favourites list. Your author of the year, 2023. jointly James Baldwin and Annie Ernaux. Hmm, a tricky one as I've not read more than one book from any one author. But, whilst the books from these authors didn't (quite) make any of my other awards, they are perhaps the two authors I'm keenest to explore further. Your overall book of the year, 2023: October Sky by Hiram H Hickham Originally published as Rocket Boys, but renamed to tie in with the later film. A wonderfully engaging memoir of growing up and development beyond expectations in 1950s and 60s West Virginia, where coal is king, men are men, and small nerdy boys have a mountain to climb if they are going to make something of their lives. It has much to say about the world we live in today (good and bad), families, society and people in general. I was absolutely gripped from start to finish, and I'm not normally who is 'grabbled' by this type of book. My own categories, largely focused on non-fiction subjects I have a particular interest in: Favourite book in translation: Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih A close run thing with Standing Heavy, and closely followed by a fistful of other books, but this was exceptional - not surprised it has been voted the most important Arab novel of the 20th century. A powerful post-colonial novel, where aspects of colonialism are completely inverted. Slim and very readable too! Favourite historical/geographical book: The Restless Republic by Anna Keay Excellent book on the brief period of republicanism in English history - filling in an almighty hole in my knowledge. Centred on and told through the lives of a handful of key characters, this was a fascinating read. Favourite environment/nature book: The Flow by Amy-Jane Beer Probably would have been non-fiction award winner if I hadn't had this specific category (and wanted to include Stolen Focus somewhere!). Beautifully written contemplation of our relationship with water, and rivers particularly, in the aftermath of the death of a close friend whilst kayaking. The fact that so much of it was based in landscapes with which I'm familiar made it all the more involving and personal, but the fact that it won the Wainwright Nature Writing award earlier in the year shows that this isn't necessary to appreciate this deeply thoughtful book. Edited December 31, 2023 by willoyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vilandra Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 Your favourite book cover of 2023: Christmas by the Book by Anne Marie Ryan. It just feels like Christmas and like a comfy, sit down by the fire, book to read. Your favourite book shop/retailer of 2023: My local - Completely Booked (but I mostly do the library lol). I don’t have a lot of options where I live, but the people are nice. Your audiobook recommendation of 2023: The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner read by Richard Armitage. This was a “relisten” but I actually found this book by listening to the audiobook first. Richard Armitage is a great narrator in everything I’ve heard from him ad his especially - he does all the voices really well and it draws you into the story. Your most read author of 2023: It’s a tie between James Herriot and Leigh Bardugo. I never read the James Herriot books when I was younger because I find animal books too sad, but these are not too bad and I actually found some of them in my house and made my way through them last year. Also found the Grishaverse books late and started reading them - a good light escape series. Your recommended re-read of 2023: The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy. This is one of my favorite books and I think you read it differently at different times of your life. Your book that wasn't worth bothering with in 2023: Longbourn by Jo Baker. I don’t mind when authors want to reimagine Austen books, but this one seemed to hate all the characters in the original despite claiming to be a life long fan. The book you most wanted to read in 2023, but didn't get too award: Nemesis Games by James SA Corey. I think I put it off because even though they are really good books, they require a lot of time and emotional investment lol. Your biggest literary let-down of 2023: Babel by RF Kuang. There was so much hype…and yet so many problems. Your children's book recommendation of 2023: The Sweet Smell of Christmas by JP Miller. My favorite childhood Christmas book that I decided to read again at Christmas this year. Your recommended classic of 2023: The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte. It started a little slowly, but it really did pull me in and I wanted to know what would happen next. Your favourite short story (or collection of short stories) of 2023: A Christmas Pageant by Donna Tartt. It’s not what I expected! Your favourite literary character of 2023: Calla from Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong. She’s complex, with an interesting journey. So many female characters, even the ones purported to be “strong”, are whiney and annoying, so it was refreshing to have a character the author clearly put time into constructing. Your poetry recommendation of 2023: The only poetry I read in 2023 was in The Complete Works of Edgar Allen Poe. The Raven is a classic for a reason. Your favourite genre of 2023: I’m not doing a count, but I think something along the lines of gothic mystery? I read a lot of different stuff, so it’s hard to pick out an overall genre. I like books where there’s a supernatural element (real or not) to be figured out. The funniest book you read in 2023: I don’t read comedy books, but The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams made me laugh out loud. Your favourite biography/memoir of 2023: All Things Wise and Wonderful by James Herriot. There’s something really calming about reading the stories of his life. It just makes you smile. Your non-fiction recommendation of 2023: How to Ruin a Queen by Jonathan Beckman. This is about the diamond necklace affair. It was a very accessible and interesting read. Your fiction book of the year, 2023: Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong. This book really impressed me. It lacked the pretentiousness you see so much now. It just weaved a good story with well crafted characters. I wanted more. Your author of the year, 2023: Maggie O’Farrell. She really paints a picture with words and made me not want to put the book down. Your overall book of the year, 2023: I think I’m going to say The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner since this is including audiobooks. If I could only recommend one this is the one I would. It’s not based on a true story - it’s fiction - but the characters are so wonderful and you really care about the outcome of the story even though it’s fiction. I could read it and then start over and read it again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madeleine Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 Your favourite book cover of 2023. - House of Fortune by Jessie Burton, though I haven't read it yet, but I loved The Miniaturist. Your favourite publisher of 2023. N/A Your favourite book shop/retailer of 2023 - Waterstone's, not many bookshops where I live apart from the High Street chains Your audiobook recommendation of 2023 - don't do audiobooks Your most read author of 2023 - probably Elly Griffiths Your recommended re-read of 2023 - Loch of the Dead by Oscar de Muriel Your book that wasn't worth bothering with in 2023 - Heidi Swain, The Book Lover's Retreat - typical chick lit.... The book you most wanted to read in 2023, but didn't get too award - too many to mention Your biggest literary let-down of 2023 N/A Your favourite illustrated book of 2023 N/A Your children's book recommendation of 2023 N/A Your recommended classic of 2023 N/A Your favourite short story (or collection of short stories) of 2023 N/A Your favourite literary character of 2023 - it has to be Adolphus McGray from the Frey and McGray series Your poetry recommendation of 2023 don't do poetry,sorry Your favourite genre of 2023 - Victorian gothic The funniest book you read in 2023 -N/A Your favourite biography/memoir of 2023 N/A Your non-fiction recommendation of 2023 - N/A Your fiction book of the year, 2023 - Loch of the Dead by Oscar de Muriel, 4th in the Frey and McGray series which was recommended on this forum, thank you for introducing me to this great series Your author of the year, 2023 -0scar de Muriel, I hope he does another series now that he's finished with Frey and McGray. Your overall book of the year, 2023 -Loch of the Dead etc, as above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lau_Lou Posted April 1 Share Posted April 1 (edited) 1. The Women In Black. I liked the story albeit not as much as I thought I would. The cover is very atmospheric and actually seems to show so much on the cover itself. Simple yet effective. 2. N/A I don't pay attention to publishers to be honest 3. Does the library count? I didn't buy many books last year but did use my local library a few times 4. N/A 5. Fiona Watt with 9 books. It is easy with them been children's picture books but hey I love them 6. N/A 7. An Abundance Of Katherines by John Green. I don't regret any books I read and this is no different. I found it mostly dull and the characters, especially the protagonist to be highly annoying. The plot twist was also very underwhelming. 8. Too many to name here. 9. N/A 10. N/A 11. Annie by Thomas Meehan. Was a fun book. 12. 1984 by George Orwell. 13. Don't Look Now and other stories by Daphne Du Maurier 14. Hetty Feather from the Hetty Feather series by Jacqueline Wilson. I also loved the characters from Rock, Paper, Scissors by Alice Feeny or the fact that none of them were reliable. 15. N/A 16. History / historical fiction 17. Here Come The Girls by Milly Johnson. There was also a chapter in Shadows Of The Workhouse by Jenny Worth that made me laugh out loud a lot. Which was light relief after a rather harrowing chapter in the same memoir 18. Call The Midwife & Shadows Of The Workhouse by Jenny Worth 19. N/A 20. N/A 21. I cannot answer this. I have read many truly wonderful (in my opinion) novels jn 2023. Edited April 1 by Lau_Lou Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.