2023 was a good year for reading! For some reason it was an entry into the Horror genre for me. I didn’t realize that horror books are very different than horror movies- they are usually less gory, but can be a lot scarier! If you want to give one a try, look at My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones (which comes before Don’t Fear the Reaper which was excellent), or if you really want to be creeped out, read A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay.
After a couple of years of feeling distracted and disengaged from reading, this year delivered a bounty of titles that monopolized my imagination and stretched some brain cells in the process. I’m sad to only get to share 10 (so I added a few more – don’t tell). Also, if you notice an Irish theme, it’s been that kind of year.
Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor: This is the first of a trilogy about history and power and greed in India. It’s an amazingly thrilling ride.
Goodbye Eastern Europe: An Intimate History of a Divided Land by Jacob Mikanowski: I loved the way it was written through themes, like myth and religion, peoples and cultures, and politics.
Old God’s Time by Sebastian Barry: A devastating portrait of the effect of trauma through generations set in Ireland. Crazy beautiful writing.
Lucky Red by Claudia Cravens: An old-fashioned western that’s not so old-fashioned. A scrappy young girl finds work in a brothel and finds friendship and romance in the process. The Wild West through a new lens.
Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck: Erpenbeck’s a contemporary German author – this novel is set in East Germany right before the fall of the Berlin Wall and centers on the relationship between a young woman and an older man – the disintegration of their relationship mirrors the ruin of East Germany. So good.
Foster by Claire Keegan: a moving novella that captures a young girl’s summer spent as a foster at her aunt and uncle’s. Coming from a poor Irish family with siblings galore, it was a special time where she was doted on and made to feel special.
The Bee Sting by Paul Murray: This was my favorite of all I think. Another Irish author, Murray dissects the fall of a family through the voices of all the members – we get to know their histories, motivations, and desires. Each voice is unique and the writing is incredible. It’s long, but it’s worth it.
The Fraud by Zadie Smith: Smith’s first work of historical fiction tells the story of a trial in 19th Century Britain. Told through the eyes of a housekeeper and cousin of a famous writer, we also travel to the sugar plantations of Jamaica and learn about the lives of the people living as slaves there. It’s worth it for that alone.
North Woods by Daniel Mason: This one is about a house in New England, as told by various residents over the years. There’s an apple farm, a catamount, a seer, and an artist, among others.
The Maniac by Benjamin Labatut: A novel about the life of a Hungarian scientist, a genius who worked on the atomic bomb and computers, and whose insight led to AI. Told from the perspectives of his friends, wives, and co-workers, it’s a frightening look at the responsibilities of science.
Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang: I listened to this audiobook and it was weird, and sensual, and made me slightly more hopeful for life after climate crises.
The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue: Yes, another Irish title, this one a little less literary, but no less moving. It really captured early 20s friendship and it made me laugh out loud!
Bonus with no image: Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Suntanto: I listened to this one – and it was funny and clever, and I enjoyed it thoroughly.
As we approach the conclusion of 2023, it’s not just the turning of a calendar page—it’s a moment of reflection. Today, I invite you to step into my literary sanctuary as I unveil a curated selection of my favorite books from this year.
Shielding herself from the world behind the safety of her camera lens, photographer Ayah Fleming is pulled into the past when she returns home and uncovers the truth about her descendants with the help of a man who makes her long for a brighter future.
Sent into an arranged marriage, Tan Yunxian, forbidden to continue her work as a midwife-in-training as well as see her forever friend Meiling, is ordered to act like proper wife and seeks a way to continue treating women and girls from every level of society in 15th-century China.
From the best-selling and critically acclaimed author of The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace comes a look at the school-to-prison pipeline and life in the juvenile “justice” system.
Drawing on 30 years of experience, a renowned cat behavior scientist references historical records and examines modern scientific studies of cat-human communication to reveal previously unexplored secrets of how cats all over the world have learned to talk to us.
In 1974, Paris perfumer Radha, on the cusp of a breakthrough, travels to India where she enlists the help of her sister and the courtesans of Agra, who use the power of fragrance to seduce, while finally confronting a past secret, which threatens her already vulnerable marriage.
Based on a true story and a five-million-word secret journal, this extraordinary work of fiction follows an orphaned heiress, banished from India to England, and a brilliant, troublesome tomboy who meet at the Manor School for young ladies in 1805 York where they fall secretly, deeply and dangerous in love.
Accused of murder, an enslaved woman goes on the run with an abolitionist schoolteacher in the fall of 1863, dodging constables and slave catchers, in the new novel by the New York Times best-selling author of If I Disappear.
In the years before the Civil War, Annis, sold south by the white enslaver who fathered her, struggles through the miles-long march, seeks comfort from memories of her mother and stories of her African warrior grandmother, opening herself to a world beyond this world.
In 1921 Penang, when Willie, a famed writer and old friend of her husband’s, arrives for an extended stay, Lesley, as her friendship with Willie grows, makes a dangerous decision to confide in him about life in the Straits, including her relationship with a charismatic Chinese revolutionary a confession that has devastating consequences.
As WWII ends, Elise returns to Paris to reunite with her daughter only to find her friend Juliette, the woman she entrusted her daughter with, has seemingly vanished without a trace, which leads Elise on a desperate search to New York and to Juliette one final, fateful time.
This year I’m really leaning into the popular saying, “So many books, so little time!” My list of possibilities for a Top Ten is longer than usual thanks to my participation on American Library Association’s The Reading List committee. The Reading List is focused on finding great reads in the genres of Adrenaline, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Relationship Fiction, Romance, and Science Fiction -some of these categories aren’t ones I naturally gravitate toward but I’ve enjoyed the entire experience! (Plus -now I have bonus books for this list!)
As always, the books are in alphabetical order in each genre. I’m attempting a three emoji description -🤞 I can make it work. The link will take you to our digital collection but there are print books as well, just give us a call!
2023 is officially winding down, which means the “Best of” and “Top Picks” lists are in full swing. Stay tuned for our own Top 10 Reads of 2023, which will be coming to the blog next week.
In the meantime, here are some readalikes for the most-requested books of 2023. What is a readalike? A readalike is a suggested book that has a similar style, plot, or genre to a book that you enjoyed reading. We love to suggest books for you, so stop by the Reference Desk anytime to get a recommendation. If you were one of the folks checking out these top titles this year and want a similar book, keep reading for suggestions!
In the early 1960s, chemist and single mother Elizabeth Zott, the reluctant star of America’s most beloved cooking show due to her revolutionary skills in the kitchen, uses this opportunity to dare women to change the status quo.
The tale of two sisters who, surrounded by a cast of unforgettable characters, assert their independence and courageously carve a path of their own in 1940s Rio de Janeiro.
In the spring of 2020, Lara’s three daughters return to the family’s orchard in Northern Michigan. While picking cherries, they beg their mother to tell them the story of Peter Duke, a famous actor with whom she shared both a stage and a romance years before at a theater company called Tom Lake.
A group of siblings and their spouses gather for Christmas in upstate New York to try decide through rising tensions and old hurts what to do with the house their recently deceased mother has left them.
A twisting new psychological thriller in which two women–one a former detective, the other a dangerous con artist–go head-to-head in an electrifying game of cat and mouse.
While D. D. Warren investigates a pregnant woman’s suspicious role in the murders of her father and husband, Flora draws on her own haunted past to identify an unsettling link to one of the victims.
When an aging and reclusive Hollywood icon selects an unknown magazine reporter to write her life story, the baffled journalist forges deep ties with the actress during a complicated interview process that exposes their tragic common history.
Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.
An unwilling dark sorceress destined to rewrite the rules of magic clashes with a popular combat sorcerer while resolving to spare the lives of innocents.
November is Native American Heritage Month, a month dedicated to “paying tribute to the rich ancestry and traditions of Native Americans.” The literary side of that ancestry includes authors such as Louise Erdrich, Joy Harjo, and Tommy Orange, and we have definitely seen an influx of published Native American and Indigenous stories in the last few years.
Here are six own voice fiction releases from this year that are perfect to celebrate Native storytellers and authors. It was difficult to narrow down a list of titles, so check out the collections on Libby and Hoopla for more suggestions!
Many Indigenous people believe that one should never whistle at night. This belief takes many forms- for instance, Native Hawaiians believe it summons the Hukai’po, the spirits of ancient warriors, and Native Mexicans say it calls Lechuza, a witch that can transform into an owl. But what all these legends hold in common is the certainty that whistling at night can cause evil spirits to appear-and even follow you home.
Four years after her tumultuous senior year, Jade Daniels is released from prison right before Christmas when her conviction is overturned. But life beyond bars takes a dangerous turn as soon as she returns to Proofrock. Convicted Serial Killer, Dark Mill South, seeking revenge for thirty-eight Dakota men hanged in 1862, escapes from his prison transfer due to a blizzard, just outside of Proofrock, Idaho.
Raised among the Lemhi Shoshone, in this telling the young Sacajewea is bright and bold, growing strong from the hard work of “learning all ways to survive”: gathering berries, water, roots, and wood; butchering buffalo, antelope, and deer; catching salmon and snaring rabbits; weaving baskets and listening to the stories of her elders. When her village is raided and her beloved Appe and Bia are killed, Sacajewea is kidnapped and then gambled away to Charbonneau, a French Canadian trapper.
From the mid-century metropolis of Chicago to the windswept ancestral lands of the Dakota people, to the bleak and brutal Indian boarding schools, A Council of Dolls is the story of three women, told in part through the stories of the dolls they carried….Sissy, born 1961, Lillian, born 1925, and Cora, born 1888.
When the river swallowed Kai, Damien’s little brother didn’t die so much as vanish. As the unbearable loss settles deeper into his bones, Damien, a small-town line cook, walks away from everything he has ever known. Driving as far south as his old truck and his legs allow, he lands in a fishing village beyond the reach of his past where he hopes he can finally forget.
Kit Crockett lives on a farm with her grief-stricken, widowed father, tending the garden, fishing in a local stream, and reading Nancy Drew mysteries from the library bookmobile. One day, Kit discovers a mysterious and beautiful woman has moved in just down the road.
Kit and the newcomer, Bella, become friends, and the lonely Kit draws comfort from her. But when a malicious neighbor finds out, Kit suddenly finds herself at the center of a tragic, fatal crime and becomes a ward of the court.
Cassandra Dankworth’s day begins badly. First, she is dumped by her boyfriend of three months (her longest relationship). Later that morning, she learns she is being fired, too. If that’s not bad enough, the next morning, it all happens again! Cassie is stuck in a “Groundhog Day” time loop, and she must live that horrible, no-good day over and over and over.
A creature of habit, with atypical personality traits, including the inability to pick up on social cues, Cassie doesn’t adapt well to change and thinks she’s just descended into a circle of Hell. But when she realizes she can begin to control her time travel abilities, Cassie starts to wonder if by traveling far back enough in her past, she might just be able to change her future.
Cassandra in Reverseby Holly Smale is a contemporary romance novel with heart, well-developed characters, and laugh-out-loud humor. Clever references to Greek myths populate this time loop fantasy, that is perfect for fans of The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion and Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore. Have a bit of extra time on your hands? Pick up a copy today.
A Haunting on the Hill by Elizabeth Hand is the first authorized return to the world of Shirley Jackson’s iconic The Haunting of Hill House.
When struggling playwright Holly decides to rent a spooky manor in order to workshop her piece with the actors, she thinks it’s a great use of her grant money. Her partner, Nisa has written music for the production, her longtime friend Stevie is set to serve as audio engineer, and iconic actress Amanda has agreed to lend her talents on stage. Hill House has called to Holly since the day she stumbled across it, and what could be better than a looming mansion to inspire and rehearse a play about witches?
Hill House isn’t as enthused about Holly, however. A reluctant landlord, grumpy personal chef, and cheery but cautious house cleaner all try to warn her away. Not even a neighbor wielding a hunting knife or the odd illusions of black hares will turn her away from this once in a lifetime opportunity. That is, until Hill House begins its cycle of horror all over again.
As a fan of Shirley Jackson’s creeping, gothic style, I was excited about the publication of this book. The plot was all set for a pseudo-locked room mystery that would be just the right hint of creepy. For most of the book, the slow pacing kept me on edge. But with an ending that was wrapped all too tidily, this book left me a bit disappointed.
“Rachel” has lived a life of captivity for years. Abducted by a serial killer, she has been held in a shed on his property…until one day when he is forced to move, taking her with him.
Aidan is a widower who always lends a hand in his community. He’s an upstanding citizen who is mourning the loss of his wife while raising a teenage daughter. He catches the eye of local restauranter Emily, all to eager to lend her support. Too bad he’s hiding a secret- he’s murdered eight women and is holding a ninth captive.
Moving into the new house doesn’t mean the end of Aidan’s abuse. Although Rachel now has a bed to sleep on, she is still handcuffed and assaulted daily, despite the fact that she now sleeps down the hall from Aidan’s daughter, Cecilia. As Rachel gets to know Aidan and Cecilia on a deeper level, she starts to wonder about the women who have come before…and the ones who will come after.
Told through the voices of Rachel, Cecilia, and Emily, with each character experiencing a very different version of one man. Small town life, passing time, and grief all play a part in this page-turner. This was a disturbing, brooding read, similar in style to Gillian Flynn or Room by Emma Donoghue.
We’re nearing the end of spooky season and if you haven’t gotten your fill of scary stories, here are some to keep you in the spirit of witches, hauntings, and monsters:
“An 80-year-old mansion harboring dark secrets comes to menacing life in this classic spine-tingling tale from Shirley Jackson. Anthropologist and ghost hunter Dr. John Montague invites three strangers to stay in haunted Hill House for the summer. One of the guests is 32-year-old Eleanor, for whom three months in a haunted house is preferable to caring for her invalid mother. Soon, Eleanor begins to see and hear things that the other guests cannot. Is it all in her imagination, or is she the only one who can perceive the evil that lurks in Hill House?”
“Hand’s new novel revisits the infamous haunted house from Shirley Jackson’s classic The Haunting of Hill House. Holly, a struggling playwright looking to flesh out her witchy comeback, thinks that Hill House, the eerie mansion she’s stumbled across in Upstate New York, would be the perfect place to finish her play. She rents the house and takes her partner Nisa, a singer; their friend, sound guy/actor Stevie; and theater legend Amanda along, despite warnings and a disturbing first visit. The house rapidly reveals itself to be a malevolent force, playing on the past traumas and insecurities of its guests with typically devastating consequences.”
“It’s snowing, and the unnamed narrator is traveling with her new boyfriend Jake to visit his parents at the family farm. The novel’s vague title seems to become clearer as the narrator repeatedly ponders calling off their relationship. While this revelation may not have arrived at the best of times, it’s quickly apparent that a failed relationship is the least of her problems. When the couple arrives at their destination, Jake’s parents are awkward, and the evening goes from strange to unsettling as the narrator explores the setting of Jake’s childhood. When the pair drive home, the weather takes a turn for the worse. Jake turns off the highway and parks by an empty high school. He goes inside, leaving the narrator alone and frightened. When she enters the building, her vague sense of foreboding turns into outright terror. Interspersed throughout are snatches of conversation about some unknown act of violence that only heightens the feeling of unease.”
“When the Creed family’s beloved cat, Winston Churchill, dies, Dr. Louis Creed — on the instructions of his elderly neighbor — buries the animal not in the “Pet Sematary” where local children inter their deceased pets, but rather in the haunted Indian burial ground behind it. The next day, a changed Churchill comes back, a little smellier and more vicious than before. What will happen when a person dies and is buried in the same area?”
“Four friends gather at a Heian-era mansion in the Japanese countryside to celebrate the elopement of two of their group. From the start, something is off. There’s no paper trail of their rental, for reasons the owner makes vague; more unsettling is that this house has a haunted history. A thousand years ago, a bride awaited her groom at the site; he never arrived. She made her guests bury her alive under the building’s foundation so she could await him forever. Every year since, it is said, a young woman is sacrificed to help the lost groom find his way back to his beloved. This short novel, immersed in unease and oozing menace, is engrossing and methodically paced. The atmosphere, the characters, and their strained, complicated relationships are carefully constructed and slowly revealed, until the group finds itself in the middle of a nightmare, stalked by a faceless woman in white as they fight to leave the mansion alive. The conclusion will leave all unsettled, haunting both characters and readers.”
“In 1915, Montana allows unmarried, Black women the opportunity to claim a homestead, so, having lived her entire life in a California farming community with her parents, Adelaide Henry, 31, sets off. But before she leaves, Adelaide places her murdered parents in bed and burns the house down. Taking only an overnight bag and a heavy, securely locked trunk containing her family’s curse, one that she is now solely responsible for controlling, Adelaide will attempt to flee her past while still shackled to it, thus setting LaValle’s latest, a pervasively uneasy and brilliantly plotted horror-western hybrid, in absorbing motion. Readers are led to Big Sandy to meet its marginalized and outcast citizens, feel the wide open, unforgiving landscape, and watch the captivating drama, both real and supernatural, unfold. Told with a pulp sensibility, this masterfully paced tale, with short chapters, heart-pounding suspense, a monster that is both utterly terrifying and heartbreakingly beautiful, and a story line focused on the power of women, bursts off the page.”
Read it or Weep 