Some of the Novels I Read (or listened to) This Year | 2023

For me, reading is an experience. The feel of the book in my hands, smell of the pages-someone should seriously bottle the smell- and forgetting about the world around me while I read. I am not a super-fast reader, but I do love to read. I know some people read hundreds of books in a year, but I'm not one of those people. I had so many more novels I wanted to read this year, but those will carry over to next year's list. I like to read slowly so I can process and really absorb what I'm reading. I just love to analyze literature!

Sometimes I like to use Audible to read faster, what I mean is, I listen with the app and follow along in my book at the same time. Other times I listen to Audible while I'm washing dishes or cooking and if we can find a really great book that my kids are interested in, we will listen to Audible while we are in the car on or way to town.

Note: I buy almost all of my books used. I frequent our local little libraries, thrift stores, or our wonderful local library to borrow books I'm looking for. If I can't find what I'm looking for there, then I'll look online on eBay. If I still can't find the books I'm looking for on eBay, I'll buy them from Amazon. If you are an Amazon shopper and you would like to find any of these books on Amazon, just click the links below. 

Here are some of the books that I've read and listened to on Audible this year: 

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway 

This was my second Hemingway novel, and I really enjoyed it. The story follows a young man who has come home from WWI. While in the war he is injured in a very personal area and the story explores some relationship type challenges he faces with his new disability. 

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

What can I say about Pride and Prejudice that hasn't already been said?! 

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Eerily modern in the sense that many of the things described in this dystopian novel were written in 1953, but the story seems to be much less dystopian and much more realistic. While this is a must-read, I'd say that it may be more challenging for those who struggle with anxiety. 

The Bell Jar by Silvia Plath

I think this book has a fairy even keel to it. There isn't much of a climax to the story and I just kept on waiting for something more to happen. The 1999 movie, Girl, Interrupted, is strikingly similar to the story of The Bell Jar. 

As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner

A highly underrated work by William Faulker. While the books may get a bad rap for being told in multiple perspectives and by being hard to follow, but I found it super helpful to listen to the audiobook version while I read along. I got so much out of this book that I read it a second time and may even read it a third. 

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

I know my opinion is not a popular one when it comes to this book, but I did not enjoy it. I listened to it so I was able to get through the entire thing, but I know that if I was sitting down to read it, I would have stopped before I was midway through. To be fair, dystopia is not my favorite genre of books, especially when it involves the mistreatment of women. 

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

This book wasn't an easy read for me. Even though the book is only around 100 pages in length it's the prose that threw me off. The book is written similar to journal entries with little or no use of quotation marks and some odd subject changes made this book difficult to follow.

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

One of the most banned books in recent years. While I do not support banning books, I do see why people would want this book banned from schools. Again, I do not support book banning, but this is a book that my children won't be reading anytime soon. The story is very well written and developed and it kept me super engaged all the way through, but the graphic nature of a few parts of story will keep this book out of my kid's hands for a few years. 

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

A wonderful modern classic! The book follows the life of Celie as she navigates the loss of her mother, abuse by her "father," husband and even her stepchildren. Eventually Celie comes into her own but not without growing pains. I cried like a baby multiple times. I highly recommend this book to anyone who would needs a good cry or who would like to feel like they are wanting to deeply connect with a book's characters. 

Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery 

I never read this book as a child, so my first experience with this book is from an adult's point of view. I know many, many people absolutely adore the Anne of Green Gables books, but I just thought it was ok. I was surprised that my children didn't enjoy that book at all. Anne is a very sweet character, but the plot didn't have much of a climax. Overall, the plot was fairly uneventful, but it did make me cry at the end.  

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Another book many people love, and another book I didn't read as a child. I wonder if my feelings would have been different if I would have experienced this story when I was a little girl. I did see the 1993 version of The Secret Garden as a child, and that movie follows the storyline of the book well. I'm glad I read the book, but I don't think I'd read it again. The story was a little long and drawn out, but it does have a happy ending and it's another one that made me cry. 

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Yet another unpopular opinion of mine: I did not enjoy this book. I felt like this book was highly overrated. I had heard so much about how amazing this story was, but to me it was just a VERY long book about some college students cussing, drinking and doing drugs and plotting and eventually killing their friend to cover up accidentally killing a stranger. 

The Madwoman Upstairs by Catherine Lowell 

One of my favorite books I read this year! If you are interested in reading the Bronte Sisters' books, or if you already have and you loved them, be sure to read this book! Catherine Lowell does a wonderful job connecting many dots about the Bronte's lives while the slightly sarcastic protagonist traverses' life at Oxford college as the sole surviving Bronte heir. Lowell sprinkles the story with a few twists and a love interest too!

Emma by Jane Austen

Emma is considered one of Jane Austen's best works, and for good reason. This story is full of humor, irony and love. Love triangles pop up everyone in this tale! If you've ever watched the 1995 movie Clueless, you are familiar with the storyline of Emma. It's definitely worth the read!  

A Room of One's Own by Virgina Wolf

I feel like there was a lot of this book that went over my head. I get the overall gist of the book, that women need money and a space of their own to write, which I do agree with, but there was so much more in the book that I couldn't grasp at my first reading. 

This may be a reread for 2024. 

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Another favorite from 2023 and possibly one of my favorite books ever! We actually read this one as a family read aloud and I'm so glad we did. We had many deep conversations about many of the themes of this book. Some things we discussed: Who is the real monster? Who is responsible for the deaths the creature caused? Could the monster be held accountable for his actions since he wasn't taught right from wrong? Does the monster have a soul, and if he does, where did it come from? I would highly recommend this book to anyone! The story isn't scary maybe mildly creepy, but Frankenstein's monster is NOTHING like our culture or how Halloween decorations portray him. 

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

A must read! Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre is a classic for a reason. A coming-of-age, rags to riches, tale of an orphan girl who finds love and loses it after her lover's secret past is made public. The story has a wonderfully happy ending leaving the reader wishing Charlotte Bronte had written a sequel.  

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

Just like Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice, Rebcca has never gone out of print. Rebecca is a phycological thriller that will have you thinking you are going crazy along with the protagonist. The book is full of twists and turns, but it is written so clearly that you never get lost or confused about what is happening in the story. Highly, highly recommend! 

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

The classic Christmas read, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. This was our December read aloud in my home and my kids very much enjoyed it. We were able to discuss some of the deeper elements of the story such as poverty in Victorian England. It's a quick read and I'm surprised I had never read it until now. We watched A Muppet Christmas Carol when we had finished reading it and it made the experience complete! 

Agnes Gray by Anne Bronte

I've heard Agnes Gray is one of the most boring books about the boring life of a governess in the 19th century, but you know what? I really enjoyed this book. While it didn't have a tremendously exciting plot, I enjoyed the gentleness of Agnes and how she navigated the challenges of being a poor parson's daughter working for a wealthy family as a hired governess. 

Ethan Frome by Edith Warton

Let me start by saying this is one of the books that I needed to give a second chance. This was one of the books that I skimmed over and couldn't stand in my younger years. Now that I've reread it, I think I must have had a hard time with this book because I simply didn't understand what was going on, but now that I do, I really, really enjoyed it. At the start of the story Ethan is a recluse like middle-aged man, with a bent and twisted up frame. The story tells of his forbidden love and how in an effort to preserve that love, he became the broken in both body and spirit. This book as some amazing foreshadowing and symbolism too! 

Have you read or listened to any of these books? I'd love to hear what you thought about them if you have!

Note: I've provided links to some of the items mentioned in this post and these are things, (or similar items) that I have used and enjoyed. If you choose to purchase these items from Amazon, that's great, but just know that I do not expect you do. I buy most of my items second-hand and I hope you can do the same. I've included links to certain items so you can gather more information about the products I'm referring to or you may purchase them new if you wish. Rest assured; I do not earn any commission from your purchases on Amazon for the items I've provided links to.