Everything I Read in 2023 and the 5 Books I Think You Should Read

This post is for the curious readers. Today I’m laying out all 96 books I read last year and following up with the 5 best ones I think you should read. What does this list have in common? My top genres from this year are personal development, fantasy/sci-fi, psychological thrillers, memoirs, and literary fiction. If any of those are your jam, this list is for you.

Without further ado, here are all the books I read in 2023:

January (7)

• Downsize Your Life, Upgrade Your Lifestyle - Rita Wilkins

• I’m Glad My Mom Died - Jennette McCurdy

• Do Less - Kate Northrup

• The Priory of the Orange Tree - Samantha Shannon

• The Stroke of Winter - Wendy Webb

• Own Your Glow - Latham Thomas

• Sea of Tranquility - Emily St. John Mandel

February (10)

• The Care of the Soul - Thomas Moore

• If We Were Villains - M.L. Rio

• The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches - Sangu Mandanna

• Milk Fed - Melissa Broder

• Carrie Soto Is Back - Taylor Jenkins Reid

• The Last Tale of the Flower Bride - Roshani Chokshi

• The Power of Place - Daniel Grothe

• Lessons in Chemistry - Bonnie Garmus

• Rock Paper Scissors - Alice Feeney

• Unlimited Riches - Mark Victor Hansen

March (7)

• Why Fish Don’t Exist - Lulu Miller

• Cleopatra and Frankenstein - Coco Mellors

• Jack Canfield’s Key to Living the Law of Attraction - Jack Canfield

• Eat That Frog - Brian Tracy

• Over The Top - Jonathan Van Ness

• Secrets of Six Figure Women - Barbara Stanny

• Babel - R.F. Kuang

April (10)

• A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - Betty Smith

• Saving Time - Jenny O’Dell

• Four Thousand Weeks - Oliver Burkeman

• Ninth House - Leigh Bardugo

• The Gospel of Wellness: Gyms, Gurus, Goop, and the False Promise of Self-Care - Rina Raphael

• Get Rich, Lucky Bitch! - Denise Duffield-Thomas

• Enchantment - Katherine May

• The Plot - Jean Hanff Korelitz

• Nightbitch - Rachel Yoder

• Cursed Bunny - Bora Chung

May (9)

• Big Swiss - Jen Beagin

• Pearls of Wisdom - Jack Canfield

• Life Ceremony - Sayaka Murata

• Intuitive Being - Jill Willard

• The Measure - Nikki Erlick

• The Simple Path to Wealth - JL Collins

• Alone With You in the Ether - Olivie Blake

• A Court of Thorns and Roses - Sarah J Maas

• Happy Sexy Millionaire - Steven Bartlett

June (7)

• Pizza Girl - Jean Kyoung Frazier

• Tuesdays with Morrie - Mitch Albom

• The Joy of Not Working - Ernie J. Zelinski

• P.S. You’re A Genius - Kelly Trach

• Work Optional - Tanja Hester

• A Life of One’s Own - Joanna Field

• His & Hers - Alice Feeney

July (6)

• The Mountain is You - Brianna Wiest

• Die with Zero - Bill Perkins

• The Beast You Are - Paul Tremblay

• Your Money or Your Life - Vicki Robin

• How to Look Expensive - Andrea Lustig

• Living A Beautiful Life - Alexandra Stoddard

August (10)

• Lock Every Door - Riley Sager

• The Little Book of Stoicism - Jonas Salzgeber

• The Secret - Rhonda Byrnes

• Money: A Love Story - Kate Northrup

• Travel Light - Light Watkins

• The Exquisite - Laird Hunt

• The Millionaire Fastlane - M.J. Demarco

• Rich as F*ck - Amanda Frances

• Earthlings - Sayaka Murata

• Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow - Gabrielle Zevin

September (6)

• Playing with FIRE - Scott Rieckens

• Stories of Your Life and Others - Ted Chiang

• Legends & Lattes - Travis Baldree

• On Writing - Stephen King

• The Lean - Kathy Freston

• Free Food for Millionaires - Min Jin Lee

October (7)

• The Game of Life and How to Play it - Florence Shinn

• The Cloisters - Katy Hays

• Stone Cold Fox - Rachel Koller Croft

• The Pallbearers Club - Paul Tremblay

• The House Across the Lake - Riley Sager

• Fairy Tale - Stephen King

• Ask and It Is Given - Abraham Hicks

November (6)

• Hidden Pictures - Jason Rekulak

• The Compound Effect - Darren Hardy

• Life for Sale - Yukio Mishima

• Diary of A Void - Emi Yogi

• Love for No Reason - Marci Shimoff

• The Travelling Cat Chronicles - Hiro Arikawa

December (11)

• A Swim in a Pond in the Rain - George Saunders

• Aesthetica - Allie Rowbottom

• Kurashi at Home - Marie Kondo

• I Have Some Questions for You - Rebecca Makkai

• Quit like a Millionaire - Kristy Shen

• Piranesi - Susanna Clarke

• Out There - Kate Folk

• The Writing Retreat - Julia Bartz

• I Quit Sugar - Sarah Wilson

• The Psychology of Money - Morgan Housel

• Meredith, Alone - Claire Alexander

Thanks for playing! Of these books, these are the top 5 I think you should read:

1. The Little Book of Stoicism by Jonas Salzgeber
   Ancient stoicism meets modern 21st century application. This book helps you navigate the ups and downs of life and increase your emotional resilience. It’s absolutely wonderful and I recommend it to everyone.

2. The Joy of Not Working by Ernie J. Zelinksi
   If you work a full-time job or even love what you do, trust me, this book is still for you. It will give you a whole new perspective on the intersection of work, happiness, and life.

3. The Simple Path to Wealth by JL Collins
   If you want to build wealth in 2024 and beyond, read this book.

4. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
   This is one of the strangest yet tightest world-building I’ve seen. A literary feat.

5. I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
   A heartbreaking, must-read memoir. Raw and real.

Honorable mentions: Big Swiss by Jen Beagin, On Writing by Stephen King, and A Swim in A Pond In The Rain by George Saunders.