Best Books of 2023
There is a particular feeling of being known when you read a line in a book that you feel like you have held in your mind - something you knew but couldn’t articulate out loud. A sense of being seen by someone you have never met, or maybe even someone who lived in a different century altogether. Despite the obvious divide between you, you share a thought, a feeling, or an idea that creates a truly unique and intimate connection.
That feeling when a books lands comfortably in your sense of self is my favorite thing about reading. It doesn’t happen very often…maybe a few times a year, if you’re very lucky.
I love to read non-fiction because there is so much to learn, and I’m fascinated by my curiosity toward topics I would have yawned at when I was in school. But those moments of connection? They come most often when I’m reading fiction.
I struggle to read fiction, though. Maybe I’ve become particular from reading a lot, but I think it’s for the same reason I don’t really like to watch TV or movies much. I’m looking for a certain mood, or just the right type of challenging plot or characters. My personal brand of pickiness can keep me from trying when it comes to fiction, but the books I read in 2023 convinced me that it was worth the effort.
This year’s “best of” list contains more fiction than in previous years, and I’m hoping that future lists will also as I branch outside of my comfort zone.
I read Phosphorescence about half way through 2023 and was enchanted by the way that Baird wove her personal story into an understanding of light in the universe. By intertwining science and experience, Baird strives to show us how we can create our own light, even during and after hard times.
One of my forays into fiction this year, Remarkably Bright Creatures features an unusual cast of main characters, including a giant Pacific octopus named Marcellus. Extremely logical and intelligent, Marcellus ended up being my favorite character in the whole book. Through his friendship with a widow who works at his aquarium, Marcellus manages to tie the whole plot together alongside his quest for freedom.
I owned this book for an embarrassing length of time before reading it (I’m mentally counting how many moves it made with me before being opened…), but once I picked it up, I couldn’t put it down. Although it’s a bit lofty and philosophical, I found myself identifying with so many of the ways Nachmanovitch described the quest for freedom of expression. I was underlining, writing in margins, and dog-earing pages the entire time. This is a book for everyone in a creative field.
Pure Colour was one of my favorite novels ever. It is delightfully weird and beautifully written. It is both real and relatable, and complete fantasy in its description of our world as the first draft of Creation, made by an artist who is dissatisfied with their first efforts. This book was one of those that I felt like I was reading from the inside out, and I can’t wait to read it again.
If you’ve been around for a while, you know how much I admire the teaching of George Mumford. As one of the best performance coaches in the world (who taught athletes like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant how to harness their minds), George has incredible wisdom to share. In Unlocked, he gives us an inside view of his own journey to unlocking the greatness within. I would also highly recommend his previous book, The Mindful Athlete.
Conscious by Annaka Harris and Notes on Complexity by Neil Theise
One of the topics I love to read about is the mind - consciousness, processing, perception, and all the amazing things our brains do for us. I’m lumping these two books together even though they are at very different ends of the spectrum. Conscious is a digestible introduction to how we perceive the world. Harris introduces us to theories about where our consciousness resides and what, exactly, it might be. Notes on Complexity offers us an idea about how the universe (and subsequently our perception of it) might be organizing itself. Theise’s book is not quite the easy read that Conscious is, but they are both worth whatever amount of energy they take to digest.
An Object of Beauty caught me completely by surprise. I picked it up used for two or three dollars, and couldn’t stop thinking about it after I put it down. If you’re wondering the same thing I was, yes it was written by that Steve Martin. The writing was clever, witty, and the book is full of art history. What’s even more impressive, though, is the way Martin writes a complex female main character without becoming pedantic or sounding disingenuous. This one landed on my list of favorite books across the years.
I found this book charming and educational as Bailey describes her experience sharing close quarters with a snail as she recovers from a serious illness. Without dragging us into the depths of what was a harrowing experience, Bailey beautifully weaves facts about snails into her experience of being forced to slow down and live a smaller life than she might have wanted to.
It’s hard to even know what to share about The Overstory. This book is monstrous in the best way. I loved being engulfed in its facts, intense feelings, and winding plot. Powers addresses the giant issue of forestation while also addressing the complex relationships of people and the intimate relationships they develop with nature and trees. I started reading this book as a library loan on my kindle and loved it so much I ordered a paper copy half way through. I’m sure it’s not for everyone, but I would love to give you a strong nudge to pick this one up and give it a try.
It was really challenging to narrow this list down this year, but now that I’ve shared my favorite books of 2023 (some of which have climbed solidly into my all time favorite books list) I want to know what you loved reading? Which books did you feel like you were reading from the inside out?