It’s time for another trip down memory lane, this particular lane is called “Books I Read This Year.” (It’s not a very good lane name; just be glad you don’t live there and have to write out your return address on all the Christmas cards you send out.)
I take a trip down this lane fairly regularly (proof: you can check out my book lists from 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2012, 2011) and it’s always a fun way for me to both review what I read and recommend some great titles to you. I always use affiliate links wherever I can so that without taking even one of your red cents, this site can hopefully pay for itself.
In no particular order, I present to you 12 of the best books I read in 2023:
“Biblical friendship is not just an endeavor to self-realization, but a mutual journey to Christlikeness.”
The Company We Keep presents a way to make and develop friendships for the glory of God and the edification of yourself and others. We can often make friendships just about ourselves and our needs, but this book reminds us of a higher goal.
Buy it here.
This book is a fantastic kick-in-your-pants read for anyone who works creatively—whether for money or pleasure.
“The dangerous addiction is to keep expanding our audience until we find people who hate our work. And then our reflex is to listen to those people—to the haters—to the exclusion of those we sought to serve in the first place.”
“Their reaction isn’t what you need. It belongs to them. The art is yours.”
Buy it here.
This book always grips me with its honesty. I don’t have time for books that gloss over hard realities as if they don’t matter and Lewis certainly doesn’t do that. Highly recommend.
“How often – will it be for always? – how often will the vast emptiness astonish me like a complete novelty and make me say, ‘I never realized my loss till this moment’? The same leg is cut off time after time. The first plunge of the knife into the flesh is felt again and again.”
Buy it here.
We tend to hear about people’s decisions from afar, judge them as either right or wrong, and forget that this is a real person with a real life including joys, sorrows, health issues, and relationship problems. This book is incredibly well-written and was a delight to read. The thread that weaves through the entire book points to the tender leading of Christ who faithfully shepherds us through all our days. I finished it grateful that I serve the same God.
Buy it here.
The Resistance Training Revolution
In August 2022, I started using weights for strength training and I cannot express to you how much I love it. Women in their 30’s start losing bone density. (Did you know that?!) Strength training (done correctly) is a way to help my aging body fight against the loss of bone density among other things. Although I don’t use the method in this book, I loved reading this title to help me understand the science behind the training.
Buy it here.
The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams
Nayeri writes with a stream-of-consciousness vibe from the perspective of a child. You think you’re just reading a boy’s story of captivity and hopeful release as he travels with a motley caravan on The Silk Road. Then suddenly you’re thinking deep thoughts about hatred, true love, and whether there’s life after death. Recommended for ages 10-14, I loved this book. (You may glean what you would like from those two statements.)
Buy it here.
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking
This is not a cookbook to read if you are looking for quick recipes to feed people. It’s the book to read if you want to understand the science behind why one dish tastes good and another is bleh. This book has drastically changed the way I use salt and heat. (I’m still working on the fat and acid parts.)
Buy it here.
Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear
I never watched the Duggar show, so I didn’t have much context for this book. But I am so glad Jinger wrote it. It was refreshing to hear her testimony of remaining faithful to Christ despite the errors she was taught.
“My faith is as strong as it’s ever been–not because Christianity tells me the right way to live or unlocks some ‘key to success’ but because I can find no one more compelling, more lovely, more hopeful than Jesus.”
Buy it here.
What could be better than a quartet of friends living in a retirement community and working together to solve a mystery murder? That’s the setup behind this title by Richard Osman. Witty, unexpected, and with incredible one-liners throughout, I look forward to reading Osman’s second book in the series.
Buy it here.
Would it be a yearly book list if I didn’t include this title? I’ve read it multiple times and it never gets old. The character development is impeccable and I cannot help but smile at Austen’s descriptions and conversations of such a petty nature, especially of Mrs. Bennett. Such a classic.
Buy it here.
A Still and Quiet Mind: Twelve Strategies for Changing Unwanted Thoughts
Written by a Biblical counselor, this title addresses what to do with unwanted thoughts, whole-person strategies for dealing with them, and whether medicinal treatment might be helpful. I found it incredibly helpful, have already used some of the strategies to still my mind and to help those around me.
Buy it here.
And one more bonus book…
I bought this book for a little friend of mine and proceeded to read it to my children & husband before giving it to her. It teaches what hands are (and aren’t) for and shows how God opens His hands to us through the work of Jesus. Beautifully Gospel-centered teaching.
Buy it here.
For the Good, Bad, & Ugly…
If you want to see a list of all the books I read in 2023 (or at least the ones I remembered to write down), go here.
And if you want to hear about the books, articles, and other things I read and learn from throughout the year, you’ll enjoy the Read Think Learn letter I send out each month. Sign up here.
How about you? What did you read this year that you loved, learned from, or disagreed with? I’d love to hear your recommendations.