I read an interview with an actor who mentioned that he kept track of every book he’d read for something like 30 years.
Sounded like a good idea to me. So, in 2013, I began keeping a list each year. Now, a decade later, I’m so glad I started this habit.
For 2023, it’s going to turn out to be 35 books. I’m on #35 right now, and should likely wrap it up before New Year’s Eve.
As usual, I can’t stick with one genre. I know some people who do that, but I’m all over the place. In the past twelve months I’ve read:
- Mysteries and thrillers
- Historical fiction
- True crime
- Memoirs
- Biographies
- Science fiction
- History
And I guess “Gone With the Wind” would fall into the historical romance category. It certainly fell into the LONG category. Ha!
Some of the titles are relatively new and one just came out this fall. But several are much older, dating back to the early part of the 20th century.
I’ll list them in the order in which I read them. You’ll see I went through spurts where I had to read several Agatha Christie novels (I love her) and in 2023 I finally discovered Anthony Horowitz. I promptly devoured seven of his books. If you can’t tell, I like his writing style.
If I have to pick a favorite for the year, I’ll go with "Magpie Murders," from the aforementioned Horowitz. I loved the mystery-within-a-mystery format, and the writing is so smooth.
A close second might be—and this may strike you as weird—"The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich." It’s a massive (nearly 1,300 pages) history of the absolute insanity that overtook Germany with the rise of Adolf Hitler, and how there were so many times when he could’ve been defeated—but wasn’t. I learned so much, although I’ll warn you: Because these things really happened, it’s depressing at times as you see just how brutally inhuman people can be to other human beings. I physically shuddered more than once. This book, while riveting, is not for everyone.
And in third place, I’ll give the nod to "Harbour Street," by Ann Cleeves. I’ve become a fan of the British television series (called “Vera”) based on the Vera Stanhope novels, so it was fun to read one of the original tales. This one will likely end up as a selection in Dom’s Book Club.
So, if you wanna check out the complete list, here it is, along with a note here and there, in case there’s anything special I want to tell you. Plus, each comes with a link in case you wanna try them. Yes, these are affiliate links, which means I get a few pennies if you purchase them—but it costs you nothing more. The pennies just help pay for this website. And I obviously believe in the titles I’m sharing.
Hope you enjoy!
- Nelson DeMille, "Plum Island"
- Agatha Christie, "Five Little Pigs"
- Agatha Christie, "The Mystery of the Blue Train"
- Agatha Christie, "Lord Edgeware Dies"
- Cixin Liu, "The Three-Body Problem"
This is translated from the original Chinese, and it’s a powerful science fiction story, the first in a series. I’m sure I’ll get to the others.
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Maj Sjöwall/Per Wahlöö, "Roseanna"
The first book in the Martin Beck police procedurals series, written by the award-winning Swedish team and first published in 1965. It holds up well. I’ll probably read more in the Beck series.
- Anthony Horowitz, "Magpie Murders"
- Anthony Horowitz, "Moonflower Murders"
- J.F. Penn, "Pilgrimage"
Joanna Penn and I have so much in common. She, too, is an introvert, she’s a writer, and she loves loves loves to walk. She’s like a female version of me. This is her memoir covering three classic treks, including the world famous Camino de Santiago in Spain. Superbly written.
- Dorothy Sayers, "The Nine Tailors"
- Edward Rutherford, "Sarum"
- Dorothy Sayers, "Whose Body"
- Dorothy Sayers, "Clouds of Witness"
Sayers is considered one of the pioneers of the detective novel, and came to be known as one of the “Queens of Crime,” along with Agatha Christie.
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Kate Quinn, "The Alice Network"
A smash hit in 2017, this historical fiction is based on a real-life spy ring that operated during World War I. The story bounces back and forth between 1915 and 1947, but ties together beautifully.
- Charles Murray/Catherine Bly Cox, “Apollo: The Race to the Moon”
- Truman Capote, "In Cold Blood"
Sometimes credited as the first true crime book. It’s eerie.
- Cheryl Strayed, "Wild"
Another memoir that involved walking . . . and walking . . . and walking. Great for the soul.
- Dan Brown, "Angels and Demons"
- John Higgs, "Love and Let Die"
An unusual comparison of two iconic artistic giants from 1960s England: The Beatles and the James Bond film series.
- Agatha Christie, "The Hollow"
- Tom O’Neil, “Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the History of the Sixties”
- Agatha Christie, “Death Comes as the End”
- Anthony Horowitz, “The Word is Murder”
- Walter Isaacson, “Elon Musk”
- Anthony Horowitz, “The Sentence is Death”
- Anthony Horowitz, “A Line to Kill”
- Anthony Horowitz, "The Twist of a Knife"
- William L. Shirer, “The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich”
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Anthony Horowitz, “Trigger Mortis”
Horowitz was hired by the Ian Fleming estate to write a James Bond novel that was true to the original 1950s novels. He pulled it off quite well.
- John le Carré, “A Murder of Quality”
- Matt Singer, “Opposable Thumbs: How Siskel and Ebert Changed Movies Forever”
I never realized just how much Siskel and Ebert blazed the trail for film critics.
- Tess Gerritsen, “The Spy Coast”
- Margaret Mitchell, “Gone With the Wind”
Yes, it’s 1,000 pages long, but Mitchell’s writing was terrific. I did the audiobook with this. Mad respect to Linda Stephens; her narration was incredible.
- Ann Cleeves, “Harbour Street”
*currently reading* Terry Hayes, “I Am Pilgrim”—and loving it so far (100 pages in).
Happy reading! I hope your 2024 is filled with good books and great stories.
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If you enjoyed this list, and hopefully found something that excites you, consider buying Dom a tea or a beer. It’s easy to do, right here. Then go curl up somewhere and read!