Wow wow, we’ve (nearly) reached the end of 2023.
As such, I come before you now to give you my top books of the year.
It was a…decent year for reading? I can’t honestly say that very many books blew me away, but I also mostly didn’t hate anything (I’ve gotten a lot more liberal with my DNF’ing policy so if I don’t like something in the first 50 pages, I dump it.)
Caveat: I have a hard time rating books and give almost nothing 5 stars. A five star book has to totally knock my socks off and leave me screaming/crying/throwing up by the end, and it’s a rare book that does that for me these days. That being said, my qualifications for “best of the year” are, generally:
Books that I read and then couldn’t stop thinking about, for whatever reason.
Books that made me feel a feeling (did I laugh out loud? Did I cry? Did I enjoy it enough to ramble enthusiastically about it to my boyfriend who absolutely does not read any of the same content as me for fun, but who kindly smiles and nods at me because he thinks it’s cute when I’m a nerd?)
Books where something specifically stood out to me (this is important because IF I AM HONEST I read so much so quickly that unless something is really specifically wonderful, the details fall out of my swiss cheese brain almost immediately upon completion).
I don’t imagine that these books will be a huge shock because, as usual, if you know me in real life then I have probably talked to you about them already. Without further ado, here they are.
The September House, by Carissa Orlando
This was a standout for me not just because it is a haunted house book (which, as we all know, is my One True Love and top wheelhouse item—I will read anything with a spooky house!!! Send recs!!!), but because it did something different than what we usually see in haunted house books.
The story centers on Margaret, who lives in a haunted house with her husband Hal. What makes it a little different than other haunted house books is that Margaret is very much aware that the house is haunted, and has just decided to accept the house and all it’s quirks—even when those quirks are in the form of ghosts, bleeding walls, and terrifying sounds at night. She manages to peacefully coexist in the house with the ghostly inhabitants, until Hal goes missing—at which point, their adult daughter decides to come to the house to help look for her dad. At this point, mayhem (more so than usual) ensues and the hauntings become a lot more…extreme?
I loved that this book managed to be both funny and scary. It is also a debut novel, which was a surprise for me to find out because it doesn’t read like someone’s first novel. This was probably my fave book of the year, if I had to pick just one.
Jackal, by Erin E. Adams
I didn’t know what to expect from this one, but it’s definitely one of the books I’ve thought the most about since reading it.
The story begins with our main character (Liz) returning to her hometown for the wedding of her best friend, Mel…reluctantly. Liz is a Black woman, and doesn’t have the best memories of growing up in a small town where she was one of very few POC residents. Liz also hates the woods which is a problem, since this is a woodsy town. During the course of Mel’s wedding, the bride’s daughter (Caroline) goes missing. The entire town comes together to help search the woods for Caroline, and in the meantime, Liz realizes this is a very familiar story. For years, young Black women have been disappearing in the woods of Johnstown for years. Liz starts investigating and uncovers some very sinister and terrifying truths about the town.
There were a lot of things that stood out to me, but above all here: 1- the main character, Liz, who was deeply flawed and unlikable, but I loved her anyway. I like…really enjoyed her, in the way that I often enjoy a character that feels sort of imperfect and REAL. 2- I also enjoyed that this book was a good blend of horror and thriller, which for me made it really hard to put down—super compelling, and a fast read for me. It read a bit like true crime, but a true crime that focuses on the victims (emphasis on the crime/offenders is my problem with true crime these days and why I don’t listen to many of the ol’ true crime podcasts anymore). 3- finally, I really enjoyed the setting (Appalachian rust belt) and that the author wove in a lot of Appalachian/woodsy spooky lore into the plot.
What Kind of Mother, by Clay Mcleod Chapman
I don’t even know how to describe this book because it is absolutely BANANAS. It’s one of those books where the more time that passed, the more I thought about it. Honestly, I’ll probably re-read it, because there was so much going on in this one that I am sure I’d get more out of it on a second go around. I feel like I’ve not read anything quite like it and I love that.
The very cursory overview is: Madi left her hometown when she got pregnant as a teenager. She returns 16 years later so that her daughter can reconnect with her bio-dad. She takes up a job as a palm reader to earn quick cash—she’s pretty good at reading people and offering neutral advice. She ends up reconnecting with her high school flame, Henry. In the years since she has last seen him, Henry has become a reclusive fisherman who carries the grief of his infant son being kidnapped five years prior, and subsequent suicide of his wife. He asks Madi for a palm reading, and when Madi takes his hand, she has an actual vision of some rather disturbing images which eventually turn into physical manifestations.
I can’t say much more than that because it’s one of those books where the less you know, the better—but phew, this one is wild. It’s visceral, disorienting, and horrifying, but also manages to provoke a lot of thoughts about grief and guilt. It’s definitely not for the faint of heart and I’d caution folks to check the TWs for this one especially as they relate to children. Also, maybe don’t read it if you’re into shellfish.
She is a Haunting, by Trang Thanh Tran
This was a highly anticipated 2023 release for me and it did NOT disappoint. Queer main character, haunted house, complicated family dynamics, commentary on colonialism, exploration of identity…yeah, I loved it.
Jade and Lily are sisters who agree to spend their summer in Vietnam with their (estranged) father, in a big ol’ mansion that he’s restoring. Weird things start to happen in the house. There’s nightmares and BUGS and scary noises that make Jade suspect the house is haunted. When her family doesn’t believe her, Jade decides to try to stage her own haunting on top of the haunting that she believes is really happening, to get her family to pay attention. Unfortunately, it all unravels from there. It is genuinely CREEPY, and I loved every second of it.
I feel like this book is severely underrated lol, I liked it so much.
The Devil Takes You Home, by Gabino Inglesias
I thought a lot about this fifth slot, and it was surprising to me that this book made the cut. It is definitely not the type of book that I normally go for, but I gave it a shot and was pleasantly surprised by how engaging I found it. It definitely hit the qualification of “book I could not stop thinking about,” and so I’m including it here.
I reviewed the book not long ago in this post, so you can find my more detailed thoughts there. Mainly the thing that stuck with me was how beautifully written this was while at the same time being horribly violent and gruesome. The body horror elements of this book were a lot. And as I said in my original review, I enjoyed how this book blended supernatural horror with real-world horrors, in such a way that you almost kind of question which is actually worse.
The ending of this book fucked me up, lol.
As an added bonus, here are a few 2024 books I am very much looking forward to:
I Was a Teenage Slasher, by Stephen Graham Jones
The Angel of Indian Lake, also by Stephen Graham Jones (the final book in the trilogy!!)
Horror Movie, by Paul Tremblay
Clown in a Cornfield 3, by Adam Cesare (I know, I know lmao)
Witchcraft for Wayward Girls, by Grady Hendrix
That’s all for now! The truth is that I am feeling really burned out from the ~holiday season~ because of my ~dysfunctional family~ and I plan to spend the rest of my post-Christmas pre-New Year purgatory laying on my couch with my cat, bye!