Throughout my life, I’ve always been a reader thanks to my grandmother frequently taking me and my brother to the library. My favorite things to read were adventures from Geronimo Stilton and the mysteries from Goosebumps. The Warrior Cats series was what I was known for reading in middle school.
As I got older and acquired more responsibilities, the time I had to read started to diminish, but I still managed to squeeze in a book here and there. During the COVID-19 quarantine era, I made it my goal to take advantage of my free time by reading more. In 2022 I read 9 books that included popular titles such as The Midnight Library, Verity, and Coraline.
According to the app Goodreads, I read 2,865 pages in total. It was a great start, but I knew I could do better. My reading goal for 2023 was to read more genres and read twice as many books as I read in 2022.
I finished off the year with having read 25+ books and I’m very proud of that accomplishment. With that being said, here are my top 5 favorite books I read this year.
- ‘The Maid’ by Nita Prose
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‘The Maid’ is a novel about a maid named Molly Gray who has trouble with social skills and frequently misinterprets people. Her grandmother used to be her guide in life, but after she died, Molly was left to navigate the world on her own as a hotel maid. Her bubbly personality grants her many friends but also leaves her vulnerable to being taken advantage of.
One day Molly finds herself the prime suspect of murder and has to figure out how to untangle the mess she has gotten herself into. The true colors of people emerge and you see just what people are capable of in this exciting mystery.
Although this book may be listed as number five, I really liked this book and so did millions of others as it was listed as a Goodreads Choice Awards winner for Mystery & Thriller in 2022. I feel like the author put great detail into her writing and the characters, especially, which made it enjoyable to read. It was an inspirational story that will have you hooked from beginning to end.
- ‘Normal People’ by Sally Rooney
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If you’re into coming-of-age books then ‘Normal People’ should be on your TBR list. This book showcases the complex relationships people have between family and friends. The story follows Connell and Marianne, two teenagers who pretend not to know each other at school, but have entanglements outside of the classroom.
Connell is the popular soccer star of the school, while Marianne keeps to herself. They met through Connell’s mom, who is a housekeeper for Marinanne’s family. The novel follows their life from high school to university and things such as first love, friendship, and family issues get in the way.
As soon as I learned about the existence of this book I knew I had to read it. Good thing I did because it’s now one of my favorite books. In 2020, the book turned into a series on Hulu. Be sure to watch it after you read to treat yourself. If you haven’t read ‘Normal People’ yet, you’re missing out.
- ‘The Love Hypothesis’ by Ali Hazelwood
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Ali Hazelwood is known for writing science-themed romance, and as a STEM major, I knew I had to try out her books.
Olive Smith is a third-year Ph.D. candidate who doesn’t believe in love. In contrast, her best friend Anh does and convinces Olive to try out dating. Olive decides to kiss a random man on a whim who was none other than Adam Carlsen, the young, hot professor who is also known for his irritable mood.
Olive gets Adam to pretend to be her boyfriend for Anh, but as time goes on, Olive’s hypothesis for love not being real starts to prove itself false.
This year I decided to start reading more genres and ‘The Love Hypothesis’ was a great introduction to romance. It’s a cute story that I read in 2 days due to how much I enjoyed it.
The people of BookTok did not lie when they said it was a good book. The novel includes a happy ending which I gave a 10/10 for because who doesn’t enjoy ending on a good note?
- ‘Twilight’ by Stephenie Meyer
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This story is nothing new as Twilight is one of the most popular series of our time. For people who have not hopped on the bandwagon, (what are you waiting for?!) Twilight is a romance series that features action and a love triangle between Bella the human, Edward the vampire, and Jacob the werewolf.
The first novel begins with Bella moving to Forks, Washington to start a new life with her dad. As the new kid in her school, everyone is interested in her, including Edward who knows he shouldn’t get involved with the lives of humans. As the pair get to know each other, feelings emerge and lives are changed.
Twilight is nothing new to the literary world, but I added it in to say that it is popular for a reason. Growing up I didn’t pay any mind to it, but after I read the first book I knew I immediately needed to finish the series and watch the movies. It took me about a month and it was worth it.
I was proud to be on team Jacob, but after finishing the series I might have to side with Edward. Twilight is a you-love-it or you-hate-it type of series, and as an 18-year-old girl, I loved it. Yes, Bella can be very whiny which makes her a slightly annoying character, but listen, if I met the love of my life, I would act crazy, too.
- ‘The Grace Year’ by Kim Liggett
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‘The Grace Year’ is a dystopian novel that takes place in Garter County, a place where women are indoctrinated into being powerless. No one is allowed to talk about the grace year. It’s a year where girls on the edge of womanhood are banished into the woods to release the powers they have against men.
For their sixteenth birthday, groups of women are set to leave the county so that they can come back pure and ready for marriage. Unfortunately, not all the girls will survive. Tierney James is a young girl approaching her sixteenth year and she is not happy.
She believes that society should not pit women against each other, but to fight against the rules of Garter County is a death wish. The story follows Tierney and how she navigates the grace year amidst her disdain for it.
This book was my absolute favorite that I read this year and I wish it became a movie immediately. I read it in January and out of the 12 months, nothing else topped it for me. One thing I find interesting is dystopian worlds, and something I advocate for is women’s rights.
This book was a great mix of the two and was just great for me. Although the grace year is not a real thing, it gives insight into real-life thoughts and situations women have been put in all over the world, past and present. Besides the themes of feminism, it also is an exciting adventure story that interests you to know who survived and who didn’t.
This book is 100% worth the read, so if you need something for your 2024 TBR, this is it.
2023 was a very interesting year for me. It had its ups and downs, but one thing I know I can take away from it is that I successfully achieved something. Reading is like an escape, and I can proudly say that I visited over 25 fictional worlds.
It was hard to list my favorites in order, but trust, this list has gems in it. I hope 2024 is filled with more letters, words, and pages.