Ten New-to-Me Authors I Read in 2023

I'm linking up with That Artsy Reader Girl for another Top Ten Tuesday.

This week's topic is authors we read for the first time in 2023. As with previous iterations of this topic, I tried to pick authors that have more than one book and weren't new to everyone in 2023!

1. Kate Albus
I finally read A Place to Hang the Moon in 2023 after seeing it recommended for a couple years, and I know she came out with a similar book last year so I may pick that one up now.

2. Ben Blatt
I really enjoyed Blatt's combination of statistics and literature in Nabokov's Favorite Word Is Mauve, which I'd wanted to read since it came out in 2017. I don't think I'm interested in his previous memoir about baseball, but I'd be interested in any future data books he writes!

3. Susanna Clarke
I still have yet to read Clarke's doorstopper classic, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, but after reading the much slimmer Piranesi in 2023 (which wasn't a favorite but was quite good), I'm more interested in bumping her first one up the list.

4. Jessica Fern
I was very impressed by Polysecure, which came out in 2020 and which I finally read in 2023. As soon as I heard about Polywise, which came out last year, I put that one on my holds list!

5. Anthony Horowitz
The best part about waiting until 2023 to read Magpie Murders was that I was able to get the sequel, Moonflower Murders, right away!

6. Kat Leyh
I loved Snapdragon so much I read it twice in 2023. I haven't read any of Leyh's other work, but I want to now!

7. Racquel Marie
I loved how Ophelia After All wasn't predictable or formulaic. Marie just had another book come out in 2023 that I'm interested in and another one coming out this year, so lots more good stuff to explore!

8. Amanda Montell
Cultish was on my radar since it came out in 2021, and I'm glad I got to read it in 2023. Writing engaging, conversational nonfiction is challenging, and Montell does it well. The reviews of her previous book are mixed, but her upcoming book, The Age of Magical Overthinking, looks interesting.

9. Hannah Templer
Cosmoknights wasn't even on my radar until a friend recommended the first volume to me. Now I'm very interested to see what Templer does next, whether another volume of Cosmoknights or something else entirely!

10. Jeff Zentner
I hadn't heard of Zentner until In the Wild Light was nominated and selected for one of my book clubs, but it's actually only his third-most rated book on Goodreads (though his highest rated!). I'm glad his work was introduced to me.

Which authors were new to you in 2023?

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: In the Wild Light, Curse of the Sand Witches, and McDonald's
Five years ago I was reading: The Night Masquerade and The Sympathizer
Ten years ago I was reading: The Marriage Plot and War and Peace

Top Ten Fiction Reads of 2023

I'm linking up with That Artsy Reader Girl for another Top Ten Tuesday.

Last week I shared my favorite nonfiction reads of 2023. This week I'm sharing my top ten fiction reads of 2023. To read more about why I liked them, you can search for them on the blog or check out my Goodreads! (To see my favorite read every month, I encourage you to check out — and link up with — the Best of the Bunch linkup.)

1. Cosmoknights by Hannah Templer

2. Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli

3. In the Wild Light by Jeff Zentner

4. Loveless by Alice Oseman

5. Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

6. Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie

7. Our Favorite Songs by Anita Kelly

8. A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus

9. Snapdragon by Kat Leyh

10. Wherever Is Your Heart by Anita Kelly

What great fiction books did you read this year?

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Gideon the Ninth, Giovanni's Room, McDonald's, and When Endermen Attack
Five years ago I was reading: Cutting for Stone, If You Come Softly, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and Pachinko
Ten years ago I was reading: David and Goliath, Life After Life, and War and Peace

Top Ten Nonfiction Reads of 2023

I'm linking up with That Artsy Reader Girl for another Top Ten Tuesday.

Once again, I'm ignoring this week's actual Top Ten Tuesday topic in order to split my favorite reads of the year into nonfiction and fiction. For next week's "Favorite Books of 2023" I'll be sharing my favorite fiction of the year, but now that I've wrapped up my nonfiction reading for the year, I'll share my top nonfiction reads from the year this week. To read more about why I liked them, you can search for them on the blog or check out my Goodreads! (To see my favorite read every month, I encourage you to check out — and link up with — the Best of the Bunch linkup.)

1. Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

2. Handsome by Holly Lorka

3. Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H.

4. How the Word Is Passed by Clint Smith

5. I Won't Shut Up by Ally Henny

6. Nabokov's Favorite Word Is Mauve by Ben Blatt

7. Polysecure by Jessica Fern

8. Refusing Compulsive Sexuality by Sherronda J. Brown

9. Sorted by Jackson Bird

10. Tranquility by Tuesday by Laura Vanderkam

What great nonfiction books did you read this year?

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Gideon the Ninth, McDonald's, and When Endermen Attack
Five years ago I was reading: Cutting for Stone and Pachinko
Ten years ago I was reading: Code Name Verity and War and Peace

Three Anticipated Books in 2023

I'm linking up with That Artsy Reader Girl for another Top Ten Tuesday.

This week we're sharing our most-anticipated books for the first half of 2023. As in past years, I don't have a ton of upcoming books that I'm eagerly awaiting. I did manage to come up with three!

1. Heartstopper: Volume Five by Alice Oseman
I read the first four Heartstopper books in 2022, and the fifth and final volume is supposed to come out this year!

2. I Am Ace by Cody Daigle-Orians
I'm a fan of Daigle-Orians' TikTok channel and was happy to see that he's coming out with a book. I think it's aimed at teenagers, but I'm still interested to read it.

3. Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli
As previously established, I love Becky Albertalli. I haven't loved her recent collaborations as much as her standalones, so I'm excited she has a new standalone coming out this year.

Which books are you looking forward to this year?

Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: Never Split the Difference, Bips and Roses, and Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World
Five years ago I was reading: Cat Among the Pigeons and After Dark
Ten years ago I was reading: The Night Circus