Kelly Hooker - Our Favorite Books of 2023

In this episode, Kelly Hooker and I discuss our favorite books of 2023.
Kelly’s Selections:  

Favorite Book of the Year: Go As a River by Shelley Read

Best Book To Recommend to Anyone: The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise by Colleen Oakley

Most Unique Premise: Shark Heart by Emily Habeck

Most Likely to Feel like a Conversation with a Friend: It Was an Ugly Couch Anyway by Elizabeth Passarella

Most Tense: The Quiet Tenant by Clemence Michallon

Best Time Travel Story: The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young

Best Book Club Discussion: One Summer In Savannah by Terah Shelton Harris

The Best Love Story of the Year and My Life: The Last Love Note by Emma Grey

Most Unique Story Structure: A Murder in the Family by Cara Hunter

Most Likely to Keep You Up Past Bedtime: Drowning by T.J. Newman

Most Mysterious Storyline: Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent

Most Darkly Lyrical: On the Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel

Best Coming of Age Story: The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger

Most Likely to Make You Laugh: Late Bloomers by Deepa Varadarajan

Most Unforgettable Character: How to Be Remembered by Michael Thompson

 
Cindy’s Selections:

Most Unsettling  - Better the Blood by Michael Bennett

Historical Fiction Standout - Go As a River by Shelley Read 

Best Book to Get Lost In - Time’s Undoing by Cheryl A. Head 

Most Likely to Make You Laugh - Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q Sutanto 

Best Book Club Discussion - Hello Beautiful by Ann Naplitano

Most Likely to Re-read - The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise by Colleen Oakley 

Best Strong Sense of Place - Homecoming by Kate Morton 

Most Likely To Recommend to a Friend - Drowning by T.J. Newman 

Most Perfectly Plotted - The Bitter Past by Bruce Borgos 

Best Family Saga - The Connellys of County Down by Tracey Lange

Best Glimpse into a Particular Time Period - The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger 

Most Unique Format - Murder in the Family by Cara Hunter 

Best Recommendation from a Friend - The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters 

Most Unforgettable Character - The Madstone by Elizabeth Crook 

Best Based On a True Story/Best Book I Didn’t Know I Needed - The General and Julia by Jon Clinch 

 
Want to know which new titles are publishing in January - May of 2024? Check out the new Literary Lookbook which contains a comprehensive but not exhaustive list all in one place so you can plan ahead.
Kelly and I chat regularly together for my Patreon group, and we just released an episode about more great reads of 2023 (and a few we didn't like). Join my Patreon group to support the podcast.  Other ways to support the podcast can be found here.    
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