Another year over, and it's time for our round-up of our best reads of 2023!
As in previous years, this is a list of the best books - new or old - that our library's staff read last year. Perhaps you'll discover a new release you missed out on, or an oldie that's worth catching up on.
Hopefully this list will inspire some of the titles you will read in 2024, and we hope that you will join us for another year of reading!
Happy New Year!
The Bell at Sealey Head by Patricia A. McKillip
Genre: Fantasy
Recommended by Jack:
Upon finishing this book, I was struck by how desperately I did not want to say goodbye to Sealey Head, nor the precious friends I had found there. If you love stories that fully capture the sense of a place and the lives within, I cannot recommend this enough.Â
Cold People by Tom Rob Smith
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopia
Recommended by Kira:
A very unique premise for the near-end of humanity, where humans are exiled to Antarctica and seek to evolve fast enough to survive subzero temps with very few resources. I am always fascinated by speculative end-of-the-world stories, and this is one of the few these days that does not include zombies!
Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Genre: Historical Fiction
Recommended by Kirsten:
Could not put it down; read the whole thing in one day. I loved the format, the setting, the characters (especially the women).
The Daylight Gate by Jeanette Winterson
Genre: Historical Fiction
Recommended by Kira:
A beautifully written, tragic historical fiction about two lovers who attempt to escape charges of witchcraft in seventeenth-century England. It's an exciting story, and highlights the hypocrisy of 'Christians' who persecute the same men and women they abuse. Perfect read when the weather becomes dark and blustery.
Delicious in Dungeon by Ryoko Kui
Genre: Fantasy, Manga
Recommended by Jack:
I entered this expecting a fun time with fun characters eating meals made from weird dungeon monsters. It certainly delivered all of this, but on top of that it served a generous portion of some of the best fantasy world-building I have ever seen, a side of compelling character growth and discovery, all building to a gargantuan pudding of a finale that delivered on all fronts. Dungeon food, ah, dungeon food...Â
Dry by Neal and Jarrod Shusterman
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian
Recommended by Pat M.:
As you know I like to read dark books and disaster stories, this is a good one!
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett.
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Recommended by Kirsten:
Totally unlike anything else I’ve read, and just beautifully written too. The footnotes were great, the collected fairy tales were weird and wild.Â
The End of Drum-Time by Hanna Pylväinen
Genre: Historical Fiction
Recommended by Kira:
A work of fiction about the cultural collision between Scandinavian Christians and the centuries-old reindeer herders, and how differently they approach everything from gender roles to land use. It opened up a whole world to me that I had known nothing about - the indigenous people of northern Europe.
From Unseen Fire by Cass Morris
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Recommended by Jenna: Ancient Rome, but with elemental powers! From Unseen Fire focuses on three sisters from an aristocratic family, with the middle sister struggling to find the courage to embrace her suppressed magical talents & find a place for herself outside her expected role.
View in Our Catalog | Â Hoopla eBook
The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford
Genre: Classic Literature
Recommended by Debbie M.:
An old favorite, reread for the first time in many years.Â
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
Genre: Historical Fiction
Recommended by Kirsten:
Set in the early days of the AIDS epidemic, this is emotionally difficult, but definitely worth it.
Holly by Stephen King
Genre: Horror
Recommended by RocÃo:
Half way through this page-turning suspense/horror book, I realized this is not the first book in the series so I did get spoilers for the original. Still, I couldn't put it down! Winner of the 2023 Goodreads Best Horror Award.
The Invited by Jennifer McMahon
Genre: Horror
Recommended by RocÃo:
A spooky, suspenseful book that links a family's troubled past to a modern day homesteading couple.
Laid-Back Camp by Afro
Genre: Slice of Life, Manga
Recommended by Jack:
Possibly the cosiest manga I have yet to read. I thoroughly enjoyed escaping into stories that are purely comfy - no drama or suspense, just camping, good food, and appreciating the outdoors. Also, as someone who previously knew nothing about camping, I feel that this series taught me some practical things. If I ever choose to go camping now, I probably won't die!
The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Book One) by Rick Riordan
Genre: Fantasy, Mythology, Middle Grade
Recommended by Debbie B.:
Very engaging, I wish I'd had this book when I was a kid.
A Lucky Irish Lad by Kevin O'Hara
Genre: Memoir
Recommended by Debbie M.:
A memoir by Pittsfield's own Kevin O'Hara, which I had not read before. Lovely and funny.
Mexikid by Pedro Martin
Genre: Graphic Memoir, Middle Grade
Recommended by RocÃo:
A genial juvenile graphic novel about growing up in a boisterous and large Mexican-American family. Featured in the Guardian's Five best YA books of 2023!
Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Genre: Science Fiction
Recommended by Debbie B.:
Third in the Locked Tomb series. The way the world-building keeps unfolding over the three books is deeply satisfying to me. I started re-reading the first book after finishing this one, just to see if I'd missed anything (I had).
The Oppermanns by Leon Feuchtwanger
Genre: Historical Fiction
Recommended by Debbie M.:
Prescient German novel from 1933 about a Jewish family in Berlin during the rise of Naziism.Â
Our Hideous Progeny by C. E. McGill
Genre: Gothic, Science Fiction
Recommended by Jack:
Crossing over Mary Shelley's Frankenstein with the Victorian dinosaur boom, this was bound to be a book I would love. Wonderfully gothic and unhurried in its storytelling, this book treats Shelley's classic with the utmost respect and further explores and questions its themes in a thrilling adventure of secrecy and science.Â
Our Migrant Souls: A Meditation on Race and the Meaning and Myths of "Latino" by Héctor Tobar
Genre: Nonfiction, Race
Recommended by RocÃo:
A thoughtful and lyrically written book of non-fiction on what it means to be from "away" in America. Winner of the 2023 Kirkus prize for best nonfiction.
Profiles in Ignorance: How America's Politicians Got Dumb and Dumber by Andy Borowitz
Genre: Nonfiction, Politics
Recommended by Debbie M.:
Hilarious but depressing history of 25 years of American electoral politics by satirist Andy Borowitz. Not satire -- all true, alas.
Questions I am Asked About the Holocaust: Young Readers Edition by Heidi Fried
Genre: Nonfiction, History, Young Adult
Recommended by RocÃo:
This YA adaptation offers first-hand insight into a dark time in history.
The Quiet Place by Seicho Matsumoto
Genre: Mystery
Recommended by Kirsten:
This Japanese mystery is less of a whodunnit, and more of a why-and-howdunnit, but from there evolves into psychological suspense.
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
Genre: Science Fiction
Recommended by Jenna:
The Hunger Games… IN SPACE!! If that premise sounds awesome to you, you’ll enjoy the story of Darrow, a lowly Red, as he infiltrates the ruling Gold class to overthrow the color-based caste system that keeps his fellow Reds enslaved.Â
A Scatter of Light by Malinda Lo
Genre: LGBTQ+, Young Adult
Recommended by Debbie B.:
It's a story about not getting what you want, and then realizing you don't actually know what you want ... I really liked this one a lot.
The Searcher by Tana French
Genre: Mystery
Recommended by Debbie M.:
Her best yet, and it appears there will be a sequel coming out this year.Â
To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose
Genre: Fantasy
Recommended by Jenna:
A Native girl acquires a dragon egg & must attend a colonizer-run school to train her new hatchling. Set in a fantasy version of Massachusetts, this book deals heavily with issues of colonization & forced assimilation. Dragons & a chemistry-based magic system make it a very enjoyable fantasy read! The author is Wampanoag, making this a good book for anyone looking to read books by Indigenous authors. Â
Snowblind by Ragnar Jónasson
Genre: Mystery
Recommended by Pat M.:
A rookie policeman is dragged straight into the heart of a community where he can trust no one. An avalanche and unrelenting snowstorms close the mountain pass from Siglufjörður, and the 24-hour darkness threatens to push the village over the edge. Creepy!
Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher
Genre: Fantasy
Recommended by Debbie B.:
Kingfisher does really neatly twisted re-imaginings of very old stories, and this is no exception.Â
Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay
Genre: Fantasy
Recommended by Jenna:
The conquered & occupied land of Tigana was cursed by a vengeful sorcerer so that its name may not be spoken aloud. Now, a ragtag band of people from all walks of life come together to end the sorcerer’s rule & free their beloved land. Guy Gavriel Kay’s prose is beautiful & deeply moving. Even those who don’t typically read fantasy can find something to enjoy here.Â
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Recommended by Kirsten:
About friendship and video games, but really about so much more.
The Velvet Underground and Nico from the (33 1/3 Series)
Genre: Nonfiction, Music
Recommended by Jenna:
33 1/3 is a series of short books (usually less than 200 pages) providing an in-depth look at a particular album. They can vary greatly in content, with some focusing more on the music while others look in detail at the greater context of the album’s creation. I highly recommend the whole series for any fans of popular music, but if I had to pick one I'd probably go with the Velvet Underground & Nico.
(NOTE: There are only a couple of these in the CW MARS catalog. ComCat has a lot more!)Â
What Stalks Among Us by Sarah Hollowell
Genre: Horror, Young Adult
Recommended by Debbie B.:
It jumps you right into the story feet-first. Narrative voice is compelling and feels true.Â