I did away with ‘top tens’ a few years ago, and instead I finish the reading year with a recap of the books that are still speaking to me (less about four and five-star ratings, more about what has stuck).
Some stories are completely absorbing – who doesn’t love the feeling of not being able to put a book down? I was engrossed in Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart, The Performance by Claire Thomas, Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield, and Vladimir by Julia May Jonas.
For the superb writing alone, standouts were Devotion by Hannah Kent (she writes about landscape beautifully); and two memoirs – Bedtime Story by Chloe Hooper (she balances her meticulous research and the emotional narrative so brilliantly) and the deliciously succinct Heating & Cooling by Beth Ann Fennelly.
Bridging both categories (‘completely absorbing’ and ‘superb writing’) were the two novellas I read by Claire Keegan – Small Things Like These and Foster.
Books that make me laugh out loud are few and far between, but this year the winners were Louis Theroux’s COVID memoir, Theroux the Keyhole and John Boyne’s satirical novel about fame, The Echo Chamber.
Despite how it may seem, not of all my nonfiction reading is memoir. Books that I’m still thinking about (or had me thinking hard as I was reading) were Wintering by Katherine May (this was a bit memoir-ish); Why You Should Give a Fuck About Farming by Gabrielle Chan, and Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe.
And to the books that, if forced to choose absolute favourites, would top my list – all three were memoirs this year – Rememberings by Sinéad O’Connor for her clear and distinct voice; Found, Wanting by Natasha Sholl for her extraordinary ability to put grief into words; and Priestdaddy by Patricia Lockwood because it made me laugh and cry (and they are the best kinds of books).
Thanks for your readership and I look forward to sharing more books in 2023.