Kelly Hooker - Our Favorite Books of 2023

In this episode, Kelly Hooker and I discuss our favorite books of 2023.

Kelly’s Selections:  

1. Favorite Book of the Year: Go As a River by Shelley Read
2. Best Book To Recommend to Anyone: The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise by Colleen Oakley
3. Most Unique Premise: Shark Heart by Emily Habeck
4. Most Likely to Feel like a Conversation with a Friend: It Was an Ugly Couch Anyway by Elizabeth Passarella
5. Most Tense: The Quiet Tenant by Clemence Michallon
6. Best Time Travel Story: The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young
7. Best Book Club Discussion: One Summer In Savannah by Terah Shelton Harris
8. The Best Love Story of the Year and My Life: The Last Love Note by Emma Grey
9. Most Unique Story Structure: A Murder in the Family by Cara Hunter
10. Most Likely to Keep You Up Past Bedtime: Drowning by T.J. Newman
11. Most Mysterious Storyline: Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent
12. Most Darkly Lyrical: On the Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel
13. Best Coming of Age Story: The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger
14. Most Likely to Make You Laugh: Late Bloomers by Deepa Varadarajan
15. Most Unforgettable Character: How to Be Remembered by Michael Thompson

Cindy’s Selections:

1. Most Unsettling  - Better the Blood by Michael Bennett
2. Historical Fiction Standout - Go As a River by Shelley Read 
3. Best Book to Get Lost In - Time’s Undoing by Cheryl A. Head 
4. Most Likely to Make You Laugh - Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q Sutanto 
5. Best Book Club Discussion - Hello Beautiful by Ann Naplitano
6. Most Likely to Re-read - The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise by Colleen Oakley 
7. Best Strong Sense of Place - Homecoming by Kate Morton 
8. Most Likely To Recommend to a Friend - Drowning by T.J. Newman 
9. Most Perfectly Plotted - The Bitter Past by Bruce Borgos 
10. Best Family Saga - The Connellys of County Down by Tracey Lange
11. Best Glimpse into a Particular Time Period - The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger 
12. Most Unique Format - Murder in the Family by Cara Hunter 
13. Best Recommendation from a Friend - The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters 
14. Most Unforgettable Character - The Madstone by Elizabeth Crook 
15. 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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