My Top 12 Books of 2023 to Read from Natasha Saar
By Natasha Saar
With March coming to a close, there’s still plenty of time for you to spend reading, reading, reading. If you can tear your eyes away from Yellow Arrow Publishing’s work, I've compiled a list of 2023 must-read books that might tickle a similar reading itch . . . and you’ll get to see what everyone’s reading nowadays.
1. Good for a Girl by Lauren Fleshmen (Penguin Press, get your copy here)
In this half-memoir, half-manifesto, Lauren Fleshmen tackles the world of running and commercialized sporting from its greatest highs to its greatest lows—and there are much more of the latter. Fleshmen gives voice to girls fitting into a sporting system designed to lift men and, with someone with her multitude of experience, she has a lot of it.
2. Yellowface by R.F. Kuang (Harper Collins, out in May, get your copy here)
After the death of fellow student and literary superstar Athena Liu, fame-hungry Jane Hayward is hit with an idea: steal Athena’s manuscript and pass it off as her own. So, what if it’s about Chinese laborers under the British and French in World War I? Even if Jane’s not from Athena’s exact background, shouldn’t this story get told? Reviewers seem to agree, but critics seem convinced there’s something Hayward isn’t telling them. . .
3. Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor (Riverhead Books, get your copy here)
Sunny’s the lady-killer heir, Ajay’s the family maid, and Neda’s the plucky journalist. Their one similarity: a connection to the Mercedes that jumped the curb, killed five, and left one baffled servant. Now, they’re caught in a plot that spans towns, families, friendships, and romances, and you’d better hope it ends with them keeping their heads. It’s the Indian mystery thriller you always knew you wanted!
4. A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher (Nightfire, get your copy here)
If you’re like this blogger, you like a good Southern gothic—and if you’re not like this blogger, you might still want to give this one a look. After accepting an extended visit home, Sam discovers a house quieter, dustier, and emptier than she remembered. With her Mom’s trembling hands and the vultures circling overhead, Sam feels like there’s anything but a good omen rising.
5. Old Babes in the Wood: Stories by Margaret Atwood (Doubleday, get your copy here)
Margaret Atwood returns to short fiction for the first time since 2014 with a series of tales that depict a mother-daughter relationship. The twist? The mother purports to be a witch. It’s a bunch of bite-sized glimpses into what family means when it’s held down by baggage, fantasy, and complications.
6. Happy Place by Emily Henry (Berkley, get your copy here)
If you’re into some contemporary chick lit, Emily Henry has delivered yet again. This time, the package is in the form of a college romance, an annual getaway, and a breakup. Except this breakup happened six months ago, and they haven’t told their friends. Not wanting to ruin their yearly vacation, Harriet and Wyn agree to pretend to be a couple for one more week . . . but will the facade break, or stop being one at all? (Knowing the genre, probably the latter.)
7. The Faraway World: Stories by Patricia Engel (Avid Reader Press, get your copy here)
Engel takes us on a journey of Latin America's communities burdened by poverty, family, and grief, and there are a lot of them to be had. This compilation of 10 (previously published) short stories will give you a taste of the full breadth of human experiences with an authentic voice, witty writing, and vulnerability that will touch anyone.
8. My Last Innocent Year by Daisy Alpert Florin (Henry Holt, get your copy here)
Isabel Rosen is part of the prestigious elite, about to graduate into eliter, and has always felt out of place. After a nonconsensual encounter with one of the only other Jewish students on campus, she’s about to feel that even worse. A whirlwind affair with her older, married writing professor is the only thing she has to cope, but nothing about it seems to bode well for her.
9. Really Good, Actually by Monica Heise (William Morrow, get your copy here)
Maggie’s got it all: a dead-end thesis, a dead-end marriage, dead-end savings, and she’s not even 30. With her support group by her side, Maggie barrels through her first year newly single with wit, humor, and heavy self-deprecation. Emphasis on all three, and additional emphasis on it being a wild ride.
10. The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise by Colleen Oakley (Berkley, get your copy here)
Tanner’s chance to escape a life made up of 19 hours of video games comes with an opportunity to be an elderly woman’s live-in caregiver. Simple, except for the fact that Louise didn’t want a caretaker in the first place, looks weirdly similar to a prolific jewelry thief, and, one day, insists that they leave town immediately. Thus ensues a wacky road trip that spawns an equally wacky—and unlikely—friendship.
11. Wolfish: Wolf, Self, and the Stories We Tell About Fear by Erica Berry (Flatiron Books, get your copy here)
Erica Berry has walked a years-long quest to study the cultural legacy of the wolf, and this is the result. If you’re interested in wolves, this will tell you all you need to know. If you’re not, you can find criticism, journalism, and memoirs galore that let us peer into the world of predator and prey. What does it mean when we, as humans, can be both?
12. I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai (Viking, get your copy here)
Bodie’s ready to leave her past behind her, but she can’t resist her ala mater inviting her back to campus to teach a course. That just means she’s back to thinking about her college roommate’s grisly murder, and how strange the conviction was, and how she has this nagging feeling that, back in 1995, she might’ve known the key to solving the case. But is it too late to run it back?
Have you read any of these already? Did I miss a few most-definitely, absolutely-necessary mentions? Tell us about it in a comment so that we can pick up a copy today.
Natasha Saar (she/her) is a senior at Loyola University Maryland, pursuing a BA in English, and the spring 2023 publications intern at Yellow Arrow Publishing. She’s in charge of editing nonfiction submissions at her university’s literary magazine, Corridors, and also works as a resident assistant in her dorm hall. In her free time, she enjoys folding origami, baking, and playing social deduction games.
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