Issue 13  December 29 2023

The Best Books I Read in 2023

Published in various years

Since I didn’t write any of my own books this year, I dedicated 2023 to reading other peoples’ books. All in all, I read 101 books; one more than my goal of 100. Most were Sapphic contemporary romance. But there were a fair amount of Young Adult, Historical, and Jewish books.

The following 20 books are the best ones I read. I define “best” as having overall strong writing, well developed and interesting characters, detailed research (for historical), great setting portrayal, and, in some cases, new creative ideas. In sum, the best books are those in which I was heavily engaged as a reader.

Series

A strong first book in a series (defined as books that continue the story of the lead or main characters) will make me want to read what comes next.

The Shadow series by J.E. Leak concluded in 2023 with In The Shadow of Victory, which completed the WWII adventures and romance of Jenny and Kathryn, spies who first meet when Jenny is trying to solve her father’s murder. The intensity of this final book is off the charts. But you have to start with book 1, In The Shadow of the Past to be able to follow.

Heroine of Her Own Life by Constance Emmett is the first of two books, set in Northern Ireland during the inter-war period into WWII. These well written books focus on class and on The Troubles, without shying away from the violence that took place between Catholics and Protestants. Meg, the main character, is well drawn and highly engaging.

All three books in The Senator’s Wife series by Jen Lyon were released in 2023. I read the first two and loved them and am now about halfway through the third and final one. Alex, a professional soccer player, saves Katharine, the senator’s wife, from drowning after a sailing accident, setting off a long series of interactions in their developing romance and many scandals. There’s something highly engaging about this series, and I have to say, I think that something is Katharine, a wealthy, successful businesswoman who’s made some difficult choices to live a limited life. That is, until Alex. I’m not a regular reader of sports novels, but these are so much more. This third and final book is beautifully written, especially as it describes settings in London and the English countryside.

Crime noir is also not my usual go-to for fiction, but the books about Cantor Gold (and I read and loved all of them in 2023) are magnificent. Well written with great descriptions of NYC in the post-WWII period, Cantor is a debonair butch art thief who always escapes from the most difficult situations. You don’t have to begin with book 1, Criminal Gold, but it’s wonderful and a great place to get started on the series.

Historical Fiction

The Ada Decades by Paula Martinac follows Ada from age 11 in 1947 into her 80s. Working as the librarian in a middle school in Charlotte, NC, Ada has a front row seat to witness segregation, the integration of her school, the early years of gay rights and other important historical milestones. The book also charts her long-term relationship with Cam, a teacher at her school and a more progressive and openly gay woman. This book isn’t really a character or plot focused novel. If anything, its focus is history as witnessed by Ada and Cam.

Her Lady’s Melody by Renee Dahlia takes place in the inter-war period, with Luciana, a surgeon living with PTSD and the loss of her female lover, and Therese, a Russian exile fleeing the Bolsheviks. This book is a great example of historical fiction that teaches readers a lot about the time period. The author included important and interesting context and detail. Plus, the tension in the story kept me very engaged.

Young Adult

Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit by Jaye Robin Brown explores the compromises high school student Joanna makes to please her minister father when, after remarrying, he relocates them to a small town in Georgia and asks Joanna to tone down her queerness. She’s not thrilled with the idea but it’s only 10 months ‘til she graduates. Except then, there’s this thing with Mary Carlson, who may or may not be into her. What I loved about the book was how it handled faith, which is rare in queer fiction (as in, I can count on one hand the number of books that do this well). The author does an excellent job dealing with the faith issue in that she never backs down from it. The other standout in this book is the depiction of Mary Carlson’s brother, Barnum, who is developmentally disabled but is likely one of the smartest characters in the book.

I Kissed Shara Wheeler began the YA juggernaut career of Casey McQuiston. This is another book about a queer high school student relocated to a religious small town high school. Chloe competes academically with golden girl, Shara, until one day Shara kisses her and disappears, leaving a series of clues on pink cards. The writing is hyper-specific, both in external descriptions and inner thoughts. Chloe is smart and ambitious but far from perfect. She has her own arc of realization. There’s a lot here about living in the conservative US south with all its pitfalls but also with its plusses.

Larissa, the main character in Cool for the Summer by Dahlia Adler, must choose between the boy she’s always crushed on and the girl who she hooked up with over the summer. This book is one of the best depictions of a bisexual teen coming to terms with her sexuality.

Jewish Fiction

Wrath Becomes Her by Aden Polydoros, is the story of Vera, a golem, created by a father to avenge the murder of his daughter, Chaya, a teenage Jewish partisan during WWII. With Chaya’s memories accessible to her, Vera bonds with Akiva, a fellow partisan. The two eventually meet an enemy more frightening than human Nazi soldiers. There is strong writing here as you would expect from the author The City Beautiful. Specific descriptions and so much detail describing Vera’s inner thoughts and her questions about what it means to be human. The book is intense since it is focused so much on survival against the odds. But so worth it.

Contemporary Sapphic Romance

I may as well start with two of my favorite indie authors who became engaged to one another in 2023! Congrats to Monica and Haley.

A Life Worth Living by Monica McCallan is the story of Nora and Gray, two competing realtors who end up sharing a vacation given to them as a reward by their employer. There’s much more to this than the #onebed trope. McCallan does what she does best with this book — detailed character backstories, interior thoughts, descriptions, and great arcs. As her twitter handle reads, “no plot, just feelings,” which is only accurate to a point. She’s one of our best.

Speaking of one of our best, On the Same Page by Haley Cass, picks up the story of two best friends introduced in an earlier novella, Riley and Gianna. Their very slow #friendstolovers journey is vintage Cass, complete with a holiday gift misunderstanding. Overall, the book is well plotted, though (just like her fiancé) plot is not the focus of this author’s books. It’s all about the characters: their thoughts, inner lives and changes.

Now on to another indie who has skyrocket to the topic of Sapphic lit.

In The Delicate Things We Make by Milena McKay, down on her luck Jamie, a journalist, accepts a high paying story for a fashion magazine to identify and interview the mysterious, reclusive and very famous artist, DeVor. Although Jamie discovers DeVor at about one-third of the way through, there’s still so much more to this book. The story and the characters stay with you and I had trouble starting another book afterward because these women were still in my head.

In A Whisper of Solace, also by Milena McKay, Neve, a Hollywood studio head and ice queen, begins therapy with the goal of ending her 4-month sexual relationship with Audrey, a young studio spokesperson. Determined not to be outed and lose everything, Neve breaks things off in the cruelest possible way. The book is all about Neve and her journey to self-acceptance and self-love. The therapy scenes interspersed throughout are well crafted and insightful as Neve begins to wrestle with the effects of her hidden, traumatic childhood. It was not a chore to spend 388 pages reading about Neve. I couldn’t put the book down.

Where the Heart Leads, the debut novel by Ally McGuire, is the story of Finn and her mysterious past that slowly reveals itself as the book proceeds and as Finn becomes involved with Angie, a Hollywood star and single mother. Highly recommended, especially if Hollywood novels and butch-femme pairings, are your thing.

If you’re comfortable with a dom-sub pairing then Ensnared in Her Symphony by Julie Dvorak would be a good read for you. Virve is an aloof and demanding famous orchestra conductor and a sexual dominant, while Sabi, first violinist, is a submissive who has always been drawn to Virve. The two begin a hot sexual relationship, including play, but Virve is still recovering from the betrayal of her ex-wife who is slamming her on social media. This book had me hooked from the beginning. Both MCs were well drawn and alluring, and together, they were amazing.

Time travel in the hands of a good author is always a fun read for me. Nicole Pyland’s Future Wife gives us Carter, in a troubled relationship with her wife, who goes on a business trip and meets the future Ryder, a scientist who’s traveled back in time to warn Carter not to follow her wife to her new job, but instead to meet Ry, because they are meant to be together. The connection between Carter and Ry is strong and believable. The plotting is well done and kept me engaged. As I read, I kept wondering what would the author do next. This could have been a 100 page book with Ry and Carter meeting and falling in love. But there’s a lot more here, even after they find one another.

Finally, to end this very long list, is another Casey McQuiston book, the most recent release, One Last Stop. In another great experiment with time travel, August, a typical Brooklyn queer, meets Jane on the subway. Jane, originally from a SF Chinatown family, has been transported to the train from 1970s NYC. She has no idea how she landed on the Q line in 2020, but she’s unable to leave the train. August is smitten but has no hope that Jane likes her that way. This is an ambitious book. Part romance, part new adult coming-of-age, part magical realism. All of it works. The characters are meticulously drawn in great detail and the depiction of queer Brooklyn downward mobility life is interesting and filled with hopefulness.