When you read as much as I do, it's especially hard to narrow down favourites. For context, I read more than 400 books in 2023 and I gave 156 of those 5 stars on Goodreads. Out of those, I chose 36 favourites. Nineteen are by Canadian authors, 12 are in audiobook format, 5 are in comics format, 8 are in translation, 27 are by women or nonbinary authors, at least 8 of them are by queer authors and 7 are by Indigenous authors. All of which reflects the kinds of books I prefer to focus on.
Another thing that I noticed is that the books I read in tandem with other people tend to be the ones that left a lasting impression. Seven of my favourites were buddy reads.
I've placed these 36 books in categories below. And while I was doing that, I managed to narrow these down a top ten, which I will list at the very end of this post.
Top 6 Nonfiction:
6 - Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma by Claire Dederer (audiobook)
5 - Ultra Processed People: The Science Behind Food that Isn't Food by Chris Van Tulleken (audiobook)
4 - My Fourth Time, We Drowned: Seeking Refuge on the World's Deadliest Migration Route by Sally Hayden (audiobook)
3 - Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World by John Vaillant (audiobook)
2 - Valley of the Birdtail: An Indian Reserve, a White Town and the Road to Reconciliation by Andrew Stobo Sniderman and Douglas Sanderson
1 - No Friend but the Mountains: Writing from Manus Prison by Behrouz Boochani, translated by Omid Tofighian (audiobook)
Best Memoirs:
Thick Skin: Field Notes from a Sister in the Brotherhood by Hilary Peach
Namwayut - We Are All One: A Pathway to Reconciliation by Chief Robert Joseph (audiobook)
Best Graphic Memoirs:
Sunshine by Jarrett Krosoczka
The Talk by Darrin Bell
Best Re-reads:
Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe
Monkey Beach by Eden Robinson
Best Play:
Angels in America by Tony Kushner (full cast audiobook)
Best Poetry:
Knife on Snow by Alice Major
Best Novella:
Foster by Claire Keegan (audiobook)
Best YA:
Those Pink Mountain Nights by Jen Ferguson (audiobook)
Best Picture Book:
Wolf Suit by Sid Sharp
Best Children's Chapter Book:
The Runaways by Ulf Stark, translated by Julia Marshall
Best Graphic Novel for Kids:
Frizzy by Claribel Ortega and Rose Bousamra
Best Graphic Novel for Adults:
The Waiting by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim, translated by Janet Hong
Best Novels in Translation:
Permafrost by Eva Baltasar, translated by Julia Sanches
Tomb of Sand by Geetanjali Shree, translated by Daisy Rockwell
Best Mid-20th-Century Modern Classics in Translation:
The Tin Flute by Gabrielle Roy, translated by Alan Brown
Alberta Alone by Cora Sandel, translated by Elizabeth Rokkan
(with an honorable mention: Krane's Cafe by Cora Sandel, translated by Elizabeth Rokkan)
Best Historical Fiction:
Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff (audiobook)
Held by Anne Michaels (audiobook)
The Lost Century by Larissa Lai
Best Novels by Indigenous Authors:
A Grandmother Begins the Story by Michelle Porter (audiobook)
And Then She Fell by Alicia Elliott (audiobook)
Best Canadian Novels:
We Meant Well by Erum Shazia Hasan
Your Driver Is Waiting by Priya Guns
Top Five I Loved Because of Their Innovative Style:
5 - Denison Avenue by Christina Wong and D Innes
4 - A Study for Obedience by Sarah Bernstein
3 - With or Without Angels by Douglas Bruton
2 - Osebol: Voices from a Swedish Village by Marit Kapla, translated by Peter Graves
1 - Mercy Gene by JD Derbyshire
And now [drum roll] my top ten favourites of 2023:
10 - Mercy Gene by JD Derbyshire
9 - Valley of the Birdtail: An Indian Reserve, a White Town and the Road to Reconciliation by Andrew Stobo Sniderman and Douglas Sanderson
8 - And Then She Fell by Alicia Elliott (audiobook)
7 - Wolf Suit by Sid Sharp
6 - We Meant Well by Erum Shazia Hasan
5 - The Talk by Darrin Bell
4 - Tomb of Sand by Geetanjali Shree, translated by Daisy Rockwell
3 - Alberta Alone by Cora Sandel, translated by Elizabeth Rokkan
2 - Your Driver Is Waiting by Priya Guns
1 - No Friend but the Mountains: Writing from Manus Prison by Behrouz Boochani, translated by Omid Tofighian (audiobook)
