This is the first of two posts about the books I’ve read in 2023. Today, I am sharing my three favourite fictional books. Tomorrow, I will share my top three non-fiction books.

Do let me know if you’ve enjoyed any of these yourself. And I’d love to hear what some of your favourite books have been this year. Let me know!

I properly got hooked reading this! I was gripped from the opening lines and then couldn’t put it down. It’s a suspenseful mystery full of unpredictable twists and turns. A young woman stumbles into an abandoned apartment in Paris and ends up entangled in a mystery involving its former occupants. The story explores how our loyalty and survival instincts as humans can be exploited for wealth and security. My only criticism would be that, considering it was set in Paris, it didn’t really feel Parisian – I wasn’t transported there. But, overall, I loved it!

I spent the summer making my way slowly through this epic. It’s a beautifully written, fascinating insight into Japanese and Korean culture and history I knew nothing about. The story transports you through nearly 100 years of history, from the early 20th century to the 1980s. This remarkable multi-generational story of love, sacrifice, ambition, and loyalty, revolves around the struggles and triumphs of a family navigating issues of identity, discrimination, and economic hardship. Truly wonderful. 

1. LOVE MARRIAGE by Monica Ali

It took me a while to get into this but it ended up being something I loved! One of my favourite novels in a while. The story explores the tensions when two people from different races, ethnicities, and religions decide to marry. It’s about what happens when two cultures, two families, and two people are brought together, and both those families then have to face the exposure of long-held secrets, treachery, and lies. It makes for a compelling storyline! 

–Sam

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