Reading Nook: Favorite Books of 2023

“Books are a uniquely portable magic.” ― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

Image by pikisuperstar</a> on Freepik.

One of my favorite benefits of retirement is the free time to pursue my favorite activities As a result, I think I am busier than when I was working outside of the home. And I do want to clarify that I am still working: there are no retirement fairies who come to clean my home, do my laundry, cook fabulous meals, or gather fur bunnies (thanks to two dogs and one cat) from the corners of my home. But I wandered a bit …back to reading and books.

Reading is one of my greatest pleasures. I have been an avid reader most of my adult life which has always surprised me: I didn’t read much as a child. There were no books in my childhood homes, no trips to the library until my teens, and in my small family, only my grandfather read regularly. Around age 10, my great-aunt began gifting me books from the Nancy Drew series and I remember the feeling of being temporarily transported to another place. In my teens, I discovered the public library as a refuge from the angry noise of my troubled family and took a city bus to travel to a library branch. I didn’t know my way around literature so I usually sat in the reference section, reading from encyclopedias. I don’t remember checking a book out - I don’t even think I applied for a library card. I still love to sit in a library and read. Public libraries are one of the greatest gifts of a free society…but that’s another essay.

In high school, English literature was my favorite topic but the instruction was too slow and methodical for me. I wanted to inhale books. The last book I read in high school was The Scarlet Letter and after I was given a copy, I read the entire book in two days and told my teacher how much I enjoyed the book. She berated me for not following her instructions to only read the assigned pages. Already disillusioned with my high school experience, I dropped out and completed my GED.

During the next forty years, I opened my mind to all kinds of books. For many years, I focused on non-fiction as a source of learning. Long before the internet, I used books to teach myself how to cook, raise a child, grow food, sew, knit and crochet, build a career, manage my time and productivity, make herbal medicine, and become a happier adult through self-help books. Starting college in my mid-20s, I re-discovered literature and completed every available English course. At one point, I thought I wanted to become a high school English instructor but a wise professor described her profession as a lover of literature but a teacher of writing and composition. It didn’t feel like a good fit for me, so I altered my career direction. 

Now in my 60s, I developed the practice of rising early in the dark and reading for 1-2 hours. My brain is at its best in the early morning so I focus on non-fiction, often taking notes. Eight years ago, I bought a Kindle e-reader and it has become a regular companion. For me, there are many benefits: the back-lit screen allows me to read at night without lights on and while camping in the inky black darkness of a tent. I can highlight sections as notes and then download the notes. The best magic is this: I can press on a word on the screen and read its definition that pops up. How wonderful is that! I am sure this created a new neuropathway because I have occasionally found myself moving my finger to an unknown word in a printed book. So far, it doesn’t work on the printed page.

My e-reader travels with me on solo hikes, where I can read poetry or another chapter of a book while eating my lunch in the quiet of a forest or perched on a mountain. I always have a book to read whenever I travel - this simple device allows me to bring plenty of reading material. My branch library is thirty minutes away but I have 24/7 access to the library’s catalog to borrow and download available books with my e-reader.

Audiobooks have upped my reading game in the last few years. I have rediscovered fiction using recorded books and my smartphone. Murder mysteries, psychological thrillers, literary fiction, and my favorite genre, historical fiction, are my go-to stories while in the garden, on daily walks, working in the kitchen, and knitting. But, the narrator makes or breaks a book and I will quickly move on to another book if a narrator does not work for me. (The narrator for the Pulitzer Prize winner, Demon Copperhead, did not work for me and I abandoned the book about a third of the way in.) And of course, bad writing is always a disqualifier. There are simply too many good books and not enough time.

I still buy books printed on paper and have acquired a home library of mostly reference and non-fiction books that support my hobbies and homestead lifestyle. For years, I was a bit embarrassed to admit that I hadn’t read all of the books in my home library. It turns out that the Japanese understand this behavior and have invented a word for it: tsundoku. Tsundoku is the Japanese word for the collection of books you’ve purchased but haven’t read. The word combines tsunde-oku (letting things pile up) and dokusho (reading books). 

Last year, I pledged to read 75 books in the Goodreads Annual Book Challenge. I am not a competitive reader but the Challenge serves as a good motivator for reading throughout the year (it’s so easy to be distracted in a culture of screens of mostly nonsense). Thanks to audiobooks, I completed that goal in October so raised the goal to 100 books, achieving that goal on Dec 31.

Below is a list of the books I enjoyed most in 2023.

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Beyond the War on Invasive Species by Tao Orion (2015)

Genres: Non-fiction, Ecology, Nature

From the publisher: Concerns that invasive species represent significant threats to global biodiversity and ecological integrity permeate conversations from schoolrooms to board rooms, and concerned citizens grapple with how to rapidly and efficiently manage their populations. These worries have culminated in an ongoing “war on invasive species,” where the arsenal is stocked with bulldozers, chainsaws, and herbicides put to the task of their immediate eradication.

The choices we make daily—the ways we procure food, shelter, water, medicine, and transportation—are the major drivers of contemporary changes in ecosystem structure and function; therefore, deep and long-lasting ecological restoration outcomes will come not just from eliminating invasive species, but through conscientious redesign of these production systems.

My thoughts: An outstanding and visionary book on rethinking restoration ecology. Not quite a textbook but it should be required reading in every ecology and weed science course. Well-researched, offering lessons in ecology, botany, systems thinking, permaculture, resources, restoration, and human impact.

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The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey (2012)

Genres: Historical Fiction, fairy-tale re-telling

From the publisher: Alaska, 1920: a brutal place to homestead, and especially tough for recent arrivals Jack and Mabel. Childless, they are drifting apart--he breaking under the weight of the work of the farm; she crumbling from loneliness and despair. In a moment of levity during the season's first snowfall, they build a child out of snow. The next morning the snow child is gone--but they glimpse a young, blonde-haired girl running through the trees. This little girl, who calls herself Faina, seems to be a child of the woods. She hunts with a red fox at her side, skims lightly across the snow, and somehow survives alone in the Alaskan wilderness. As Jack and Mabel struggle to understand this child who could have stepped from the pages of a fairy tale, they come to love her as their daughter. But in this beautiful, violent place things are rarely as they appear, and what they eventually learn about Faina will transform all of them.

My thoughts: I loved this book - heart-wrenching at times, and smile-inducing at other times. A story filled with the joy and pain of living and loving. And we all need a friend like Esther!

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Grounded: A Gardener’s Journey to Abundance and Self-sufficiency by Liz Zorab (2021)

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction, Memoir

From the publisher: If you want to grow your own food, become more self-sufficient, zero waste or eco-friendly, or even go fully off-grid, Liz Zorab is the perfect guide to help you explore the world of green living and permaculture.

Grounded is the story of her gardening journey: from bare field to bountiful feast; from poor soil to fertile abundance; from rookie errors to successful sustainability. Liz and her husband, Mr. J, transformed a tired 0.8-acre field into a fertile homestead that provides 80% of their food and drink with enough left over to stock a community veggie box scheme!

My thoughts: A delightful memoir of a middle-aged couple, their escape to live on the land and develop a life-saving garden. With gardening 101 tips sprinkled throughout. 

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The Indigo Girl by Natasha Boyd (2017)

Genre: Historical Fiction

From the publisher: Based on historical documents, including Eliza's letters, this is a historical fiction account of how a teenage girl produced indigo dye, which became one of the largest exports out of South Carolina, an export that laid the foundation for the incredible wealth of several Southern families who still live on today. Although largely overlooked by historians, the accomplishments of Eliza Lucas influenced the course of US history. When she passed away in 1793, President George Washington served as a pallbearer at her funeral.

This book is set between 1739 and 1744, with romance, intrigue, forbidden friendships, and political and financial threats weaving together to form the story of a remarkable young woman whose actions were before their time: the story of the indigo girl.

My thoughts: The importance of plants and crops in the early history of the USA is not given enough credit for the success of our young country. Indigo was just one of many crops and native species that were exported during the 1700s. This book was easy to read and kept me engaged. I would have enjoyed additional chapters to follow the rest of her story. And …I am never surprised that the determination and accomplishments of women are ignored in our teaching of history.

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The Triumph of Seeds: How Grains, Nuts, Kernels, Pips Conquered the Plant Kingdom and Shaped Human History by Thor Hanson (2015)

From the publisher: We live in a world of seeds. From our morning toast to the cotton in our clothes, they are quite literally the stuff and staff of life: supporting diets, economies, and civilizations around the globe. Just as the search for nutmeg and pepper drove the Age of Discovery, coffee beans fueled the Enlightenment and cottonseed sparked the Industrial Revolution. Seeds are fundamental objects of beauty, evolutionary wonders, and simple fascination. This is a book of knowledge, adventure, and wonder, spun by an award-winning writer with both the charm of a fireside storyteller and the hard-won expertise of a field biologist. 

My thoughts: I am a plant geek and seeds are mini-plants waiting to be grown. This book is the way I like to learn scientific information: personal experiences mixed with an engaging science narrative.

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The Hacienda by Isabel Canas (2022)

Genres: Historical fiction, horror, gothic, thriller, mystery

From the publisher: Mexican Gothic meets Rebecca in this debut supernatural suspense novel, set in the aftermath of the Mexican War of Independence, about a remote house, a sinister haunting, and the woman pulled into their clutches...

My Thoughts: Beautifully written, I highlighted many sentences simply because of their exquisite construction. Not scary to encourage nightmares, but enthralling enough to keep me reading late into the night. The house is a primary character in the book which ended up being a theme in several of my favorite books this year.

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That Wild Country: An Epic Journey through the Past, Present, and Future of Public Land by Mark Kenyon (2019)

From the publisher: From prominent outdoorsman and nature writer Mark Kenyon comes an engrossing reflection on the past and future battles over our most revered landscapes—America’s public lands.  Part travelogue and part historical examination, That Wild Country invites readers on an intimate tour of the wondrous wild and public places that are a uniquely profound and endangered part of the American landscape.

Part travelogue and part historical examination, That Wild Country invites readers on an intimate tour of the wondrous wild and public places that are a uniquely profound and endangered part of the American landscape.

My thoughts: I spend a good amount of time on public lands and my retirement travel plans are focused on visiting far more public lands in the American West. This book was delightful to read; I liked the format of a chapter about a personal experience on a public land and then a chapter about the history of that place.

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Someone Always Nearby by Susan Wittig Albert (2023)

Genre: Historical Fiction

From the publisher: In 1940, art-world icon Georgia O'Keeffe bought a house in a mountain-rimmed New Mexico desert, planning to live there for six months every year. To manage her remote household while she paints, O'Keeffe invited Maria Chabot - a young and naïve would-be writer - to join her. An evocative story that explores the dimensions of friendship and the debts we incur to those who make our lives easier, Someone Always Nearby is based on research into a massive collection of over 700 letters, documents, media reports, and historical accounts. Bonus Reader's Guide. 

My thoughts: I thoroughly enjoyed this story of a "hidden woman," part of a series of books that explore women who support well-known women through their friendships. Maria Chabot was one of these women: her decades-long relationship with artist Georgia O'Keeffe was instrumental in the artist's move to NM. 

Familiar with some of O'Keeffe's artwork, I learned more about her life and her art in this book. Albert does an excellent job of portraying the complexities of being a woman in our culture during that time. But I don’t think I would have liked Georgia O’Keeffe as a friend.

There was a third primary character in this fictional accounting: the landscape of northern NM and their homes.

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Two books by Hannah Kent: Her writing is beautiful, her historical research excellent, and her storytelling is compelling. I read Burial Rites first and immediately ordered The Good People.

 Burial Rites (2013)

Genres: Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction

From the publisher: Based on a true story, Burial Rites is a deeply moving novel about freedom and the ways we will risk everything for love. In beautiful, cut-glass prose, Hannah Kent portrays Iceland's formidable landscape, and asks: how can one woman endure when her life depends upon the stories told by others?

My thoughts: Haunting, compelling, richly descriptive, and storytelling at its best. This book deserves silence and total dedication - there are sentences to be devoured.

The Good People (2016) 

Genres: Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction

From the publisher: County Kerry, Ireland, 1825. Nóra Leahy has lost her daughter and her husband in the same year and is now burdened with the care of her four-year-old grandson, Micheál. The boy cannot walk, or speak, and Nora, mistrustful of the tongues of gossips, has kept the child hidden from those who might see in his deformity evidence of otherworldly interference.

Unable to care for the child alone, Nóra hires a fourteen-year-old servant girl, Mary, who soon hears the whispers in the valley about the blasted creature causing grief to fall upon the widow's house.

My Thoughts: I listened to the book and the Irish narrator was excellent. I felt like I was eavesdropping in the homes of the characters. But there is so much to this story - read the author’s notes to understand the historical realities and practices to better understand.

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Windswept: Walking the Paths of Trailblazing Women by Annabel Abbs (2023)

From the publisher: Part historical inquiry and part memoir, the stories of these writers and artists are laced together by moments in Abb’s own life, beginning with her poet father who raised her in the Welsh countryside as an “experiment,” according to the principles of Rousseau. Abbs explores a forgotten legacy of moving on foot and discovers how it has helped women throughout history to find their voices, to reimagine their lives, and to break free from convention. As Abbs traces the paths of exceptional women, she realizes that she, too, is walking away from her past and into a radically different future.  Windswept crosses continents and centuries in a provocative and poignant account of the power of walking in nature.

My thoughts: I found this book fascinating and thoughtful. I rise early to read in the pre-dawn silence for several hours each day and this unique travelogue allowed me to wander the Alps, Scotland, Germany, the Texas Panhandle, and New Mexico without getting out of my recliner! As an avid walker and hiker, I enjoyed reading about the connection between walking in the wild and our creativity.

The book is also part memoir and though some reviewers didn’t value the insertion of the author's personal experiences and notes, I found them balanced and engaging. As I age, I have come to value the stories of women trying to create the lives they want, after centuries of few choices.

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Brave The Wild River: The Untold Story of Two Women Who Mapped the Botany of the Grand Canyon by Melissa L. Sevigny (2023)

From the publisher: Through the vibrant letters and diaries of the two women, science journalist Melissa L. Sevigny traces their forty-three-day journey, during which they ran rapids, chased a runaway boat, and turned their harshest critic into an ally. Their story is a spellbinding adventure of two women who risked their lives to make an unprecedented botanical survey of a little-known corner of the American West at a time when human influences had begun to change it forever.

My thoughts: This is one of the best books I read in 2023. Sevigny's writing is beautiful, her research is detailed, and her storytelling is excellent. She tells the history of the Colorado River, the American Southwest, botany & ecology, and women scientists in this book. Her descriptions of the canyon, the rapids, and the plants are vivid - having rafted other rivers, I felt the excitement as she described some of the episodes of riding the spring flood waters.  As a plant nerd, I also appreciated her inclusion of the plant's scientific names.

This was my 100th book of the year and I spent the last week in December, riding the rapids of the Colorado River, sweltering in the hot sun of the Grand Canyon, and looking up the plants mentioned in the book.

Now it’s your turn. Share your favorite books, your preferred way to read, and your thoughts about a life of reading. Do you track your books and/or keep a book journal? How do you describe your reading life?