Literary Kitten

2023 was a year of testing the waters for me. I caught up on some classics, stayed up to date on a few new releases, and read some generally beloved books among the book community (of which I mostly referenced BookTube and Goodreads). You may notice a few running themes among the books I read this year: gothic horror, thrillers, and classics. These are generally the genres I gravitate towards as I LOVE an atmospheric, creepy book.

PSA: it’s okay if you don’t agree with my ratings! These are based on my reading experiences and preferences with the books listed below. Like what you like, I love that for you!

Some general stats per my Goodreads: 

• I read 15,945 pages 
• My shortest book was 64 pages 
• My longest book was 750 pages
• Average book length: 289 pages
• Average rating: 3.9 stars

Here are the 52 books I read in 2023:

Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie ⭐⭐⭐⭐

• I guessed the twist but I loved it in addition to the symbolism of the painting throughout the story. 

The Giver by Lois Lowry (reread) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

• A beautiful, nostalgic reread that reminded me why this was my favorite book throughout my childhood. 

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang ⭐⭐⭐⭐

• Criticizes the publishing industry and had the most insufferable main character; it was batsh*t and it just did it for me. 

Basara, Volume 1 by Yumi Tamura ⭐⭐⭐⭐

• I love badass women and I love a good 90’s shojo manga. 

Queen’s Quality by Kyousuke Motomi ⭐⭐⭐

• I just learned it is recommended you read a prequel series before starting this one, but the premise is really interesting from what I read. 

The Stranger by Albert Camus ⭐⭐⭐

• Many fantastic philosophical questions are raised, I just personally didn’t have much fun reading this one. 

The Yellow Wall-Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman ⭐⭐⭐⭐

• Eerie, psychologically unnerving; I love a satisfying short read. 

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov ⭐⭐⭐⭐

• An important book; one with some of the most beautiful writing but one of the hardest reads. 

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐’

• Sickening and atmospheric, the ending really brought this home for me. 

Tomie by Junji Ito ⭐⭐⭐

• It’s a disgusting horror manga with amazing art. 

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

• The themes of creation and familial connections struck a nerve in me; one of my favorite classics. 

Bunny by Mona Awad ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

• Reading this one made me realize I adore weird books with lots of mindf*ckery (and so an obsession began). 

The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill ⭐⭐⭐⭐

• I wish I could have read this book in middle school, it’s so magical and sweet. 

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

• Oh I was infuriated and I loved it; I collect all the editions I find of this book when I stumble upon them now. 

Crooked House by Agatha Christie ⭐⭐⭐⭐

• The twist for this one is so good, (aren’t they all though?) one of my favorite Christies. 

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë ⭐⭐⭐⭐

• I couldn’t put this down once I picked it up, it’s a well-deserved world-renowned classic. 

Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu ⭐⭐⭐

• I went into this with expectations that were too high, but I still somewhat enjoyed it. 

My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

• This is heartbreaking and brilliant, trigger warnings all around before diving into this one. 

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

• This book made me a HUGE fan of du Maurier, its atmosphere and its spookiness had me by the THROAT. 

My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

• You kind of think you know what’s happening, but you don’t really… and the narrator is a piece of work and… oh god I’m in love with du Maurier. 

The Women Could Fly by Megan Giddings ⭐⭐⭐

• The story felt bland to me, the magical elements didn’t feel as magical as I would’ve liked. 

A Room with a View by E.M. Forster ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

• Many of Mr. Emerson’s quotes made me cry and books that make me cry are a win – this one is mesmerizing . 

Hallowe’en Party by Agatha Christie ⭐⭐⭐

• Ugh… my least favorite Christie I’ve read so far.

All’s Well by Mona Awad ⭐⭐⭐⭐

• I loved how Awad portrayed a woman’s struggle with chronic pain in the most “fever-dream-esque” way. 

Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield ⭐⭐⭐⭐

• I still think about this book often and recall how hauntingly poignant it is. 

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky ⭐⭐⭐

• This is a good book but I regret not listening to the audiobook version in full instead. 

The Only One Left by Riley Sager ⭐⭐⭐

• Strong beginning for me with a delicious gothic atmosphere, but the last chunk of pages gave me so much whiplash; it really brought it down for me. 

Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka ⭐⭐⭐

• I loved the focus on the victims in this story but ultimately, I just wasn’t connecting with the book. 

Coraline by Neil Gaiman ⭐⭐⭐⭐

• Another book I wish I read sooner; the spooky, literally otherworldly vibes makes this book deserving of being a children’s classic. 

Motherthing by Ainslie Hogarth ⭐⭐⭐⭐

• Hilarious, weird, a woman has a copious amount of mommy issues; I will never forget the fun I had during my read through of this one. 

The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

• I can confidently say this is the most beautiful writing I’ve ever read. 

None Shall Sleep by Ellie Marney ⭐⭐⭐

• A YA mystery with story elements that should’ve made it a lot more interesting than it ended up being. 

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia ⭐⭐⭐

• Right up my alley and I love mushrooms but somehow it didn’t work for me as much as I thought it would? 

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

• I bawled. More than one sentence for this one, bear with me. Gaiman put everything I love into this book: scary monsters, spooky atmosphere, the beauty of being human, emotional moments and characters I wanted to hug. Read it. 

My Husband by Maud Ventura ⭐⭐⭐⭐

• I devoured this; it’s a strange book about a husband-obsessed wife that still has my jaw on the floor. 

Sadie by Courtney Summers ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

• Oh man… Sadie is one of those books that deserves to be called a YA classic, an all-time great; during this book I also cried (big trigger warning check). 

Paradise Rot by Jenny Hval ⭐⭐⭐

• When people describe this book, they say it’s very disgusting and weird; this book is very weird but not that disgusting and not as captivating as I thought it would be. 

A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher ⭐⭐⭐⭐

• My introduction to T. Kingfisher was certainly a good one; I wasn’t sold in the beginning but WOW the last half. 

House of Hollow by Krstal Sutherland ⭐⭐

• The characters and connections all felt superficial and bland; the creepiness wasn’t creeping, it just was NOT IT! 

Boy Parts by Eliza Clark ⭐⭐⭐⭐

• Unhinged, a bit gorey, a recurring theme about the male/female gazes: it’s so great. 

Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier ⭐⭐⭐⭐

• Not my favorite du Maurier but Daphne du Maurier is still Daphne du Maurier, THEREFORE… I loved it. 

Penance by Eliza Clark ⭐⭐⭐⭐

• I love Clark’s writing; I love the very valid critique of how true crime is sensationalized and romanticized by many of the people who are obsessed with it. 

The Collector by John Fowles ⭐⭐⭐⭐

• The outcome of this story made me physically ill, it’s so disturbing and I still haven’t stopped thinking about it. 

Death Valley by Melissa Broder ⭐⭐⭐

• Something I loved about this Broder book were the descriptions and symbols representing the pre-grieving process, but overall, the story itself wasn’t totally for me.

Dark Matter: A Ghost Story by Michelle Paver ⭐⭐⭐

• I love a good ghost story and I heard so much about this book being super scary that when I finally read it, I wasn’t scared at all and I felt let down. 

She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen ⭐⭐⭐

• Sapphic, adorable, easy read; I love that queer representation, I just wasn’t feeling super excited about it overall.

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree ⭐⭐⭐⭐

• The rumors are true: this story is cozy, fun, uplifting, low stakes in the best way, and SAPPHIC… it is truly legendary (see what I did there?)

The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz ⭐⭐⭐⭐

• Convinced other people don’t like this book because it was specifically written for me, all my guilty pleasures and favorite aesthetics are in this book, I adore it. 

Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

• A knockout, a mystery/thriller based on true crime done in the best and most right way possible. Please read this! 

The September House by Carissa Orlando ⭐⭐⭐⭐

• I wouldn’t say this was the best story I ever read or anything, but I love haunted houses and I thought Orlando placed some really funny AND eerie moments in this one that made it enjoyable for me personally. 

The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell ⭐⭐⭐⭐

• Kind of a slow burn but so creepy; haunted wooden doll things? Begins in a mental asylum? I’m sold.

Peril at End House by Agatha Christie ⭐⭐⭐⭐

• My last book of 2023 and I had to end it with Christie just as I began it; I loved it as I usually do love Christie books.

originally posted on: January 3, 2024 (on previous site)