The Best Books I Read in 2023
A book list for my fellow word-lovers, storytellers, creatives, contemplatives, deep-feelers, and wounded-healers
As a writer who is passionate about writing as a source of healing and hope, I love reading the writing of others. In this post, you’ll find the writing (in book form) that moved me this year.1 If you’re a four on the Enneagram or consider yourself a word-lover, creative, contemplative, feeler, or on a healing journey, I think you’ll especially enjoy the books on this list. (If you don’t consider yourself such a person but know someone like I just described, it’s not too late to gift that person one of these books for Christmas.)
Take a moment to get cozy, grab a cup of tea, and get ready to imagine curling up with one of these good reads…
A quick note: These are my 2023 reads, but not all are 2023 releases.
1. Hands down, the best book I read all year
Book title: You Could Make This Place Beautiful (2023)
Author: Maggie Smith
Genre: Memoir
Length: 320 pages
Amazon blurb: “In her memoir You Could Make This Place Beautiful, poet Maggie Smith explores the disintegration of her marriage and her renewed commitment to herself. The book begins with one woman’s personal heartbreak, but its circles widen into a reckoning with contemporary womanhood, traditional gender roles, and the power dynamics that persist even in many progressive homes. With the spirit of self-inquiry and empathy she’s known for, Smith interweaves snapshots of a life with meditations on secrets, anger, forgiveness, and narrative itself. The power of these pieces is cumulative: page after page, they build into a larger interrogation of family, work, and patriarchy.”
My thoughts: I shared the following thoughts on Instagram back in May and stand behind them: “I finished reading Maggie Smith’s memoir over the weekend. It is one of the best books I’ve read this year. I lapped it up. It illuminated my creative storytelling path and tore down some gates put up by publishing gatekeepers. But I didn’t know what this memoir was about before I bought it.
Here’s what I knew: 1. it came recommended by a writer-friend, 2. the cover was beautiful, 3. its title touched on the way hope has woven itself into my life, and 4. it was a memoir written by a poet. (Yes, please). I did not know that this book was a divorce memoir. I did not know that it would trigger pain points in my story in terms of marriage and motherhood and writing. I honestly wasn’t sure if it was a good idea that I continue reading it. But I did with caution and care because Maggie Smith’s honesty was fresh, and her writing was artful and irresistible.”
A favorite quote: “What will they think of me, knowing I wanted a full life—a life with them and a life in words, too?”
2. The book that helped me become a better writer
Book title: Several Short Sentences About Writing (2013)
Author: Verlyn Klinkenborg
Genre: Non-Fiction (Writing)
Length: 224 pages
Amazon blurb: “Klinkenborg believes that most of our received wisdom about how writing works is not only wrong but an obstacle to our ability to write. In Several Short Sentences About Writing, he sets out to help us unlearn that “wisdom”—about genius, about creativity, about writer’s block, topic sentences, and outline—and understand that writing is just as much about thinking, noticing, and learning what it means to be involved in the act of writing. There is no gospel, no orthodoxy, no dogma in this book. Instead it is a gathering of starting points in a journey toward lively, lucid, satisfying self-expression.”
My thoughts: I had a love-hate relationship with this book. This is not a book to read for pleasure. The writing is not beautiful or enjoyable (and certainly not poetic or “flowery” like I prefer). Its formatting, though I understand the reasoning behind it (a book made entirely of several short sentences), annoyed the heck out of me. But this book was undeniably informative and transformative.
As a writer, I often struggle with being overly wordy and redundant (brevity is not a strength of mine, and I’m still healing my over-explaining trauma response). This book gave me hope that I can strengthen my writing. More than hope, it offered extremely practical insights that I could put into practice. It’s helping me sit with the power and precision and purpose of each word and each sentence I write. If you’re a writer looking to improve your craft practically and need some help figuring out how to “kill your darlings,” give this book a try.
A favorite quote: “Writing isn’t a conveyer belt bearing the reader to ‘the point’ at the end of the piece, where the meaning will be revealed. Good writing is significant everywhere, Delightful everywhere.”
3. The book that offered me courage + hope when I needed it most
Book title: The Book of Common Courage: Prayers and Poems to Find Strength in Small Moments (2023)
Author: K.J. Ramsey
Genre: Christian Prayer (Poetry) Book
Length: 224 pages
Amazon blurb: “The Book of Common Courage is a collection of prayers, poems, and blessings to help you find a flicker of strength in the small and hard moments of life. Beloved author and therapist K. J. Ramsey invites you to journey word-by-word through Psalm 23 to experience how the Good Shepherd is with you and for you, especially in the valleys of life. When you struggle to find the words to hold your pain or trauma, be encouraged to cultivate the compassion and courage to believe that your story will, in fact, end in joy.”
My thoughts: I didn’t read The Book of Common Courage straight through—which is perfectly fine for a book such as this. It’s not meant to be read in one sitting, though you certainly could. As its subtitle indicates, this book is a beautiful collection of prayers and poems written by a beautiful writer.
This year, I picked it up when I needed it. When I needed courage, when hope felt slippery and vanishing, and when I ran out of words and prayers, I turned to this book and borrowed K.J.’s. Her words in this book were sustenance for my weary spirit. This is a book I will return to again and again. (Let me also mention that for anyone who appreciates design and quality, this book is absolutely gorgeous inside and out, with rich colors, artistic fonts, and breathtaking photographs.)
A favorite quote:
“Your hope doesn’t lie
in being strong enough
to not be shattered. Your hope
is that you will always be held
in an Artist’s hands.”
4. The most beautifully designed + creatively inspiring book I read all year
Book title: Create Anyway: The Joy of Pursuing Creativity in the Margins of Motherhood (2023)
Author: Ashlee Gadd
Genre: Christian Non-Fiction (Creativity)
Length: 256 pages
Amazon blurb: “In this unforgettable book filled with rich storytelling and stunning photographs, writer and mother Ashlee Gadd helps you set aside the guilt and discover the sacred connection between creating and mothering. One-part commissioning, one-part pep talk, Create Anyway will propel you forward with a renewed sense of energy, purpose, and enthusiasm for stewarding the creative dreams God has planted in your heart—right alongside the diapers and carpool.”
My thoughts: If you’re a Christian, creative, and mom, this is a must-read for you. But before I get into the message of the book, I must tell you that Create Anyway is one of the most stunningly designed books I read all year. The cover, the interior formatting, the typeset, the photography, the writing… everything about this book is just beautiful. Its beauty oozes inspiration.
I wrote the following words on Instagram back in March, “For a long time, I believed that taking time to create + write, especially as a mother, was selfish and indulgent. For a long time, I believed that I had to choose between motherhood + creativity. I wish someone had handed me a book like Create Anyway when I was a new mom, a grieving mom, a mom who was also grieving the death of herself because she buried her creative passions... For those of you reading this who are wrestling with motherhood and creative longings—who want to write but have no time… I’m here to echo @ashleegadd’s message in her new book. You can be both a creative + mom. You can carve out time away from your mothering responsibilities—and also, you don’t have to. You can create right in the midst of mothering.”
A favorite quote: “You’ve had every reason to give up, but you keep creating anyway.”
5. The fiction book that offered me a breather in an unexpectedly delightful way
Book title: The Thing About Jellyfish (2017)
Author: Ali Benjamin
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Length: 352 pages
Amazon blurb: “After her best friend dies in a drowning accident, Suzy is convinced that the true cause of the tragedy must have been a rare jellyfish sting--things don't just happen for no reason. Retreating into a silent world of imagination, she crafts a plan to prove her theory—even if it means traveling the globe, alone. Suzy's achingly heartfelt journey explores life, death, the astonishing wonder of the universe...and the potential for love and hope right next door.”
My thoughts: I mainly read non-fiction books, often ones on heavier subjects like grief, healing, and theology. Which is why, every now and then, I need a lighter read to help me breathe. In July, I shared in an entry of the Jotter’s Corner, “I believe stories come at us at just the right time. I think this is why I have a library of books still yet to read. They’ll be for me someday, just not yet. This week, I picked up 5 books and tried to read them. I quit each one after a couple of pages. They didn’t “fit.” And then I picked up another… and it was the one! I am in the middle of reading The Thing About Jellyfish and loving it! Finally, a book that I want to keep reading.” As a former middle school English teacher, young adult fiction has a special place in my heart.
A favorite quote: “If people were silent, they could hear the noise of their own lives better. If people were silent, it would make what they did say, whenever they chose to say it, more important. If people were silent, they could read one another's signals, the way underwater creatures flash lights at one another, or turn their skin different colors.”
6. The book with the most exquisite, awe-inspiring writing
Book title: All the Light We Cannot See (2017)
Author: Anthony Doerr
Genre: Fiction
Length: 560 pages
Amazon blurb: “Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist, the beloved instant New York Times bestseller and New York Times Book Review Top 10 Book about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II… Deftly interweaving the lives of Marie-Laure and Werner, [Doerr] illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another.”
My thoughts: Confessions: I’m not a historical fiction fan, and the recent screen adaptation released on Netflix motivated my reading All The Light We Cannot See. I shared these words in an October entry of The Jotter’s Corner:
“This book has been on my radar for a long time. A couple of years ago, I found a copy at my local Goodwill for a dollar or two and scooped it up. I read the first couple of chapters but then set it down. It's been on my bookshelf ever since. But this week, I picked it back up. I read 100 pages in one day. The writing is exquisite. It feels good to be lost in a fiction book again.” The plot, the storytelling framework, the character development, the word choice, the sensory details, the personification… I mean, just everything that makes writing powerful and beautiful is found in this book (which is no surprise, seeing as how it won the Pulitzer Prize). Historical fiction fan or not this book is a piece of art and a remarkable read.
A favorite quote: “His voice is low and soft, a piece of silk you might keep in a drawer and pull out only on rare occasions, just to feel it between your fingers.”
7. Two beautiful books about healing (with prompts)
Book title: How We Heal: Uncover Your Power and Set Yourself Free (2022)
Author: Alexandra Elle / Alex Elle
Genre: Non-Fiction / Self-Help
Length: 256 pages
Amazon blurb: “Alex Elle elegantly weaves together themes like self-healing, mindfulness, inner child work, and boundary setting and presents the reader with easy-to-follow practices that have changed her life and the lives of the thousands of people she has taught… Complementing the practices are powerful insights from Alex Elle's own journey of self-discovery using writing to heal, plus remarkable stories of healing from a range of luminary voices, including Nedra Tawwab, Morgan Harper Nichols, Dr. Thema Bryant, Barb Schmidt, and many more.”
My thoughts: How We Heal is another high-quality book that’s been beautifully designed inside and out. I shared the following thoughts with my email friends back in September:
“Earlier this year, a sweet member of the Pen & Mend Collective gifted me a copy of Alexandra Elle's book How We Heal. In flipping through it, I was honestly hesitant to read it. I've spent the year creating original content for Pen & Mend and developing my own writing business, leaning into my mission of spreading the love of writing as a source of healing and hope. I was fearful that reading someone else's writing on such a similar topic would interfere with my creative process and integrity. However, having developed and found so much clarity in my journey and content, I felt comfortable opening this book finally. So this week, I read/skimmed and finished it! All in all, this book is a resource that fits well with the work I'm passionate about doing and inviting others into. If you're using writing as a tool for healing and hope and looking for some additional information and support, you might want to check it out.”
A favorite quote: “Healing in the wellness community is often talked about as an end goal. The messaging suggests that if we can just heal and get over it (whatever “it” is), all will be well and good. But healing does not mean that you won’t experience more suffering or tenderness around the original thing that hurt you. Healing is a forever thing, or like I say to my clients and students, a constant reminder to love and care for ourselves—an invitation to nurture ourselves just like we do everyone else.”
Book title: The Unfolding: An Invitation to Come Home to Yourself (2023)
Author: Arielle Estoria
Genre: Non-Fiction / Poetry
Length: 224 pages
Amazon blurb: “In this beautiful collection of poems, essays, and meditations, Arielle Estoria tenderly reveals the places in her life where she has been broken open and mended back together in new ways. In doing so, she shows each of us how when we walk through our process of “unfolding,” though it may be uncomfortable at times, there is light on the other side. Let these words guide your soul, and return home to the person you were always meant to be.”
My thoughts: I discovered the beauty of author Arielle Estoria’s voice and creativity at a writing conference several years ago. She took the stage and performed a spoken word poem. I started following her on social media and have been blessed by her writing and poetry ever since. When she released her book The Unfolding this year, even without knowing what it was about, I was eager to read it. But it wasn’t until I heard her read some of the excerpts that I felt compelled to dive in and read it.
Arielle’s voice (both spoken and written) is lyrical and lovely, vulnerable and wise, and deeply encouraging. The book tells the story through prose and poetry of Arielle’s evolution and deconstruction and healing and invites the reader into their own “unfolding” through the stages of awakening, eclipsing, mending, illuminating, and returning. It was this invitation through the inclusion of poetry and prompts that made this book something meaningful and transformative for me.
A favorite quote:
“I don’t just want to make art
I want to pull our fear of going deeply
within ourselves
and those around us,
out of our soil like weeds
I want to transform spaces,
transcend heave on Earth as it is
I don’t want to just throw words together
and make them pretty,
I want them to remind us
that even the ugliest parts of our story
are still part of the masterpiece…”2
Your turn…
Have you read any of these books? What books (not on this list) did you read this year that you’re recommending to your friends?3 Let’s talk books in the comments.
This year, I started sending a weekly newsletter to my email friends called “The Jotter’s Corner.” Each week’s entry contains a list of jottings with my favorite resources (original and borrowed) and my musings from the week. I thought it would be fun to create a special bonus entry with the best books I read this year and share it right here on Substack. If you’d like to receive entries from “The Jotter’s Corner,” sign up here.
This excerpt is from Arielle Estoria’s poem “Artist” in the awakening chapter of The Unfolding.
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That quote you pulled from The Thing About Jellyfish is amazing + has me intrigued 🤍 adding that to be TBR list. I loved All The Light We Cannot See - that book stayed with me months after reading it because the characters were fascinating, deep, + complex and the prose was so, so beautiful!
I’m still thinking about You Could Make This Place Beautiful. Good glory.