I wrapped up my 2023 reading just under the wire by finishing the second book reviewed here on New Year’s Eve afternoon. I read 22 books for the year – more than I thought I had, but still a few shy of my goal. Other activities kept me busy so it wasn’t for a lack of trying. You can see the full list at the end of the post. But now for quick reviews of the final pair:
Subscribed
Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara: A panelist at the Improv Leadership Summit I attended earlier this year recommended this book. I tucked the idea away back in October and found myself unsure of what to read around Thanksgiving so popped this onto my Kindle. I wouldn’t say it was the best book I read this year, but it might be the one that has the most impact. As my friends and I continue to build community through Highwire Improv, I found many great ideas in Guidara’s story of how he and his team built their restaurant to not only be the top-ranked one in the world but also a unique experience that went above and beyond food. I hope to bring some unreasonable hospitality to the things I do in order to make memories for people.
Factory Girls by Michelle Gallen: If you loved the TV show Derry Girls, but think it had just a little too much hope, this is the book for you. That might sound harsh, but Gallen’s look at young women in Northern Ireland during The Troubles covers the same territory as the comedy, just from a different angle. I loved this book. Maeve and her friends already had seen a lot before they finished their final year of high school before they decided to work at a shirt factory and see what really happens underneath the tumult of the time. I loved how she interspersed real-life tragedies of the time into the narrative. I definitely recommend reading this one.
Here’s the rest of my 2023 reading list with my top picks in bold:
Let’s Not Do That Again by Grant Ginder
24 Hours in Ancient China by Yijie Zhuang
Declaration: The Nine Tumultuous Weeks When America Became Independent, May 1-July 4, 1776 by William Hogeland
Schooled by Ted Fox
Old Boys by Nick Spalding
You Spin Me by Karen Grey
Charm City Rocks by Matthew Norman
The Time Has Come by Will Leitch (best book of the year for me)
Kids These Days by Drew Perry
A Man Called Ove by Frederik Backman
Several People Are Typing by Calvin Kalsuke
Honestly We Meant Well by Grant Ginder
Third Wheel by Nick Spalding
Euphoria by Lily King
All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle
James Acaster’s Classic Scrapes by James Acaster
Inverting the Pyramid by Jonathan Wilson
The Littlest Library by Poppy Alexander
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
Writers and Lovers by Lily King