Elisa's Best Books of 2023
Not Quite Your Top Ten List
It’s that time of year where every news outlet comes up with their top books of the year. Now it’s my turn to publish my list. The big difference is that I don’t limit my choices to books published in 2023. This list is a combination of recently published books as well as books published in the past (including one from 1818!) as well as some books coming out next year. I wrote about some of the books or subjects below and included links to those articles if you want to learn more.
The Postcard by Anne Berest, Translated by Tina Kover
The first two on this list are my favorites of the year. (Order does not matter between 1 and 2). It’s an incredible true story about Anne Berest and her family. One day in the 2000s, her mother receives a postcard showing the Paris Opera house with the names of her parents and siblings written on the back, all of whom died in Auschwitz. There’s no additional information. Is this a threat or something else? After a schoolyard antisemitic moment with her daughter, Berest decides to track down her family history and find out who sent the postcard. It’s an incredible story of survival, exploration of faith, and history. I had the chance to interview Berest for Hey Alma about her book.
Alchemy of a Blackbird by Claire McMillan
It’s a big coincidence that both my top books take part in France during World War II. The story opens with Spanish artist Remedios Varo deciding to learn tarot cards with her friend, British artist Leonora Carrington. Told mostly from the point of view of Varo, the book tracks her journey through Vichy controlled France with her boyfriend Surrealist Benjamin Peret and their escape from the Nazis to Mexico. Thanks to her boyfriend, Varo is on the edge of the Surrealists but she is not seen as an equal, just an ingénue or hanger on. Almost every alternative chapter ends with a tarot card assigned to a character in the chapter and then the narrative turns to that person’s point of view. It’s a powerful story about finding one’s artistic voice, female friendships, and tarot cards. You’ll be glad to learn more about Varo and Carrington, two incredible artists who are getting more recognition these days. I got to interview Claire McMillan for FF2Media.
The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett
I’ve been a big fan of Hallett since I stumbled into her work several years ago with The Appeal. It seems that popular media is fascinated with cults. But what happens when the survivors come of age? That’s the heart of Hallet’s book. The young pregnant woman captured by the Alperton Angels cult who is convinced that her child is the devil is coming of age. Can competing authors Amanda Bailey and Oliver Menzies find her? It’s a story told in Hallett’s characteristic style with letters, emails, police reports, and more. The authors soon realized that the truth is far stranger than the myth can ever be. I interviewed her about the Twyford Code in Murder & Mayhem.
On the Trail of the Jackalope: How a Legend Captured the World’s Imagination and Helped Us Cure Cancer by Michael P. Branch
This wonderful non-fiction book explores the origin and impact of that amazing cryptid - the jackalope. Not only does it explore the cultural phenomena of the jackalope, from its place in consumer culture to its appearance in media, but it also details how the myth helped lead to a cure for cancer. It’s the real deal.
West Heart Kill by Dann McDorman
I’m always a fan of mysteries that play with the form. Adam McAnnis asks his friend to invite him to the hunting lodge known as West Heart. A storm comes and isolates everyone in the area and someone ends up dead. I don’t want to give too much away but I’ll say that it is a mystery. It may sound like a mystery you’ve read before but it is not.
The Comfort of Crows by Margaret Renkl
In Renkl’s nonfiction book, she spends a year observing the natural world outside of herself, whether its her home, a cabin, or elsewhere. There’s 52 chapters for 52 weeks of the year (with some elegies or prayers dispersed) along with beautiful illustrations. Told in wonderful lyrical language, reminding me a bit of Mary Oliver, It’s a beautiful meditation on the natural world around us as well as a sobering wake up call to what is being lost. I wrote a review for Earth Island Journal.
Good Night, Irene by Luis Alberto Urrea
I remember hearing about the Donut Dollies, I knew I wanted more. And Urrea delivered. He tells the story of two women who come from different worlds who meet serving in the Red Cross in the Clubmobile units. Their joys were to give out donuts and give the soldiers something happy to think about. It may sound saccharine but this is no light tale. They are part of the war effort, feeling every death of a soldier, each plane crash, as well as dispensing donuts on the front lines. It’s loosely based on Urrea’s mother’s experience and it is well worth a read. Big shout out to The Tournament of Books’ Camp for this one!
Kids Run the Show by Delphine de Vigan, translated by Alison Anderson
The unthinkable has happened. A young girl is kidnapped. But she’s no ordinary girl. Her mother, Mélanie, is a mommy YouTube influencer who has turned social media into a full time career, focusing on her children. So did someone stalk them and take her daughter or were old scores coming back to haunt her? Clara is brought in to help find the young girl but she’s the opposite of Melanie, having no online presence. This work will make you think about the limits of parental rights and social media as well as the cost of influencer culture. I wrote an article about Europa Editions for Book Riot.
You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith
This memoir will break your heart. In short, it’s Smiths’ attempts to come to grips with the disintegration of her marriage and divorce. It’s easy to chalk it up as a divorce memoir but it is so much more than that. It’s a book-length series of vignettes, each a poetic masterpiece, about her domestic life, her poetry, her career. I don’t think I can do justice to the work so you’ll just have read it yourself.
Art Brut by W. Maxwell Prince, Art by Martin Morazzo
This comic is a little bit of madness. Someone is changing world famous paintings. As a last resort, the Bureau of Artistic Integrity calls on Arthur Brut the Mad Dreampainter to literally dive into paintings to get to the bottom of this mayhem. It’s a real wild ride into art and mental illness with amazing visuals to match.
Fifty Beasts to Break Your Heart And Other Stories by GennaRose Nethercott (February 6, 2024)
One of my top two books last year was Nethercott’s Thistlefoot so I was excited when I heard she had a short story collection coming out. I got a hold of an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) and it’s a wonderful, strange ride. The stories vary from the title story that is told through a bestiary to another story told through abecedary. Each story is about desire and need and the monsters within.
The Suicide Museum by Ariel Dorfman
I had previously only read Dorman’s co-written book How to Read Donald Duck: A Guide to Imperialist Ideology in Disney Cartoons for my undergraduate thesis on Chilean socialist comic books from the 1970s. When I heard that this book was about Dorfman’s exploration about whether President Salvador Allende killed himself or was murdered during the coup, I naturally was interested. He is hired by an elusive billionaire to research this mystery, making him dive back into his memories of the 1960s and 1970s as a leftist who saw Allende as the beginning of a good new era. It’s one of those books that’s hard to tell what is true or what is not, since it is narrated by a character with the same name as the author and explores real events. A brilliant work that will have you keep thinking.
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
After seeing a puppet version, a play, and even a ballet version of Frankenstein, I decided it was time to read the book. After all, it’s considered the first work of science fiction. I was blown away how incredible this work was and I lamented that it took so long to read it. I’m generally not someone who loves reading books before 1900. Wipe away any thoughts of the monster being a plodding super strong goon; that’s some creative interpretations of later films. The story is far more complex and frankly more interesting than that.
Is Superman Circumcised?: The Complete Jewish History of the World's Greatest Hero by Roy Schwartz
Schwartz won the Bookseller/Diagram Prize for Oddest Title of the Year for the work. While it’s a memorable title, what’s within is even more remarkable. Schwartz makes a strong case for the Jewish origins of the comic book industry, focusing on the Jewish origins of the quintessential superhero: Superman. It covers the origins of the comic book industry, origin stories of the creators of superheroes, the ways that Superman has been reinterpreted over the decades, and much more. (I’m also a big fan of serious analysis of comics; see my undergraduate thesis). Schwartz also co-curated an amazing exhibition at the Center for Jewish History called the JewCE: The Jewish Comics Experience, which was amazing.
Against the Currant by Olivia Matthews
It’s no secret that I love love love cozies. The first in the Spice Isle Mysteries features Lyndsay Murray opening a bakery with her family in Little Caribbean, NY. It’s a dream come true but when a rival bakery owner picks a fight in the shop and turns up dead, Lyndsay has to clear all of their names of the crime. Lyndsay is such a wonderful character as she finds her voice and sense of self in this book; you’ll love her family. I can practically smell the foods that they make there. Book Three, Coconut Drop Dead is out in just a few weeks!
Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Vera Wong spends her days minding her tea shop and offers unsolicited advice to her son. But when she finds the body of a man in the middle of the shop and several strangers seem curiously interested in her shop that day, Vera thinks that they might have something to do with the man’s death. Naturally, she’s going to figure out who wanted the man dead. It’s a delightful read and fun to see a nosy mother turned into an amateur sleuth.
Ask Baba Yaga: Otherworldly Advice for Everyday Troubles by Taisia Kitaiskaia
Ever since I read Thistlefoot, I’ve been more interested in Baba Yaga, the witch known for having a house with chicken legs. So when I heard about this book where people ask Baba Yaga questions akin to Ask Abby, I had to read it. I was not disappointed with these often mundane questions with otherworldly poetic responses.
Granted there are a few weeks left in the year, so I might have a follow up!
Recent article:
“What Murder Mysteries Get Wrong about Gardens and Poisonous Plants”
(Book Riot): https://bookriot.com/gardens-and-poisonous-plants-in-murder-mysteries/
And as always here are some amazing authors’ Substacks you should all read. These are amazing and well worth your time!
