139. The best, the backlist, and the buzziest books of 2023

Novel Pairings

It's time for our annual Superlative Soirée! (Okay, so we've never called it that before, but it fits, right?!)

Today Chelsey and Sara share their favorite and least favorite books of 2023, plus everything in between. YOU helped us come up with some creative categories to cover in this official wrap-up episode, and we can't wait to hear what you think of the titles we discuss.

To get your very own superlative printable, subscribe to our newsletter at novelpairings.substack.com--and to join us for Wharton in Winter, go to patreon.com/novelpairings to sign up. We're so excited for the year ahead!

Find us on Instagram @novelpairingspod. Shop for your 2024 TBR through our Bookshop.org storefront: https://bookshop.org/shop/novelpairings

Books Mentioned:

The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton

The Odyssey, translated by Emily Wilson

A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf

To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg

Gone Girl & Rebecca

Wellness & To the Lighthouse

Congratulations, the Best is Over! By R. Eric Thomas

Wellness by Nathan Hill

Disoriental by Negar Djavadi

Same Bed Different Dreams by Ed Park

The Employees by Olga Ravn

One Woman Show by Christine Coulson

The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton

The Pleasing Hour by Lily King

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

The Tea Dragon Society by K. O’Neill

The Fortnight in September by R.C. Sheriff

Mrs. Caliban by Rachel Ingalls

Blind Owl by Sadeq Hedayat

The Land of Milk and Honey by C. Pam Zhang

Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo

The Sense of Wonder by Matthew Salesses

Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal

Doomsday Book by Connie Willis

Beyond the Door of No Return by David Diop

All the Right Notes by Dominic Lim

Loved and Missed by Susie Boyt

The Centre by Ayesha Manazir Saddiqi

Big Swiss by Jen Beagin

Hotel of Secrets by Diana Biller

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

Loot by Tania James

North Woods by Daniel Mason