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Beth Favorite’s Books of 2023!

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It’s that time of the year! Where we look back at all of the books we read this year and pick our favorites. These are my favorite books of 2023. They are in no particular order but in order that I read them.

  1. The Dangerous Damsels series by India Holton – The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels, The League of Gentlewoman Witches and The Secret Service of Tea and Treason were such a fun trilogy of books I loved all the prim and proper pirates and witches and their flying houses. It has the perfect mix of romance, hijinks and adventure.
  2. The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty – Keeping with the pirate theme. The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi is such a fun story of piracy, adventure and magic. Unlike most books where the protagonist is young and just starting out, Amina is in her 40’s and well established. She has to come out of retirement for this adventure and not only have battle the present but the past. So much fun.
  3. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros – This was the book of the year. I don’t remember the last time that people were excited about the release of a book. The sequel, Iron Flame got the full Midnight release party treatment. Violet has a chronic illness that makes her a poor candidate to be a dragon rider but she’s forced to join by her mom. In a mixture of Hunger Games and Harry Potter. Violet will become a rider if only she can survive, which in this school is not a given. Did I mention there are dragons?
  4. Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade – Spoiler Alert and it’s sequel All the Feels are delightful. This is such a nerd romance. It’s mixture of romance, fandoms and fan fics is irresistible. Who doesn’t dream of meeting a handsome actor and falling in love? Marcus and April are the perfect couple. It’s also so great to have a plus size romantic lead. To often we are forgotten about so it’s great to finally get the guy at the end.
  5. The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood – This was another TikTok find. I am a sucker for enemies to lover trope and I guess also the relationship of convenience trope. It was was such a fun read and I was invested from the beginning. I can’t wait to read more from Ali Hazelwood.

Those were mine. I want to hear what books you loved this year! Maybe they will be mine in 2024!

Review: The Adventurs of Amina Al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty

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I have made a conscious effort this year to not read as many teen novels. Not that I think they are not worth reading but as I get older, It was starting to feel weird reading but the love lives of teenagers. I’m not going to stop reading teen novels completely because there are many authors I love and I want to support but maybe it’s time to read novels that feature people my own age. So I was ecstatic to find this novel about a woman in her 40’s who is also a kick ass pirate. Amina at the beginning is retired and living a quiet life with her family and daughter. She get an offer to set sail once more on a mission that will bring her riches beyond her wildest dreams but of course nothing is that simple. We are introduced to a wide range of characters that really makes this novel rich with description and color. It takes place mainly in the Indian Ocean area in the Muslim world. Which gives the narrative a different perspective. Most of the pirate novels I have read have taken place in the West or a fantasy to world so to explore a new place is exciting. Amina is what you want in a protagonist. She is smart, flawed, brave and sarcastic. She is ambitious but her experience has made her take stock in her surroundings and doesn’t make the rash decisions that often gets other character in trouble. She is assure of herself of having lived a life previously. This is not a coming of age. I wish there were more stories of established women succeeding in their chosen occupation because our stories don’t end in our 20’s but continues to the end of our lives.