Books 2023

1. The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times
Obama, Michelle 

2. Happy-Go-Lucky
Sedaris, David

3. Abalone: The Remarkable History and Uncertain Future of California's Iconic Shellfish
Vileisis, Ann 

4. The Book of Unknown Americans
Henríquez, Cristina 

5. On the Beach
Shute, Nevil

6. The Paris Apartment
Foley, Lucy 

7. The Light Brigade
Hurley, Kameron 

8. Gender Queer
Kobabe, Maia 

9. Sandworm: A New Era of Cyberwar and the Hunt for the Kremlin's Most Dangerous Hackers
Greenberg, Andy

10. Let Me Be Frank With You
Ford, Richard

11. Coyote America: A Natural and Supernatural History
Flores, Dan 

12. Under the Glacier
Laxness, Halldór

13. Infinite Jest
Wallace, David Foster

14. Lavender House (Andy Mills, #1)
Rosen, Lev A.C. 

15. Goodbye to Berlin
Isherwood, Christopher

16. A Field Guide to Lies: Critical Thinking in the Information Age
Levitin, Daniel J.

17. One of Us Is Lying
McManus, Karen 

18. Of Mice and Men
Steinbeck, John

19. Fledgling
Butler, Octavia E.

20. The Orphan Master's Son
Johnson, Adam

21. Cannery Row (Cannery Row, #1)
Steinbeck, John

22. Ishmael (Ishmael, #1)
Quinn, Daniel

23. Parable of the Sower: A Graphic Novel Adaptation
Duffy, Damian

24. Stolen
Laestadius, Ann-Helén

25. We See Each Other: A Black, Trans Journey Through TV and Film
Anderson, Tre’vell

26. Sexed Up: How Society Sexualizes Us, and How We Can Fight Back
Serano, Julia 

27. The Lottery and Other Stories
Jackson, Shirley

28. Pageboy
Page, Elliot

29. Shy
Porter, Max

30. The Garnett Girls
Moore, Georgina

31. Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism
Montell, Amanda 

32. Siren Queen
Vo, Nghi 

33. Ceremony
Silko, Leslie Marmon

34. Crying in H Mart
Zauner, Michelle

35. It's OK to Be Angry About Capitalism
Sanders, Bernie

36. Hollow Kingdom (Hollow Kingdom, #1)
Buxton, Kira Jane 

37. Old Babes in the Wood: Stories
Atwood, Margaret 

38. The One and Only Ivan
Applegate, Katherine

39. Fathoms: The World in the Whale
Giggs, Rebecca

40. Magpie Murders (Susan Ryeland, #1)
Horowitz, Anthony 

41. The Bat-Poet
Jarrell, Randall

42. The House of Mirth
Wharton, Edith

43. White Cat, Black Dog: Stories
Link, Kelly

44. The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century
Johnson, Kirk W. 

45. Blackfish City
Miller, Sam J. 

46. The House of Silk (Horowitz's Holmes, #1)
Horowitz, Anthony 

47. Barn 8
Unferth, Deb Olin 

48. Moonflower Murders (Susan Ryeland, #2)
Horowitz, Anthony 

49. Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation
DuMez, Kristin Kobes 

50. Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language
Montell, Amanda 

51. The Council of Animals
McDonell, Nick 

52. Counting the Cost
Duggar, Jill

53. Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard
Felton, Tom

54. The Book of Goose
Li, Yiyun

55. The Employees: A Workplace Novel of the 22nd Century
Ravn, Olga

56. Out There
Folk, Kate 

57. Quietly Hostile: Essays
Irby, Samantha 

58. This is How You Lose the Time War
El-Mohtar, Amal 

59. The Killer Whale Journals: Our Love and Fear of Orcas
Strager, Hanne 

60. A Confederacy of Dunces
Toole, John Kennedy

61. Penny: A Graphic Memoir
Stevens, Karl 

62. The Wife
Wolitzer, Meg

Favorites
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Abalone
A biological and sociological portrait of an unassuming shellfish. Fun facts
For centuries, Japanese women called “ama” specialized in shellfish harvest, diving up to 80 feet (!?!?!?!!). The practice was deemed immodest by the 1800s (divers were nude) and petered out, but a few ama exist today! Abalone harvest by the public was legal in 60s, so long as abalone had reached a certain size. But divers would pry them from the rocks prior to measuring, slicing the “foot”. Small abalone were tossed back, but because coagulation is poor, freed abalone usually died of blood loss. Experienced harvesters had about a 30% of killing immature abalone. For inexperienced harvesters, abalone mortality was 90%.    
 
One the Beach
Nuclear fall-out makes its way to small-town Australia and the last remaining humans. Slow burn, fast read.
 
Coyote America
Of course I loved it, especially the lore of native peoples surrounding coyotes. Some south American tribes have their own tale of Orpheus (named Coyote) searching for his late-wife among the dead.
 
The Killer Whale Journals
Like Coyote America, the role of animals in indigenous cultures is in stark contrast to the fear-turned-consumerism of European cultures.
 
Lavender House
The 1940’s. A hardboiled detective. An LGBTQ safe house. Murder. Soap.
 
Goodbye the Berlin
Life is a Cabaret, ol’ chum, and this is the source material. Sally Bowles’ role was expanded for the musical, but the character is reflected in text.
 
Sexed Up
Along with research, the author shares her experience with sexism before and after transitioning. “…people sometimes conflate being emotional (a trait that is coded as feminine) with being irrational.”
 
Magpie Murders
An editor reads the latest manuscript of a bestselling author. When the last chapter goes missing, she finds herself in a murder mystery within a murder mystery. The sequel (Moonflower Murders) is a great too.
 
Hollow Kingdom
I loved it so much I had Fina listen to the audiobook on the way to Banff.
 
Wordslut
Have you every hated yourself for saying “like”? Or “kinda”? Have gone to war over pronouns with an older relative? Read this book.
 
The Feather Thief
Part true crime, part history lesson, The Feather Thief is a gripping recount of humanity's unsustainable consumption of beautiful birds.
 
Gender Queer
Read this on the basis that it’s being banned. Now, I’m a boring cis-het lady—what do I know? But a book like Gender Queer makes space for closeted, confused and/or questioning young people that might feel alone. Ergo, a book like this can save lives.
 
Out There
Short story collection. A Russian tech company sends handsome cyborgs to target personal information in the San Francisco dating scene.  And that’s the just the first (and last) story. The best collection I’ve read in years.
 
Quietly Hostile
I hope Irby's tv pilot comes to fruition one day because the opening scene (involving a bank overdraw of $78 from McDonald's) had me busting a gut.
 
Penny
A graphic novel as told through house cat. Penny muses over deep philosophies and existential questions, but not at the expense of a good nap.  
 
 
 
Not-so-favorites
 
Infinite Jest
I started and finished it for the clout. Good god. Where’s my medal?
 
Fledgling
I’m still waiting on a vampire book that doesn’t give me the heebie-jeebies. Can we stop fetishizing old vampires that look like minors?