Books

Our 'Best Reads' of 2023


It’s time to hang up our reviewing hats (for a season) and spend some time with the family for the holidays.  We hope you do the same!


We’ll see you back here on January 8th, 2024, but until then, 
here are OUR BEST READS of 2023 (5 Stars) & OUR RUNNERS-UP (4.5 Stars).

We’ve linked each title and image 
to our review of the book, so you can learn more!
(in no particular order)


Hamnet – Maggie O’Farrell

The Day You Begin – Jacqueline Woodson and Rafael López

Echo – Pam Muñoz Ryan

Call Me Athena: A Novel in Verse – Colby Cedar Smith

Little Book of Tiny Tales: Volume I – Jeremy Ray

84, Charing Cross Road – Helene Hanff

Bees: A Honeyed History – Piotr Socha 

Go as a River – Shelley Read

The Violin Conspiracy – Brendan Slocumb

Stand Up to Sexting: An Open Conversation for Parents & Kids – Christy Monson and Heather Boynton, Illustrated by Albert Pinilla

American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America – Colin Woodard


Welcome to Our Table: A Celebration of What Children Eat Around the World – Laura Mucha & Ed Smith with Harriet Lynas (Illustrator)

A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan’s Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them – Timothy Egan

BenchTalk: Wisdoms Inspired in Nature – Salma Hasan Ali (Editor)



Bells: Music, Art, Culture, and Politics From Around the World – Jaan Whitehead

Lessons in Chemistry – Bonnie Garmus


(in no particular order)

Wildoak – C.C. Harrington

Want a Hug?: Consent and Boundaries for Kids – Christine Babinec

Once Upon a River – Diane Setterfield

The Giver of Stars – Jojo Moyes

The Kindest Red: A Story of Hijab and Friendship – Ibtihaj Muhammad, S.K. Ali, and Hatem Aly (Illustrator)

Weyward – Emilia Hart


The Backyard BBQ Bible – Oscar Smith

Allegro: A Magical Journey Through 11 Musical Masterpieces – David Miles & Anita Barghigiani (Illustrator)

A is for Bee: An Alphabet Book in Translation – Ellen Heck

Aurora Rising – Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Too Many Hugs: A Book About Consent – Yvonne Pearson & Maria Burobkina (Illustrator)

Aurora Burning – Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

The Light of the Midnight Stars – Rena Rossner

Art of the Lips – Vlada Haggerty

The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy – Jeanne Birdsall

The First Bright Things – J.R. Dawson

Hello Stranger – Katherine Center


The Knockout – Sajni Patel

Hidden Potential – Adam Grant


And that’s it for us in 2023!  We’ll be back in early January!  

If you miss us, swing on over to our Instagram and say hello!

(All images are mine and can only be used with permission and given credit.)





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