What My Book Club Read in 2023
4 years of book club - completed!
I can hardly believe it.
In January 2020, I started a book club with some girlfriends. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, and little did I know what a refuge and comforting space our little book club would be through all the uncertainty of 2020. Struggles and challenges continue, of course, and the world still groans. And I’m so proud of our little group for continuing to open up our lives to stories for 4 straight years!
Stories connect us and give us empathy and teach us so much. This little book club with some girlfriends is still one of my absolute favorite things.
Here are the books we read together in 2023, along with my thoughts on each:
Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe by Heather Webber ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was the first magical realism book we've read, and I thought it was delightful. It had real life issues but the magical element allowed them to be tackled in a way that wasn’t too heavy. Check out this Reel of how we celebrated this book at book club! Of course we had to have pie.
Horse by Geraldine Brooks ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I feel like so many people adored this book, but I really didn’t - and I usually love books with multiple story lines in different time periods that intersect. The 1850s Kentucky part of the story was most compelling to me, especially the deep connection between Jarrett and his beloved horse, Lexington, as a drastic contrast with the mistreatment of horses in the Kentucky horse-racing industry in that time period. I’ve been to Lexington several times to visit my friend Amy, and I could picture the rolling hills and historical horse farms of the Lexington, KY area. But I didn’t love the other storylines at all and felt the ending was lackluster…and kind of weird, to be honest. I’m giving this book 4 stars because it’s well-written and has compelling scenes, was obviously well-researched and surely extremely difficult to weave together, but it wasn’t my favorite.
The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Meh. This was a feel-good read, but nothing too original here. I’ve definitely read way better WW2 historical fiction books in book club…like The Paris Orphan or The Last Bookshop in London. I don’t think I dog-eared a single thing.
Peace Like A River by Leif Enger ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
LOVED. This is now one of my favorite novels of all-time and one of my favorites we’ve ever read in book club. I gushed all about it in this post.
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book takes you on quite a journey - from back in the 5th century to way far in the future. Such a unique book - I've never read anything like it. The threads throughout spoke of the importance of "home" in various ways, and there’s a big twist to the story towards the end!
“You fly all the way to the end of the stars,
and all you want to do is go home.”
The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Lovely! The content of this book was heavy but it was written in a way that was still filled with beauty, lightheartedness, and delight - as Patti Callahan Henry’s books tend to be. Great ending!
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Goodness. I can’t say I loved reading this book, because the content was so disturbing. There are definitely parts when I wanted to put it down and never pick it up again because it started to get inside my brain. I just wish I knew what I could do to help change things - the prescription drug problem in the U.S. seems insurmountable. But it’s such an important book - to help us to be aware and compassionate of how so many people are living right now in my very own country. 5 stars because it’s definitely a masterpiece of fiction - I can see why Barbara Kingsolver won the Pulitzer Prize for this book.
Where the Forest Meets the Stars by Glendy Vanderah ⭐️⭐️⭐️
When I first started reading this, I was like, “This book is so bizarre. What in the world?” But then it all started coming together. Loved the nature writing and descriptions of midwestern woods. In the end, the story was interesting and heartwarming.
I bought this one from my favorite local bookshop, Duck River Books!
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This officially the longest novel I've ever read - over 700 pages - and probably the most pages I've dogeared! I read it in the bathtub, all over the house, in my car…wherever I could get in a few more pages. It’s also the first time we've read a book set in India. I learned so much about southwest India (Kerala) while also conjuring up so many memories of my trip to southEAST India in 2005. I was straight across the country on the other coastline just after the tsunami.
This story is stunning, heart-wrenching, surprising...what a journey. It's a story you might not stop thinking about for a long time.
📚 Go to my Amazon Storefront to check out and purchase any of my Book Club Reads! As an Amazon influencer, I earn a small commission from your purchases. Thank you!
📚 If you’d like to start your own book club in 2024, I’ve got you covered! Listen to this podcast episode, and I’ll walk you through it.
I have some REALLY great books planned for our 2024 reads - I can’t wait to share them with you!
