The One About My List
I read some books in 2023.
I also listened to a butt load of them (see below for proof from Audible their own selves. I mean what in the hell was going on February 26? Are there that many minutes in a day? Do I have a life outside of audiobooks?)
Anyways, thought I’d add to the clutter of “best of’s” with one of my own. Here is what I consider the Best Media* I Consumed in 2023.
*Not limited to Media that was created or made available to the consuming public in 2023
*Also not just books (or audio books)
*What? I like to consume media. I am limiting myself to 5 of each media, you’ll be happy to know, which makes it that much harder.
Books (audio):
All The Sinners Bleed by S.A. Crosby. Not on a bandwagon I swear but honestly a book that had it all for me, including proper southern food and a kick ass narrator.
Tom Lake by Anne Patchett. Summer stock nerds. Michigan. Angst. Cherries. Yeah, this one ticked a ton of boxes for me and BONUS was read to me by La Meryl (Streep). This is a dead tie with Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver, a totally amazing retelling of David Copperfield, set in SA Crosby country (Virginia or adjacent) that must be heard to be appreciated.
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese. Author-narrated saga set in India with plenty of trauma/drama, food descriptions, a pet elephant, and a surprise ending (kinda).
Alexander Hamilton, by Ron Chernow. Yeah, I’m a Hamilton geek. And yeah I can sing every song in that show. So I figured I’d read the source material. I was not disappointed—unless you count how disappointed I am that we, as a country, have evolved surprisingly little.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, by Gabrielle Zevin. A gamer I am not (you will note a distinct lack of a top 5 list of games in this particular substack). However, I know a great story when I hear one. Well narrated, it made me interested in how the gaming industry became the behemoth that it is, and how cool characters can make you overlook the things you don’t really vibe with.
(I get one more because this is my most consumed media)Thank You For Listening, written and narrated by Julia Whelan. An adorbs, realistic rom com about an audiobook narrator. Yes, I was feeling a tad meta but I heard a lot about this one and it did not disappoint.
Regular books (electronic or otherwise):
A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers—a Hugo Award winning short novel that’s optimistic (for a change) about our potential as humans and our robot compatriots.
My Dear Hamilton by Laura Kamoie and Stephanie Dray. See above: “Hamilton Geek” and “source material” to get why I totally dug this creative look at Eliza Schuyler Hamilton’s back story.
Horse by Geraldine Brooks. Heartbreaking in a way only Madame Geraldine can make it, this story about a young black horse trainer and the way he (and/versus his horse) are treated is pure poetry.
The Society of Shame by Jane Roper is a laugh out loud look at cancel culture and how some folks weasel their way out of it, around it, and through it.
The Future by Naomi Alderman. Wow. An incredible follow up to The Power that is a look at how tech moguls are basically managing everything—from the weather, to diseases, to games, to the way we feel about ourselves.
Movies/shows:
Barbie. Yeah. It’s all that and a bag of non fat potato crisps.
Succession (Max). All hail Tomlette and Gregs.
For All Mankind (apple tv). I got utterly sucked in to this creative retelling of the space race that morphs into a wild alternative history of geo-politics, gender politics and Mars colonization.
Leo (Netflix). Damn but I love me an Adam Sandler narrated lizard movie. And the views of kids from wild-eyed, feral kindergarteners to grown up 6th graders is pretty good too.
The Detroit Lions season. LET’S GO LIONS! BEAT THE RAMS!**
**this will be dated after this weekend, but whatever. I got to visit 3 different pro football stadiums this year. I saw my Louisville Cardinals beat Ga. Tech on the Atlanta Falcons field. I watched Lamar Jackson in person in Baltimore beat the Lions which didn’t matter because I was for both teams that day. And I wrapped up the Louisville season at the Carolina Panthers stadium in Charlotte—not a great ending but I really enjoyed consuming football that way this year.
(note the Lamar Socks….)
Be sure to stay tuned for a Special Announcement about the Liz brand. That is to say, I will be releasing my first domestic suspense novel in early May and I am STOKED to get it out into the world. Think….Eyes Wide Shut crossed with Big Little Lies with a healthy dose of pretty much anything by Gillian Flynn (twisty narrative, unreliable narrators, etc) and you’ll know what to expect. Like I said, I am super excited. I will have contact info for anyone interested in receiving an advance copy in the next few weeks and will post it up here but feel free to email me with any questions or requests!
xoxo
Liz
