My Favorite Books Read in 2023

Time again for my list of favorite books read in the previous year.  When I looked back at last year's post, I realized that all the books I picked were books I'd read in physical form, either books I'd purchased or physical ARCs I'd received.  This year, the breakdown is evenly split between physical and ebooks.  I'm not sure if I read them both equally or not.  I didn't try for this equal split, either.

I also find it funny that I go through periods were several books in a row made the list and then nothing for over a month.  Obviously, mood can play a part.

As always, I am sticking to books I read for the first time in 2023.  I believe that almost all of the books were published in 2023.  The exceptions are a few 2022 books that I read at the beginning of 2023.

I narrowed the list down to 14 this year.  Yes, I know that top 10 is the official list you are supposed to make.  I'm an accountant.  I deal with numbers all day.  And I just don't care.  Seriously, I did try to narrow it down, but I couldn't narrow it down any more.

One way I did narrow it down was that each author could only be on the list once.  I read more than one book by some of these authors, and I eliminated all but one by them.  Sometimes, that was hard.

Shall we get to it?  If you'd like to read more, the link will take you to my full review.  I'm listing them in the order I read them.

Aerobics Can by Deadly by Ryan Rivers
At first look, this book can seem a little silly.  A former tween star most famous for a mystery TV show starts solving crimes in a small Texas town with his new best friend, a former ER nurse.  In this particular book, they are extras in an aerobics video when the star dies.  However, our two leads are dealing with some pretty serious issues, and the characters come across as very real by the time you are done.  Do be prepared to laugh as you read, however.  There are plenty of jokes and crazy antics.  But it's all balanced perfectly.

Death by Smoothie by Laura Levine
I have been reading the Jaine Austen mysteries since the first one came out 20+ years ago.  Author Laura Levine is a former sitcom writer, and it shows.  These read like a cross between a sitcom and Murder, She Wrote.  In this book, freelance writer Jaine Austen has been hired to be a script doctor for a stage musical revival of I Married a Zombie (which has been referenced in other books in the series).  Things are not going well, and that's before the lead actress dies after drinking her daily smoothie.  Again, you must be in the mood for a comedic, sometimes silly, mystery when you pick up this book, but if you are, you'll find the pages fly by.

Oh Danny Girl by C. Michele Dorsey
And now for something completely different.  We're going from comedic cozies to a thriller.  Lawyer Danny O'Brien's day goes from bad (being detained when a gun is found in her briefcase) to worse (finding out her husband was murdered in a hotel room while in bed with another woman).  From there, we are off on a wild ride, with Danny hardly knowing who to trust.  I couldn't read this book fast enough; I had to know what was going to happen next.

City of the Dead by James Ponti
I'm not trying to give you whiplash, I promise.  But we are switching genres again, this time to the only middle grade book on my list this year.  This is the fourth in the City Spies series from James Ponti.  The main characters are a group of young teen spies from all over the world who live and work together.  This time, they are supposed to break into the London Museum.  Or so they think.  It's another wild and crazy ride with wonderful characters that all ages will enjoy.  And that cliffhanger?  Let's just say I'm glad we only have a month until the next book comes out.

Til Death Do Us Port by Kate Lansing
It had been a couple of years, so I was pleasantly surprised to get a fourth book in the Colorado Wine Mysteries.  This book finds Parker Valentine providing some of her wine for her cousin's wedding.  Unfortunately, the wedding planner is found dead before the couple can say "I do."  The new characters brought lots of drama that helped pull me into this book.  The mystery was great, and I loved seeing how the series regulars continued to grow.  Do keep in mind that this series is written in first person present tense.  It always throws me at first, but it is worth getting used to that writing quirk.

Murder on the Home Front by Jessica Ellicott
This is the first of several historical mysteries on my list.  Billie Harkness is one of only two female police officers in the town of Hull in England in 1940.  Hull was subject to lots of bombing from Germany, but against this backdrop, she's found herself involved in a second murder.  The characters in this book are wonderful, the plot is strong, and this is a book that couldn't take place in any other time or place, which I thought was wonderful for a historical mystery.

#TagMe for Murder by Sarah E. Burr
In the second Trending Topics Mystery, social media influencer Coco Cline finds herself involved in murder when her new neighbor is murdered and one of her BFFs is accused of the crime.  I love the fact that this hook for the cozy mystery is something modern since I love to see the genre expanding.  I also love Coco and her group of friends.  The mystery was strong, but I also really loved a sub-plot involving Coco's boyfriend.  

A Novel Disguise by Samantha Larsen
I debated long and hard about reading this book before I requested the ARC.  It is set in 1780 England, and that time and place didn't necessarily appeal to me.  But something about the premise called to me.  One morning, Tiffany Woodall discovers her brother is dead in his bed.  Since he supported them and they have no other family, this spinster realizes she much impersonate him, including taking over his job as the librarian at the local duke's castle, in order to survive.  But things get tricky when someone else dies and she begins to suspect that her brother was murdered.  This book captured me from page one, and I couldn't put it down.  The characters were fun, and the plot kept throwing things at Tiffany.  I'm anxious to read the next in the series., which comes out in February.

Passport to Spy by Nancy Cole Silverman
The first book set up the premise of former reporter Kat Lawson working undercover for the FBI as a travel journalist.  I was very curious to see just what that would mean for her, and we found out in this second book in the series.  She's officially covering the Christmas market in Munich, Germany in December of 1999, but she's trying to help track down stolen Nazi art.  Naturally, we get lots of complications for Kat, who is in a situation where she doesn't know who to trust.  It's lots of fun with a great Christmas background.

The Body in the Cattails by Catherine Dilts
Travel to small town Oklahoma for this series debut.  Drew Brauner has recently moved to the area to help care for her aging great uncle.  In an effort to make some friends, she joins a new book club.  But the club meeting ends early when the group discovers a dead body.  This book is told from multiple viewpoints, something that is rare in the books I read, but in this case, it is perfect because it allows us to get to know all four of the main characters.  This book is as much about the friendships they are forming with each other as the murder itself, and I was hooked for all of it.

Murder on Bedford Street by Victoria Thompson
2023 marked something I'd been working toward for years - I caught up on Victoria Thompson's Gaslight Mysteries!  This is the latest in the series, and it is a perfect example of why I found reading the 20+ books in the series so worth it.  The mystery this time is about a woman who has been falsely sent to an insane asylum.  As I was reading I got lost in 1901 New York City.  The characters are delightful, and as we've gotten to know them, the humor in their interactions becomes a great offset to the serious and sometimes dark mystery they are solving.  We even get more from some of the supporting characters in this entry.

Claws of Death by Cathy Wiley
Cathy Wiley had introduced the character of Jackie Norwood in some short stories, and I was glad to finally spend more time with her in the first Fatal Food Festival Mystery.  Jackie is a former celebrity chef who has had a fall from grace and is working on rebuilding her professional life by being a guest judge at food festivals around the country.  This book finds her at a crab festival in Texas where a fellow judge dies.  The poison was in Jackie's ex-boyfriend's dish.  We are introduced to a lot of great characters here as well as served a mystery that worked in clues and red herrings subtly.  Add in a dash of humor, and this was worth the wait.

Mrs. Claus and the Trouble with Turkeys by Liz Ireland
Christmas and Halloween are the holidays that are featured most in cozy mysteries.  Leave it to a book set at the North Pole to have a Thanksgiving entry.  Yes, the main character is the real Mrs. Claus.  There is a fantasy element to these books, and you have to buy into the premise.  But if you do, these books work wonderfully.  I love the characters, the plots are creative, and there's a healthy dose of fun and humor.  This time around, Mrs. Claus is looking for a missing turkey (the turkey that was supposed to be their Thanksgiving dinner) and investigating the death of a Claus cousin at the pre-Thanksgiving potluck.

Case of the Bleus by Korina Moss
I'm glad I caught up on Korina's Cheese Shop Mysteries this year.  With each book, I fall in love with the characters a little bit more.  This book involved the hunt for a rare blue cheese that may or may not have been motive for murder.  I enjoyed the added treasure hunt aspect here while watching the main characters continue to grow.  It does help that I grew up not too far from where the fictional town is set, so I enjoy the virtual trips to my old stomping grounds as well