2023: Books of the Year

Last year I read 72 books. This year I had a baby and didn't quite hit 20. That's life for you! A good portion of my books this year were read in hopes of feeling prepared for labor and motherhood. I consumed far more non-fiction than in past years and think I will continue that trend in 2024. As always, let me know if you want to chat about any of these reads as some of them would make fantastic conversation starters.

1. How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu
- heavy, poignant, Cloud Atlas meets Cloud Cuckoo Land
2. The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell
-detailed, intimate, slowly and subtly suspenseful
3. Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin
-informative, helpful, full recommendation to all pregnant people!
4. Red Seas Under Red Skies and Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch
-started this trilogy in 2022, 2nd book was a layered pirate heist, 3rd was "eh", honestly has put me in the mood for more NF reading
6. Mind Over Labor by Carl Jones
-interesting, a little woowoo
7. Pleasure Activism by adrienne maree brown
-very much outside of my comfort zone, interesting, broadening
8. Mutant Message Down Under by Marlo Morgan
-love this short adventure so much I re-read it, mind-bending, expanding
9. Baby Catcher by Peggy Vincent
-informative, helpful, and also gets my recommendation for preggos :)
10. How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan
-listened to this one and it took. me. forever. really interesting content though!
11. How Far the Light Reaches by Sabrina Imbler
-yummy yummy ocean creatures
12. Hunt, Gather, Parent
-highly recommend for parents of kids older than 2 (will be rereading later)
13. Cribsheets by Emily Oster
-***my number 1 recommendation to expecting parents, super informative
14-16. Beartown Trilogy by Fredrik Backman
-Backman can be so very dark and so very heavy even with his reflections and lighter elements. This series felt like a burden on my heart, though it was beautifully written and immersive with the characters and towns. 
17-19. Golden Compass Trilogy by Philip Pullman
-John and my nightly read-alouds for most of the year