My favorite 12 books of 2023

Memoirs, novels, and nonfiction

What did I read in 2023? I’ll share the best of them in this post. (Along with some books that I thought I read this year but probably read them in 2020.) I am grateful to have read such fascinating, entertaining, and informative books. Enjoy!

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Memoir/Nonfiction: He/She/They: How We Talk About Gender and Why It Matters by Schuyler Bailar

If you would like to learn more about what it’s like to be trans, or how to talk to people about being trans, He/She/They is my most recommended resource. And it doesn’t read like a reference book—full of touching stories of hope, connection, and inspiration.

Memoir: Places We Left Behind by Jennifer Lang

This short book tells the true story of a 20-year marriage in vignettes. Navigating multiple countries, religious differences, and learning how to set your own boundaries to define yourself. I reviewed this book for Open Letters Review.

Nonfiction: The Woman Who Split the Atom: The Life of Lise Meitner by Marissa Moss

As a physics undergraduate, I learned about Einstein, Bohr, and Heisenberg. But I never heard of their contemporary Lise Meitner before reading this fascinating book. Meitner analyzed experimental results correctly and was the first to realize the uranium atom could be split and release energy. Her personal story is amazing as well: fighting her way to be accepted as a woman physicist and escaping Berlin as an Austrian Jew during World War II. I recommended this book here on Amplify Respect.

Nonfiction: Fair Play: How Sports Shape the Gender Debates by Katie Barnes

Trans people deserve to play sports just like anyone else. In Fair Play, Barnes digs into who should be allowed to play women’s sports. The book shares the complicated science of gender and the history of sports policy. I appreciate their nuanced, detailed reporting on trans people competing in sports.

Memoir/Nonfiction: American Breakdown: Our Ailing Nation, My Body's Revolt, and the Nineteenth-Century Woman Who Brought Me Back to Life by Jennifer Lunden

This amazingly comprehensive book covers chronic illness, the chemicals in our environment, the dangers of unregulated capitalism, and a feminist approach to healthcare. I reviewed this book for Open Letters Review.

Memoir/Nonfiction: What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing From Complex Trauma by Stephanie Foo

Many people know about PTSD, but complex trauma or CPTSD is from repeated, usually smaller traumas. What My Bones Know is a great, self-reflective journey of understanding and healing through many different strategies.

Memoir: Another Appalachia: Coming Up Queer and Indian in a Mountain Place by Neema Avashia

I loved these essays about family and growing up as a queer person in rural West Virginia. Beautiful stories grounded in a place and time.

Fiction: Monk & Robot series: A Psalm for the Wild-Built and A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers

These short novellas are beautiful and peaceful. The characters discuss their thoughts on being alive as they travel and meet others. Becky Chambers has a unique style of writing about the mundane and everyday in fantasy/sci-fi books, but in an extremely meaningful way. I highly recommend all of her books.

Memoir: How to Be Alone: An 800-mile Hike on the Arizona Trail by Nicole Antoinette

This trail journal was great to read while out camping in the Florida wilderness. The author talks about running out of water and having to decide whether to filter from cow dung pools or not. It made it seem luxurious to eat oatmeal and pasta over a camp stove while showering with a squeeze bottle. This was a great story of perseverance and self-discovery in a beautiful landscape.

Fiction: Last Night at the Telegraph Club and A Scatter of Light by Malinda Lo

Each of these books set the scene so amazingly well; the first in 1950’s San Francisco and the second in modern-day-ish Fairfax and the north bay above SF. I was so impressed by the details of everyday life and the landscapes, as well as the characters and the stories. Both books feature growing into lesbian identity. These may be fiction, but I learned something about real life from each.

Fiction: The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

This is a cute, heartwarming novel about finding chosen family and learning what is really more important than our jobs, rules, and regulations.

Fiction: Her Majesty’s Royal Coven by Juno Dawson

This book starts out as a pleasant, fanciful story about witches and then takes a sharp turn into what it’s like to be trans and what do gender roles even mean. Excellent.

Fiction: I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston

I’ve read and enjoyed a few Casey McQuiston novels and to be honest, my favorite one so far is One Last Stop. But this one does not disappoint as a teenage lesbian rom-com type drama.

Nonfiction: Craft in the Real World by Matthew Salesses

This is a book about writing fiction, but even though I only write memoir and nonfiction, I found Salesses’ insights extremely helpful. What I remember and use most clearly is this: If your writing is relatable to your reader, that likely means your reader is culturally similar to you, not necessarily that your writing is excellent. And vice versa: if a reader does not relate at all to your work, it doesn’t mean your work is bad.

Nonfiction: Am I Trans Enough? How to Overcome Your Doubts and Find Your Authentic Self by Alo Johnston

I have not finished this book yet. I really like some parts of it (how eloquently the author describes some of the challenges of being trans and also how we can support ourselves) and I disagree with other parts of it (some assumptions about what it’s like to be trans don’t resonate with me, and I’m not looking to be talked into transitioning). What I most appreciate is that this is a book by a trans person for trans people. This is not written for or addressed to allies. Refreshing.

Thanks so much for reading! What were your favorite books in 2023? Let me know in the comments.

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Rey