My Favourite Fiction Books of the Year 2023!

Hello! I’m Bob, and it’s been a great reading year for me! After a lot of trying to whittle it down from about 40 books that could have made the list, here are the 12 that best sum up my reading year.
Enjoy!
Books Mentioned:
00:00 Introduction
01:19 Tom Crewe- The New Life
03:42 Guadalupe Nettel- Still Born (tr. Rosalind Harvey)
06:56 Laurent Mauvignier- The Birthday Party (tr. Daniel Levin Becker)
09:24 Kate Briggs- The Long Form
12:12 Amy Arnold- Lori & Joe
14:32 Benjamin Myers- Cuddy
17:21 Priya Hein- Riambel
21:26 Claire Kilroy- Soldier Sailor
23:44 Paul Murray- The Bee Sting
28:15 Neil Bartlett- The Disappearance Boy
32:37 Elizabeth Duval- Madrid Will Be Their Tomb (tr. Alice Banks)
36:38 Victor Heringer- The Love of Singular Men (tr. James Young)
39:17 End Chatter
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[@deegrows7589]

I just finished the Birthday Party and LOVED it! I couldn’t put it down! The writing was so compelling while the storyline was positively nerve-wracking. Your review was spot-on!

[@BobTheBookerer]

Thank you, and so glad you enjoyed it so much! It’s such a bold piece of writing and I have no idea how the translator did that!

[@curioushmm9027]

this was delightful bob and i hope you have even more trouble narrowing down a list of favorites in 2024!

[@BobTheBookerer]

Ahah, thank you! It gets harder every year! Have a fantastic 2024!

[@daphnelane2646]

I loved Cigozie Obioma’s, The Road to the Country.

[@BobTheBookerer]

Ooh, I’m really excited to read that one!

[@benreadsgood]

Ahh the old Fitz triple 😂 Delighted we have a bit of overlap in our picks this year, including (you guessed it!) Riambel. Thanks for sharing your faves - always a delight to watch.

[@benreadsgood]

I also *really* need to pick up The Love of Singular Men. Sounds right up my street based on what my favourites ended up being this year. It sounds like Blackouts, which if you haven’t got to yet, I think you’ll really love.

[@BobTheBookerer]

@@benreadsgood aha, yes! And thank you so much! I really enjoyed Blackouts! I thought it was so clever and beautiful. Happy to send you my copy of Singular Men if you like!

[@MarcNash]

Just ordered the last 2 on the strength of this and still have The Long Form to get to. Have a great New Year & 2024 Bob abd thanks for all the steers you've given me to books I would have missed otherwise.

[@BobTheBookerer]

Ahh, exciting, I hope you like them! And my pleasure! Have a wonderful 2024!

[@ameliareads589]

Thank you, Bob! For all your thoughtful videos. Wish you a wonderful 2024!

[@BobTheBookerer]

Thank you so much! And to you!

[@luminyam6145]

That was an excellent video, thank you.

[@BobTheBookerer]

Ahh, thank you so much!

[@bibliosophie]

was looking forward to yr list (and am looking forward to watching the nonfiction video, too), thank you! loved hearing you talk about these books, which reinforces my desire to pick up some of these titles. happy 2024 to you!

[@BobTheBookerer]

Thank you so much! Happy 2024- I hope it’s an excellent one for you!

[@scallydandlingaboutthebook2711]

The joy of this list is that the two I have read I loved so the rest are solid recommendations for me.

[@BobTheBookerer]

Oooh, glad to hear it! It’s amazing how many incredible books come out every year- it’s a lot to keep up with!

[@nathansnook]

a fabulous list of books! i need to get to The Birthday Party! have been seeing it float through these top ten lists and love hearing people talk about it. wishing you a good reading year in 2024!

[@BobTheBookerer]

Thank you so much! It’s such a fascinating book, I think, and a very skillful translation to write rhythms like that. And thank you- you too!

[@lindysmagpiereads]

Thanks for this. Ben Reads Good had already convinced me to pick up Riambel and Soldier Sailor, but here you’ve given me an additional five that I want to read. I have a similar attraction to exciting, innovative works that push the form of a novel.

[@BobTheBookerer]

Ooh, glad to hear it, and I hope you like them! Yes! When it’s done well, it’s really quite thrilling to see what can be done with a novel!

[@stalkingkafka]

The Birthday Party and The Bee Sting were both on and off my list about a dozen times - such good books! I haven't read any of the others you chose so my reading list just blew-up. You really sold me on The Long Form and Sailor, Sailor especially. I'm excited for my 2024 reading now. 🥰

[@BobTheBookerer]

Aha, yes! And yay! I hope you enjoy them!

[@LarryHasOpinions]

finally got round to watching this :-) great list Bobert i have birthday party lined up for 2024 - yay for the bee sting!!!

[@BobTheBookerer]

Thank you! Ooh, yes! It’s a fun one, I hope you like it!

[@lorimiller854]

My TBR list is expanding! Adding Soldier Sailor, Cuddy, Riambel, and The Bee Sting. Happy New Year, Bob!

[@BobTheBookerer]

Ahah, I feel you- my TBR is getting so unwieldy! Happy New Year!

[@eyesonindie]

Wonderful list!! I bought The Long Form when it came out in the US in October, and it is high on my list to read in 2024. In the US, it was published by Dorothy Project, which only publishes two books a year and, like Fitzcarraldo, publishes a lot of books that really challenge what fiction can and should do. There is an amazing interview with Kate Briggs on the incomparable podcast "Between the Covers." I highly recommend that interview and the podcast in general. I also have The Birthday Party, published in the US by Transit Books, which is a publisher in the US with a fair amount of crossover with Fitzcarraldo (they publish Jon Fosse in the US, for example). I started reading The Birthday Party several months ago and loved it so much I had to put it down for a time when I could really savor it. Thanks so much for sharing this list - it is great!

[@BobTheBookerer]

Thank you so much! Ooh, I haven’t heard that interview yet- I’ll give it a listen, thanks! And yes, definitely- it’s one of those books that really needs some proper time!

[@janicedowson7793]

Thanks Bob! Happy year end to you. You should do an almost made the list video! Cheers

[@BobTheBookerer]

Thank you! And happy new year to you! Aha, I saw this comment the other day and wrapped a few of my ‘almost’ books into the Odds and Ends video!

[@BookishTexan]

So many books that I now want to read!

[@BobTheBookerer]

Aha, yay! Honestly my TBR is the best kind of Cerberus!

[@drawyourbook876]

Need to read the sailor savior book

[@BobTheBookerer]

It’s so interesting! There’s such an energy to it!

[@speedracer2841]

It warmed my heart that you included Victor Heringer's book among your twelve best novels of the year. His early death came as a great shock, and Brazilian literature lost such a promising talent. I would suggest you read Daniel Galera, another brilliant talent, thankfully still alive. Happy 2024.

[@BobTheBookerer]

Ahh, thank you- yes, such a huge loss, I was blown away by this book, and it’s sad to think about what he would have gone on to do next! And thank you for the recommendation! Have a fab 2024!

[@ReadingIDEAS.-uz9xk]

Best wishes with your reading choices in 2024 and to your channel.

[@BobTheBookerer]

Thank you so much! I hope you have a fantastic 2024!

[@penelopegough6050]

What an interesting list and thank you for a year of interesting discussions. Happy New Year🎉

[@BobTheBookerer]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate it, and I hope you have a wonderful 2024!

[@jacquelinemcmenamin8204]

Only two on the list that I’ve read. The New Life & The Bee Sting. A few books I still want to read e.g. Solider Sailor Cuddy The Birthday Party Do you keep a book journal? I have over 20 books 5 stars this year. I haven’t sorted them into any ranking . However, my number one remains the same since February Deluge by Stephen Markley Great to have a video from you in the “ between “ times. ☘️👋🍀📕☕️📖📚🇮🇪🤗

[@BobTheBookerer]

Nice! I hope you like them! I don’t keep a journal, but it would be fun to! And I still need to get around to Deluge! It’s on my list thanks to you!

[@user-lv5yt8mz4w]

Does anyone know where I can buy "Madrid will be their tomb". Not on Amazon. Ominous

[@BobTheBookerer]

Ahh, not sure, but the publisher’s (Fum D’Estampa) website might hopefully be able to ship to where you are! Good luck!

[@daphnelane2646]

Blackwells

[@Rainierbooks]

Sad that Victor Heringer could not be helped and that we lost him at only 29 years old. The sadness you describe being expressed in his book seems to have overshadowed him. Your list almost avoids the huge bestselling books of the year, Tom Crewe won the Orwell Prize for fiction though, but that probably does not lead to huge sales.

[@BobTheBookerer]

Definitely! Such a loss. And thank you- there are so many exciting books out there all the time, and although prizes brought many of these to my attention, it’s exciting to see what else is around!

[@sandra7319.]

Wait, is there a backlisted favorite list of 2033??😮😊

[@BobTheBookerer]

There is now! I normally do one at the end of the year to capture a few other books that I thought about a lot that year!