the BEST books of 2023 (of the 200+ i read)

[@sugaudacity]

you describe books you love so beautifully, it makes me want to read things I would never be interested in otherwise

[@badobsession28]

Same here!

[@hrtzjaehyun]

samee

[@lihaec]

Right!! His reviews should be on the back of books!

[@alicebennett1160]

Couldn’t agree with this more. I’ve read so many books that I never thought I would’ve gone for because of you 😊

[@Jaden-l4d]

​@@alicebennett11605 REPLIES

[@user-jn3zm4lz6k]

As a translator, I really appreciate that you mentioned the translators of those books. It's a small action but it means a lot because translators' effort doesn't get recognized often. Thank u Jack ! ❤❤

[@user-gs5ot2nw8i]

Totally agree that's such a nice thing to do

[@susanalfieri4487]

@@user-gs5ot2nw8i And such an important skill.

[@kneesocks6865]

what are your languages if you dont mind me asking?

[@amararangwala3149]

watching this in the barnes and noble parking lot is dangerous

[@eleftheriak.8889]

Oh my god

[@gracieliann7341]

Im walking to one rn

[@ZhanelyaK.]

this is MY spotify wrapped

[@nishthagupta1357]

SAME😂😂😂😂

[@rayareadzzzz]

jack says it’s the best, we listen ✍🏻✍🏻✍🏻

[@thehegracietehe4558]

CORRECT SISTER !!!

[@shramanadasdutta3006]

And go broke trying to get them

[@andrewpilling5322]

Cringe

[@Jaden-l4d]

4 REPLIES

[@heyylittleworld2314]

Just a note on the amount of children the family in Foster have. It's set in 1981, and contraception was illegal in Ireland until 1980. That's one of the main reasons Ireland was known for having big families. Unfortunately, women had no choice but to have more children. My parents told me people would drive to northern Ireland to get condoms and smuggle them back into the Republic.

[@laramadden4697]

Thank you for saying this! It’s such an important point. My grandmother had 13 children and not by choice. I always feel the need to stand up for the families who had no choice in the matter of these huge families they had to take care of.

[@angharadjenkins83]

@@bethmcmullan7686you think if they weren’t allowed to use contraceptives they were allowed to say no to their husbands?

[@AnnEast85]

@@bethmcmullan7686that is really naive though…

[@aulbayne]

Love this video so much every year! :) Also, Timestamps below: 1:52 Demon Copperhead 5:40 In Memoriam 9:55 I’m a Fan 12:46 The Guest 16:24 A Little Luck 18:47 Foster 21:51 The Bee Sting 25:20 Prophet Song 28:25 After Sappho 30:40 If An Egyptian Cannot Speak English 33:46 The Hero of This Book 35:44 All the Lovers in the Night 38:19 Love in the Big City 41:27 Couplets (I’ll also leave the details to join the community book club we made below if anyone’s interested in joining :) )

[@anthropomorphicpeanut6160]

Thank you!!

[@chichayk2487]

Thank you!

[@PokhrajRoy.]

Thank you for the list!

[@aulbayne8600]

Join below:

[@aulbayne8600]

It’s on re

[@emilygable2470]

every time I get in a reading slump, I just watch one of your videos and just the way you talk about books inspires me to want to read again

[@moonya6754]

She ripps my heart out, tears it into tiny little pieces and throws it over me like confetti. ✨And I love it ✨ - Jack Edwards 2023

[@juliettee.labbee]

The ones I catched:) 1:51 Demon Copperhead (Barbara Kingsolver) 5:44 In Memoriam (Alice Winn) 9:57 I’m a fan (Sheena Patel) 12:47 The Guest (Emma Cline) 16:26 A Little Luck (Claudia Piniero) 18:45 Foster (Claire Keegan) 21:52 The Bee Sting (Paul Murray) 25:21 Prophet Song (Paul Lynch) 28:23 After Sappho (Selby Wynn Schwartz) 30:41 If an Egyptian cannot speak English (Noor Naga) 33:46 The Hero of This Book (Elizabeth McCracken) 35:44 All the lovers in the night (Mieko Kawakami) 38:19 Love in the big city (Sang Young Park) 41:36 Couplets (Maggie Millner)

[@lao6823]

Thank you

[@tirarosaurioreads]

I love how your passion for books transpires in each video you make... but specially in this one! It's obvious you LOVED all of these books. You speak about them as you speak about a loved one.

[@lorenaescobedo4683]

jack, i have to thank you for getting me into literary fiction this year. i was never interested before but the passion in which you talk about the books in this genre made me pick up some of your recs and now i'm obsessed with lit fic and will be a huge part of my reading next year ❤

[@skaltops]

thank you for mentioning translators! it is useful for readers to know which specific version you've read, and it recognizes translators' authorial work :)

[@maaizelaa]

What I love about Jack is that he recomends books that are not popular but very good, and those are so diverse that acomplish to satisfy all kind of tastes from his viewers✨️ Thank you for existing 🥺 among all those booktubers who surrender to the hype books of social media 💔

[@susanalfieri4487]

I think they're definitely popular in the literary fiction world, just not in the BookTok world, which leans much more heavily into Romance, Fantasy, YA, and Romantasy.

[@leia-ue3bu]

i love all the lovers in the night so so so much! i wrote my final english high school essay on it and it took up 26 pages... it really impacted me and i think of it to this day.

[@senauzun]

As a translator I love when you name the translators after the authors

[@himangi8275]

It's so interesting that the Paul Lynch quote you chose is also the passage he chose to read at one of the meets he had a day after his win. It really hits you in the face when he reads out loud too, like poetry almost. Much deserved win, absolute banger of a novel.

[@Rose-qv9bq]

In Memoriam! I absolutely adored it. What a wonderful debut. I’m looking forward to whatever Alice Winn is working on next as well!

[@ave807]

Demon Copperhead is my favorite book this year as well. I miss Demon and it left such an impact on me.

[@lazedaisies]

aahh i'm happy to share the same love for In Memoriam as Jack! I just finished reading it last week and it was a 5 star read for me. Loved it from start to finish ❤

[@kgatem]

To everyone who enjoyed foster, it’s now a movie with an alternate name. “An cailín ciúin” (the quiet girl) is the best and most accurate book to screen adaptation i’ve ever seen.

[@adairs7498]

I'm so happy Barbara Kingsolver is getting so much love. She is my favourite author of all time I love her so much!!!

[@kayc1357]

Haven’t read any of these but they’re added onto my TBR list!

[@fluffg-nx7ns]

I read in memoriam and completely devoured it I loved it, it has now become one of my favorite books of all time!! ❤❤

[@Pazoo_underscore]

That quote from In Memoriam, the one about Heracules and Hector, ripped my heart out

[@palaksharma1777]

Jack, I haven't yet finished reading the books I bought based on your 2022 recommendations 🤧💖

[@emana3704]

as a diehard fan of alice winn when she was publishing fanfiction, it is just so so amazing to see the incredible success of her debut novel. bc i swear, everyone in the fandom was enamoured with her writing

[@emana3704]

i always knew her writing was so special, a gift to the world truly, and ugh i have nothing but love and excitement for her and her future works

[@SunNY-sz2gf]

Oh I loved her work as well. I don’t know many fanfic authors where I can say I liked all of their work. Naturally, I had very high hopes for her debut novel. Then I read In Memoriam and it somehow surpassed my expectations. I’m just so excited for her career as an author!

[@josipon]

omg!! i was so surprised to find out that alice winn was gallaplacidia bc i knew them both independently…

[@anarocha7782]

this is my favorite video of every year cause i know ill hear about a bunch of new books instead of the same lists ive seen all over social media

[@mollyzhou]

I was so excited to watch this video and I realized it’s because of YOU and the way you always get me excited to find and read new books. Thank you for all that you do Jack!!

[@alenacharlyn9469]

I need to know: How long do you usually read in one day?

[@MademoiselleBleme]

His last short was a kind of storygraph wrapped mentioning about 85,000 minutes of reading. That would be about 4 hours per day on average.

[@jillianwybenga7240]

Loved this recap so much, can’t wait for part 2! I gifted ‘Foster’ to my sister-in-law this Christmas based on your previous review, then listened to the audiobook in the car with my mom. We loved it and I know my SIL will, too 💗

[@sw7249]

I love how you are so eloquent and put your thoughts into such beautiful words 🤍

[@Bella-oq1gw]

In Memoriam was so so beautiful, i read it twice, because i couldn't get enough!🥺

[@kolee_c]

I'm new here and I'm loving your videos. The way you describe and review the books is so thought provoking that I keep finding myself adding each book to my tbr

[@emtalledo2506]

I love that you included quotes, if gave a better feeling for the books! Great recs

[@nidhigupta5118]

I cannot overstate how many times I typed best books 2023 Jack Edwards in the hope this video would drop. Thank you for blessing us with this content. 🥹🥹🥹 Happy New Year 🎉🎉🎉

[@kizzyneetyan]

In Memorian was my favorite book of the year, and I'm with you, I can't wait to see what Alice Winn does next. Adding Demon Copperhead, Prophet Song, and Love in the Big City to my TBR immediately!

[@fireboyjacob3881]

I recommend The Bee Sting too, such a great book! My favorite this year.

[@CJ-gl3eg]

In Memoriam was absolutely incredible - the way Winn crafts characters is breathtaking, I cared so much about her characters and their relationships and her writing was just beautiful - one I will be re-reading over and over again - and an Author I will be watching for more!

[@anna-ti2bo]

Complete list Demon Copperhead- Barbara Kingsolver In Memoriam- Alice Winn I'm a Fan- Sheena Patel The Guest- Emma Cline A Little Luck- Claudia Pineiro Foster- Claire Keegan The Bee Sting- Paul Murray Prophet Song- Paul Lynch After Sappho- Selby Wynn Schwartz If an Egyptian Cannot Speak English- Noor Naga The Hero of This Book- Elizabeth McCracken All the Lovers in the Night- Mieko Kawakami Love in The Big City- Sang Young Park Couplets- Maggie Millner

[@Iberisnana]

Happy to see Mieko Kawakami here, planning on reading all the lovers in the night soon as I've read her other two books, fell in love with her writing, it's so beautiful.

[@summerwoodward8967]

every book I read this year was something I discovered thru this channel, and it makes me so happy to be reading again! Thank you so much for getting so ma ny people in love with books again

[@thomasscottwilliams6672]

I loved in memoriam, truly my favourite this year made me cry and that is not easy, truly beautiful

[@mendez5525]

You might be the first social media book lover I actually find worth listening too, a big part of that might be that we both have the same taste in books but also the way you describe books you love and hate. There are so many people online that either get too political, or snobby, or just plain boring in their critiques and descriptions; but you are such a perfect balance and so entertaining, but I also blame you for turning my TBR into such a huge mountain.

[@cevec99]

I picked up In Memoriam after seeing it in one of your hauls (Hay Literature Festival?) and it became my best book of the year. It absolutely broke my heart and healed it all in one go, and I'm so so glad I got to read it. Thank you for introducing me to it!

[@Sarah-ty5ev]

That Demon Copperhead quote just single handedly convinced me to read it

[@RhiannaVarney]

Favourite book videos always make me so excited to read more books 📚

[@cbogi]

I am a mood reader....and when I want a book that will be a gut punch, that will make me think and feel things deeply, that is interesting and different from anything else I am reading...I come to Jack 🤗

[@EverAfterAdventures]

Your review of In Memoriam was so incredibly beautiful, how you create visual images of emotions is truly special ❤

[@so_val]

I had bought In Memoriam before I even finished the video. How you describe books is just inspiring!

[@sophias.4432]

i love the lights on your bookshelves!

[@gracemills8777]

I’ve just finished In Memoriam and it’s stayed with me for days now. So glad to find you felt the same as me! It’s so heart achingly beautiful.

[@Kurisataru4]

Can you please make a video of recommended books based on vacation places one visits? I’m traveling to Japan in march and usually take a couple books w/me when I travel. I love that later when I re-read them it reminds me of the setting I was in and makes it all so special. Kinda like how you mentioned being in Korea cherry blossoming while reading your book ✨

[@eternalsunshine1234]

I am not usually one to post comments but thank you, Jack, for reccing “In Memoriam”! Just finished reading it two days ago and it is my favourite book of the year (what a way to end 2023 🎉) If you’re interested in more M/M WW1 fiction, Pat Baker’s “Regeneration” trilogy is probably the OG of this very specific genre and it is excellent, exploring real life characters like Sassoon and Graves.

[@isabelalexander6381]

ADORED the guest. i love when something has an undertone of menace

[@ninja_boy]

"In Memoriam" was one of my top novels of this year as well. It was brutal, but it changed my mind about war novels, which formerly I rarely enjoyed.

[@veronicasmemories]

I'm obsessed with how you describe books. You're absolutely lovely to listen to.

[@ChemicalPenguinn]

I'm currently reading All the Lovers in the Night. Enjoying it so far!🙃

[@nucleareclipse4357]

Hey! Just want to say thanks for these lovely videos, as the love and passion you pour into them show inmensely. Plus, as a reader from South America, it is truly wonderful to hear about all these books that don´t reach my country because of inflation and other issues. Books in Argentina are currently a luxury (especially those in english), and I am so grateful to have the means to treat myself to one every month, although of course I know that so many people cannot.

[@dianaisme]

I was about to watch your video last night, but I knew I had to be wide awake and ready to "take notes", note down the books I want to read. I knew I was going to adding to my tbr...

[@sofieeliiez7774]

There’s a movie called The Quiet Girl that is very very similar to Foster by Claire Keegan. There are some similar lines in the movie as well. The movie is beautiful and almost peaceful and comforting to watch. I highly recommend it!

[@888999gogo]

That movie is based on the book. So not coincidentally similar haha

[@nishthagupta1357]

I'm so glad you you loved the Charles Dickens retelling 😂😂 on paper which u would've hated

[@aliagalal8921]

I read "If an Egyptian Cannot Speak English" for a class and the discussions we had around this book were amazing. It's really well-written and just describes class and social discrepancies in post-2011 Egypt perfectly. I'd suggest you read Beer in the Snooker Club also, it's so good and deals with similar issues but from a different perspective and in a different Egyptian era.

[@nishthagupta1357]

How can you read 200 books in a year?😭 how do you have the time? Despite being a full time book critic, its a lot😭

[@alexafrankovitch93]

JACK please do a video on all of the scandals of the year you mentioned. I don't really follow book-tok/publishing news but I'm nosy and I want the tea. Also I can't wait to read the ones you listed that I haven't read yet!

[@SomeChikensOnMyRoof]

the way you explained these books was so perfectly attractive I want to read every book I have at once😭

[@marta3215]

I used to watch a lot of booktube a few years ago, but with time I realised most of the recommendations from people I followed just weren't my cup of tea, then I started following you and all of the recommendations I take from you are the best books I read!!!! I really trust you on this one, I'm gonna buy all of these

[@hanie2350]

I really appreciate the writings of the key sections appearing on the screen. I have an auditory disability, and it's hard to keep up sometimes when people read things outload without any sort of visual aid. Please continue to do that in the future. It's MUCH appreciated.

[@SwedishTourist]

One thing about reading this many books that I find a bit confusing is… Do you ever feel like you miss out in real life? Or, how many hours a day do you read? 😂🎉 Don’t get me wrong I like reading and want to read even more, and I’ve begun writing a novel, too (I’m slow but I have f*cking begun it feels so amazing and I LOVE it). So I understand your love for books… I’m just confused as to how much time you put into it ☺️

[@cynthianatashadolo]

This is job so he has a lot more time dedicated to reading than most people…

[@ricardaseven6083]

such a stunning way to talk about books, the exact perfect words you always find and how intelligent it sounds while also being true! "I'm a Fan" was one of those reads where I, as a bookseller, had a good/interesting time reading it but never know how to recommend it to customers or if i wanna recommend it at all 😅

[@purplewatermelon7102]

i love your comments on good reads. i always trust your judgement

[@potatoofdoom4750]

not me taking notes on every single book because Jack has never failed me

[@PageTurnersWithKatja]

Love the sound of all of these. I've just started The Bee Sting 😊

[@stellaslack8043]

thank you for this Jack- this was brilliant! it's an absolute pleasure to listen to such a well read person

[@movingforwardLDTH]

Ohhhh, that Paul Murray quote about parenthood = absolute !!! Now I need to read it, if only to see if he adds something about that “new person” is frequently, but 100% sporadically, swapped out for ANOTHER new person with altered sore spots, touch points, tastes, emotions, and opinions …. but who, nevertheless, condemns you for not somehow proactively & magically keeping up with the changes. Parenthood is not for the weak of heart. - From one who almost didn’t survive the storm.

[@anabelhadad9715]

Is it even Jack’s Best Books of 2023 without a book that lets him support women’s rights and women’s wrongs?

[@theladyincute1]

Could you make a video where you talk about these controversies in the literary world? I hadn’t heard about anything you mentioned in the beginning and I’m curious!

[@scubacat22]

I'm so happy that you gave In Memoriam so much love! It was my best of the year. Agree - instant classic!

[@lateralight]

I enjoyed the whole video, Jack! Happy new year to you~

[@JoshTrommer]

Thank you for your thoughts on these books. Though I may not gravitate towards all of the books you choose to read, I appreciate how straight forward you describe them so that people looking for a recommendation can easily say "Yes, that's for me. I"m going to read that." Read A Little Life based on your recommendation and have a hold on The Bee Sting that I'm waiting for from the library.

[@debbyhoffman273]

I love your channel & I'm so happy to hear about your favorite books. The background music was so distracting I was gritting my teeth!

[@lois4tee599]

I took notes and made my list. Thank you so much. 😊

[@sercemwksiazkach]

I've just started reading In Memoriam because of your recommendation and holy fuck, I'm loving it. I'm only about 50 pages in right now but I'm already very attached to the characters and I love the writing style. If that keeps up it'll end up as one of my favorites of all time!

[@willows6114]

Demon Copperhead is so good!!! I’m glad so many people like it, and Barbara Kingsolver has so many great books

[@hannahhurd1592]

Jack I love the way you talk about books! You should definitely read Always Forward by J. Gardner Hurd!!!

[@tiredgirlreads]

Love in the big city was also one of my favorites this year! I love how it balanced comedy with more serious examinations of life and death at the backdrop of such a vibrant city. I've never experienced a book that was so easy to read yet hit me so hard.

[@joditio3024]

I read All the Lovers in the Night because you recommended it - it's one of the best I've ever read too!!

[@MissEmilyN]

As someone who doesn't typically enjoy bildungsroman novels or Charles Dickens (A Tale of Two Cities is the exception), I was super nervous about Demon Copperhead. But, I trusted my faith in Barbara Kingsolver's writing style and I am so glad I did. It's so unbelievably gorgeous and heartbreaking.

[@siobhanmarkwell3719]

What a perfect mix of books I loved and books I will come to love. Epic curation.

[@gregahunt]

the music in the background is really goofy when you’re reading passages. mute the music when you read the passages

[@desireeambermoore621]

First person I saw read In Memoriam this year, THANK YOU!

[@biancaroy4207]

I just finished watching season 1 of Why Women Kill and the way you described The Guest reminded me so much of the character Jade, from the show. I’ve definitely added it to my list!

[@bexjean]

I already had my 52 picked out for next year…looks like we need to up the 2024 goals

[@Katianamusica]

That quote from demon copperhead is my favorite I am so happy you referenced it

[@nmitchxll305]

ok I read Foster on your recc. I thought it was very heartwarming and a masterful capturing of a child's voice. However, the central conceit is rich family = nice, poor family = mean. Because of the child's perspective it's kind of constrained to that simplistic, unquestioned view of class.

[@bug688]

I'm so glad I finally form an opinion of my best books of 2023. Thanks Jack

[@Showtunediva]

New subscriber! What I love about this wrap up is that you mentioned book that other book tubers I am following have not talked about talked Will be adding these to my TBR. You came up in my recommendations list when I was watching Haley Pham:’s recent video.

[@Panagiotireads]

Just finished this new, original collection of fairy tales, entitled 'Sillies, Fancies, and Trifles' - its perfect for the season. What's everyone else reading, I want some more recommendations to add to the lovely ones here. Keep up the beautiful videos :)

[@KellieRobinson965]

From reading the book by Paul Lynch as an Irish person, it felt very reminscent of our own history of being colonised and forced to flee the country during the Great Hunger. I'd greatly recommend the non-fiction novel 'Say Nothing' by Patrick Radden Keefe :)

[@asan1050]

Jack, Thank you for posting.

[@yuuriontepidwater]

Thank you for sharing this ❤️ your channel has helped me find so many wonderful books