The Readers Advisory Librarians best of 2023Like this list

12 items

• The Black Maybe

  Liminal Tales

  Veres, Attila, 1985-

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  Mike - The darkness in this collection of weird horror tales is sharp and full of fears, with each story a small mythology within the grand Lovecraftian narrative. I could not put it down, when I did I kept being drawn back. Attila Veres…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Strange Sally Diamond

  Nugent, Liz, 1967-

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  Eamonn - This was my favourite thriller/mystery of the year. It often wrong footed me and I did not anticipate the ending at all which is not something I say about many thrillers.

• Camp Zero

  a Novel

  Sterling, Michelle Min, 1982-

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  Sarah- This dark and perceptive sci fi is set in the not too distant future in an unspecified isolated area of northern America; one of the only areas left that is habitable. People are desperate to live in dome type cities that are far…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Better the Blood

  Bennett, Michael, 1964-

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  Fee - Michael Bennett (In Dark Places) won Best First Novel with Better the Blood at the 2023 Ngaio Marsh Awards. This powerful and confronting story conveys the pain of loss of ancestral land as a killer picks off descendents of English…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• This Is How You Lose the Time War

  El-Mohtar, Amal

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  Mike - Short, powerful and dynamic. A battlefield boast between two enemy agents turns into a connection that crosses the strands of time and space. I didn't know what to expect going into this, ended up being enthralled, inhaled it in one…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Romantic Comedy

  Sittenfeld, Curtis, 1975-

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  Eamonn - The best romantic comedy I read this year is aptly called Romantic Comedy. It's smartly plotted and packs in a few surprises but most importantly it's very romantic and very funny. Definitely one for the beach this summer.

• Locust Lane

  Amidon, Stephen, 1959-

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  Sarah - a taught, thoughtful and at times tongue in cheek domestic thriller that is packed full of characters that will remind you of people you know, people you like and people you love to hate.

• The Mountain in the Sea

  Nayler, Ray

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  Fee - This wonderful book won a Locus Award this year. The Mountain in the Sea reflects on man's inhumanity to man and nature, in a future both exacerbated and aided by massive leaps in human development in AI. What is DIANIMA's ultimate…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Night Film

  a Novel

  Pessl, Marisha

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  Mike - This book...Sovereign, deadly, perfect. I cannot articulate just how good this was to read. At it's core it's the tale of a fallen investigative reporter, who ruined his career going after a reculsive film director, seeks redemption…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Paradais

  Melchor, Fernanda, 1982-

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  Eamonn - This was the novel I read this year that made me feel the strongest emotions. The fact that those emotions were predominantly horror and disgust is besides the point. Read this if you really want a book to get under your skin (but…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Sea of Tranquility

  Mandel, Emily St. John, 1979-

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  Sarah - a beautifully written book that on the surface is about time travel, but is really about so much more. The same event is experienced in four different time periods, and as the story unravels, what starts out as a mere oddity takes…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Axeman's Carnival

  Chidgey, Catherine, 1970-

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  Fee - Harrowing and hilarious in equal amounts. Written from the point of view of magpie, Tama (gotchi), this story ticks all the boxes: stunning language and scenery, great characters and a clever plot that's full of chuckles;…Read moreRead more of this annotation