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Chelmsford Library Staff Picks: Best Books From 2023!
2023 was a great reading year for the staff at the Chelmsford Library! We read a huge variety of new releases in fiction and nonfiction, we checked out some back list titles, and we borrowed cookbooks, picture books, and YA novels. Personally, the second half of the year was really strong for me, since three of my top picks for the year were released after the midway point. If you're looking to see what we read throughout last year, check out the list below:
Jianna:
The haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro (fiction)
Endangered Eating by Sarah Lohman (nonfiction)
Mike H:
Dead Fall by Brad Thor
Vickie:
The Wager by David Grann (nonfiction)
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt (fiction)
Eileen:
Homecoming by Kate Morton
Games & Rituals - stories by Katherine Heiny
Jeff:
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree (I think Julia really liked this too!)
Leviathan Falls by James S.A. Corey
What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher (also one of Lesley’s faves)
Julia:
White Cat, Black Dog by Kelly Link
Chain-Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
Biography of X by Catherine Lacey
Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle
Apeirogon by Colum McCann
Lindsey:
The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins
Lesley:
This Other Eden by Paul Harding
Night Wherever We Go by Tracey Rose Peyton
Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Torzs
The History of a Difficult Child by Mihret Sibhat
Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka
The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young
Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead
The Deep Sky by Yumi Kitasei
I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home by Lorrie Moore
Nonfiction:
Milk Street Noodles by Christopher Kimball
The World Keeps Ending, and the World Goes On by Franny Choi
Wound is the Origin of Wonder by Maya Popa
Pub in 2022 but I read in 2023 and they deserve attention 🙂
Sorcerer of Pyongyang by Marcel Theroux
What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher (I think Jeff maybe submitted this already)
Checkout 19 by Claire-Louise Bennett
The Half Life of Valery K by Natasha Pulley
Andrea:
Once Upon a Chef Weeknight/Weekend by Jennifer Segal
That's the top-rated bibliobites book this year!
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Fabulous full-cast audio. Just thinking about it makes me want to listen to it again. All of the voices are so perfect and really bring the characters to life.
Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice For Murderers by Jesse Sutanto
Just a fun romp! Lots of Asian and ageist stereotyping, but hilarious all the same. Written by an Asian author so I guess the stereotyping is OK.
Mistress of Bhatia House by Sujata Massey
Third (fourth?) in a series that takes place in 1920s India. The protagonist is based on India's real-life first female lawyer. Our intrepid heroine, Perveen Mistry, is drawn into crime-solving and uses her legal training in the pursuit of justice. Lots of evocative description creates a vivid sense of time and place. Ongoing subplots involving the Mistry family and a love interest for Perveen. Oops-- that's two titles in the Mystery category! Or we could call this one historical fiction.
The Road to Roswell by Connie Willis
I think I got this title from one of your displays or lists. (She did! This was an unexpected delight for me in 2023! -Julie) Though I rarely read sci-fi, one of my favorite books ever is Willis' earlier title, Passages, so I decided to try this one. I was not disappointed! This is a plot-heavy tale of alien abduction with a cast of your basic quirky characters, and a hero who may or may not be what he seems. A nice subtext about not rushing to judgment when encountering someone (or something) that you've never seen before/don't understand.
Jess H:
Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes
In Defense of Witches: The Legacy of the Witch Hunts and Why Women Are Still on Trial by Mona Chollet
Jess F:
Yellowface by R. F. Kuang
The Vulnerables by Sigrid Nunez
Rouge by Mona Awad
I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai
All the Sinners Bleed by S. A. Cosby
Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane
Birnum Wood by Elinor Catton
The Fraud by Zadie Smith
Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff
Exiles by Jane Harper
Trupti:
The Kind Worth Saving by Peter Swanson
Nancy:
Golden Doves by Martha Hall Kelly
Spare by Prince Harry
Donna:
No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister
Heidi:
Tom Lake by Ann Pachett
An Astronomer in Love by Antoine Laurain (not available in MVLC)
Wes:
System Collapse by Martha Wells
Wild Massive by Scotto Moore
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
Marty:
How to do nothing: resisting the attention economy by Jenny Odell
Jamie:
Tomorrow and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Amy:
The Wishing Season by Anica Mrose Rissi
The Peach Rebellion by Wendelin Van Draanen
Holding Her Breath by Eimear Ryan
Glynis:
A Deadly Vow by Carla Simpson
Murder of the Seven Dials by Cara Devlin (not available in MVLC)
Staff Pick:
The 7 Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano
Stephanie:
Inheritance Games series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Cynthia:
Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese
Todd:
Doppelganger by Naomi Klein
Pirate Enlightenment by David Graeber
The Internet Con by Cory Doctorow
Julie:
The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
North Woods by Daniel Mason
Shark Heart by Emily Habeck
A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales
The Ferryman by Justin Cronin
Jill:
A Light in the Forest by Melissa Payne
A Storm of Infinite Beauty by Julianne Maclean
Unlikely Animals by Annie Hartnett
Going Zero by Anthony McCarten
The Puzzle Master by Danielle Trussoni
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