procrastinator’s best books of 2023

I usually read at least a book a month with book club (*picks) so my goal with books is always to read more than what I’m reading there. This year I also started doing more targeted walking which brought out audio books. It turns out that works better for me with nonfiction than fiction so I jammed through a few more than normal. It’s fun to read stuff that applies to my work world and might recommend to clients. And it’s inspiring me to get back out to my walking. Since the books I read are rarely current (paperbacks for the win) this is my current fave list of what was really out in 2023.

The Final Girl Support Group* by Grady Hendrix – A fun start to 2023, a look at ‘80s horror through survivors that was a page-turner with some flaws.
Matrix* by Lauren Groff – A weird but engaging one, I could have used a little more plot but intrigued to watch this woman throughout the life she made herself at an abbey.
Cloud Cuckoo Land* by Anthony Doerr – A tale told from disparate stories was initially a little hard to connect with but thought it pulled it off quite well.
The Overstory by Richard Powers – This was a solo read (others in book club had read it) and also a connection of disparate stories from multiple points of trees, I thought the writing and characters were great and again pulled it off.
The Memory Police* by Yoko Ogawa – A lot of small quibbles but overall I was kind of caught up in this surreal look at a small village and what happens when most people lose kinds of memories and their relation to those who didn’t.
Luster by Raven Leilani – While I enjoyed the characters and their entanglements as a single woman starts seeing a man in an open marriage I was never totally feeling it.
Children’s Bible* by Lydia Millet – A group of families vacation together and we follow along with the children as things take an apocalyptic turn and they must find their way, surprisingly very fun and allegorical.
Down the River Unto the Sea* by Walter Mosley – We were looking for a good mystery by a person of color after hating All Her Little Secrets last year, and read a positive review about the second in this relatively new series, while some of the elements are a little tropeish for a detective novel it was engaging and had good potential for development.
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo – This was a book club pick from last year that I missed, they probably liked it more than I did, a decent fun fantasy but also raised my disdain for the first in a trilogy that doesn’t feel like it wraps things up, I won’t do the next.
Trust* by Hernan Diaz – The structure of this with different perspectives to the same people/period was really interesting but the book itself didn’t necessarily draw me in so much.
Our Country Friends* by Gary Shteyngart – I haven’t loved Shteyngart and this was similar in that it focused on really annoying people who could at times be amusing, and I’m still not totally vibing with pandemic-setting focused books.
The Committed* by Viet Thanh Nguyen – Book club loved The Sympathizer and thought this follow-up really worked, it’s a little dense at times but following this narrator is quite the ride.
Sea of Tranquility* by Emily St John Madel – Big fan of Emily, really enjoyed this time travel tale and appreciated the nods to previous works without a dependency.
The Marriage Portrait* by Maggie O’Farrell – A fictionalized take on a historical story, I appreciated it but was a little bored with this.
Buddha in the Attic* by Julie Otsuka – A really interesting stylistic and somewhat poetic choice to tell the story of the time between US arrival and Japanese internment, intrigued but glad it was a little short.

Nonfiction

Promotions Made Easy by Stacy Mayer – Knowing that you want to take control over the steps toward a promotion she lays out steps to take, most of which resonated.
Smile When They Call You Sleazy by Mary Cravets – I took a course with Mary and appreciate her approach to creating a successful business, this really felt like a collection of short lessons, very quick.
The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women: Why Capable People Suffer from the Imposter Syndrom and How to Thrive in Spite of It by Valerie Young – I thought she was very thorough in her analysis of imposter syndrome and very relatable, some tips as well though I think I’ll need to reread this again.
The Science of Stuck by Britt Frank – Lots of reasons why we’re stuck and some examples and exercises of how to break that pattern, probably also worth a reread.
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patric Lencioni – A good relatively short scenario where a new CEO works through dysfunctions with the team she inherits, it was nice to see the very specific examples and applications.
The Power of Regret by Daniel Pink – A pretty engaging look at regret with lots of science behind it and the ways that we can use it positively to understand and change moving forward.
The Joy Diet by Marth Beck – This was a little challenging to read/listen to without kind of practicing each step and while each of the elements make sense I think it might need a little more focused attention to put into practice.
Hyper Focus by Chris Bailey – I have enjoyed one of his other books, The Productivity Project, and this was a great insight into really how bad our multitasking and distracted attention is and some tips on both getting into the zone, as well as scatter focusing.
Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport – A good complement to the above, I appreciated all the science and realistic look at what tools are working for us and when they aren’t how to scale back, and how to focus on conversations and doing things.
Outer Order Inner Calm by Gretchen Rubin – I follow Rubin more around her habits and things but a brief but good reminder about some tips and things to keep in mind for clearing of things.
168 Hours by Laura Vanderkam – I’ve followed Vanderkam for some time with her time tracking, the book talked about time tracking but also the real work about deciding what’s important to you to decide where to spend your time.
Boundaries by Dr Henry Cloud and Dr John Townsend – I actually only started this but it was a little too over the top with Christian biblical content.
Your Brain at Work by Dr David Rock – This was a fun scenario-based book where we go through the science of the thing and what might be a natural inclination and what is a better approach.
Your Brain is Always Listening by Daniel G Amen, MD – This wasn’t my fave, a lot of talk about ‘dragons’ similar to gremlins and saboteurs but then felt like a more abstract concept and then dips into brain science and addiction which felt like a couple different books.
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo – I had never read this and always kind of meant to, you get a look more into what a character she is, and while I appreciate the gist of things sparking joy and finding a place for everything, maybe a little too particular for me.
Set Boundaries Find Peace by Nedra Glover Tawwab – A less religious slant on boundaries, she went through various kinds of boundaries with exercises though I’m still searching for perhaps another slant or layer more applicable to professional and personal boundaries.
Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy – This is one of the concepts that I espouse but another book I’d never actually read, the frog is actually only one of many productivity techniques, a nice collection.
The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi – I really liked the perspective here about what is the right amount of time and energy to put into things, a little more focused on home/personal but the principles apply regardless.