Reading in Public No. 23: The most delightful books I read this year

Dec 05, 2023

It’s best books of the year season and while my official top ten is forthcoming, I have many more books I want to take the time to gush about with you.

Today I’m sharing the most delightful books I read this year, but I want to start with a little style self reflection. Because, as you may have gleaned by now, I don’t typically read to be delighted. I love books that challenge me, confuse me, baffle me, surprise me, and make me feel deeply. I love books that are Doing Something, whether bending a genre, offering social commentary, experimenting with voice, or fracturing form.

This is not to say that delightful books can’t do those things—in fact, I think that the most delightful reading experiences come from the perfect balance of familiarity and surprise. Those books are most certainly Doing Something! But, as a reader, I’m not typically drawn to books readers describe as delightful or the books readers want to hug when they get to the end. I guess you could say that if I had to pick, I’m more of a head reader than a heart reader, and perhaps true delight lives in the heart.

Still, I’m not made of stone! And it was absolutely finding delightful literature that first drew me to books as a young reader. When I do find a book that works for me in this realm, part of what I’m drawn to is the feelings of readerly nostalgia it stirs in me. So, yes, I do love an occasional bookish delight—and I find them all the more delightful when they’re nestled amongst some particularly heady reads. My 2023 was full of those sorts of challenge books, and the warm and whimsical books that caught my attention proved a real treat.

The 8 Most Delightful Books I Read This Year:

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett. I had a feeling I would love this book, but even though it came out in January, I waited until this week to read it. I’m so glad I finally did because it was so much fun, but also a clever exploration of the folklore that has inspired countless stories. The novel follows the titular Emily Wilde (an academic studying faerie realms) as she ventures into unfamiliar territory in the hopes of completing her encyclopedia. She’s follows by a handsome and bothersome professional rival, who she’s almost certain isn’t who he claims to be. The adventures the two undertake are surprising and I loved learning about the lore behind brownies and boggarts and all the terminology I’ve come across in fantasy reading.
Gentleman Jim by Mimi Matthews. I reviewed this last week so I won’t say much more here, but this closed-door romance was such a joy to read and I had to include it here. As I thought about it more, what I really loved about this book is that I was genuinely uncertain how Matthews was going to eliminate all the obstacles to bring her two protagonists together at last. Generally when I read romances, I see what conversations and revelations need to happen for the couple to be together and I have a good idea how they’ll get there. But I was on the edge of my seat with this one until the last moment, and I loved every minute of it!
Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong. I don’t want anyone to get any misconceptions because this book is absolutely devastating. But it’s also incredibly delightful with its moments of humor and loving depiction of a family in crisis. The story follows Ruth when she returns home to help care for her father who’s experience memory loss. The trajectory of the book is both tragic and triumphant. I delighted both in Ruth’s growth as a character, and in what she discovered about her family. Plus the notes from her father sprinkled throughout the novel inspired a new fulfilling journaling practice.
An Immense World by Ed Yong. Who says nonfiction can’t be delightful? In this incredibly researched and charmingly composed book, Yong explores the world of animal umvvelts—that is, how animals experience and perceive the world through their senses. I learned so much from reading this book, and while I was impressed by Yong’s ability to help me approach understanding the world like other animals, I was most astounded by the way the book demonstrated the limitations of my own human perspective.
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke. This was a childhood favorite of my Novel Pairings co-host, Chelsey, so we had to include it in our kid lit lineup this spring. This book was quite a bit darker than I had expected, but honestly that was part of the delight! The story follows a bookish girl named Meggie whose mother is missing and whose father, though an avid reader and professional bookbinder, never reads out loud. As the story unfurls, we come to understand just what has happened to Meggie’s mother and how the real and literary worlds interact and overlap.
Loot by Tania James. While this National Book Award longlisted novel offers piercing commentary on topics such as colonialism and assimilation, it is also a delightful story filled with hope, humor, and heart. Abbas is an apprentice to the sultan’s master woodcarver, tasked with creating an automaton depicting a tiger eating a British soldier. When the sultanate falls to the imperial army, Abbas finds himself far from home and desperately searching for the mentor he loved and the art that brought them together. Stylishly structured and smartly plotted, this adventure story is filled with surprising turns and highly original characters.
Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson. Forget this year, Tress of the Emerald Sea may be one of the most delightful books of all time. This book oozes charm from the lovely and capable protagonist to the most minute details of the world building to the incredible illustrations filling the special edition copy (which is a must!). I’m not going to say a single thing about the plot because I went in only knowing that this fantasy gem had blown away and warmed the hearts of some of the most hardcore literary fiction readers I know. I was enthralled and taken completely by surprise, and I want that for you too!
Troy by Stephen Fry. I listened to this on audio while conquering a reading of The Odyssey with the Novel Pairings Classics Club, and it was one of the best things I listened to all year. Fry injects so much personality into these classic stories—both his own personality as a writer and narrator, and his imagined personalities of each legendary figure occupying the epic. The result is a truly gripping rendition of a story that everyone already knows and a delightfully unique feat of storytelling. I’ll be picking up Heroes and Mythos the next time I need some bookish joy.

Tell me, do you read for delight or challenge? A healthy mix of both? And what was the most delightful book you read in 2023?

Reading in Public No. 23: The most delightful books I read this year

The 8 Most Delightful Books I Read This Year:

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