No, this isn’t just going to be a list of authors I read in 2023, but as I update my books read page, I realize that there are a lot of “surprise” authors from the year that I want to share.
Most Read Authors in 2023
J. L. Bryan
This one is no surprise as partway through the year I started to read Bryan’s Ellie Jordan: Ghost Trapper series on my Kindle before bed. It then started to become a nightly ritual to go to bed with an Ellie Jordan book. In December, I switched it up to some Christmas horror (as one does), but I spent nearly all year reading the entire series, save for the last book.
Stephen King
Another one that comes to no surprise as I fell in love with Stephen King’s work a few years back and have been reading him ever since. I still remember when my kids were little and I picked up It for the first time and devoured it. Since then, I’ve made it a goal to read his entire catalogue. In 2023, I read 10 of his books and then immediately started 2024 with one (11/22/63).
Surprises & New Favourite Authors
Sarah Morgan
Every year near December I find myself wanting to pick up more and more holiday-themed books when I go to the store. When I saw Sarah Morgan’s The Book Club Hotel, with its snowy cover and book theme, I had to get it. Little did I know that I would absolutely fall in love with it and read two more of Morgan’s books (Christmas themed!) in December. She is definitely an auto-buy author now!
Chevy Stevens
I remember picking up Stevens’s Dark Roads from the store one day when I was on a Canada kick. I was fascinated by how many books there were by Canadian authors, especially mystery-thrillers, which I had become addicted to. When I read the book, it was a page-turner with a character that literally made my blood boil. I loved it. I had to grab another one of Stevens’s books and hopefully I can see if I continue to love her writing.
Sarah Adams
In late 2023, I went away on a solo vacation and brought a literal suitcase of books with me. I had been reading a lot of thrillers and thought I’d take a break with a romance and picked up Adams’s Practice Makes Perfect. I read 15 books on this vacation so it really was a matter of just picking something up and starting to read – not debating what to read. This book was the BEST pick I could have made. It was so so good and had me laughing and smiling and I now need to read more of Adams’s books in 2024.
Megan Goldin
You had me at podcast. Being someone who loves to listen to true crime and mysteries via podcast, I had to get Goldin’s book The Night Swim when it came to the Book of the Month selection. I didn’t anticipate how much I would actually love the book though! Another couldn’t put down book and I immediately had to see if the second book in the series was available on BOTM.
A Constistenty Good Author
Loreth Anne White
Previous to 2023, I had read 3 of White’s books and loved them all. She has this way of writing that immediately sucks you in and you just can’t put the book down. This was x1000 when I started to read The Patient’s Secret. This book was beyond good – insanely good! – and it was the catalyst that had me ordering the rest of White’s books that I did not own because I absolutely love her.
Not an Author, But a Narrator
Will Patton
I had been reading End of Watch by Stephen King via mass market paperback, but when December rolled around, I flung myself into Christmas-mode. I realized that I still wanted to finish the other non-Christmas books I was reading so I found the audiobook for End of Watch on Hoopla and used it to finish the book while I knitted. Will Patton is an AMAZING narrator. I don’t think I had ever listened to his narrations before. When I finished reading the series, I wanted to continue with the Holly books, but I had already read The Outsider (the next book) years ago. I downloaded the audiobook to listen to it and have been so far this year. Again, Will Patton’s narration is FABULOUS. Would highly recommend.
Bookish Disappointment
Joanne Fluke
I had hoped to find another great mystery series when I picked up the first book in Fluke’s Hannah Swensen series, but I was very disappointed with this one.
Lucy Clarke
Have you seen the cover for The Hike? It’s gorgeous. And the premise sounded so good. Unfortunately, the book was just disappointing. There’s nothing I hate more than when the bad guy at the end of the book has an entire soliloquy where they give great detail about why they committed the crime. However, I did pick up another one of Clarke’s books, The Castaways, because it had more favourable reviews, so we’ll see.
Elle Kennedy
Oh man, I LOVE Elle Kennedy’s Off-Campus series and did enjoy the first book in her Avalon Bay series, Good Girl Complex, but then when I picked up the second book, Bad Girl Reputation, I had to do a double take. This book seemed so far off from the hockey series and I just didn’t like it at all. I hated the characters and the whole “you’re a bad girl and you’ll always be a bad girl” attitude Evan had. It was terrible. I am still going to read Kennedy’s books, but I hope the rest are better than this one!
What author did you read the most of in 2023? What author is now on your auto-buy list? Were you disappointed by any books in 2023? Let me know in the comments!
Hygge Dreamer 