I've been thinking about this list for a while and having trouble making a commitment. As I reflect on the books I read in 2023, there are no titles that continued to visit me throughout the year - you know, those stories and characters that pop into your mind at random times or that you find yourself mulling over when you first wake up. Sometimes I even think, how would "so-and-so" character handle this situation. Oh, you don't do that? That's weird. Even so, I read some great books in 2023. Wallace Chuck via Pexels Favorite Books of 2023 (in no particular order) As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone An interesting and lovely way to write a sci fi novel. I loved the style and the story. This is probably my favorite of the year. The Last Queen by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni The Last Queen was a historical imagining of the life and struggles of the last queen of the Sikh
When I think of Beauty and the Beast tales, fantastical, magical settings come to mind. I mean, in the original yarn by Madame Barbot de Villeneuve , Beauty was attended by birds and monkeys dressed in elegant attire, Beast and Beauty cavorted in nighttime dreams and Beast's mom was a cousin of Xena the Warrior Princess (not really, but could have been). It certainly was not a proper Disney setting. Beauty and the Beast by Walter Crane While I enjoy an imaginative fantasy setting, it's fun to encounter a retelling of this favorite fairy tale as a different genre. I've been reading romances for a long time, and worked in a bookstore in high school and college. While I was mostly enamored of the sci fi / fantasy section of the store, I did enjoy a dalliance in the romance section to check out the new romance covers. Those were the days when Harlequin Romances were issued monthly on a set schedule and Fabio with his long flowing locks graced the cover of many bodice-