HiJinx Podcast: Best Books of 2023

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The photograph shows four book covers selected from the podcast list against a blue background.

By Jessica L.

“Tsundoku” is a whimsical Japanese term for collecting books in piles… to be read… eventually. You may have been practicing this without knowing there was a term for it! So, how did you do with your “To Be Read” pile this past year? Are you ready for more recommendations? Here you go!

Listen to our recent Hijinx podcast, Best Books of 2023, featuring voices from HCLS staff and community members. Past episodes can be found here.  

Favorite Books Read in 2023 from HCLS Staff & Customers 

The book cover depicts a figure standing at the top of a set of stairs in an alcove, hands behind back, looking at a large painting on a wall.

All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me by Patrick Bringley

Beartown Trilogy (Beartown, Us Against You, The Winners) by Fredrik Backman 

Belle of the Ball by Mari Costa 

The book cover depicts a bird with something round like a berry in its mouth, sitting on a branch, in shades of orange and gold against a hazy green background.

Dinosaurs by Lydia Millet 

Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White 

The book cover depicts trees, branches, and undergrowth in the foreground and a lake and hills in the background, all in blue and white like a woodcut style that has been colorized.

Landmarks by Robert MacFarlane 

Leg by Greg Marshall 

Lone Women by Victor Lavalle 

The cover is in grey lettering against a black background, with a black snake winding in and out of the letters in the title.

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo 

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt 

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld 

The book cover depicts a woman with long hair and a bouquet of flowers in an off-shoulder white dress, sitting on a broomstick in front of a full moon in a dark sky.

Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery by Brom

The book cover depicts snow falling on the roofs and chimneys of houses in a village or town. The snow is white and the buildings and background are emerald green.

Small Things Like These by Clarie Keegan 

The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris 

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow 

A illustration of a dragon like mask with horns. Pine trees are in the background.

To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose 

Verity by Colleen Hoover (#1 Book requested and borrowed in 2023) 

The book cover depicts a cat, a pile of books, a coffee cup with a polar bear design, a white pillow with pink trim, and a leafy green plant in a terracotta pot, all framed by a black window frame against a blue sky and outdoor scene of other buildings and a tree with pink foliage.

What You Are Looking for Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama 

JP has worked at HCLS since 2006. She is disappointed that the original Muppet Babies cartoon series is unavailable for streaming anywhere.  

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