My top favorite books of 2023

 

This post may be a bit premature, as I will most likely read a few more books before the end of the year. However, I decided to post it now since I met my reading goal for the year. 

I used to pick my 10 top favorite books of the year, then started listing my top 20 when it became too difficult to pick 10. Then the last few years I read so many that I didn't even attempt to pick a top 20.

This year I set a goal of 600 books, and hit it yesterday, December 21, with Nightfall, Benson First Responders Series #6 by Lisa Phillips. 

Someone in a Christian fiction group asked me what my favorites were. It is pretty difficult to pick 20 out of 600. I went through the list and did manage to pick 20, and did something I didn't do other years: Instead of listing more than one book in a series in my top 20 favorites, I also did a list of favorite series. I tried to do a top10 series, but ended up with 13. Counting series that I read at least 3 books in a series, I read 71 series this past year. My top favorites are listed after my top favorite books.

I did make two exceptions: One of my favorite series that made the list is The Detectives of Hazel Hill by Liz Bradford. The second book in that series, Pursued, was so good that it made my top 20 books also. The other book, Imperfect Justice is part of the Holly Books by C. C. Warrens, and is technically a different series from the Holly Series, but they all go together and need to be read in order, not as separate series.

A couple other statistics: I read books by 74 new to me authors this year.

The most books I read by the same author was 39 books by a new to me author, Rebecca Deel. A few of her books lean Christian, but most are just squeaky clean profanity-free books. (Something some Christian authors can't seem to do.)

The author who comes in second is Lisa Phillips. I read 27 books by her. And it was her newest book, Nightfall that was #600.

And third is a new author to me for 2023: Cynthia Hickey. I read 25 books by her. Most of her books aren't what you would call Christian fiction, but they are clean/profanity-free with a Christian world view.

So here are my top 20 favorite books for 2023, in no particular order of favorites:

1) Fairest of Heart by Karen Witemeyer

2) The Secrets Beneath by Kimberley Woodhouse

3) Cold Light of Day by Elizabeth Goddard

4) The Cairo Curse by Pepper Basham

5) The Shifting Current by Dani Pettrey

6) Unseen Danger Jerusha Agen

7) A Father for Her Boys by Danielle Graninetti

8) River Queen by Stephenia H McGee

9) Christmas In the Crosshairs by Lynette Eason, Kate Angelo, Kelly Underwood, Sami A. Abrams

10) On Moonberry Lake by Holly Varni

11) Imperfect Justice by C.C. Warrens

12) The Lost Boys of Barlowe Theater by Jamie Jo Wright

13) Better Watch Out Natalie Walters

14) Merry Humbug Christmas by Sandra Bricker

15) For the Sake of Her Sons by Allie Pleiter

16) 26 Below by Kimberley Woodhouse 

17) Running to You by Robin Patchen

18) The Adventuress by Lori Bates Wright

19) The Heart's Choice by Kimberley Woodhouse and Tracie Peterson

20) Pursued by Liz Bradford

And my top 13 Series, in no particular order (out of 71 series):

1) The Minnesota Marshalls by Susan May Warren

2) The Benson First Responders by Lisa Phillips

3) Brand of Justice by Lisa Phillips

4) Georgia Rae Winston Series by Marissa Schrock

5) Barks and Beans Series by Heather Gilbert Day

6) Finnegan First Responders Series by Laura Scott

7) The Holly Series by C.C. Warrens

8) The Detectives of Hazel Hill by Liz Bradford

9) Hope Landing by Edie James

10 Men of the Texas Rangers by Margaret Daley

11) Hidden Hearts of the Gilded Age by Crystal Caudill

12) The Saberton Legacy by Lori Bates Wright

13) The Mountain Protectors by Mindy Steele