Our Favorite 2023 Reads so Far...

Go to a book signing or an author reading and you can 100% bet someone in the audience will ask, "Which books are on your night table?"  And it's an important question since what you read informs what you write. Agents and writing instructors always recommend reading widely in the genre you work in because it's essential to know what themes and tropes are popular in your niche, plus it will help you come up with comps when it's time to query your own work.

At our monthly TeamLCTFL meetings and on our Slack, we're always recommending books to each other that we know will strengthen or refine our fellow members' WIPs. Whenever there's a new Coming of Age story that's making waves in book reviews or on bookstagram, Audrey's Slack channel blows up with messages; when a creepy new thriller debuts, we all alert Jody and Brianne so they can determine how their own work is similar or different (or better ;) 

So here's what we're reading and why. Hope you'll find some good recommendations and food for thought...

"I tend to read pretty much only upmarket/book club fiction (which is what I'm writing, too. PS Check out this informative post about what upmarket even is!). I also prefer reading on paper—not e-readers—so yeah,  I can't seem to walk out of a bookstore without at least three new books (delightfully) weighing down my bag.  Right now, I'm reading The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale, which fellow TeamLCTFL member Mary Taggart suggested to me. I am love, love, loving the setting (it's a dual timeline story set in Paris in both the late 1990s and 2018), and the authentic (sometimes fraught and prickly)  friendship between the three main characters. I haven't finished it yet, so I'm not sure what the big reveal is going to be or how the protagonist is going to evolve, but I'm definitely enjoying the journey along the way."

"Come Closer, by Sara Gran, is psychological horror, delving into modern loneliness and isolation, marriage, and mental illness, written in the vein of Ira Levin. Like an Ira Levin novel, it is short, written in plain prose--so easy to read and yet disturbing on the most complex levels."

"I received the ARC for A Death At The Party, by Amy Stuart. The cover caught my attention instantly but then from the very first page the plot had me captured and I read through very quickly. As a writer, I was riveted by the fast paced plot that combines tension in a very character-driven story. It served as an excellent resource on how and where to increase tension and turned me on to suspense novels. I went on to read three more in the genre after finishing the book."

"All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham hit all the marks of an enthralling thriller for me. With its unreliable narrator, themes of motherhood, and dual timeline that delves into childhood traumas, I was captivated from the first page to the last. The atmospheric setting of Lowcountry and descriptive prose brought the story to life. Thoroughly enjoyed!"

"It's been a hot minute since I read a book all in one sitting, but this book was absolute magic and I couldn't put it down. Where the Forest Meets the Stars is a sweet story of a lost child named Ursa who claims to be from another planet. Ursa appears from the woods one evening and works her way into the hearts and homes of a young research scientist, Jo, and her mysterious neighbor, Gabe. The characters were complex and flawed, and I loved that Gabe wasn't what he seemed; he too was fighting his own inner demons and family disfunction, instead of the big, burly one-dimensional props often written in as love interests. I applaud Jo for owning her body after trauma, while still acknowledging her insecurities. And I absolutely adored Ursa. Her fight to save herself after everything she'd been through was touching and inspiring."

"The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth is a twisty tale of a couple who live next to a suicide jump spot, and the husband is known for successfully talking people off the ledge. But one day, the person he's talking to does jump - and it turns out, he already knows them, and everything might not be as it seems.

The story jumps back and forth in time and between various points of views - and the twists and surprises just keep coming. This book got me out of my reading slump, when I couldn't get particularly interested in any stories. The Soulmate came along and I couldn't put it down!"

"It had been a long time since I toted a book around with me, but Emily Henry’s Book Lovers had me sneaking in a few pages between breakfast and Bluey marathons, breaking my book accessory drought. The pacing was delicious and was so easy to get wrapped back into after just a few lines. Her playful take on tropes was just the thing I needed and, as a writer, helped expose many gaps and opportunities to improve my own writing. Usually a library girl, I added this one to my collection it's so good. Now I'm reading my next Emily Henry pick!"