Books I read in 2023

It still feels 2024 just kicked in. But we are almost at the verge of the second month. Most of us begin every year with a set of new resolutions, but they aren't for me. I once tried to welcome a brand new year with lots of hope and a list of action items. I couldn't achieve even one. So why unnecessarily pressurize myself. That was the first and last time I made a new year resolution. 

Leaving aside the so called resolutions, year on year, I definitely look up to reading books regularly. Last couple of years had been good. But in 2023, with a lot happening on my personal front, I could only finish a handful of books, most of which I have already shared my review on this site. So for 2024, I have a different approach to enable me read more. I will explain more on that while I write about my first read of 2024.

For now, here is a quick recap of the books I read in 2023. In this post, I am also sharing the navigation to detailed synopsis and my review for all those books. Hope you like it!!

House of Cards: This book is written by Mrs. Sudha Murty. It is the story of Mridula who wishes to lead a simple life. She marries a like-minded person Sanjay, who eventually becomes a money-minded and greedy person succumbing to illegal ways to multiply his riches. This causes a rift in their family life. The book deals with simple yet a very strong subject which is quite relatable. Click here to read the synopsis and review.

The Henna Artist: A fictional story written by Alka Joshi, set up in Jaipur, a beautiful city in India. The lead character Lakshmi leaves her village and strained marriage and settles down as a renowned henna artist amongst the elite circle in Jaipur. But one fateful incident makes her life miserable and forces her to leave Jaipur and quit painting henna. How she bounces back and regains her stand in life is the story. This is another women centric and powerful story, which is sure an inspiration to anyone who reads. You can find my detailed review in this link.

Everything I Never Told You: Celeste Ng is the author of this book. It is a fictional family drama of a mixed race family, whose daughter is found dead in a lake near their home. The author made a wonderful attempt to detail the dreams, emotions and inner struggles of the family members in their own voices. If you wish to read the full synopsis and my review, click here.

The Dressmaker of Khair Khana: This is the true story of a women student who became an entrepreneur when Kabul entered into a politically unsafe situation under the Taliban rule. Gayle Tzemach Lemmon did a fantastic job in documenting Kamila's life. Through this book, she spoke about the importance of girl child's education and woman's financial freedom - two essentials for defining any nation's development. The synopsis is available in this link.

California Summer: Written by Anita Hughes, California Summer is a romantic novel set up in a small beach town. After an unexpected break up with her college sweet heart, Rosie moves to a beach town, to find the true purpose and love in her life. It has a wonderful story, strong characterizations and a great message to the readers - "finding happiness within", making it a perfect beach read. Click here to read the full synopsis and review.

The Invisible Girl: I picked this book after coming across a series of great reviews about Lisa Jewell's work. It is a thriller in which a young girl goes missing. Police suspects a teacher who lives in the same street as her is responsible for the disappearance. Answers to "Why and how the girl went missing, who did it and what happened to her" is precisely the story. I didn't particularly like this book, as the narration was dull, dragging and not compelling enough, given the hype about the author and her novels. So I didn't even bother to write an exclusive post on it.  

The Joy of Less: Authored by Francine Jay, the Joy of Less is a book on minimalism. In this book, Francine explains the concept of minimalism and means to adopt it in simple terms. If you are inquisitive to know about minimalism or unsure where and how to start decluttering, this is the book you should refer to. You can read the complete synopsis and review here.

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