I have had an excellent year of reading in 2023.

Seriously – it’s surprised me how many 5-star reads have been gracing my shelves and fizzing my brain with excitement. From non-fiction to YA fantasy novels, my reading has been varied and thoroughly enjoyable.

And it’s been a while since I’ve sat down to write something other than a book review on here, so I rather fancied sharing some sort of recommendations list for you.

So, here we are. Here are 4 books that I’ve read recently (i.e. this year) that I loved, highly recommend, and wanted to share with you.

The Isles of the Gods by Amie Kaufman / YA Fantasy

High seas, pirate vibes and enemies to friends/lovers – this book has it all. I could not put this down!! I’ve been reading more and more by Kaufman over the last year or so, and this book truly sealed the deal for me in terms of me falling in love with her writing.

BLURB: When Selly’s father leaves her high and dry in the port of Kirkpool, she has no intention of riding out the winter on land while he sails to adventure in the north seas. But any plans to follow him are dashed when a handsome stranger with tell-tale magician’s marks on his arm boards her ship, presenting her and the crew with a dangerous mission: to cross the Crescent Sea without detection so he can complete a ritual on the sacred Isles of the Gods. What starts as a leisure cruise will lead to acts of treason and sheer terror on the high seas, bringing two countries to the brink of war, two strangers closer than they ever thought possible and stirring two dangerous gods from centuries of slumber…

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Ever Green by John W. Reid & Thomas E. Lovejoy / Non-fiction, Enviro-science

I’ve been reading an increasing amount of enviro-science (non-fic), and I just can’t get enough of it. Expanding my knowledge and understanding of the environment and climate change is not only relevant, but just something that really sparks my interest. And this being about forests – megaforests in particular – was cool, enlightening and came with super fun maps.

BLURB: Clear, provocative, and persuasive, Ever Green is an inspiring call to action to conserve Earth’s irreplaceable wild woods, counteract climate change, and save the planet.

Five stunningly large forests remain on Earth: the Taiga, extending from the Pacific Ocean across all of Russia and far-northern Europe; the North American boreal, ranging from Alaska’s Bering seacoast to Canada’s Atlantic shore; the Amazon, covering almost the entirety of South America’s bulge; the Congo, occupying parts of six nations in Africa’s wet equatorial middle; and the island forest of New Guinea, twice the size of California.

These megaforests are vital to preserving global biodiversity, thousands of cultures, and a stable climate, as economist John W. Reid and celebrated biologist Thomas E. Lovejoy argue convincingly in Ever Green. Megaforests serve an essential role in decarbonizing the atmosphere—the boreal alone holds 1.8 trillion metric tons of carbon in its deep soils and peat layers, 190 years’ worth of global emissions at 2019 levels—and saving them is the most immediate and affordable large-scale solution to our planet’s most formidable ongoing crisis.

Reid and Lovejoy offer practical solutions to address the biggest challenges these forests face, from vastly expanding protected areas, to supporting Indigenous forest stewards, to planning smarter road networks. In gorgeous prose that evokes the majesty of these ancient forests along with the people and animals who inhabit them, Reid and Lovejoy take us on an exhilarating global journey.

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Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus / Historical Fiction, Feminist Fiction

I was mind-blown after reading this. Of course, I’d seen all the good reviews and its immense popularity, but I was nervous it wouldn’t live up to the hype. But wow, it sure did! I loved this and the journey it took me on. Utterly unique, and it totally grips your heart.

BLURB: Your ability to change everything – including yourself – starts here.

Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing.

But it’s the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute take a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans, the lonely, brilliant, Nobel-prize nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with – of all things – her mind. True chemistry results.

Like science, life is unpredictable. Which is why a few years later, Elizabeth Zott finds herself not only a single mother, but the reluctant star of America’s most beloved cooking show, Supper at Six. Elizabeth’s unusual approach to cooking (‘combine one tablespoon acetic acid with a pinch of sodium chloride’) proves revolutionary. But as her following grows, not everyone is happy. Because as it turns out, Elizabeth Zott isn’t just teaching women to cook. She’s daring them to change the status quo.

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Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli / YA Contemporary Romance, Queer Fiction

I love everything that Becky Albertalli has written, and as expected, I loved this one too. Imogen, Obviously felt slightly more unique than her other books – featuring a heterosexual character and focussing on Questioning and Allies. Addictive, literally couldn’t put it down. Will forcefully recommend this until the end of time.

BLURB: Imogen Scott may be hopelessly heterosexual, but she’s got the World’s Greatest Ally title locked down.

She’s never missed a Pride Alliance meeting. She knows more about queer media discourse than her very queer little sister. She even has two queer best friends. There’s Gretchen, a fellow high school senior, who helps keep Imogen’s biases in check. And then there’s Lili–newly out and newly thriving with a cool new squad of queer college friends.

Imogen’s thrilled for Lili. Any ally would be. And now that she’s finally visiting Lili on campus, she’s bringing her ally A game. Any support Lili needs, Imogen’s all in.

Even if that means bending the truth, just a little.

Like when Lili drops a tiny queer bombshell: she’s told all her college friends that Imogen and Lili used to date. And none of them know that Imogen is a raging hetero–not even Lili’s best friend, Tessa.

Of course, the more time Imogen spends with chaotic, freckle-faced Tessa, the more she starts to wonder if her truth was ever all that straight to begin with. . .

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