Books Read in 2023

Diane's rating system:

Here is my approximate rating of books I have read or abandoned part way. Whenever I juxtapose items on a list like this I begin to second guess myself and question if the rating is valid on a relative scale. Since my reading tastes are eclectic, I am comparing apples with oranges, fiction with non-fiction, romance with thriller, so relativity on a consistency scale goes out the window.

☆☆☆☆☆        I probably did not even finish it
★☆☆☆☆      Awful but I read most or maybe even all of it
★★☆☆☆      Ok, not great; some redeeming features; I finished it
★★★☆☆      Better than average; not a waste of time
★★★★☆      Really good; maybe only one weak aspect or limited audience
★★★★★      Great! Read it!

I give the star rating soon after I am finished with (i.e., completed or abandoned) the book and blogged about it. The rating is more a reflection of my short term memory and enjoyment level. I have tried very hard not to go back at a later time and change the star rating relative to a different book I have read more recently. Click on the date after the book to see my full review. Comments on a book are allowed and encouraged at the end of the post for that book.

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2023 Books

1. ★★★★☆      The Christmas Spirit, Debbie Macomber ©2022 (1/08/23)
2. ★★★★☆      The Noel Diary, Richard Paul Evans ©2017(1/19/23)
3. ★☆☆☆☆      Wish You Were Here, Jodi Picoult ©2021 (3/22/23)
4. ★★☆☆☆      The House in the Pines, Ana Reyes ©2023 (3/26/23)
5. ★★★★☆      Outlawed, Anna North ©2021 (3/27/23)
6. ★☆☆☆☆      End of Story, Kylie Scott ©2023 (4/19/23)
7. ★★★★☆      The Underdog, Joshua Davis ©2005 (4/25/23)
8. ★★★☆☆      Point Last Seen, Christina Dodd ©2022 (5/6/23)
9. ★★★★☆      The End of Your Life Bookclub, Will Schwalbe ©2012 (5/15/23)
10. ★★★★☆      Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Laini Taylor, ©2011 (5/31/23)
11. ★★★★☆      Days of Blood and Starlight, Laini Taylor, ©2012 (5/31/23)
12. ★★★☆☆      Dreams of Gods and Monsters, Laini Taylor, ©2014 (6/17/23)
13. ★★★★★      Night of Cake and Puppets, Laini Taylor, ©2017(6/19/23)
14. ★★☆☆☆      House of Eve, Sadeqa Johnson ©2023 (6/23/23)
15. ★★★★☆      In the Lives of Puppets, TJ Klune ©2023 (7/6/23)
16. ★☆☆☆☆      Cassandra in Reverse, Holly Smale ©2023 (7/12/23)
17. ★★☆☆☆      Unladylike Lesson in Love, Amita Murray ©2023 (7/14/23)
18. ★★★★☆      Pax Journey Home, Sara PennyPacker ©2021 (8/23/23)
19. ★★★☆☆      Lessons in Chemistry, Bonnie Garmus ©2022 (8/31/23)
20. ★★★★☆      Stupid Things I Won't Do When I Get Old, Steven Petrow ©2021 (9/6/23)
21. ★☆☆☆☆      The Cat Who Saved Books, Sosuke Natsukawa ©2021 (9/20/23)
22. ★★★★☆      Talulah's Back in Town, Brenda Novak ©2023 (10/9/23)
23. ★★★☆☆      After the Fire, Kathryn Shay ©2010 (10/11/23)
24. ★★★★☆      Out of Nowhere, Sandra Brown ©2010 (10/21/23)
25. ★☆☆☆☆      Bookstore on the Beach, Brenda Novak, ©2021(10/31/23)
26. ★★★★☆      Starling House, Alix Harrow, ©2023 (11/12/23)
27. ★★★★★      The Wishing Game, Meg Shaffer ©2023 (11/14/23)
28. ★★☆☆☆      The Talk of Coyote Canyon, Brenda Novak (12/29/23)