The Books Our Editors Loved Most in 2023

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At Country Living, we're not much for resolutions of the deprive-yourself variety. (See: Pie January.) But "read more books" is a goal we'll happily get behind. And while Country Living's Digital Director Katie Bowlby may hold the staff record for books consumed in 2023 (that would be a whopping 115!), we boast quite a few bookworms around these parts. Here are our favorite editor-vetted, couldn't-put-it-down picks from the past year. (Some were published earlier, but found their way on our reading lists in 2023.)

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

"Oh how I missed this book as soon as it was over! Set during the pandemic without feeling overtly pandemic-y, it transports you to the countryside (a farmhouse on a Michigan cherry orchard, more specifically). It makes you nostalgic for the impractical whims of youth while also more appreciative of the oft-underrated steadiness of adulthood. It makes you want to buy blue dish towels and to reread Our Town by Thornton Wilder. It makes you rethink what makes for a "big" life in all the best ways possible."

—Rachel Barrett, Editor-in-Chief

Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano

"This book had me completely engrossed in the relationships of the four Padavano sisters over several decades. It all felt so human in both brokenness and, as the title hints at, beauty, and had me in tears at the end."

—Madoline Koonce, Assistant Managing Editor

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store

"It’s not often that I start a book that I can’t put down, but I finished The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store in two days, and immediately bookmarked it as my favorite book of 2023. It’s the first book that I’ve read by James McBride, and he captivated me from the beginning. His portrayal of his characters had me laughing out loud one moment and crying the next. The story line ranges from the 20s to the 50s and is centered around The Heaven & Earth Grocery store located on Chicken Hill, a poor neighborhood in Pottstown, PA. The grocery store was a central hub on Chicken Hill and created an open space for all people. McBride beautifully captures the personalities of the characters in this story ranging from immigrant Jews to Blacks who left the South after the Civil War, to the Pottstown doctor whose family arrived in America on the Mayflower. This inspiring narrative provides a glimpse into the prejudice notions in this town, portraying people from different backgrounds and ethnicities, but coming together for one purpose in the end."

—Kate Phillips, Visual Director

Everything I Know About Love: A Memoir

Everything I Know About Love was the first book I read in 2023 and I still think about the funny stories and life-altering lessons Dolly Alderton writes about. Her brash, British humor takes you from her curious childhood to her trouble-making teen years, and finally to her confused ‘20s. While some of her antics seem so out of pocket and wild, others felt so relatable. I often found myself thinking, “Thank God I’m not the only one who has felt that way” She shares funny stories that will make you laugh out loud, and bittersweet moments that tug at your heart. Boys, best friends, and jobs are all integral parts of the book and the lessons she's learned. While I think it’s an essential read for women trying to navigate their twenties, I think any age will enjoy it. And here’s a tip, listen to the audiobook to hear Alderton’s charm and whit tell the stories to perfection.

—Anna Mahan, Associate Commerce Editor

The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff

"I wasn’t sure if a survival story set in early colonial America would be for me, but thankfully I trusted Lauren Groff enough to try. The Vaster Wilds is astonishing—lyrical and atmospheric in a way that reminded me a fable. I couldn’t put down this beautiful exploration of a young woman’s faith and humanity as she fights for survival in the wilderness."

—Maribeth Jones, Design Director

Happiness Falls by Angie Kim

"I read 115 books this year, and Happiness Falls by Angie Kim is the one I can't stop thinking about. I was captivated from the first sentence. She paints a portrait of a family in a horrible situation: A father heads out on a hike with his son, and only the son returns. The son, Eugene, has autism and Angelman's, and he is unable to tell his family what happened to his father. The story unfolds with Eugene's siblings, twins home from college due to the pandemic, and his mother trying to figure out what happened to the father and what secrets he was hiding. It is the ultimate page-turner."

—Katie Bowlby, Digital Director

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

"Anxious People by Fredrik Backman stood out to me because I will forever love Backman's cadence and sense of humor (he's best known for A Man Called Ove). The story slowly reveals the hidden inner struggles of a group of quirky strangers thrown together by chance amidst a stressful incident, and it reminds me to have even more empathy in my daily encounters."

—Emma Gray Pitt, Deputy Art Director

Stay True: A Memoir

"Hua Hsu won the Pulitzer Prize for Memoir or Autobiography in 2023, and it was one of my favorite books of the year. A memoir about the power of friendship and pain of loss. It brought back so many memories of friends I’ve had through the years and the impact they’ve had on my life, and still do."

—Becky Stayner, Staff Photographer

Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder by Dacher Keltner

"One of my 2024 goals is to just poke my head up and look around every once in a while, and take in the amazingness of the world around me. That’s in no small part because I read Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder by Dacher Keltner. It sounds like a self-help book (and you can kind of use it that way), but it’s actually a (very readable!) science book about what researchers have learned about where awe comes from, why we experience it, and why it’s important to our lives."

—Christopher Michel, Senior Food & Gardens Editor

Memorial by Bryan Washington

"An honest look at modern love and complicated family dynamics that somehow spans from Houston to Japan. If cooking is your love language, this book will surely resonate."

—Sarah Zlotnick, Lifestyle Director

Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton

"I love a good story about people living outside of the system and this book, which focuses on a guerrilla gardening collective, features rebels and gardening—two of my favorite things."

—Charlyne Mattox, Food & Crafts Director

Charm City Rocks by Matthew Norman

"Charm City Rocks by Matthew Norman is my favorite book no one is talking about. Piano teacher Billy lives above a record store in Baltimore, and he is happy. But his teenage son wants more for him, and, in a hilarious turn of events, he basically catfishes Billy's long-time crush, Margot, a legitimate rock star who, after public embarrassment, became a bit of a recluse. The story is charming and laugh-out-loud funny. I loved Billy's heartfelt relationship with his son, and the ode to Baltimore."

—Katie Bowlby, Digital Director

The Hotel Nantucket

"I love reading according to the seasons so during the summer I finally cracked open this popular book from the beach read queen herself, Elin Hilderbrand. When a local woman gets hired to manage a historic and newly renovated hotel, she hires a charismatic and pretty inexperienced team to make it the best new spot on the island. Told from multiple points of view, Hilderbrand’s detailed writing swept me away to a world of hydrangeas and history. I loved going behind the scenes of the hospitality industry and learning real details about the beach town. If you want a book that is fun with just a sprinkle of mystery and drama, I couldn’t recommend this one enough!"

—Anna Mahan, Associate Commerce Editor

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