I am not a big fiction reader, but I’d like to be. There is such a benefit to reading fiction — it helps to exercise my imagination which boosts creativity, it deepens my sense of empathy, it can be inspiring, and it often offers some wisdom (whether the author intends to or not). But finding fiction books that I like has been difficult. In my opinion, it’s worse to slog through a fiction book you don’t like rather than a non-fiction book you don’t like.

And so, I did the Des Moines Public Library’s 2023 Reading Challenge. This challenge has 18 categories — you pick your own books to read for each category. For example, I had to read a book from a famous book club (like Reese Witherspoon, Good Morning America, etc), I had to read a science fiction or fantasy book, I had to read a literary classic, I had to read a mystery novel, etc. I liked the variety, and it prompted me to read outside of my comfort zone.

Allow me to share with you my five favorite fiction books that I read in 2023:

1) The Sea of Tranquility, by Emily St John Mandel

If you listened to my New Song November song, Rabbit Hole, you know my embarrassing secret: that maybe there’s a part of me who likes to entertain fringe time-travel theories. Call me a sucker. This book did not disappoint. There was time traveling, there were time anomalies, there were depictions of a distant future on other planets that still felt deeply human. It was well written, and the way she tied up the storylines was very smart. I intend to read more of her work this year.

2) The Time Machine, by HG Wells

Okay, since we’re on that topic, let’s talk about this classic. It was hard for me to believe that it was written in 1895 — but that is what made it more fascinating. It gives a glimpse into the anxieties of that time in a different way than you would get from reading other genres of literature. Wells imagines a post-human world, with two species that are human-like, and he does so in a way that takes scientific concepts and theories to their logical conclusions in the hands of a robust imagination. Wells feels to me more like an author of science fiction, where later authors in the same genre might feel more like science fiction. Next up on my list to-read from him: War of the Worlds.

3) Winter Street, by Elin Hilderbrand

This one isn’t necessarily my third favorite from the list, but I am placing it here because I want to introduce a rating scale that I’ll use for the next book, too. Winter Street is kind of like a Hallmark movie: it has a Christmas setting, it is about affluent, good-looking people with affluent, good-looking people problems. I don’t say this as a criticism. It goes down easy, and has heart, like a Hallmark movie. The only difference is where my rating scale comes in. Imagine that watching a Hallmark movie is like drinking a glass of apple juice; and if that’s the case, then reading Winter Street is like drinking a glass of wine. It’s not like drinking four glasses of wine, understand. But one glass. It’s not as squeaky-clean innocent as a Hallmark movie in that the characters are a little more raw and flawed, but it does not include descriptions that have me frantically looking for the remote to fast forward, if you know what I mean. I enjoyed these characters and Hilderbrand’s writing style enough that I am already reading the second book in this series, Winter Stroll.

4) Several People Are Typing, by Calvin Kasulke

To continue with my rating scale, this book is like having a soft drink at the beginning of a meal, and then finishing it off with a strong cocktail. It is funny, and the concept is brilliant: the consciousness of the main character gets sucked into his work’s Slack channel. And the most brilliant part of it is that the whole book is formatted like a Slack channel — complete with different threads, hashtags, etc. This formatting also makes it a very fast read; I think I read it in the course of two days, but it would be easy to read it all in one sitting. I am a fan of Kasulke’s imagination and wit; I don’t think he has other novels out currently, but if he did, I would add them to my reading list.

5) Who is Maud Dixon, by Alexandra Andrews

This book was recommended to me by the staff of the Des Moines Public Library, via their Book Chat feature. PS: I highly recommend using this feature! You just fill out this form, and then a team of librarians will recommend a small pile of books for you that they think you will like. They'll even put them on hold under your name! I told them I wanted to find a mystery novel that I actually liked. They responded with a few options, and this one sounded best. They were right: I did like it! Like Calvin Kasulke, Andrews does not appear to have any other published books, but I will keep an eye out because I am sure she will publish more. In the meantime, I might look back at my Book Chat list and read some more of their recommendations.

Fiction: Five Faves

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