For those of you who may not know, I love to read. I would be that kid who’d stay up all night to finish a book. But as I started working, I was reading less and less. This year, I wanted to do more of what I loved so I set a goal to read one new book every month and I actually ended up surpassing that goal — I finished 16 in several genres including technology, fantasy, historical fiction, romantic comedy, science fiction, nonfiction, drama, thriller, family saga, and so much more!

Through these books, I explored magical realms, fell in love, and even traveled back in time. All of them have brought me such joy and reignited my love for stories. I am beyond grateful to the authors who have poured their hearts out onto these pages. These are the 16 books I read this year and a quick review of each of them.

Pictured top to bottom: “Sparks Like Stars”, “All the Light We Cannot See”, “The House in the Cerulean Sea”, and “The Ex Hex”.

Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi: Historical fiction about a young girl forced to leave her home in Afghanistan during the communist coup. It’s a slower-paced plot but stick with it. Stirring prose, complex characters, and so much emotion. If you loved “The Kite Runner”, then this is the book for you. Simply stunning ✨

The House by the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune: This fantasy novel deserves all the hype because it is simply perfection — I have no words! A must-read for everyone.

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr: Sigh… this beautiful novel along with Golden Girl was probably one of my favorites this year. Doerr’s historical fiction takes place during World War II and brings two unlikely people together — a blind French girl and a German orphan boy. Such a profound reminder of how we should live with others and to see the light, even when it seems as if there isn’t any…

The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling: Ever wanted to curse an ex?! Well, that’s what happens in this spooky romcom! This easy read is a magical and edgy page-turner! Perfect for Halloween all-year long!

Pictured top to bottom: “My Broken Language”, “The Vanishing Half”, “State of Terror”, and “Klara and the Sun”.

My Broken Language by Quiara Alegría Hudes: This memoir of the phenomenal Quiara Alegría Hudes reflects on her life growing up in one of Philadelphia’s barrios in the 80s. This book is how Hudes finding her voice and healing as she blends her love for words with music. Powerful and inspiring. Recommend for you music lovers out there!

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett: Wow. This brilliant novel reminds me of one of my all time favorites — Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing — because its story spans across two generations: it starts by telling the story of two twin sisters and then their daughters — from the South to the West Coast. The Vanishing Half is an exploration of Black history in America along with the consequences of colorism, class, and the choices we make.

State of Terror by Hillary Clinton and Louise Penny : Hillary Clinton + Louise Penny = EPIC POLITICAL THRILLER. I mean, do I need to say more?!

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro: As someone who used to work in the data science realm, I found this book to be… eerie and slightly disturbing. Ever since I read Ishiguro’s What Remains at the End of the Day, I fell in love with this man’s poetic prose and ability to bring profound meaning to everything he writes. And as usual, he’s triumphant in Klara and the Sun. This futuristic scifi novel deals with the repercussions of AI. This thought-provoking novel is narrated by Klara, an AF (Artificial Friend), as she observes human relationships.

Pictured top to bottom: “Love, Chai, and Other Four Letter Words”, “All My Rage”, “Salaam With Love”, “A Wish in the Dark”.

Love, Chai, and Other Four Letter Words by Annika Sharma: Do you love New York? Are you a chai drinker? Then this book is for you! Just kidding. Contrary to popular opinion, I wasn’t the biggest fan of this interracial romance novel. Okay, okay before you start to hate me, I liked it — but I didn’t LOVE it. Yes, I felt seen as a brown woman to have a female Indian lead… something I could only dream about as a child. And I did love the parts where I got to read about the protagonist — her struggles immigrating and navigating life here in the US; her inner conflicts as she has to choose between her happiness and her duty to her parents. I was enthralled by the protagonist’s complex relationship with her sister, but the romance which is the center of this book? I mean, it just felt really flat, sudden, and serendipitous. The male protagonist needed to be more developed and at the end, I was left disappointed. I wanted more as a reader.

All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir: I love Sabaa Tahir. I have loved all her books. Her books are what inspired me to write my own. Sabaa Tahir is a wordsmith or a true kahini (“storyteller” in Urdu). I mean this woman… how she weaves her own culture into raw, emotional fiction is simply magic. This YA must-read is a departure from her typical fantasy genre but so reminiscent of “An Ember” series especially in style. From Pakistan to California, this heart wrenching, angsty tale explores what home and belonging mean to three different people who never really quite fit in. As a first-generation American, this novel was extremely relatable and one I wished I had growing up.

Salaam with Love by Sara Sharaf Beg: This coming of age novel is heartwarming and pitch-perfect. In this easy read, a young Muslim American woman explores her identity and faith when she spends Ramadan at her cousin’s home in New York. It’s funny, clever, and educational! THIS IS THE SORT OF THE ROMANCE I LOVE TO READ ABOUT — it’s innocent, pure, and full of heart ;) I simply loved this book. I finished this in a day while I was sick with COVID at the time. Personally, Sara Sharaf Beg deserves so much more hype. Another must-read for Young Adults.

A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat: If you loved “Les Miserables”, then you’ll enjoy this Thai-inspired children’s novel. You know how they say, ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’? Well, I picked up this book because I fell in love with its title and it DID NOT disappoint. This fantasy novel is PHENOMENAL — again another novel that deserves so much more attention. The setting, the characters, the world-building are so rich. I felt as if I were on this magical Southeast Asian island — like Kumandra from Disney’s “Raya and the Last Dragon”. “A Wish in the Dark’’ explores complex topics like privilege and justice for young readers while still staying engaging and empathetic. THIS IS A MUST-READ FOR ALL AGES.

Pictured top to bottom: “The Gift of Forgiveness”, “The Unicorn Project”, “Verity”, and “Golden Girl”.

The Gift of Forgiveness by Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt: This compassionate self-improvement book showcases a series of stories that highlight the power of letting the past go and forgiving the unforgivable. Really enjoyed this — it was thoughtful and incredibly inspiring. Forgiveness is truly one of the most difficult things in the human experience and this book brought me one step closer to letting go of the past.

The Unicorn Project by Gene Kim: Since I love to code, I had to include this. Like its name, this book is a mythical and fun read. If you are a software engineer (or in DevOps!), a problem solver, or are in tech, you HAVE to read The Unicorn Project and once you’re done, make sure you DM me your thoughts!

Verity by Colleen Hoover: This creepy novel left me with goosebumps and chills… Like Salaam with Love, I read this psychological thriller in LESS THAN A DAY WHILE I WAS SICK WITH COVID. I COULD NOT put this down! Verity is book-inception: a book within a book. It’s kind of like Afterworlds meets You meets the movie “Pan’s Labyrinth” (with the twist at the end) minus all the fantasy but so much better than what I just described. A young author gets a strange job offer to ghost-write for another writer who cannot finish her mystery series, but the protagonist soon finds herself in a mystery of her own!

Golden Girl by Elin Hilderbran: I love the beach and the sun… and if it were up to me, it would be summer all year long. This bittersweet novel… is exactly that. Perfect for the summer and for those who have lost loved ones. It sort of reminds me of the novel, The Lovely Bones but warmer. I loved this novel immensely and definitely will be reading this again along with Hilderbrand’s other books.

Have differing thoughts? Comment them below and make sure you include some of your favorite reads for me to check out in 2023. Thank you beautiful people!