Our Favourite Reads of 2023

As we kick off 2024, what better way to celebrate the New Year than to reflect on our favourite reads of the previous one? We saw some fantastic novels published this year, and we were also reminded of some timeless classics that will never get old.

Whether you enjoy a period drama, biographical tale, or a complex, emotive story, we have something to tickle your fancy. Take a look at our top 5 favourite reads from 2023 below.

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Our 2023 Must-Read Books

In a reading slump? Looking for new titles to add to that ever-lengthening TBR list? (That’s ‘To Be Read’ in case you didn’t know). Well, you’ve come to the right place.

To say we’re passionate about books would be an understatement. So, let’s try another approach: Here at Victoria Freudenheim, we’re keen to get everyone reading, regardless of their tastes, ability, or spare time. And, in this blog post, we’ll be providing plenty of essential reading material – both modern fiction and classics – so that one is bound to take your fancy.

The year is already off to a good start. So let’s keep the ball rolling with our must-read books for the rest of it. And, don’t worry if you haven’t so much as picked up a book yet, there’s still plenty of time!

What is a must-read?

While you don’t have to take our word for it, we believe that the following titles are ‘must-reads’: books that everyone should dip into at least once in their lives. They may contain lessons, unique perspectives, or even just a fun insight into a new world.

Before the Coffee Gets Cold – Toshikazu Kawaguchi (2015)

Starting off with a recent book that is set to become a modern classic, Before the Coffee Gets Cold already feels timeless. In Kawaguchi’s novel, time is bent and realities are warped as readers are encouraged to ask questions about time travel and changing the past like never before.

Heavily sentimental, the novel is split into stories offering readers insight into a new dynamic each time: sometimes between friends and lovers, other times familial – each connected by the catch-22 scenario of time travel without the possibility of ‘changing’ time.

If you’re looking for a comforting, wholesome book to reassure you about your place in the world, this is the book for you. For a more detailed summary of this book, read our full review here.

The Book Thief – Markus Zusak (2005)

Second on our list is The Book Thief, a haunting yet important story all told from the unique narrative perspective of Death.

The novel follows the experience of Liesel Meminger, a German girl living with a foster family during the Second World War. As the novel progresses, a series of traumatic events – persecutions, incarceration, and fatalities – unfold while the central theme of reading and bookishness remains a constant.

As a Young Adult (or YA) novel, this story offers an easy entry point into a highly complex topic, fraught with political and ethical issues. If you’re keen to see historic events from a new perspective, The Book Thief is an eye-opening read that will also remind you of the (often political) power of reading itself.

Frankenstein – Mary Shelley (1816)

Our next must-read has already gone down in history as one of the most emotionally complex and illuminating novels to ever be written. For many of us, ‘Frankenstein’ conjures up humorous images of a green monster costume at Halloween, to which some would reply “That’s Frankenstein’s monster!” . Although the monstrous character has become something of a cultural icon in the Western world, how many of us are familiar with its origins?

Far more than just a scary story about a green hybrid monster, Shelley’s historically rich novel is deeply psychological, and raises harrowing, important questions about guilt, shame, responsibility, parenthood, and creation. Even if just to experience the intensity of emotion recorded across its pages, Frankenstein is undoubtedly a ‘scary story’ worth your time

The Colour Purple – Alice Walker (1982)

Famed just a year after publication with the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, The Colour Purple was one of the first narratives of its kind. It also featured on the BBC’s ‘The Big Read Poll’ in 2003 as one of the UK’s “best-loved novels.”

Telling the tale of Celie, an African American teenager growing up in rural Georgia, Walker’s novel sheds light on experiences that so rarely are given voices.

As an epistolary novel, the book is a series of letters from the protagonist to God, detailing her heartbreaking experiences at the hands of systemic racism and the patriarchal systems around her.

The novel movingly portrays the self-realisation that comes with growing up, addressing blackness, queerness, the intersection of both, and the general experience of being a woman discovering herself.

If you’re looking to tap into a rich cultural history and read into and beyond a book, The Colour Purple shines brightly in the public imagination, being made into several films and plays over the years too.

White Teeth – Zadie Smith (2000)

One of the cornerstones of modern day postcolonial literature, White Teeth is a powerful, unapologetic story about growing up .

The story focuses on the later lives of two friends – Samad Iqbal, a Bangladeshi, and Archie Jones, a Brit – as they move through life’s ups and downs with their families in London.

Unearthing important and, in some places, uncomfortable, questions surrounding Britain’s fraught relationship with immigrants from the Commonwealth, this debut novel from Smith has become essential fiction over the 23 years it has been written. As a testament to the light it sheds on the experiences of immigrants in the UK, it was included in the ‘Big Jubilee Read’ in 2022 on a list of 70 books by Commonwealth authors.

Nineteen Eighty-Four – George Orwell (1949)

Ever heard of the phrase ‘Big Brother’? How about ‘Thought Police?’ or ‘thoughtcrime’ – all Orwellian language.

This eerie, dystopian, science fiction novella by George Orwell has long populated the bookshelves of Britain’s avid readers as an absolute staple of twentieth-century function.

While, in its day, Orwell’s story was a fearful anticipation of a future without freedom, for today’s readers, it is even more uncomfortable as so much of it rings true in modern-day society.

Filled with didactic, cautionary messaging about self-expression, war, censorship, and indoctrination, Orwell’s tale functions as a ‘wake up call’ to many readers who may well come to find ‘Big Brother’ in many forms in their lives.

The Secret History – Donna Tartt (1992)

Lastly, we come to books worth reading purely for the writing itself. Tartt has long been applauded for her way with words with The Secret History is famed for its well-crafted plot and prose.

While on the surface it is a detective story set in a school, beneath is a web of connections and happenings that drag the story down into the ever-popular ‘dark academia’ genre of fiction.

Inspired by ancient Greek tragedian Euripides’ play, The Bacchae , this novel is – at its core – an academic work of art closely tied to the tragic genre and worth a read by anyone longing to see beauty in narratives.

Still looking for inspiration?

For more detailed summaries of books like those listed above, head over to our latest reviews page where you can explore a whole range of modern and classic fiction and non-fiction works, reviewed by us for your enjoyment.

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Parisian Days, Banine (translated by Anne Thompson-Ahmadova)

If you’ve been keeping up-to-date with our latest reviews, you may have seen our recent thoughts on Parisian Days. The author, Banine, tells a compelling and magical tale of her life during the Roaring Twenties, where music, fashion and culture transformed due to changing societal perspectives.

Banine’s background and early life is incredibly intriguing. The granddaughter of two famous millionaires, she was forced into marriage at the very young age of fifteen, as a fee exacted for the freedom of her father who had been imprisoned after the fall of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic in 1920. Banine followed her father to Paris shortly before her eighteenth birthday, abandoning her husband, and that’s where her story truly begins.

It’s not always an easy journey, Banine faces many challenges as she tries to navigate her new life, but it makes for an insightful and witty read – one we thoroughly recommend.

A person sits on a sofa and reads a book.

The Midnight Library, Matt Haig

If you’re looking for a beautiful, thought-provoking story to dive into, this is the novel for you. Published in 2021, at the height of the pandemic, The Midnight Library took the world by storm, becoming the most-loved book of 2021 and winning the Goodreads Choice Award for fiction.

The story centres around Nora, a thirty-something-year-old whose life jumps from one bad situation to another. She’s lost her job, no longer speaks to her brother, and her cat has passed away. The pain leads her to make a decision to take her own life, but what follows is a journey of self-discovery, and a chance to undo her regrets and try out each life she could have lived.

This novel stands as a great reminder to never hold onto regrets and do things to please other people. You never know where life will take you.

A Shared Silence, Lalla Romano

Another brilliant read we reviewed this year, A Shared Silence delves into a lot of complicated themes, including loss, war, and heartache. Set during the Second World War, the novel follows Giulia, a young woman living in Italy who must leave her home alone to escape the bombings and dangers posed by war.

It’s a delicate read that divulges heartbreaking emotions, but it’s an incredibly insightful and compelling story that largely mirrors the experiences of the book’s author, Lalla Romano.

Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

A timeless classic, Pride and Prejudice continues to delight readers with its sharp, witty characters and exploration of themes (social expectations, for one) that are still relevant in today’s society. It has been adapted for TV and film multiple times and has even been the inspiration for a comedy-horror zombie novel.

The story follows our heroine, Elizabeth Bennet, who, along with her four sisters, must marry to secure their futures. Elizabeth is strong-willed and determined to marry for love, but twists and turns will prove the journey challenging and, at times, heartbreaking.

One thing we can take away from this powerful love story is to never judge a book by its cover!

A stack of vintage books next to some wire-framed glasses.

August Blue, Deborah Levy

Named Best Book of the Year by TIME, Vulture, and the BBC, August Blue delves into themes of loss and identity to create a timeless, thought-provoking piece of literature. The author, Deborah Levy, has previously been shortlisted twice for the Booker Prize, so if that’s not a good enough reason to read August Blue, we don’t know what is.

Elsa M. Anderson is a concert pianist and former child prodigy, now in her thirties. One day, at the height of her career, she walks off stage mid-performance in Vienna. Fast forward to Athens, Elsa watches a similar-looking woman, practically her double, purchase a pair of dancing horses that she wants. From here begins a journey across Europe, as Elsa grapples to understand who she really is, while being shadowed by the elusive woman who bought the horses.

It may sound a bit unusual, but its mystical and emotive narrative makes it a fantastic read.