★★★★★ Skillful dialogue and prose adorn this debut that combines a love story with the search for a mysterious gangster in 1920s Chicago.

★★★★★ A truly excellent start to a trilogy about an orphan who infiltrates an Academy for societal elites in order to uncover a conspiracy.

★★★★★ Among the best autobiographies I have read, Andre Agassi shares an honest account in vivid detail of his life in tennis (and beyond).

★★★★★ Yarros gives us a rarity -- a sequel to a force-of-nature debut that's just as good as the original, and in some ways possibly better.

★★★★★ Set in 1975, the search for a missing child acts as the foundation for Moore's tactful exploration of societal themes of the time.

★★★★★ A nostalgia-inducing romp through the most impactful songs of the '90s, focusing on their meaning to the decade and to music overall.

★★★★★ A woman returns to the small town where she grew up, despite being the prime suspect in the 5-year-old murder of her best friend.

★★★★★ A woman travels to a luxury hotel with plans to kill herself but instead gets wrapped up in the wedding festivities happening on site.

★★★★★ Another great spy thriller from Hayes after 10 long years. Despite some questionable supernatural plot choices, it's still a winner.

★★★★★ Part mystery, part odyssey, the story follows a sardonic pony as he seeks to reunite with his human, on trial for a 25-year-old murder

★★★★★ A satisfying conclusion to one of the better sci-fi trilogies I have read, the Sentinels once again try to defy odds to save humanity.

Inspired by an underwhelming list from Goodreads, this counts down a far superior list of the Top 50 books of the last 5 years (2020-2024).

★★★★★ Dave Grohl -- former drummer for Nirvana, and founding member of the Foo Fighters -- shares stories of his life in rock in this memoir

★★★★★ A historical opus that examines the horrors of the Vietnam War and its turbulent aftermath through the eyes of a young female nurse.

★★★★★ A twisty plot-driven novel about a woman who manufactures a relationship, only to find she might be the one being played.

A running tally of my "Best Books of 2023", updated each time I finish a book throughout the year.

★★★★★ Another tightly crafted Southern Noir novel from Cosby packed with social commentary and memorable characters. Possibly his best yet.

★★★★★ It's long, but it's also a brilliant tour de force, presenting a multi-generational character study spanning nearly 80 years in India.

★★★★★ Set in a near-future society that feels all too possible, prisoners fight in gladiatorial death matches for a chance at freedom.

★★★★★ A masterful book, Lehane's best since Mystic River, set against the racial tensions of Boston school busing during the summer of '74.