 Hi there. Today on Typical Books we're going to be talking about my top books for 2023. I read 30, 31 books and I have 30 that I can rank and it is painful because I did read quite a few books by authors I know and authors that I got to meet. So it's painful taking some books away from this list. Goodbye 2023. Hello 2024 and my reading list is off to a really good start this year but I'll say that for a future video. Right now we're talking about the things that I had read in 2023. Now no doubt you have seen other people's ranked videos. I'm a little bit behind in getting to this but it takes a little bit to get this glorious tableau ready for consumption. Yes 30 some books. I'll probably pop in and out through this video as I normally do if you've watched my ranked videos before. I think this is the third or fourth year that I've been doing this and I really do like doing them. It's a little bit lazy in that I get to open up Photoshop and play around, move pictures of books around. A huge thanks to Goodread because I took all of these from that website and I track everything. Now notoriously I don't give star ratings to every single book so if you see something that you're interested in hearing me talk more about here let me know if I don't already have a review on the show about it. I know there's quite a few here I did talk about in depth on the show already so I'm not going to review everything in depth as we go but I have a copy of the video playing. I'll talk through it as we discuss every single book I read in 2023. Now as we can see here the 30 books arranged thus I have a couple other books I think that I'd forgotten to add to this list odd as it is but yeah we'll go through them one by one. They are all arranged randomly and I do go through rearranging them quite often throughout this video so yeah I just think it's fun to think about my reading in this manner and try and figure out what the top 10 were because if you were to ask me on the street I would be dumbfounded and I may choose something that doesn't fit. You'll notice that the Richard layman book the woods are dark the background I find matches this glorious background that I have chosen. It's tough to not keep it in the running just because of that. There are two non-fiction books. Create Something Awesome by Roberto Blake and Naomi Klein's doppelganger which I'll talk a little bit more about in a minute but I'm taking them out of the running not because they weren't enjoyable because they are massive outliers. Next year there will probably be more non-fiction books in the running but since there's only two I will just say I enjoyed the heck out of both of them. Now in no order I will go through each book one by one as they appear randomly on this page. First up of course the woods are dark by Richard layman. Pogging Holes by Juan Valencia and it's a short story collection. There's a couple of those on this list as well more outliers where the ocean was a collection by Nathaniel Giles and The House on the Borderland by William Hope Hodgson. Closer by Dennis Cooper you could talk to one for more Dennis Cooper really but yeah uh enjoyable read very enjoyable read. Bad Blood by Tobin Elliott I've been sleeping on the rest of this series and I really need to get to it sooner than later. Playground by Aaron Beauregard very popular book I've been seeing a lot of fan art from that lately online. Boom by Duncan Ralston an amazing reach this book has had a lot more reach than you would suspect. Brian Keane's Darkness on the Edge of Town. I loved this. I loved this book and it is a new read for me I should have read it ages ago. Allure by Tim McGregor loved this. Dead of Winter Darcy Coates it's the Dead of Winter right now it's quite fitting. Nothing but black and teeth I have an in-depth review about that and it's mixed reviews. Shadow Dancers of Brixton Hill by Nicole Wilson absolutely enjoyable highly recommended novella. Wasp in the Ice Cream another really highly recommended novella by Tim McGregor. There's another Tim McGregor on this list too and Richard Lamons Island I have a video about that particular book as well same with Wasp in the Ice Cream. The Spite House by Johnny Compton really fun I have really enjoyed this. Most of these are just really good picks this year. The Bat by Yonezbo you may recall I talked a little bit about that in review and depth but I did enjoy it quite a lot. Grey Noise by Marcus Hawke I have other Marcus Hawke to get to as well really enjoyed Grey Noise a novella and The Devil's Promise by Celso Hurtado highly recommended YA but like edging into adult horror fiction demonic horror fiction too. The Grimmer by Naban Ratnam and I am probably mispronouncing his name yet again really good book. Yonezbo's Night House. The Night House was great. I loved that. It's weird that there's two Yonezbo's in this list and I just realized that sign by side at that. Dark Harvest by Norman Partridge we reviewed that on the show and watched the film that just came out so huge highly enjoyable Exquisite Corpse by Poppy C Bright also known as Billy Martin hugely enjoyable this was a reread quite a few of these were rereads actually especially the Richard layman stuff of course Samantha Kloss Nix Lonesome Haunts I enjoyed that it's a collection of three short stories Alex E. Harrow's Starling House a new book and The Hobbit by Tolkien that very old book and I read that right at the end of the year that was like one of the last books that I read so there's two gaps here for the non-fiction books that I'd read create something awesome by Roberto Blake if you don't watch a lot of gurus and you have a youtube channel you know I caution people against watching those types of videos but Roberto Blake's really pretty good there's a Brian Johnston guide as well that talks about youtube is a youtube guru but if you're not into watching those videos read Roberto's book I know Cyn from Cyn's book nook has read it because she talked about this book and I saw her in the chat of Roberto Blake at live stream once so yeah helpful interesting good book if you like that DIY stuff sort of self-help-y kind of stuff then create something awesome fun and a different kind of fun we have Naomi Klein's doppelganger and I enjoyed that immensely as well this year now you'll know it's not you know that light hardened it's kind of a dark horrible thing especially if like me like people in Ottawa you lived through the brunt of the convoy and a lot of like COVID lockdown hysteria in larger cities for long-form journalism though I like it and I'm going to get to no logo sooner than later so we'll take the non-fiction out of the running entirely for the purposes of this scramble so we shall begin removing books properly and like the hobbit I want to just take out but I did enjoy it it's a it's a fantastic read so even though it was a reread lots of these were reread I'm going to leave it in for now and we'll begin the call the first cut is the deepest we're going to uh eliminate Samantha Kloss next a little some haunts it just wasn't for me it is a sapphic collection and although I do enjoy all of her other work that I've read so far and want to read more it's just not for me so yeah that one goes forgive a few of these is flashing I'm just trying to see where they are right like night and long some October that was a reread but it's staying next to go will be the grimmer it is a YA story and it just not entirely for me I did enjoy the fact that it was a twist on the drug use problem in fiction in that it was the father with the drug problem and not the son but it was just a little too YA for my taste next to go will be the bat by Yonezbo and I'm not just being cruel because it's true crime it's just not for me entirely I'm not super memorable so I liked it I liked it quite a lot looking forward to reading the french version sometime this year if I'm lucky but yeah now the the bat is out of here up next will be the paul bearer's club I liked it again it doesn't really stick with me I don't think about it often I mostly forgot that I read it but I would love to see a film of this very much very very much so yeah it's just not top 10 material and I try and think of these eliminations as would this be in my top three and then think down from there paul bearer's club wouldn't be in the top three and not top 10 subsequently next to eliminate is playground by Aaron Beauregard I didn't not enjoy it like I'd fun reading it I don't really get the hype I mean it was an interesting read but it had so many weird turns of phrase and I hesitate to say not good writing because I'm not here to pick on it but there were like 10 things that I highlighted while reading that that were just absurd and not absurd because there's a lot in the book that is absurd but just not like writing that trip me up and it was just very awkward but yeah it was fun it was just not certainly not top 10 not top three next to go is the house on the borderland by William Holp Hodgson again just not a super enticing read for me the first third of the book or the first like fifth of the book I really liked and I like the last few pages that tie into that but everything in the middle is just the time of cosmic horror that does not work for me I'm pretty picky I can read any slasher in the world but cosmic horror there's a small handful that really works for me and this is not one of them next to go would be Richard layman's the woods are dark I just not a huge fan I like wrong turn and wrong turn the original film where they follow a lot of the family in the woods not the survivors or victims and I found that this was that sort of story that really follows the survivors and victims far too much not as strong as work really it's really not and there were some like chunks in it that made very little sense I like the alternate ending because there was like a missing ending to this particular book but yeah it's just not top 10 material so next the spite house Johnny Compton I saw Johnny Compton talk I really like this not super memorable though and I'm looking forward to his next work for a debut was really good though I will say um but yeah spite house just not for me because I mean if unless somebody asked me do you have any good books about spite houses I don't know who I'd recommend it to next to go in the great cull of 2023 is nothing but blackened teeth by Cassandra Caw I liked it it was fun not top 10 material it's the cover that really speaks to me but we're not judging covers here today if it was top cover competition they would win but no it's not in the top 10 and what we'll say the 11th cut is the deepest the Hobbit by Tolkien it's great it's a fantastic book but I read it for a utilitarian purpose and it was just a reread that I do so very often and I it would just be so weird to have it rank so as much as I love the Hobbit it's a great book this isn't the great books of all time though this is the greatest books that I read in 2023 Hobbit is out of the running and back to another layman night in the lonesome october I liked it it's great it's just not that great of a book you know it's not his strongest book in my estimation I liked it it was a good reread but not in the top 10 dark harvest this is kind of a tough one you know I liked it I would recommend it and I do look forward to rereading it but there's so many other great books here up against it it's out of the running this time and we'll eliminate two kind of quickly it's uh it's tough for me it's getting tough especially when we're getting into Canadian authors or authors that I've talked to authors that I really appreciate uh Marcus Hawk has sent me quite a few books I'm looking forward to reading the rest Grey Noise is excellent it's made it this far but I will eliminate it and Devil's Promise by Celso Hurtado really great really great book not as I didn't like it as much as uh Ghost Tracks I guess because I think Ghost Tracks made my list last year but here we are I think I just read a lot more powerful books this year as all and another painful one poking holes Juan Valencia really great book a really really strong book and I highly recommend his short stories to everyone especially if you're looking for something well quite a bit darker uh yeah definitely check out Juan's book not in the top 10 and hey you know what if I'm not going to include Juan Valencia in my top 10 Dennis Cooper can't be in it either so really excellent novella long novella short novel really liked closer it's out of the running as is Island by Richard layman because it's not the top 11 it's top 10 so in no particular order we have Alexi Harrow Starling House Wasps in the Ice Cream by Tim McGregor Exquisite Corpse by Poppy Z Bright Duncan Rolston's Womb Where the Ocean Was by Nathaniel Agiles Bad Blood by Tobin Elliot Yonezbo's The Nighthouse Dead of Winter by Darcy Cotes Brian Keen Darkness on the Edge of Town and Lure by Tim McGregor it's fantastic to me that I have two Tim McGregors on this list so I'll just straighten these up these books here and I'm trying to arrange them a little bit better so we can get a sense of where they fit into the books that were eliminated now rearranged everything behind them including the nonfiction books just so we can have a real sense of where these 10 are chosen out of 30 it might seem like a pretty easy thing to do to choose 10 of your favorite things out of 30 things but they're all really strong reads I really curated a good reading list I think this year so if you're interested in horror at all of any sort here's something for you I'm sure out of these 30 books now the really tough part is arranging this line of 10 books that are still random into what I really like 1 through 10 and rank these this is tough but you know I'm gonna just start with some of these middle books where the ocean was and by blood that sort of sits where I would suspect they would sit Lure I enjoyed a lot you know I enjoyed where the ocean was more styling house dead of winter like all these really fantastic strong books this is so tough like picking your favorite children the one book I know that goes at the end of this because it's not a top nine list because it's a top 10 you and I's both the night house made it in so it goes there dead of winter I enjoyed so very much and this is really kind of about where it would sit I think we'll see it may move all this might move the books that are left over are pretty sharp books though we might move some stuff around here I don't know womb I know I enjoyed it I enjoyed it so very much did I enjoy was with the ice cream more yes I did exclusive corpse that's oh my it's in the top three that's one thing for sure same with starling house now there we go much better yeah there is our ranked list top 10 books of 2023 exquisite corpse by poppy c bright fantastic stuff brian keen's darkness on the edge of town I absolutely loved it shocking stuff alexie harrow's starling house beautifully written sort of fantasy book really wasps in the ice cream for fans of old steven king and wishing he can get back to it it's okay you have tim mcgregor and this particular book duncan ralston's womb if you're exploring some uh extreme horror definitely check that out where the ocean was by nathaniel a child's short dark kind of odd horror stories that I think you would really enjoy if you like quieter stuff or if you're a chuck palinac fan that wants to get into a horror and ghost stories that aren't really like ghostly ghost stories yeah more modern quiet horror you'll enjoy nathaniel a giles bad blood by toben elliott if you're looking for some updated modern stuff and you really enjoyed reading something like steven king's green mile that was told in like novellas then bad blood and that series is for you there is a full length novel within the series but as far as I recall the rest of novellas so yeah definitely start with bad blood though lure by tim mcgregor the second tim mcgregor and quite a few canadian authors on this list as well uh yeah mermaid horror I don't think I'm spoiling it from the cover you can see there's a mermaid on there quite clearly uh very dark very cool seaside cosmic horror Darcy coats dead of winter now she may not be canadian she may be from down under I got to meet her she handed me the copy of this book which I think is fantastic but yeah this particular book speaks to me as a canadian because it takes place in the dead of winter as advertised and of course yo naspo's the night house super fun it is kind of twisty and I can see the twist throwing a lot of people off and some people may not have enjoyed it but yeah I enjoyed the night house very very much so looking at these 10 top reads of 2023 and seeing how they fit into the largest scheme of these 30 other better books out there yeah probably did I read them this year no I didn't so the 2023 list as we have it with a reread exquisite corpse by poppy z bright topping the list I mean who to guest I wouldn't have guessed it's like one of those things a reread you often forget you read them in the year not that I could ever forget reading exquisite corpse but it was the most enjoyable reread it had been so long and I had probably been stoned when I read it as a teen so it was like a whole fresh thing I don't think I really knew all the details of Jeffrey Dahmer's crimes when I read this I certainly had no idea of the other murderer from across the pond that it is based on so like I have a way better grounding of understanding I probably had just as many gay friends back then so I don't think that I have much more deeper understanding of the drive there maybe a lot more compassion as I've aged but you know that was always kind of there anyway but you know that the murder the serial murder the cannibalism within this book really speaks to me even more so as an adult maybe it just strikes me as a shade darker but yeah beautifully written wonderfully written book and always will be looking at these 10 books again I'm struck by just what a cool list of books I got to read throughout the year and I'm always struck by how many people read way way way way more than me and how they keep it straight and how they rank what their favorite books are if a lot of them even bother to rank them if they can even remember so you can check me out on good reads where I'll be tracking as usual the books that I read throughout the year I don't typically rate or review on good reads but I talk about the books here if there are books that you think I ought to be reading in 2024 definitely let me know in the comments below and if there's anything in this list that I didn't talk about enough for your liking let me know and I'll gladly offer a full review on the show of something that I maybe didn't talk enough about but thank you so much for watching and reading along in 2023 happy new year and happiest of 2024s hope your reading has started off on a great page and have an oaky spooky day