Welcome back to the 2023 Best of the Year Lists!
Last year, we ranked the 50 best books of 2022. This year, we broke books down into two separate categories depending on if they are fiction or nonfiction. This makes both lists a bit shorter, but it provides better granularity and ensures a much more fair ranking. I was the only one on the team to read and review nonfiction books this year, so this list was decided on by me. Every Book on this list received at least a 3.5 star rating.
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7. Pageboy
Author: Elliot Page
Genre: Autobiography
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I was very excited to read Elliot Page’s autobiography, and I felt grateful to finally get off the waitlist in early December. That said, once I started I was struck by how deeply sad his story was. I have an immense amount of respect for everything he went through, even moreso now after reading the memoir. It was fascinating to see the inner workings of a child star from someone who wasn’t in the Disney Industrial Complex but was still deeply hurt by the people around them.
6. Sure, I’ll Join Your Cult
Author: Maria Bamford
Genre: Memoir in Essays
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This book is a simultaneously dark and lighthearted exploration of Maria Bamford’s own life from childhood through the present day. I went into the memoir without knowing anything about Bamford—quite honestly, I saw “cult” in the title and jumped for it—so I cannot speak to how repetitive it might be for people who are familiar with her work, but from my vantage point this was an interesting and well written memoir. Read the Full Review
5. Quietly Hostile
Author: Samantha Irby
Genre: Memoir in Essays
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This book of essays takes place primarily during the pandemic years, with occasional flashbacks to the time “before”. I appreciated hearing about the pandemic from Irby’s perspective, especially just hearing the little day to day things. This was worth the read if you’re a Sam Irby fan. Read the Full Review
4. Who Does That Bitch Think She Is?
Author: Craig Seligman
Genre: LGBTQ+ Biography
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This biography of prolific drag queen Doris was incredibly interesting. What made this book so special was the way it presented a view of the whole community at large, and not just Doris Fish. Read the Full Review
3. I Am Ace
Author: Cody Daigle-Orians
Genre: Informational / Memoir
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Daigle-Orians became a public asexual figure with his TikTok “Ace Dad Advice”, and eventually decided to write this book about his experiences and about asexuality as a whole. I appreciate how approachable this book was and the way Daigle-Orians incorporated both research and personal anecdotes. Read the Full Review
2. Hijab Butch Blues
Author: Lamya H
Genre: Memoir
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I checked out this book from the library immediately after reading Stone Butch Blues, and I fell in love with Lamya H’s writing. They are a queer Muslim person who writes under a pseudonym to protect their anonymity. The way they talked about their life and what it’s like to be a butch hijabi was so powerful, and the book itself was incredibly well-written.
1. Radical Intimacy
Author: Sophie K Rosa
Genre: Informational
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I have recommended this book to quite literally everyone I know. It’s just so incredibly good! Rosa talks about intimacy in friendships, relationships, and community as a whole in a way that’s so incredibly interesting and upends many of the ways we think of connection in a capitalistic culture.
What were your favorite nonfiction books of 2023?
