More Archives - Novel Visits

BEST BOOKS of 2023

Susie — Thu, 21 Dec 2023 11:00:12 +0000

2023 has been a busy year! I think I tried to get in a lot of the traveling I missed over the last couple of years. I traveled to Greece and Turkey in the spring, then France and England in June. Both trips were wonderful and we had absolutely perfect weather, mid 70’s the whole time. Back in the U.S. there was a weeklong family reunion in Lake Tahoe and a trip to Washington D.C. this fall. Lots of other smaller trips, and of course I spent several weeks in beautiful Sunriver, Oregon. Phew! In 2024, I hope to get more traveling done, but maybe not quite as much. I was also lucky enough to spend a lot of time with my 5 grandkids who are growing up too fast!

As for books, I’ve heard people complain that this wasn’t a great year for books, but I disagree. I read so many books I loved, and some I didn’t, but truly appreciated what the authors were trying to achieve. I also read some clunkers and had a few I couldn’t finish. Right now I’m at 153 books and will likely get in a couple more before the 31st rolls around. Still, I’m confident no other books will be squeezing in on this list. I shared My Favorite Debuts of 2023 on Tuesday and if you want to see my Underrated Gems or Hyped Books, you can find those on Instagram. (Where you can follow me to get ALL my reviews.)

For my Best Books of 2023, I’m only including fiction for two reasons. First, I just don’t read that much nonfiction and what I do read is usually on audio. I’ll be covering my nonfiction audio favorites on a post next week on Instagram. (I’ll also cover my favorite fiction audiobooks.) Second, choosing the best was plenty hard without throwing nonfiction in there, too! Now on with 2023 books….

The post BEST BOOKS of 2023 appeared first on Novel Visits.

Debuts ~ My Favorites of 2023

Susie — Tue, 19 Dec 2023 11:00:45 +0000

I’ve always been a huge fan of debuts and this year is no exception. Even though I read a couple more books this year than last, fewer of them were debuts, but there were still plenty. In fact, there were so many good ones that narrowing this list down to my top ten was no easy task, but it’s done. These ten debuts will give you love, war, history, family, surprises and much more. I can honestly say that I highly recommend each of these books AND that you’ll be seeing quite a few move on to my Best Books of 2023 which I’m sharing on Thursday! That’s also where you’ll find out which of these was my #1 debut of the year. And now, in order of publication only:…

The post Debuts ~ My Favorites of 2023 appeared first on Novel Visits.

Spring Preview 2023

Susie — Thu, 16 Mar 2023 10:00:07 +0000

So far, my reading this year has been a bit of a roller coaster. Early in January I read a few books I loved, but then I hit a patch that made me feel I was about to head into a slump. You know that feeling? Then, my February reading really took off with so many books I loved, including several from my Winter Preview. Now it’s time to see if the spring crop of books can keep that streak going. I considered SO MANY for this Spring Preview 2023 and I hope the 20 I settled on will give us all hours and hours of reading pleasure. As an added bonus, while putting this all together I realized that this list includes 11 debuts, hopefully bringing with them much to look forward to in the coming years….

The post Spring Preview 2023 appeared first on Novel Visits.

Best Books of 2022

Susie — Wed, 21 Dec 2022 11:00:09 +0000

Finally! Not a completely normal year, but getting closer. 2022 was my first full year of retirement and I have to say, it feels good! I absolutely love the joy and freedom it brings. I got to travel quite a bit which felt wonderful (And, I only came home with COVID one of those times!) The elections were…the elections, but the world doesn’t feel quite so upside-down right now.

On the book side of things, 2022 was a very good year. I read the most books I ever have with 148 finished as I write this, and I’m confident I can make it to 150 before the end of the year. Even better is the fact that this was such a GREAT year for high quality writing, book after book. I never really slumped. Last week , I shared My Favorite Debuts of 2022 and getting that list down to 10 was no easy task! For my Best Books of 2022, I couldn’t do it! I was swimming in wonderful stories. In the end, I had to go with 12 books. I included no nonfiction because I really didn’t read much this year and the only one that might have had a chance, I’ll be sharing here next week. These 12 books are the ones that spoke to me loudest, that stayed with me longest, that I want to press in everyone’s hands, my Best Books of 2022!…

The post Best Books of 2022 appeared first on Novel Visits.

Winter Preview 2023

Susie — Mon, 19 Dec 2022 11:00:02 +0000

I’ll be honest, I’m constantly debating with myself whether or not to keep this blog going. I love books and reading as much as ever, but the blog is a lot of work. Instagram is so much easier and Sarah’s Bookshelves Live podcast so much more fun. But, I just cant seem to say goodbye to it, so I’m in for another year. Let’s kick it off with Winter Preview 2023! I always have fun pulling these previews together and they really keep me on top of my own reading. I’ve twenty potential best books here, so I hope you can find a few to add to your own 2023 “to be read” lists. And, if you stop back by on Wednesday you’ll find me sharing my Best Books of 2022.…

The post Winter Preview 2023 appeared first on Novel Visits.

DEBUTS ~ My Favorites of 2022

Susie — Thu, 15 Dec 2022 11:00:29 +0000

You all know I love reading debuts and in 2022 I’ve read more than ever. The year has been my biggest reading year ever, with 147 books finished as I write this. (Thank you retirement!) Of those, 59 have been debuts; that’s 40% of my reading. That percentage is up a little from last couple years and it’s no big surprise because it’s been a year of many fabulous debuts. Paring down 59 books to only 10 was no easy task. I could easily have included many more books here, but had to cut it off somewhere, so these are my ten favorite debuts from 2022. You can be sure several will make my Best Books of 2022 next week. That’s also where you’ll find out which of these was my #1 debut of the year. And now, in order of publication only:…

The post DEBUTS ~ My Favorites of 2022 appeared first on Novel Visits.

2022 Hyped Books

Susie — Mon, 12 Dec 2022 11:00:34 +0000

Every year certain books get a lot of hype and that can be for various reasons. Most often it’s from the publishing industry, but sometimes it grows more organically from readers themselves. They hype can feel well deserved or it can feel like a whole lot of nothing. Undoubtedly, the opinions on hyped books vary from reader to reader. So today I’m sharing my opinions on Six 2022 Books That Deserved the Hype, Plus Six That Didn’t.

2022 Books That Deserved the Hype

To be clear, my focus is on the hype around a book and not whether or not I liked it. Some of these choices you’ll see on my Best Books of 2022 list later this month, but others you won’t. I don’t need to love a book to appreciate its hype!…

The post 2022 Hyped Books appeared first on Novel Visits.

Fall Preview 2022

Susie — Tue, 23 Aug 2022 10:00:17 +0000

I can hardly believe it, but this is my last preview for 2022. Where does time go? Well, to be honesty, a good chunk of my time goes to books. This has already been an amazing year in books and I think the fall releases are only going to add to that list. Thanks to debut authors, repeat authors and new-to-me authors, I had a VERY hard time cutting my Fall Preview 2022 down to just twenty books. In fact, I decided to leave off my two most highly anticipated releases of the season. Both Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid and The Winners by Fredrik Backman have already been all over the place and I’ve already reviewed both on Instagram, so you can check out my full thoughts there. Now, onto the rest!…

The post Fall Preview 2022 appeared first on Novel Visits.

Summer Preview 2022

Susie — Fri, 27 May 2022 10:00:46 +0000

I don’t know about you, but I feel like 2022 has been an excellent year for books so far. It started out with a bang and some great winter releases, then into spring where April might have been one of the strongest months for new releases in YEARS! Now as spring is winding down, Memorial Day weekend is upon us, and we’re headed into summer books it’s looking like that good 2022 book juju just might continue. June alone looks insane with incredible sounding books, and July and August aren’t bad either. No matter what you might be doing this summer, you’ll want to keep this Summer Preview 2022 handy, so you can put in library requests, Libby holds, or maybe even splurge on a few new books to read on vacation. Happy reading!…

The post Summer Preview 2022 appeared first on Novel Visits.

Beach Bag Books 2022

Susie — Tue, 17 May 2022 10:00:14 +0000

It’s looking like this summer might be a huge season for traveling. We’ve all been stuck at home far too often these last couple of years and now with things a little more stable, it’s time to GO! I have vacation fun going on at least half the summer and in October I’ll finally be traveling internationally again with two weeks in Morocco. What are your travel plans for 2022? I’m betting no matter what they are, a little extra reading time will be on the agenda.

Today I’m sharing my Beach Bag Books 2022 guide which features 27 books that will make for great summer reading no mater where you’re headed. This year’s books are broken down into four categories, including three that highlight 2022 books: Smart Suspense, Loving Literary, and Delightfully Different. The final category, Backlist Beauties is made up of books from 2021 which I read after last year’s Beach Bag Books.

I’ll be talking about many of these books and some that you don’t see here on the May 18th episode of Sarah’s Bookshelves Live. Between Sarah and myself, your summer TBR list is going to explode!…

The post Beach Bag Books 2022 appeared first on Novel Visits.